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IMA Emailer – May 2011

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Welcome to the IMA Emailer – May 2011 Issue

The IMA EMAILER brings you news from IMA pro staff members across the USA & worldwide.

Throughout the country, our best fisheries are all over the map when
it comes to what the bass are doing. For those of you lucky enough to
live in the warmest parts of the country, you may already have seen the
spawn come and go, but many of you are still recovering from or even
digging out from an unusually harsh winter. The fish may be spawning,
looking to spawn or they might not even be close, but we know you’re
ready to get out on the water and put them to the test. While you’ve
been organizing tackle and getting the boat water-ready, the IMA pros
have been hard at work – testing lures, strategizing and fishing
tournaments all over the country. This is the time of year when fishing
is often red hot EVERYWHERE at the same time.

IMA pro Bill Lowen started his year off by fishing the Bassmaster
Classic on the Louisiana Delta, his third Classic overall in the young
pro’s juggernaut career. While he didn’t win the Classic title – YET –
in some respects he was still the talk of New Orleans because the
Classic Expo was the site of the release of his signature IMA “Square Bill” crankbait. With the tournament winners relying primarily on square
bills, fishing fans were amazed by the IMA product’s attention to
detail and top-notch components. They’re on shelves now so be sure to
ask your local retailer about them.

Lowen started off the year with three straight Elite Series checks.
He was two for two in Florida — 34th at the Harris Chain and 35th at the
St. Johns River – and then 31st at Pickwick. “It wasn’t as good as I’d
have liked it to be,” he said, but after four events overall he finds
himself in 36th place in the Angler of the Year standings, right on the
cusp for another Classic slot.

In Florida, Lowen didn’t rely on the dominant sight bite for his
strong performances – instead he flipped a little and cranked a lot. “I
had the Square Bill tied on at both events,” he said. “My two biggest
fish on the St. Johns came on one in chartreuse with a black back.”

Fred Roumbanis, an Oklahoman by way of California, got his year
started before Lowen’s Classic appearance – and he started it off right
for the IMA crew with a 7th place finish in the FLW Open on Lake
Okeechobee. The Elite Series pro wanted to get the year rocking as soon
as possible and Florida was the perfect venue for his skills and
enthusiasm. Along the way, he set two FLW Outdoors records – the largest
Day 2 weight (34 lbs. 5 ounces) and the largest cumulative weight over
the first two days (61 lbs. 14 ounces).


Photo: FLWOUTDOORS

Fortunately for Fred, the Elite Series started off with two more
events in the Sunshine State, which has lately become his own personal
Magic Kingdom. He got this year’s campaign started on the right foot,
with a 29th place finish on the Harris Chain followed up by a 27th on
the St. Johns River.

While much of the field sight fished at the two Elite Series events
in Florida, Fred went against the grain, flipping at the first event and
using a variety of frogs, including an Optimum Furbit, at the latter
event.

“I prefer to sight fish but everybody knows the same areas,” he said.
“This year I decided I was just going to put my head down and fish. I
think it worked out for the first two events.”

But Fred’s strong run didn’t stop in Florida. At Pickwick he finished
34th. Then, at Toledo Bend he put together a magical four-day stretch
and earned his fourth straight check, as well as his first Sunday
appearance of the year. When the scales closed on Sunday, he’d finished
fifth overall with a total weight of 67-01. Fred is 7th overall right
now in the Angler of the Year standings, on pace not only for his 3rd
Bassmaster Classic berth, but also in position to make a serious run at
the BASS postseason and the accompanying accolades. He’s a proven closer
and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he claimed his 3rd BASS win before
this campaign closes out.

While the few anglers who finished in front of Fred at Toledo Bend
are certainly to be congratulated, Fred’s achievement was particularly
special because he caught his weight using a technique that it’s pretty
certain no one else in the field was utilizing. In fact, most if not all
of them have probably never even tried it. He was swimming a 1-ounce
Pepper football head jig, paired mostly with an Optimum Double Diamond swimbait as a trailer on offshore ledges and ridges. The big jig was
necessary to make long casts, achieve the appropriate depths and mimic
the baitfish. The swimbait tail provided the proper “kick” and the
appearance of a bluegill. One other critical element of his presentation
was the use of 15-pound P-Line fluorocarbon, which also helped him get
the bait down and earn precious bites. Watch what Fred was doing HERE.

Fred is a master of figuring out how to incorporate different line
sizes to give a particular lure it’s optimum effectiveness. As you’ll
see below, it’s something he’s very conscious of when fishing the IMA Rock N Vibe.

From early pre-spawn on through the fall, savvy bass anglers always
have a lipless crankbait tied on – it’s a lure that enables them to fish
a wide swath of the water column, resembles baitfish closely, and works
around a variety of cover types – and the one that’s making major waves
these days is the IMA Rock N Vibe. Any lipless crank can catch bass on
occasion, when conditions are just right, but this lure is a like a
multi-tool, applying the right implement to all sorts of predicaments.

“It has a small profile, but it still weighs a ton,” Lowen said.
“It’s easier to fish in high pressure situations when you have to make
long casts.” Roumbanis uses it for everything from yo-yoing to burning,
and noted that the small size makes it a numbers bait, but he’s
continually surprised at how many big fish fall for this baitfish
replica.

“Since it came out, I haven’t really thrown any other lipless baits,”
Fred said. “A lot of them are too light or you don’t feel the
vibrations, but this one you can feel it shaking like a chatterbait.”

FLW Tour pro Michael Murphy says it’s the wide range of depths that
you can fish it at that make the Rock N Vibe such a key tool in his
tournament arsenal. “Most vibrating baits are for 4 feet of water or
less, but this one has a lot more range. It provides the maximum benefit
of what a lipless crankbait does. For example, at Guntersville, when
the grass is topping out at 6 feet down instead of 4 feet, you can still
tick the bottom. I use it a lot on Lake Murray for schooling bass.”

Roumbanis agreed with Murphy’s assessment. In ultra-clear water he’ll
sometimes go down to 8 lb. fluorocarbon, which allows him to easily get
the Rock N Vibe down into 8 to 12 feet of water. Going that light isn’t
something most anglers do with a classic power fishing tactic like a
lipless crank, but Fred said if it’s necessary, that’s what he’ll do to
garner the bites he needs. Too often we all pay attention to retrieve
speed without the appropriate concern for where a particular retrieve
puts the bait in the water column.

Last year at the California Delta, Lowen used one of his favorite
Rock N Vibe techniques, fishing it like a jig. “You let it go all the
way to the bottom on grass line edges and points,” he said. “They you
hop it pretty hard off the bottom. The rod will just load up.”

Another trick is to fish it on heavy line in ultra-shallow water.
Roumbanis will use 20 lb. test P-Line CXX, which “keeps it more buoyant”
and allows him to fish in less than two feet of water with ease. “When
they hit it there, they absolutely engulf it,” he reported. In fact,
changing line sizes is Fred’s number one way of changing the performance
of a lure that he said is perfect right out of the package. When he
wants the lure shallow, big mono is key. When he wants to get deeper,
fluorocarbon gets the call. When ripping it through grass is important,
braid is his meal ticket. Fortunately, the bait has a thumping wobble
that can overcome the dulling effects of “rope-like” mono, but it isn’t
so powerful that it becomes unmanageable on thinner and lighter fluoro.
Be careful, though – on braid it’ll rattle your fillings loose.

The best retrieve may involve no trickery at all: Just cast it out
and wind it in – a little bit slower when fish are lethargic and a
little bit faster when they’re active. The vibrations, sounds and
finishes allow the bass to track the Rock N Vibe carefully and react
savagely. Again, you can adjust running depth through the use of a
particular line size or type. In fact, there may be times when you’ll
need three Rock N Vibes on the deck tied to three different lines to
maximize your effectiveness. Fortunately, if you’re that dialed in, you
probably won’t need a fourth rod with anything on it.


Chromes, Hot Craw, Natural -By covering the basic color groups, Chromes, Reds or Chartrueses, & Natural Shad patterns; the ima Rock N Vibe will produce in all bodies of water.

With all lipless cranks, it’s unfortunate but largely unavoidable
that you’re going to lose some fish. Those big sows come up, shake their
heads, and use the bait as leverage to come unbuttoned. Fortunately,
the Rock N Vibe comes with sticky-sharp Owner hooks that minimize this
problem. The pros offer other means of reducing your heartbreak. Murphy
said that even when he uses braided line, he always prefers to use some
sort of non-braid as a shock absorber, “even if it’s just a short
leader.” His other key to minimizing loss is that you don’t want to play
the fish. Get them in the boat as soon as possible. “I use a worm rod,
not a cranking rod,” he said. “You can’t give them a chance to jump or
shake their heads.”

Roumbanis uses an Irod IRC704c, a 7′ fast action rod which he says
“doesn’t rip the hook out when they engulf it, but still has the
backbone to snap the bait through grass.” Lowen uses a 7′ medium-heavy
All Pro casting rod for the same reasons.

When it comes to colors, all three use various types of chrome
patterns often. “Chrome and Chartreuse Shad are really the only two you
absolutely need,” Murphy said. “One for sunny conditions and the other
when it’s cloudy.” Given a third option, he’d choose a craw color, an
absolute staple in places like California and Texas. Roumbanis also
dotes on the Hot Craw pattern. He said Fire Tiger can be “dangerous”
when the water is a little bit stained. Under super-clear conditions, he
said the Ghost Minnow is his number one draft pick. Lowen, too, said
“chrome and reds and yellows are my top choices.”

We’ve established that the Rock N Vibe catches bass from coast to
coast in North America, but this picture should leave no doubt that it
works anywhere bass swim. This is Jun Shoji, one of Japan’s top pros and
a full-time guide on famed Lake Biwa, where a world record largemouth
was caught last year. We’ll have more information about Jun in an future
emailer.

In addition to using IMA products at the end of your line, you can
now wear the company logo proudly. After numerous requests from educated
anglers, we’re bringing IMA apparel to a tackle dealer near you.

We have short and long sleeve shirts available in both white and navy
blue, boat towels and beanies, along with baseball hats. As with IMA
hard baits, they’re only the finest quality and will make a splash at
your next bass tournament or out on the town.

As always, we’d love to hear about the bass that IMA lures produce
for you, whether on your home body of water or on the trip of a
lifetime. Please send pictures of your fish, preferably with an IMA bait
in its mouth, and a short description of what made the catch memorable.

Each month we’ll pick one winner who will get to choose the apparel
item of his or her choice as a thank you for supporting and using IMA products.

Last months’ winner was Loren Spaulding who caught a nice Spotted
Bass from Lake Lanier in Georgia that fell victim to the ima Flit 120 in
Ghost Minnow!

Each month we’ll pick one winner who will get to choose the apparel
item of his or her choice as a thank you for supporting and using IMA
products. Send to [email protected]

 

Don’t sleep on the Shaker

Been doing a bit of fishing lately.  One thing has become apparent in this low to mid 50 degree water; the IMA Shaker with it’s flat sides and more subtle action is out producing the new highly touted IMA Square Bill designed by Bill Lowen.

Pictured above is the nicest bass I caught the other day, but put a bunch in the boat on an IMA Shaker thrown on 12lb Fluoro on my brand new Dobyns 684 CB Crankbait Rod, pretty sweet rod for jerkbaits and light wooden baits like the Shaker, Shad Raps and several other baits.

Both great baits, but this time of year, its hard to beat the profile and action of the Shaker, so my advice, while the traditional Square Bills are getting all the headlines right now, if you live up north, stick with the Shaker for a few more weeks.  Then when water hits 60 degrees and up, pick that Square Bill up and do work!

As you can see, they were eating the SHAKER! 


Still time to save on bass fishing gear you need

Hey all, got a late tax refund burning a hole in your pocket or at least didn’t owe as much as last year?

BassTackleDepot.com is having a sweet little sale thru April 25th, Save 15% off almost everything in their awesome store!
http://www.basstackledepot.com/btd/sstockup.jpg
Sale runs thru 4-25
Online Orders Only
Discounts will display in your cart
Some
Restrictions May Apply, example: Jackall, Koppers, Reaction
Innovations, Shimano, TroKar, Gift Cards, & Wright & McGill

In Stock At BassTackleDepot!!


Picasso Tungsten Flippin


Xcite Raptor Tail Jr.


Luck E Strike Rick Clunn


Bomber Balsa Model B


Sebile Spin Shad


MattLures Ultimate U2


Gambler EZ Swimmer


E
akins Jigs


Jackall G90

Anybody need some free fishing gear?

Been a crazy week, lots of travel and other stuff going on, been neglecting the blog.  Congrats to Arizona Pros Dean Rojas & Cliff Pirch for both notching tour level wins earlier today.

Not too long ago, I got a nice shipment of new Akinetix gear in, they make some very affordable and functional polarized fishing sunglasses, including youth & woman’s models, definitely worth checking out.  They even have floating shades for those of us that our clumsy.

They also have some nice moisture wicking gear and other gear.  So to celebrate spring, I am running a little contest, on my Facebook Page, so just follow this link to enter.  You have until Sunday April 24th to get entered.  So head over and enter to win some free gear and check out the Akinetix website as well.

The Akinetix Shield sunglasses pictured are what i have been wearing on the water!
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-94890693937055_2119_884935


Beaver Lake & St. John’s River Fantasy Winners

Just shipped some prizes today.  Congrats to Carl Spande of MN for winning the prize for Beaver Lake event.  Because Carl is a Facebook Fan of this blog, he brings down a pack of Optimum Double Diamond Swimmers.  I think Carl will find these great as a swimbait or large swim jig trailer!

Still waiting to hear from my Harris Chain winner, but Cody Salzmann (Facebook Fan) of IL almost won the whole thing, not quite, but he still wins an IMA Roumba wake bait.  I think Cody will find this a super product bait once the bait get shallow for him this spring!.

In other news, check out the great bass Cory Cook has been catching on his IMA Flit jerkbait that he won from an earlier tourney, also a Facebook fan.

Maybe Cory can get his mug in the next pic, ha!  Thanks for the pictures Cory!   You have set a standard for future winners!

Waiting for ice to melt

We are close to losing all this damn ice and then it will be game on soon enough. In the mean time, been listing some bass fishing goodies on my Bass Fishing eBay Store.  I am even starting to thinking about rigging my rods for practice of my first tourney in May already….

Congrats to Edwin Evers, nice come from behind victory at Citrus Slam (St Johns River) by Power Pole today.  Gotta feel good to punch his ticket to 2012 Bassmaster Classic, now he can fish stress free.  Double E is quickly becoming one of the sport’s elite, it would be cool to have Evers challenge KVD & Skeet for the AOY this year!

Photo: B.A.S.S./Gary Tramontina

Also, check out this quick video about the IMA Square Bill crankbait featuring Matt Paino from the recent Fred Hall show in Long Beach, CA!

 
My fellow MN anglers, stay strong, we are almost there!


February Fantasy Fishing Winners

The February prizes are in the mail, and final results from Beaver Lake should be ready soon as well.

In both leagues, our winners also won league prizes, so the Bassin’ Blog prize slid down to next finishers.  Congrats to Jeremy White as he was the best picker in all the lands for the Bassmaster Classic, he will enjoy a $1000 gift card to

BassPro
from BASS.  So he didn’t feel to bad seeing his prize go to the next in line, so our Classic prize winner was Kenneth Grover of Decatur, AL.  Kenneth did not seem to be a fan of the Bassin’ Blog on Facebook so he will get some left over finesse worms from last year.

Glynn Brown was the best from our group for Lake Okeechobee on the FLW side, but he did so well, he got a nice Walmart gift card, so once again, to spread the wealth, the prize slides down.  Cory Cook of Carrolton, KY won an IMA Flit Jerkbait because he was a fan on facebook.  Thanks to IMA Lures for helping out with this week’s prizes!

So hopefully lesson learned, it pays to become a Fan on Facebook to get the bigger prizes!

Still time to join my leagues and compete for prizes at each event!

IMA Newlestter – February 2011

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Welcome to the IMA Emailer – February 2011 Issue

The IMA EMAILER brings you news from IMA pro staff members across the USA & worldwide.

Depending on where in the country you live, February may be the start
of something big, or it may be the cruelest month of the year. In
Florida and Texas, the spawn may be full swing, but in the wintry
northern climes there’s still time left to organize tackle and do your
long-avoided chores around the house. At least the people in Green Bay
and Pittsburgh have the Super Bowl to cheer them up for a while, but if
you live in Maine, Minnesota or Montana and you live for bass fishing,
there’s still time to kill.

But don’t give up hope! Good things come to those who wait. We’re
here to get you excited about the upcoming season regardless of whether
you’ve already flung a few 8-lbrs over the rail or whether your boat
is still winterized. IMA stands for imagination and we want you to
start imagining just how good the 2011 season is going to be for all of
us.

Ima Pro Staffer Rich Lindgren proves that the ima Square Bill is a year round producer.
24 degree air temp with water temp in low 40’s. – Full Review
Nicholas Bodsford from basseast.com tried his luck with the square bill & was pleased with his results as well.

February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but for Bill
Lowen it’s going to be jam-packed with excitement, most of it in the
latter half of the 28 days. He’s already picked up his new boat,
purchased new jerseys and hats and gotten his tackle orders in, but when
the fishing world turns its focus on New Orleans on February 18th,
there will be a double-beam super-bright spotlight on the young and
talented Ohio pro.

What’s New Orleans, you ask? Where have you been? It’s the Bassmaster
Classic, and it’s being held for the fourth time in the greatest party
city on earth. As they say down there, let the good times roll! Along
with a little ol’ fishing tournament, there will be a tackle expo that
rivals anything this side of ICAST. Of course IMA will be there and
we’ll be debuting the Square Bill, a shallow-diving crankbait that is
the joint brainchild of Lowen and IMA’s engineers in Japan.

The Square Bill combines the “hunting” action of the handmade baits
Bill fished growing up on the Ohio River with the durability of plastic.
It goes shallower than most of our competitors’ baits, the better to
fulfill Lowen’s ultra-shallow style.

Many pundits say that this Classic will be won flipping or with a
spinnerbait and Bill loves both techniques. Last year at Clear Lake
Lowen showed that he’s deadly with a vibrating jig, too, finishing
second overall after literally wearing out his arms (and several baits)
over the course of four days. That presentation could come into play in
New Orleans as well, but he said that anyone who discounts the role of
hard baits in New Orleans may be in for a rude awakening.

“Without a doubt they’re going to be in my gameplan,” he said. “It
just depends on where in the spawn we are. That’ll determine whether the
Square Bill plays a role. It could also involve a rattlebait like the
IMA Rock N Vibe over the grass flats or even the Roumba if they’re
further along.”

ima’ Line of baits will be found on the deck of Classic Qualifier Bill Lowen

The nice thing about the shallow-diving Square Bill is that it does
better in grassy environs than most of the competition. If it’s getting
down a little too deep, Bill will just upsize his line to 15 or even 20
pound test. The crankbait will maintain its hunting action, but it won’t
grind down as deep into the greenery.

Here’s hoping for a big performance from Bill in New Orleans. If
you’re there, cheer him on from the stands and be sure to stop by our
booth to check out the Square Bill. If you can’t make it to the Big
Easy, be sure to ask your favorite online or bricks and mortar retailer
when they will have the Square Bill in stock. Don’t delay – once they’re
in, the pegs will empty as quickly as they can fill them.

IMA Pro Fred Roumbanis can’t decide whether he wants to be a
professional bass fisherman or a long-haul truck driver – or both. A few
years back he moved from California to Oklahoma to build a family and
cut down on his driving time, but this year the odometer on his tow
vehicle is going to get a serious workout.

In addition to the eight regular season Bassmaster Elite Series
tournaments (plus the possibility of two post-season events, should he
qualify), Fred is fishing all four FLW Tour Opens, the three BASS
Northern Opens and the PAA Tournament Series. In the understatement of
the year, he said “it’s a pretty full schedule.”

We caught up with him as he drove to Florida’s Lake Okeechobee for
the first FLW Tour Open and he could barely contain his enthusiasm. “I
haven’t been this excited to go fishing in a long time,” he said. “It’s
been a long break and I’ve done a lot of fun fishing, but I’m ready to
get back and do what I love, and that’s compete in tournaments.”

He did have a chance to experiment with the Square Bill and the
results were auspicious right from the start. “The first day I got it, I
walked down to the pond in my backyard,” he recalled. “It’s a pretty
well-stocked pond, so take this for what it is, but I cast it out,
pulled it up to a little grass limb, let it hover at the edge and the
first time it floated up there was a huge swirl. She missed it, but I
cast right back and the second time she nailed it, a solid 4-pounder.”

“It’s really an awesome crankbait,” he continued. “It’s super-buoyant
and is surprisingly good in grass. That’s what I look for in a square
bill crankbait, the buoyancy factor, how well it deflects and how easily
it comes through cover like laydowns and stumps.”

(Fred spent his off season fine tuning his skills with the Flit 120 , suspending jerkbait)

Looking down the eight-event Elite Series schedule in particular,
Fred was excited to report that it “sets up for a shallow bite” almost
beginning to end. “Pickwick and Wheeler will be excellent for the Square
Bill. It’ll be deadly at Toledo Bend and it works year-round on the
Arkansas River.”

He’s also extremely excited to head back to Lake Murray in May. The
last time the Elites went there he shocked the fishing world by ignoring
the downlake blueback herring bite and fishing a frog way up the river.
The result was a $100,000 victory. No matter where they go, though, if
you look at his boat deck you’ll likely see an iRod 7′ Rip Rap Special
paired with an Ardent 5:1 XS1000 baitcasting reel. It’ll be spooled with
15 to 20 pound test P-Line copoplymer and at the end will be an IMA
Square Bill, ready for the dominant shallow water bite.

We also caught up with legendary Northern California guide and
fishing instructor Randy Pringle, who is prepared for a busy season on
Clear Lake and the Delta. He said the weather patterns the region has
experienced thus far in late 2010 and early 2011 set up perfectly for an
unbelievable early crankbait bite.

“These fish haven’t been able to eat,” he said. “They’re wanting to
eat, and when the water temperatures get right they’re all going to go
nuts and a shallow-running crankbait like the IMA Shaker or the Square
Bill. Once those temperatures get into the mid 50s, it’ll be dynamite.”

In between seminars and preparation to run a tournament circuit,
Pringle has had plenty of time to experiment with the new Square Bill.
He called it “the next evolution of the crankbait, with a perfect action
and high-end components. No matter where you fish it, it’s best any
time you need a deflection-style bait. That could mean weeds, trees or
stumps, but if you’re not bumping things or ticking things, you’re not
letting the bait do its job.”

Pringle added that it’s an ideal bait for his guide service. It’s not
quite as easy as “cast, wind, unhook,” but that’s not far from the
truth. “If you’ve done your homework and put the pieces together, it’s a
great bait for guide clients who are beginners,” he said. “Once you get
that down, you hand them the right rod, with the right line, tell them
how fast to retrieve and it’s quite easy.”

While the Square Bill comes in 9 dynamic color patterns, Pringle
encourages his guide clients to think simply about color. “What you
really need are something that imitates a crawdad, something that
imitates a shad and something that imitates a perch,” he explained.
“After that is when water clarity enters the equation. If the water is a
little bit dirtier, use something with chartreuse. If it’s clearer,
stick with red and something in a shad pattern.”

Come see us at the Classic, where you can pick up the Square Bills

In addition to using IMA products at the end of your line, you can
now wear the company logo proudly. After numerous requests from educated
anglers, we’re bringing IMA apparel to a tackle dealer near you. We`ve
just added the ima hoodies to the lineup so pick yours up online. http://store.optimumbaits.com/products/category/1573.0.1.1.76184.0.0.0.0

We have short and long sleeve shirts available in both white and navy
blue, boat towels and beanies, along with baseball hats. As with IMA hard baits , they’re only the finest quality and will make a splash at
your next bass tournament or out on the town.

As always, we’d love to hear about the bass that IMA lures produce
for you, whether on your home body of water or on the trip of a
lifetime. Please send pictures of your fish, preferably with an IMA bait
in its mouth, and a short description of what made the catch memorable.
(We know that December was cold and that there were a few Holidays
mixed in but we have a hard time believing that nobody caught a fish on
ima)

Each month we’ll pick one winner who will get to choose the apparel
item of his or her choice as a thank you for supporting and using IMA
products. Send to [email protected]

 

 

First Outing of 2011

January almost slipped away without a fishing trip, but I got out with one of my bass buddies a couple days ago to chase some winter time river smallmouth bass.  Part of my drive to get out and so some fishing, was the fact that I had this new Ima Lures Square Billed Crankbait .  You are probably saying, who cares, I got lots of crankbaits.

Well, this crankbait is brand new and not being released for a few more weeks at the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans, but I managed to get my hands on one a few weeks back and have been wanting to get it in the water so bad to check it out.  Largely driven by curiosity and because I have done very well on the Ima Shaker crankbait as well.  Square bill cranks are versatile lures, but let’s face it, 25 degree air temps and near freezing water temps are not what most people would call ideal for these style baits.  This area that I fish, I catch almost all my fish slow dragging a 3″ Green Pumpkin tube on a 1/9oz head.  So my intentions of bringing this bait along was more along the lines of checking out the action, seeing how it deflected off rocks and cover, if I caught a fish, that would have been a bonus.

I rigged up the Chartreuse Shad (Sexy Shad) Square Bill on 15lb fluorocarbon, mainly because I was a little worried about losing it.  Fishing a crankbait from shore up hill in a snaggy & rocky environment is a recipe for getting hung up.  On my first cast, I noticed a nice strong vibration that felt good and then it got shallow enough, that I could feel it pounding the rocks and deflecting and searching around.  On my 2nd cast, I just started to feel those rocks and BAM, fish on!  Rewarded with a nice chunky smallmouth.  Pretty cool, was it a fluke?

I used the bait off & on the rest of the 4 hours we fished. The other productive baits for me, was a 1/8oz Tube Jig and 3″ tube and a Zappu Inchi Wacky Jig head with small green pumpkin worm.  Both of these finesse lures produced fish on a tough bite, but then again so did Bill Lowen’s signature crankbait.  I ended up smallmouth on the Square Bill out of the 21 total.  The average size of the crank fish were larger and the strikes were violent, which a nice change of pace to the wet leafy bite of a tube bite.  I think this is a testament to the strike triggering action of this new bait; I can only imagine what it will bring when spring is here and its actually typical square bill conditions.

Few other things that stand out, I only had 8 bites and hooked 7 of them solidly.  This tells me they were eating the bait and the hooks are sharp and well balanced with the bait.  I also snagged a double digit carp in the back, not really babying it, I quickly got the fish in and the hooks held up great, strong & sharp!  Lastly, never once did I get hung for even a second, even with constant bumping and grinding in shallow rocks and wood in a current situation, this is a 4 wheel drive crankbait.  I envy what Bill Lowen will be able to do with this bait at this year’s Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta.  So post Classic, keep an eye out, these should start showing up in your favorite online stores real soon!



ma Lures Square Billed Crankbait

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