Spro New Product for 2010

Event Article: 2009 ICAST Show - Orlando, FL

The Big and Small Happenings with Spro for 2010

Date:	07/24/09
Location:	Orlando Florida
Admission:	Buyers & Press Only
Manufacturer:	Spro
Reviewer:	Team TackleTour

Introduction: It seems all the manufacturers brought out their top stars to help introduce new product this year at ICAST 2009 and Spro was no exception. On hand were Dean Rojas, John Crews, Mike McClelland, and of course, our friend Bill Siemental.

Dean Rojas shows us his new King Daddy Bronzeye Frog.

Dean was on hand to show us his brand new King Daddy Bronzeye frog. In an era where so called big baits seem to be getting smaller, Spro is bucking the trend with their new monster sized frog! The King Daddy is a full 90mm (~3.5") and weighs in at one (1) ounce!

The King Daddy is just over three and a half inches long...

... and weights in at one full ounce!

The Kin Daddy features a specially designed 6/0 Gamakatsu Superline Double EWG hook and designed to be fished in the nastiest cover you can find. It will be available this fall in six different colors.

Mike McClelland was on hand to show us his Mc Stick jerkbait.

The Mc Stick is a 110mm, 1/2 oz jerkbait.

Not new this year, but always of interest to the TT Crew is Mike McClelland's Mc Stick jerkbait. This slender bait is a familiar 110 mm in length, weighs half an ounce, and comes in about eight different colors. It features three number five Gamakatsu trebles and is designed to suspend at lower temperatures.

John Crews shows us his new Little John DD.

John Crews came out to show us his new Little John DD crank. It's a seventy millimeter (70 mm = ~2.75"), one ounce, flat sided crank designed to get down to depths of twenty feet on ten pound test line. Nothing excites us more during our Year of the Crank than a new deep diving crank. The Little John DD will be available this fall in eight (8) different colors.

The Little John DD is a rare, deep diving, flat sided crank.

Of course, we couldn't leave the Spro booth without getting an update from Bill Siemental on the goings on with his big bait line. After a lot of quality control issues, the new six inch BBZ is finally ready in the brand new herring color. The issue was one of how to finish the tail section to mimic the rest of the bait. Bill sent countless samples back to the factory until they got it right, and boy did they ever. This is one really sharp looking finish for a small little big bait.

Spro's new Herring finish for the 6" BBZ.

This finish deserves a second look.

But you know when the TT Crew shows up, Bill can't just show us what's on the showroom floor. After he was done with the standard song and dance we asked him where his briefcase was.

Still in final testing stages, the 2.5" BBZ Shad will really make some noise amongst the finesse swimbait crowd.

He played coy at first, then let out a wide grin, reached down behind a counter and pulled out the case. A distinct "click, click" echoed in the booth and it was open. We expected something big, and after a bit of digging, Bill pulled out three baits and laid them out in his hands. We were about to reach for our Macro lenses to get a good look at these diminutive baits.

Did you miss them? We got in closer for another shot.

Introducing Spro's new two and a half inch long BBZ Shad. And boy, you'd have to pull out a measuring tape for us to prove they are a full two and half inches long because they look no larger than one and half inches in hand!

Here's the 2.5" compared to last year's introduction, the "full sized" BBZ Shad.

And of course, here's the same bait compared to a full 8" BBZ-1 Swimbait.

Bill explains when the bait is released, there will only be one version, a fast sink. Apparently the bait is too small to engineer a flotation method that will enable a varying rate of fall. Bill told us, in prototype stages, 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.

A look at a clear, unfinished version.

The diminutive 2.5" BBZ Shad is sure to make a big splash.

Even more exciting than the new prototype was the news that Bill Siemental had just been inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame. He is among the youngest member to ever be inducted and one of less than a handful big bait guys to be inducted. Congratulations Bill!

It was announced during ICAST 2009, that Bill Siemental has been inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame.

Conclusion: There are a lot of big (and small) things happening over at Spro, and we were excited to discuss these items with the team. We look forward to seeing more from this aggressive company who always seems to find a way to bring out quality product at reasonable prices. Great job Spro, and thanks for keeping your product OUT of the bland bait zone.