Strike King Continues to Refine Their Family of Baits

Tungsten Thunder Cricket: One of the more popular bait brands, Strike King, continues to refine and expand their product offering for 2023. Most notable for me is their new tungsten head Thunder Cricket bladed jig. We reviewed the original Thunder Cricket shortly after its debut in 2019. This new tungsten head variant promises to be even more productive offering a smaller profile but the same, quality, hand tied skirts. It will be available in 14 different colors, two weights (3/8oz & 1/2oz) with a suggested retail price of $17.99. Expect to see the tungsten head Thunder Cricket in stores in the Fall of 2022.

The new Tungsten Thunder Cricket offers a smaller profile head

Thunder Cricket Gold: The original Thunder Cricket is available in 14 colors that include color coordinated blades. For 2023, Strike King will be introducing gold colored blade options to the lineup in 10 different colors and sizes 3/8oz through 5/8oz. Price for the Thunder Cricket Gold is expected to land at $13.99 with availability this coming Fall.

The Original Thunder Cricket gets a gold blade variant

The new Rage Menace Worm is a hybrid between the Twin Tail Grub and Cut-R Worm

Rage Family Additions: Strike King's Rage tail family of soft plastic baits is wildly popular with at least two dozen profiles to assist every bass angler in their efforts to match the hatch. Incredibly, the manufacturer has found a way to add three new options to this already diverse lineup. First up is the new Rage Menace Worm - a six inch (6"), soft plastic bait representing a hybrid of the brand's Twin-Tail Menace Grub and Cut-R Worm.

The new Rage Scounbug is a new, compact craw-style trailer

The popular Rage Tail Craw gets a rattling variant

Our Quick Take: Strike King has one of the most robust bait offerings of any manufacturer out there and this ICAST it looks like they are bolstering some of their most popular baits with some new options. The Tungsten Thunder Cricket is addition we are most excited about as the new material is denser and will improve castability without adding size and is also designed to deliver better vibration and better swim through vegetation.