Category Archives: Product Reviews

Product Reviews

Strike King Sexy Shad!

I think may bass anglers have been trying to get a hold of the Strike King Pro Series crankbaits in the Sexy Shad color that KVD used to win Guntersville and Grand Lake this year.  I was surprised to see in my latest BassProShops catalog, they were advertising the heck of the Sexy Shad in both Strike King Pro-Model Crankbaits and the Red Eye Shad.
Strike King(r) Pro-Model(r) Crankbaits - Sexy ShadStrike King(r) Red Eye Shad Crankbaits - Sexy Shad
Then I went online (Basspro.com) to see how much, cause I thought they work great down on the river this fall.  Hmmm…..  they do not seem to have any in stock, you cannot select the Sexy Shad color, that is kind of a downer.  So either, they do not have then yet, or they sold out before I got a good look at my catalog……

One other note, congrats to Boyd Duckett on being Ultimate Match Fishing champ, he squeaked by Kelly Jordan as they both had 21lb plus bags on Kentucky Lake.  The last two shows of UMF are must see for the bass fishing rube

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Product Reviews

Got some new tackle…

You can never have too much bass fishing stuff, right?

Well here are a few things that I have picked up lately.

Bought some more Vixens, because I have been wearing them out on this bait for the last year or so.  I thought I would get some more colors and also wanted to get that Baby Bone colored one on the bottom, because I think it may really light up the smallies next weekend on the Mississippi.  Also, these baits walk like not other, its falling over easy to walk the dog with these


I have been doing more & more flippin’ lately and with the river and Leech on the horizon, I needed to stock up a bit.  These BMF Hooks (Bad Mother Flippin’) are unbelievable when it comes to flippin’, caught some really good fish practicing on Pokegama when I teamed these up with Tru-Tungsten Flippin’ Weights.  Just look at the bite these hooks have and they are heavy duty, no worries about straightening hooks on the set.  Also, these BMF Barbs help keep your plastic in place, which means less fixing your craw and in turn keeps your bait in the water more


Last but not least, got a whole box of these for the river.  If you do not know what a swim jig is yet, or more importantly a Brovarney Swim Jig, you are missing the boat.  I will be lacing these up with some single tail grubs and flinging them all over the Mississippi and I will be catching fish doing it.  Thanks for hooking me up Tim!!

One last note, I think Luke Clausen is an idiot after watching the latest episode of Ultimate Match Fishing.

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Product Reviews

KVD’s Classic Lipless Crank Choice

Seems to be quite a buzz around what lipless crank Kevin VanDam was using in the Classic.  Here it is…..
Strike King Red Eye Shad Crankbaits
Strike King Red Eye Shad Crankbaits
I believe he was using the #06 color – Gold Black Back and prefers that color when everyone else is throwing chrome/blue back

But then again he did not win, it was Boyd Duckett’s Original Rat-L-Trap 1/2 oz that got it done in the end….

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Product Reviews

My Newest Toys from Optimum Baits – Part 2

And now the rest of the story… 

Here is a white Optimum Furbit Frog, which seems to have body very similar to the Spro Bronzeye Frog, only with Rabbit Fur legs rather then skirted legs, plus a nice little blade that should add some great flash.


Here is a black Poppin’ Furbit, which can add some great commotion to draw up reluctant bass.


Here is an Ima Sasuke which is a combination stick and popping bait, similar to the Lucky Craft Gunfish.


Optimum Wacky Shad here pictured in a pearl white, sure to be a great drop shot bait, gotta love those realistic eyes  


Optimum Crashing Thunder Spinnerbait hybrid swimbait and spinnerbait that is a great big fish bait.

Man this just gets a guys blood a boiling to do some bass fishing.  Booked my flights to Amistad last night

Rich
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Product Reviews

My Newest Toys from Optimum Baits – Part 1

I snapped a few pics of my latest shipment of baits from Optimum.
 
This is the 7″ Optimum Original Series Swimbait in the package – Silver Shad.  


Also here is the 7″ Optimum Original in a Shad Color.  The Original Optimum is considered a middle of the road workhorse. This bait was built from the shorelines of Lake Casitas and Lake Castaic in Southern California. It didn’t take long for the rest of the world to realize its potency!

These swimbaits have the ability to cover a relatively wide spectrum of the water column, especially with a little practice and familiarizing yourself with how these baits fall. The Original Optimum swimbaits stand out as the best swimbait because they produce rapid, drastic changes in direction, and quick flaring when pulled off structure or cover.

Perfect for slow rolling off the bottom. We designed this bait with an option in the belly to attach stinger hooks. When fishing open water, adding an additional belly hook can increase your strike to hook up ratio.


6″ Optimum Titan Series Swimbait in the Silver Shad.  When the swimbaits moved out towards the south, such as Texas, Florida, and Alabama, fisherman quickly realized their ability to catch fish. It didn’t take long for Professional fisherman to call up Optimum Baits Co and ask for a bait that they could throw into Weeds. The 5 & 6 Inch Titan was the creation of their requests. The same wide body profile and kicking power equipped with an Eagle claw brushguard so the bait can be thrown into cover for those hiding lunkers.


Deps Buzzjet is Blue Gill color in its package


Another shot of the Buzzjet out its package.  Deps BuzzjetAt 4 inches long and at a weight of 1oz the plug’s voluminous round profile appeals as an easy meal to lurking predators. The Buzzjet, designed to be fished as a wake bait, has many unique features that sets it apart from the rest. The shape of the lip is constructed so the tip portion faces straight down, thus pushing greater amounts of water outwards around the bait creating a more distinct surface wake. The weight transfer system features 4 stainless balls that are strategically placed in a chamber rolling both front to back and left to right. This provides for great casting ability, unique sounds, and also an irregular side to side action on the retrieve. To create even more water splash and raucous on the water there is an added prop that rotates in an offset noisy manner. The Buzzjet‘s ability to catch fish was soon realized by the Japanese anglers and in 2004 was voted as Japan’s number 1 hard plug by Japan’s Lure Magazine.  I think this will be a killer bait in the spring, especially when the bluegills are spawning and bass are hanging around the bluegill beds. 

All in all these will all be fun in a couple weeks when I get down there for the Amistad tourney.  I just ordered my Mexican Fishing license online from Falcon Lake Tackle.  Check back tomorrow for Part 2 and the rest of the goodies

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Announcements, Product Reviews

Bourbon and Bass Fishing: Match Made in Heaven?

BassFan.com has recently listed a few sweepstakes/contests in their Dock Talk, both have been Bourbon related.
Most Recently Evan Williams has sponsored a day with Jason Quinn program

And earlier this month, you can win a Million Dollars with Kevin Wirth and Early Times.

I signed up for both, cross my finger

It is good to see non-endemic sponsors really supporting their anglers.
Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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BASS Tour, Product Reviews

Federation Championships & My New Toy

I am sure some of you been keeping an eye on the Federation Nation Championships to see which 6 guys will be going to the Classic.  Right now as I type they are most likely just wrapping up their final fishing day and 6 participants will be punching their proverbial tickets to the big dance.  The top finisher in each of 6 regions will be fishing on Lay Lake this February for $500,000 and fishing immortality.

I was pulling for Jim Severson to make it the Classic to represent MN, he still has a shot but finished yesterday about 9lbs out of the lead, so it does not look good, but I am sure he represented us well at the tournament.  Later this evening Bassmaster.com should have the results up and we can catch the action on TV  on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

On another note, just got a new fishing toy today
Check out my Shimano Biomaster 2500 spinning reel, got it from Brooklyn Bill’s
 
It is the Japanese equivalent of the Shimano Stradic, although superior in frame & spool design as well as lighter

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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General, Product Reviews

Sportsmen Show on Friday

So, right after work on Friday, Dave Ham & I took in the St. Paul Sportsmen show.  I enjoyed myself a little more this year then last, but that may have been because I had lower expectations.  I am not sure why the show is so slow these days, I am guessing once a show starts to turn south it is hard to get it turned back around.

The highlight was watching all the stuff Dave bought after I looked at it   Dave got a really nice deal on a Shimano 2500 Stradic Mg that I almost bought at Reed’s (Thanks Drew).  He also spent quite a bit with Rick at Pro Tour Baits.  I actually bought a few things as well.  Dave got some new Big Foot Scum Frogs and some soft plastics and I got a couple Big Foots as well as some quick change blade kits to supplement my Secret Weapon Lures box.  Rick has some great prices on bulk soft plastics, you should check it out at www.ProTourBaits.com, he website is in the process of being updated, don’t let that fool you.

Also here is a video of a few bass getting after each other in the Bass Tank at the show.

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Announcements, Product Reviews

Secret Weapon Launches New Product for 2007

Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait

We’ve raised the bar on spinnerbait versatility and performance with our Secret Weapon Sidearm Spinnerbait. Customizing your spinnerbait has never been easier — or more effective!

A must have for your Bass Fishing Arsenal!!
 Like our original QuickStrike Spinnerbait, the Secret Weapon Sidearm employs free-floating, interchangeable, in-line spinner blades. It creates a unique flash and vibration with its two side-by-side spinner blades. This arrangement creates even more fish-attracting commotion in the water than tandem blades mounted in series.  It also creates additional lift, enabling you to retrieve this lure at slower speeds than is possible with conventional spinnerbaits. Great for fishing above submerged vegetation or slow-rolling along the bottom, the blades twirl at the slightest turn of your reel handle.

Unlike other dual-blade spinnerbaits, the Sidearm’s V-frame blade bar pivots freely, allowing the lure to pass easily through vegetation and cover. Once free of obstructions, equal drag quickly aligns the blade bar and spinner blades.

The Sidearm excels as a single-blade, short-arm spinnerbait, too. Simply slide the double-barrel metal sleeve down the frame to open the R-shaped terminal loop. Remove the blade bar, pinch the loop closed and slide the sleeve back in place, and then clip on a Colorado, Indiana, or Turtleback blade attachment, and you have an incredible short-arm spinnerbait, ideal for bottom crawling or as a drop bait for docks, piling, ledges and bluffs.

Sidearm in a tandem willowleaf configurationNeed a tandem spinnerbait instead? Just clip two inline blades in series. In seconds, without tools, you can adapt your spinnerbait to take advantage of changing conditions on the water. Don’t be caught short without the perfect spinnerbait. With a few Secret Weapon lure bodies and a handful of blades, you can tweak and test blade configurations until your lure is ideal for every situation.

This lure is available in two weights (5/16- and 9/16-ounce) and ten popular patterns for stained or clear water. Look for it soon in Sidearm ProPack and MasterPacks.

Even More Exciting….  SWL is offering a 50% discount through January 7th, just follow this link.

The most versatile and innovative spinnerbait system just got more versatile, flexible and better to help you land more fish

Rich
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Rich’s Bassin’ Forum
Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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Product Reviews

Merry Christmas too ME!!

I did not get much for fishing stuff for Christmas, so I took the PayPal funds from my recent selling of a trolling motor that I won during the 2006 Weekend Series and bought a few reels off of eBay!.  I snapped a few pics with my Motorola Q. 

 

Got 2 Shimano Scorpion Metanium XT’s, which as from what I can tell are the equivalents of Shimano Chronarch SF’s.  They are used, from Japan, got them for about $100 a piece shipped.  I bought one of these last year and they every bit as good or better then the Chronarch and a deal at the prices I got them at   They are light weight and super smooth.

Did any of you buy any Christmas presents for yourselves?

Tight Lines,
Rich
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Bass Fishing Tackle Blog

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