Bass-a-Thon 2009
Coverage Part 1 - Big Baits in L.A.
Date:
11/22/09
Event:
Bass-A-Thon 09
Nov 21-22, 2009
Location:
Anaheim, CA
Reviewer:
Team
TackleTour
Introduction: It seems like just
yesterday we were in Anaheim covering Bass-A-Thon and yet a full year has passed
and Anglers Marine once again hosts their popular show which attracts some of
the biggest swimbait manufacturers in the business. We head down from TT
headquarters in Northern California to cover the show and meet up with familiar
big bait manufacturers and learn about a few new players on the scene as well.
Impressions: The Bass-A-Thon has long been a popular show among big bait
manufacturers and fans of swimbaits that come out in droves to see the latest
and greatest trout imitators and topwater wakebaits. Anglers from all over
California and beyond drive or fly in to attend the show to see these lures
firsthand and buy limited edition show specials. There is also a wealth of
information to be had as some of the biggest names in the biz attend the show to
share their experience and knowledge in seminars or behind the table of one of
their sponsors.
It is 8am at Anglers Marine and
attendees start entering the Bass-A-Thon Show
Though the Bass-A-Thon was only six days from the conclusion of the successful
Bassjam 09 show there really wasn’t any question for us whether or not we would
forgo sleep once again and make the drive down from the Bay Area. There was just
simply too much too see, and when we confirmed that big bait pioneers like Scott
Whitmer of 22nd Century would be in attendance we loaded our gear and headed
south.
Pro Angler Kent Brown and host of
Ultimate Bass radio welcomes attendees to the show
We arrived at the Bass-A-Thon two hours early putting us right in front of the
store at 6am thanks to Cal’s “skillful” driving. BY 7:30am there was a good
sized line of anglers waiting to get in and see just what the show had to offer.
Once the show opened there was a mad dash to the back of the store where all the
manufacturer tables were set up. With cameras in hand we got to work…
There were plenty of manufacturers
on hand
Fish Head Spin -
Swarming Hornet Lures - Farley Baits: As
we head down the aisles the first table we encountered was Fish Head Spin/Swarming
Hornet Lures where
we met with Rick Steckelberg. We knew the company for their popular darter heads
which come equipped with a spinning blade but were surprised to see they had
designed a new swimbait called the Pro X.
First up is a new swimbait from
Fish Head Spin
The Pro X is a sinking swimbait which has three segments and comes with a rattle
to create more noise in the water. The tail section is made with high grade
plastic and the bait is designed to create a very erratic wide side to side
action when retrieved at just about every speed.
The Pro X Swimbait features two
hinges
The Pro X finishes looked very
realistic and patterns include Dark Rainbow, Smokin Shad, Light Rainbow, Pear
White and Aurora Blue. The baits look abut five inches long and are available
now for a price of 49 dollars per bait.
The
trout pattern features a realistic finish
The bait is designed to whip back
and forth aggressively during retrieves
