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Bass-a-Thon 2009
Coverage Part 1 - Big Baits in L.A.
(continued)
22nd. Century: Making a rare public appearance was Scott Whitmer one of
the pioneers of big baits as we know them today. He eagerly swapped stories and
his knowledge of the swimbait design with attendees while showcasing his
complete line of Triple Trout swimbaits including the very exciting new Stubby
versions.
Scott Whitmer of 22nd Century was
at the show highlighting the new Stubby versions of his swimbaits
Scott explained the Stubby is able to generate a louder “thump” than the
original which makes it a good choice in water that might be stained The Stubby
is available in both 8” and 4” versions and bears a much larger eye than the
original.
The Stubby features a larger eye
and more compact profile and is available in all the same attractive finishes as
the original
The finishes looked excellent and on some of the lures included
holographic glitter for that extra flash. We were particular fond of the 4” shad
and trout patterns which retailed for $49.99 at the show.
We really liked the trout
patterned Stubby
Scott and our resident big bait
fanatic Cal
Spro:
Bill Siementel had a booth in the corner where he (and his aluminum brief case
full of prototypes) were there to greet us. He showed attendees the new 6” BBZ-1 which is scheduled to
arrive at stores any day now. The bait features a more compact profile than the
original 8” version, and is easier to throw as well. But if you think that’s
small it’s nothing compared to the tiny new two and a half inch long BBZ Shad.
Pro Angler Bill Siementel talks
about his new 6" BBZ swimbait
This bait is designed for
targeting bas when you see baitfish being scared up right on the surface. There
will only be one version, a fast sink as the bait is too small to engineer a
flotation method that will enable a varying rate of fall.
The excitement really started when
he reached into his pocket...
Thus the best way to
control rate of fall is by varying your retrieve speed. The deadliest method to
fish this bait, he's found, is by keeping your rod tip up and waking it across
the surface. This is how he nailed an eight pounder earlier this year, the
largest fish to date on this bait.
...and pulled out the tiny 2.5"
prototype
At the Bass-A-Thon a
number of anglers were so excited about this tiny swimbait that they opened up
their wallets and tried to pry the prototypes away from Bill, no such luck
however as Bill held on to the shrunken down BBZ.
Anglers will have to wait a little
longer for the 2.5" version but its nearing production now
While many anglers
associate big baits with the Bass-A-Thon the show does offers plenty more than
just swimbaits, stay tuned for part two of our coverage where we explore
everything else the show had to offer from lines to the hottest new watercraft.
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