ICAST 2016 Best Hooks

Take a long look at the hooks in your tackle box: their basic J shape hasn’t been altered for centuries. That’s about to change… Welcome Trapper Hooks from Trapper Tackle. Years of research, engineering, field testing and refinement have yielded a hook that holds both baits and fish better than conventional hooks.

How many bites did you get on your last trip? How many of those fish made it to the boat? Poor fish retention has plagued anglers since the first primitive J hook was cast into the water over 42,000 years ago.

Problem: The round bend of the antiquated J-hook creates a pivot point that causes the hook to rotate in a fish’s mouth, expanding the initial point of entry and creating a path to escape.

Solution: The unique, patented-protected design of the Trapper Hook replaces the traditional round bend with a pair of right angles at the base of the hook shank – called the Trapper Box, which prevents the rocking motion in a hooked fish, effectively locking the fish in place. As a result, the Trapper Hook dramatically increases the percentage of hooked fish that’ll make it to the landing net.

Problem: Anyone who has dressed any variety of J-shaped hooks with a soft plastic or live bait is familiar with the frustration of having to adjust baits that slide up the shank before making another cast. Weed cover, structure or the action of casting and retrieving baits are all culprits.

Solution: The Trapper Hook’s remarkable “why didn’t I think of that” geometry, with two right-angle bends at its base, helps keep the bait in place. All manner of soft plastic offerings, including worms, flukes, stickbaits, toads and creature baits perform better when they are rigged properly and locked in the Trapper Box. Live bait such as shiners, minnows, shrimp, and crabs as well as salmon eggs, corn, dough-baits and catfish cube-style baits are retained in the Trapper Box with equal efficacy. With less time spent fixing baits, anglers can make more casts and spend more of their limited fishing time making effective presentations that trigger bites.

Years of research, design and extensive field testing by anglers across the nation have yielded a line of general use and technique specific hooks from Trapper Tackle. Former Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Vince Hurtado has been working with the Trapper R&D Team since last year, using the bass-infested waters of the California Delta like a laboratory. “With over 300 fish catches I noticed a significant improvement in landing ratios. This hook will raise any angler’s game and that’s why I am proud to be part of the Trapper Tackle team", said Hurtado. Now it’s time for anglers fishing for bass, walleye, musky, pike, crappie and other species to experience the fish and bait-holding effectiveness of the Trapper Hook design.

Trapper Hooks are coming soon to MonsterFishingTackle.com

Cheaper Yeti Tumbler

If you love the Yeti drinkware, but aren't too fond of the price we've found a cheaper Yeti Tumbler for you at Monster Fishing Tackle. Called the Monster Mug Tumbler these 18/8 stainless steel double vacuum walled cups offer even better performance than those from other companies. The Monster Mugs boast 48 hours or ice retention and include a spill-proof slider lid that fits all other brands of tumblers as well. Furthermore, the company who makes them has a full money back guarantee.

Here are some of the features of the Monster Mug Tumblers:

• Price: $17.99
• Material: 18/8 Stainless steel
• Insulation: Double Wall Vacuum
• Ice Retention: 24 hours
• Lid: Upgraded spill-proof slider lid
• No Sweat Exterior
• Good for Hot or Cold Beverages

Tumbler Slider Lid

So, you like what you see so far? Well, as we mentioned, the Monster Mugs come standard with a spill or splash-proof lid. These lids will fit all of the popular brands of stainless steel tumblers including Yeti, Rtic and Engel just to name a few.

Checkout the cheaper Yeti Tumblers at MonsterFishingTackle.com

Duck Swimbaits for Bass

Largemouth bass are opportunistic feeders meaning they will eat just about any creature that falls into the water including mice, rodents, lizards and even birds. After Aaron Martens won a Bassmaster tournament mimicking small birds with his jig, many anglers have been searching for a duck swimbait for bass or a bird imitation lure thay can use to replicate the bite he experienced. Swimbaits are well known for displaying an ultra-realistic appearance that helps trick bass into biting and also helps anglers have more confidence as well. With that in mind, it serves to reason that it is now time to make lures that look like the feathered forage.

Origins of Duck Swimbaits

After witnessing bass eating blackbirds on Clear Lake in California, angler Scott Green of Northern California conceived and developed perhaps the first yellow headed blackbird imitation a Snag Proof topwater frog. Despite initial skepticism, that color later become the top selling and perhaps top producing frog all over the country. Similarly, duck swimbaits look more like something you'd see in a child's bath than on the end of your line. Due to the predatory nature of bass, anything that presents an easy meal is in danger of being consumed by bass. It has even been opined that should bass grow to 50 lbs, participants in wakeboarding or waterskiing would more or less be buzzbaits.

New Duck Swimbaits

Recently, a new duck swimbait was released by Savage Gear, called the 3D Suicide Duck a topwater wakebait that has two kicking feet. This duck lure is already drawing a ton of attention from anglers who are excited to use it for bass, pike, musky and stripers. Wanna see more? Check out Monster Fishing Tackle the first retailer in the country to receive the new duck swimbait.

DRT Tiny Klash Japanese Swimbait

A scaled down version of Division Rebel Tackles cult favorite swimbait, the DRT Tiny Klash provides big bait anglers with a smaller option to more mimic forage species all across the country. When the original Klash was released, we declared it to possess the highest degree of engineering ingenuity and precision we'd ever come across in a swimbait. Now after a year of increasingly popularity and dozens of teener fish across the world, DRT is ready to impress once again with the 6.6" Tiny Klash. DRT's Tiny Klash is probably what most anglers picture when they think of a true japanese swimbait - it's got incredible color patterns, a high level of engineering and it doesn't seek to copy any existing baits.

Unlike the original, the DRT Tiny Klash has only one "sink" rate - a lo float which positions the body mostly under the water's surface with only the back of the bait out of the water. Otherwise, much of the bait remains the same in terms of the lip removal or use and the tail positioning - up or down. Most anglers fish the bait with the lip in choosing to either crank it down erratically to scrape over cover just slightly or retrieving it very slowly on the surface as a wake bait. Essentially, if you remove the lip it is going to fish like a glide bait capable of being fished very slowly and methodically or violently with rips of the rod's tip or increase in reel speed. Add a few tape weights such as Storm Suspend Strips and watch as the bait sinks slowly down.

You can get yours today at Monster Fishing Tackle: DRT Tiny Klash Swimbait.

Slider Lids for Yeti Rambler Tumblers

Slider Lids for Stainless Steel Tumblers

The Slider Lids for Yeti Rambler Tumblers are BPA-Free, clear plastic lids designed to fit Yeti Tumblers, Rtic Tumblers and more. The sturdy construction and insulating excellence of the Stainless Steel vacuum sealed tumblers has always made them great travel companions, but the lids have always left users wanting a bit more. The Slider Lids seek to solve that issue with new splash-resistant, open-close functioning lids which turn stainless steel drinkware into true road warriors. Just push the slider forward to keep your cup’s contents contained, then slide it back when you’re ready for a drink. This closeable lid is shatterproof, dishwasher safe, and BPA-free. Perfect as a replacement lid or just a spill-resistant lid alternative.

Sure, the lids on most Rambler Tumblers are shatterproof and dishwasher safe. But, if you're thinking of taking your Rambler Tumblers out for tailgating, on the water or just the backyard BBQ you definitely want to add these to your arsenal. The 20oz Slider Lid fits both the 10oz Lowball and the 20oz stainless steel drinkware from Yeti as well as all other popular 20oz drinkware brands. The 30oz obviously fits the 30oz tumblers of Yeti Coolers, Rtic and our own Monster Mug.

The Tumbler Slider Lids are available in two sizes: 10oz/20oz & 30oz. The 20oz lid fits the Rambler Lowball as well.

*YETI, Roadie, Tundra, Rambler are Registered Trademarks of YETI Coolers. These products are not affiliated with YETI Coolers.

Alternative to Yeti Rambler Tumbler

Best Alternative to Yeti Rambler Tumblers?

There's no denying Yeti Coolers hit a home run with their stainless steel Rambler Tumbler drinkware line. The premium engineering keeps your drinks cold or hot for hours on end. While we have enjoyed using their products over the past few years, the market is now offering alternatives that offer lower prices, better lids and longer lasting ice retention. So which other brand of stainless steel tumbler do we recommend, well, the Monster Fishing Tackle Monster Mugs of course.

About the Monster Mug Tumblers

Like the Yeti Rambler variety, the Monster Mug Tumblers are also constructed from 18/ stainless steel and utilize a double wall vacuum insulated design. The stainless steel tumblers are engineered to keep your beverage piping hot or ice cold. Ice down your favorite beverage before leaving the house and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how long the Monster Mug Tumblers retain the ice and how well it keeps your drink cold without sweating through the exterior. Hours later, you can return to your drink and you'll still have it tasting great, ice cold, and the ice cubes will be intact - we can confidently claim 24 hours of ice retention. The design of the Monster Mug Tumblers keeps ice twice as long as any plastic version on the market. The Monster Mugs work just as well for hot beverages keeping coffee or tea warm for incredibly long periods of time.

In addition to the excellent qualities of the mug itself, Monster has also included an upgraded lid standard with all Monster Mugs. Each of our Monster Mug Tumblers includes a spill and splash proof slider lid which makes transport much more secure. Now, when you hit bumps in the road your closed slider lid will keep your hot coffee from spilling all over the truck.

Monster Fishing Tackle's Monster Mug Tumblers are available in two sizes: 20oz and 30oz and include upgraded Slider Lid

Monster Mug Guarantee

If you've liked what you read so far, then how about this for confidence in their product? If the Monster Mug Tumblers do not perform as well or better than your Yeti, Rtic, Engel or Ozark drinkware, they'll give you your money back. Monster Fishing Tackle is that confident that their design takes the stainless steel drinkware forward that they have no qualms putting theirr money where their mouth is.

Monster Mug vs. Yeti

	Monster Mug	Yeti
Price:	$17.99	$29.99 - $34.99
Material:	18/8 Stainless Steel	18/8 Stainless Steel
Double Wall Vacuum Insulated:	Yes	Yes
Ice Retention:	> 24 hours	24 hours
Lid:	Upgraded Spill-Proof Slider Lid	Open Standard Lid
No Sweat Exterior:	Yes	Yes
Suitable for Hot Beverages	Yes	Yes

Check out the Monster Mug Tumblers available exclusively at Monsterfishingtackle.com

*YETI, Roadie, Tundra, Rambler are Registered Trademarks of YETI Coolers. These products are not affiliated with YETI Coolers.

Choosing the Right Fishing Swivel

Choosing Fishing Swivels

Lures are no doubt the belle of the fisherman's ball and certainly some of the masterpieces designers create are worthy of the admiration they receive. That said, saltwater anglers who put in time out on the ocean know that the real unsung hero is terminal tackle and of that broad category that includes line, leaders, hooks, crimps, snaps, swivels, chains and more, the most often overlooked component is the swivel. So what is the best swivel for fishing? The answer requires a bit more detective work and some explanation before we choose our favorite.

As most fishermen are aware, line twist is always a concern that needs to be looked after. Should the line twist become regular, it can lead to frayed or lower strength line and also will reduce casting distance and alter the fall or natural appearance of the attached bait. Overall, line twist is no good, especially when it comes to offshore fishing where every single detail is important. But, that said, it can easily be eliminated all together by using a high quality swivel... but "high quality" isn't always the easiest to find, especially when companies are promoting their brand using terms that are abstract or unproven like: "smoothest swivel", "least resistance", "highest impact strength", "dual rotation"... etc. It gets confusing and convoluted.

Swivels are not the most practical component for some freshwater, light tackle anglers who believe their presence is more of annoyance than a benefit. To that we say, do what you feel is right. But for saltwater anglers using line sizes exceeding the weight of most freshwater fish, well, swivels are a necessity. Other naysayers believe that swivels spook fish, but really, with the amount of creatures in the sea, a small, dull colored swivel is certainly not going to be too prominent.

Types of Fishing Swivels

There are many types of swivels designed to match specific fishing needs or those with numerous components extending from the basic swivel itself. However, for the sake of simplicity, the two most common basic level swivels are ball-bearing swivels and barrel swivels

Ball-Bearing Swivels Vs. Barrel Swivels

The general designed of a barrel swivel is comprised of a central hollow brass, stainless steel or nickel barrel (hence the name) that has been swaged around pins that are bent into eyes for attachment to other terminal tackle pieces like snaps, locks or rings. Barrel swivels are probably the most popular form due to their low cost and wide range of sizes that cover seemingly all of the fishing needs. However, their biggest disadvantage is their inconsistency and inability to turn when put under tremendous pressure. The idea of metal grinding on metal doesn't sound like a good choice for any application and will prove to wear down the components providing opportunities for failure. Furthermore, as anglers we seek to minimize the unnatural sounds, noises and vibrations that are sent through the water. So having metal grinding against itself and sending vibrations through the line doesn't seem like the optimal solution.

Under minimal load, a barrel swivel should perform to spec. However, when sized inappropriately or subjected to heavy load (e.g., trolling deep-diving plugs, lengthy or repeated battles with big fish, soaking baits in a strong current), the friction within the swivel will slow or halt its rotation. When this happens, the swivel will fail to perform its job and allow twists to travel up the fishing line. This cutaway view of a ball-bearing swivel shows how the bearings are positioned to reduce friction.

A quality ball bearing swivel on the other hand utilizes a polished stainless-steel ball bearing which positions itself inside the housing of the swivel and allows the two connection points on each side to rotate freely on their own. This allows for independent movement and absolutely no friction between the components which in turn can handle heavy loads or hard pulling lures. When you're targeting truly big game saltwater species with trolling applications, a stainless steel ball bearing swivel is the only way to go.

Construction and Finish

It is most common to find swivels made of a nickel-plated brass with snaps and rings made from stainless steel. Many anglers will refuse to use a shiny looking terminal tackle component, but in truth, by turning to a dull or coated alternative, they are likely sacrificing strength and durability. For example, in order to create that black color on a nickel plated swivel, the manufacturer must use finishing processes that eat away at the surface of the metal. Any time you involve a process that takes away from the material you are going to set yourself up for some strength and inconsistency issues - that's just the nature of chemical processes. So, in our opinion, it's always best to opt for the strongest material and therefore the standard color of the metal as it is in production. If it's a bit of stealth you desire or the price of stainless steel is too high, check out the brass alternatives that use the same components, but just a brass housing.

Selecting the Right Swivel

Choosing the right swivel means examining the type of fishing you'll be participating in. Offshore trolling is perhaps the most strenuous and requires the absolute best components. For our serious trolling endeavors we turn to stainless steel ball bearing swivels with two welded rings - sometimes with a snap on one side. This type of swivel is ideal for trolling because the double rings give the connection more distance to rotate and yet still stay in balance which ultimately reduces resistance and eliminates line twist.

When it comes to size of a swivel for trolling, most anglers want something that has a slightly heavier maximum strength than their leader line, but for bigger game fish you'll even see some of the charter boats going up another size larger. Sure, using a swivel that's right at the strength you need does reduce the size of the component with implications being reduced drag in the water and a more stealthy approach, however, it's really taking a chance when you hook into monsters.

For example, in Baja we've utilized 50lb class trolling gear with 120lb wind on leaders and selected a size 3 Pitbull Tackle Stainless Steel Ball Bearing Swivel w/ Two Welded Rings which has a strength of 220lbs. This upgrade in size of the ball bearing swivel is to counteract additional pressure from fishing once the leader has been retrieved into the spool of the reel or when a fish is at the boat and being handled by hand before gaffing. Additionally, the larger size swivel can be a bit better at stopping the line twist, however, all of the Pitbull Ball Bearing Swivels are really good at this because of their special dual rotation design.

Best Swivels?

Up until recently, we were still searching for that "perfect" ball bearing swivel. It was always a choice between a really big swivel for strength or a smaller swivel for stealth and reduced drag in the water, but it was never a very confident decision either way. That is, until we found the Pitbull brand of terminal tackle and their incredible stainless steel ball bearing swivels. Holy cow are these some awesome pieces of gear. These streamlined, dual welded ring ball bearing swivels provide a type of "dual rotation" which makes them unfathomably smooth and their size to strength ratio is unheard of. Seriously, take a look as these size to strength ratings:

Size	Strength
1	110lb
2	160lb
3	220lb
4	280lb
5	335lb
6	445lb
7	555lb

These swivels are now the new standard for extreme, heavy-tackle fishing when using applications that would actually destroy other swivels. Some examples include fishing for giant tuna, trolling or chunking for big yellowfin or bluefin, drifting for swordfish or live bait fishing for blue marlin. Despite their incredibly high strength, Pitbull's swivels aren't just used with very heavy tackle. The smaller size allows anglers fishing all types of line ratings from 50lb to 500lb to feel confident using these swivels and know they will not fail under their maximum weight range.

Because they aren't a prominent or "sexy" piece of tackle, swivels are easily neglected. But, they are one of the most important components you'll ever use and therefore finding the right model is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, with the advances made in engineering, the Pitbull Ball Bearing Swivels have filled almost the entire category of high strength swivels - save for the 900lb range models.

Be sure to checkout the entire line of Pitbull Terminal Tackle and see what else they offer in addition to their revolutionary Ball Bearing Swivels.

Bassmaster Toledo Bend Recap and Top Baits

KVD Back on Top

It had been a little over five years since KVD had notched a victory and the whispers were starting to grow into mumbles. Many questioned whether or not he would ever regain his prominence in the sport and few even thought he may never win another event - odds were starting to stack against it. His last win, the 2011 Bassmaster Classic at the Louisiana Delta, seems like a distant memory. It was the Classic that defied the odds and produced massive stringers, introduced the bass fishing world to Brandon Palaniuk and cemented KVD as the greatest Bassmaster angler of all time. Since that win, VanDam experienced a drought that included a 2014 season which did not qualify him for the Classic. Needless to say, it was not KVD like. However, despite the lack of wins, he was still in contention for many victories as he accumulated three 2nd place finishes and several top-10s during that span, but it was winning that had always separated VanDam from the others and established him as the GOAT (Greatest of all time). With the victory at Toledo Bend over the weekend, KVD has now compiled 21 victories and career earnings of 5.9 million with Bassmaster alone. Pretty incredible stats.

How'd he do it?

Practice was very limited for the anglers at Toledo Bend due to the high winds that swept the area causing most deep offshore spots to render useless for any quality dissection. As a result, most anglers who were not familiar with the deep water structure at Toledo Bend totally wrote it off and decided their best bet was fishing shallow for bass that were just leaving spawning beds. Most of the anglers in the tournament, and nearly all of the top-12, fished shallow water targets such as trees, grass and docks. VanDam on the other hand, knew his best chance of catching quality bass was out deep where the bass were headed instead of the shallow water that bass were leaving. It was pretty clear that 20lb bags could be had shallow, but that was not what was on VanDam's mind, he was after "Big Mama" and all of her sisters. VanDam targeted depths of 17 - 24 feet where, like most of the lake, the bottom was littered with logs and stumps and who knows what else. He started off the event with a bang cracking a nearly 30lb sack on the first day, but after he left it was said that the locals watching him went right over and crushed his fish. Who knows if they caught much, but 15-20 boats on a Thursday afternoon means that spot wasn't going to be much better come the weekend. Day two was evident of that fact and VanDam weighed in a little over 20lbs. His final two days were vintage KVD as he could smell the victory and he went for blood. Bags of 24lb and 21lbs on days three and four respectively, sealed the deal for him and returned KVD to the winner's circle besting Chris Lane by 7lbs 11oz.

KVD's Baits

The tournament was vintage KVD. He kept chucking and winding his crankbaits nearly the entire event despite immense pressure from locals who actually fished his spot while he was on it. VanDam's arsenal was headlined by the Strike King 10XD in the Sexy Herring color which he tossed for hours with his 7'11" Quantum KVD Crankbait Rod on end absolutely dredging the massive wood littered channels of Toledo Bend. His reasoning for this bait selection was largely due to the primary forage of big bass in the lake, the Bar Fish. While he did try Strike King's actual Bar Fish color, he found the Sexy Herring more to the fish's liking. VanDam also tossed the Strike King 6XD and Strike King 8XD crankbaits, but it was the size and action of the 10XD the bass were keyed in on. Additionally, while not his money bait, VanDam also used a hair jig, Strike King Sexy Spoon and a hollow body swimbait to catch a few of his fish. Kind of funny actually, many anglers said after the tournament they too tried cranking using the same baits and same types of areas, but they couldn't get the fish to bite. That's where KVD has always shined, he has the patience and persistence to keep at it until he finds the right angle that triggers a reaction strike.

Top-12 Baits

As mentioned, many of the anglers in the top-12 fished up shallow flipping jigs, plastics and punch rigs into grass, wood and bushes and some used moving baits such as swim jigs or topwaters. The guys who focused out deep, namely KVD and Keith Combs, targeted bass with crankbaits hoping to find locations where the bass replenished as they first reached the deep structure.

2nd Place - Chris Lane

Despite finishing nearly 8bs back of winner KVD, Chris Lane had a pretty awesome event and provided Bassmaster Live with some awesome topwater fish catches. Although Lane flipped a bit, his baits of note were the River2Sea Whopper Plopper in the bone color and a Super Spook. He fished grass and bush lines that were likely the former shoreline before the influx of water over the past year or so.

3rd Place - Ish Monroe

Ish fished the way he likes to fish. He flipped a 1/2oz and 3/4oz River2Sea Biffle Junkyard Jig in the black and blue color with a Missile Baits D-Stroyer trailer in the bruiser color (black/blue). Ish targeted all sorts of shallow cover, but caught his best fish around flooded bushes and willow trees.

4th Place - Keith Combs

Keith Combs was on the right program, but just lacked the kicker bass each day that helped bump KVD's weights over 20lbs each day. Combs tossed a Strike King 6XD in the Tennessee Shad color.

5th Place - Paul Mueller

Paul Mueller mixed up during the event using both reaction baits and soft plastics. His soft plastic bait of choice was a Reins Bubble Shaker worm which he rigged on a drop shot.

Bassmaster Elite Series Bull Shoals Top Baits

Top Baits: Bassmaster Elite Series Bull Shoals/Norfork

The Bassmaster Elite Series' third stop of the 2016 was a unique tournament for the organization and anglers as it featured competition on two bodies of water: the famed Bull Shoals Lake and the lesser known Norfork Lake. The two lakes are situated right in the heart of bass fishing country with Ranger Boats headquarters wedged right between the two and bass fishing history found in each direction. The tournament was predicted to be a heavy sight fishing event and did feature quite a bit of it, but the predominant patterns of the top-5 were void of any looking. Instead, anglers relied on shallow flipping and swimbaits on both of the tournament venues. Let's take a look at some of the top baits from the event.

1st Place - Randall Tharp

Tharp utilized a 3/8oz and 1/2oz 4x4 Randle Tharp Signature Series Jig in golden craw and green pumpkin for the majority of the event, but switched up to 5/8oz toward the end of the 3rd day on Bull Shoals. Tharp tipped his jig with a Zoom Super Chunk to mimic little bluegill the bass were being pestered by up shallow. Tharp fished his jig on Halo Rods and Lew's Reels spooled up with Gamma Fluorocarbon line.

2nd Place - Skeet Reese

Reese mixed it up during the event. At Bull Shoals, he flipped a Berkley Pit Boss with a 1/2oz tungsten bull weight in about a foot of water. He was utterly shocked how shallow he could pitch his bait and still get bit. His third day bag of 19lbs 2oz vaulted him up from 26th place all the way up to 3rd and put him in a position to possibly win the tournament on the final day. He started day 4 on Norfork by cranking a shallow running Lucky Craft Crankbait along the pea gravel banks, but eventually switched to the swimbaits. Reese did most of his damage on a shad colored 6" Basstrix Swimbait and also caught fish on a 7" Osprey Tournament Talon Swimbait.

3rd Place - Chris Zaldain

Zaldain pulled out a bunch of his west coast tricks this week at the dual lake tournament. He started it and ended it on Norfork tossing the 6" Megabass Magdraft Swimbait just slow rolling it along the bluffs and rocky shoreline where bass would come out from behind boulders or shade lines to absolute crush it. He alternated between two rods for the big baits: a Megabass Orochi XX F5-72XX Diablo Spec-R and unnamed model of the Megabass Levente Series Rods. He threw the swimbaits using 20lb Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon.

When it came to Bull Shoals, Zaldain was having a blast pitching his drop shot in the same type of areas most competitors were opting for big jigs and heavy plastics. For that use, Zaldain elected to use a 6" Roboworm Straight Tail Worm in the Margarita Mutilator color. Time and time again, Zaldain proved the strength of his 15lb Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon as he hung bass up in branches, hauled them through bushes and boat flipped fish. He tied a very short leader with a 2/0 Roboworom Rebarb Hook.

4th Place - Matt Herren

Matt Herren used two baits to catch his fish at the northern Arkansas Bassmaster Elite Series event. The yin and the yang of his approach included a green pumpkin Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket and a 1/2oz Santone Lures Jig.

5th Place - Bill Lowen

Bill Lowen focused his efforts on shallow water bass using a 3/8oz jig and a 4" black and blue flipping tube. He fished slowly and was likely catching spawning fish, although he was not sight fishing.

6th Place - Jacob Powroznik

Jacob Powroznik was one of the sight fishermen using his keen eyesight to make the final day cut of this two lake tournament. He relied primarily upon a wacky rigged V&M J-Mag finesse worm.

7th Place - Steve Kennedy

Steve Kennedy was another one of the anglers sight fishing and he used the old standy white jig to get a better look at his bait and insure he could see when a fish chomped down on it.

8th Place - Adrian Avena

Adrian Avena used a variety of lures during the tournament including finesse worms and swimbaits, however his most successful technique was flipping a chartreuse dipped watermelon colored Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw into shallow brush. He rigged the soft plastic on a 3/0 straight shank flipping hook behind a 1/2oz tungsten weight. Avena's setup included a Abu Garcia Revo Premier Casting Reel and an Abu Garcia Villain Rod.

9th Place - Mike McClelland

McClelland was among the anglers fishing shallow water brush and rock to catch his fish at both Bull Shoals and Norfork. He flipped and pitched a Big Bites Fighting Frog in watermelon red using a lighter 1/4oz and 3/8oz tungsten weights to get a slower fall than many of his competitors presented. McClelland utilized his signature series Falcon Mike McClelland Swim Jig Rod - a 7'2" model - to make accurate pitches around thick brush and tight spaces.

10th Place - Brian Snowden

Brian Snowden had a very steady tournament finishing up in 10th place. He caught the majority of his fish flipping a green pumpkin Zoom Z-Hog soft plastic craw bait.

11th Place - Brandon Palaniuk

Brandon Palaniuk sight fished a bit here and there, but he also flipped a 3/8oz Eco Pro Tungsten Jared Lintner Heavyweight Flipping Jig in the green pumpkin color.

12th Place - Koby Kreiger

Known as an expert sight fisherman, Koby Kreiger road his superior eyesight to a top 12 finish at the Bull Shoals/Norfork event. To trick the spawning bass he, like Steve Kennedy, opted for a white bait - his, a Zoom Super Hog.

Bassmaster Elite Series Winyah Bay Top Baits

1st Place - Britt Myers

Britt Myers caught the majority of his weight in the event using a white 1/2oz Z-Man Elite Chatterbait tipped with a Keitech Swing Impact Fat 3.8 in 426 Sexy Shad. However, his most important bait may have been a white Zoom Super Fluke rigged weightless on a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG Worm hook which he tied on during the final day of the event in order to fill out his limit. When Myers arrived back to the weigh-in site, he only hoped he wouldn't drop out of the top 5, little did he know the tough day he experienced was not unique and his small limit was just enough to squeak by Brett Hite.

2nd Place - Brett Hite

Brett Hite introduced the world to a new vibrating jig combo comprised of a green pumpkin 3/8oz and 1/2oz Evergreen Jackhammer and a new Yamamoto soft plastic he designed.

3rd Place - Kelly Jordon

Kelly Jordon made a huge comeback on day 2 of the event and came within one fish of winning the tournament. He flipped a black/red Sweet Beaver with a 1/2oz tungsten weight and he also chucked a Z-Man Elite Chatterbait in a green pumpkin color paired with a Lake Fork Magic Shad in a similar color.

4th Place - Brent Chapman

Brent Chapman caught all his fish this week using a Tightlines UV Whisker Beaver in a green pumpkin/pbj color.

5th Place - Randy Howell

Howell notched a 5th place finish at the second stop of the Elite Series using an assortment of baits, but his top two choices were a weightless 5" Yamamoto Senko in a pink color and a Yamamoto Flappin Hog II in the watermelon/black/red color which he flipped using a 3/4oz tungsten sinker.

6th Place - Keith Combs

Keith Combs put up a solid 6th place finish in the event by flipping and pitching plastics in backwater areas. Combs tried a number of plastics, but he finally settled on a Zoom Brush Hog in the watermelon candy color which he rigged behind a 3/4oz tungsten sinker on 20lb Seaguar Flipping FC line.

Seaguar Flippin Lines

Seaguar, the inventor and world leader in fluorocarbon and premium fishing line, has expanded its portfolio with the launch of two new technique-specific fishing lines targeting heavy cover applications.

Seaguar Flippin’ Fluoro and Seaguar Flippin’ Braid are the brainchild of Denny Brauer, legendary flipping expert and BassMaster Classic Champion, according to Gerry Benedicto, Seaguar General Manager. “Denny’s interest in creating lines specifically for flipping applications really got the ball rolling about two years ago. His familiarity with Seaguar and his expertise in designing flipping rods, reels and lures helped us establish the framework for the right lines needed for this go-to technique.”

Brauer identified strength and sensitivity as the key characteristics required in the new Flippin’ lines. “This is about pulling big fish out of the nastiest vegetation you can find,” said Brauer. “You’re on a short line, and you need to feel the quick reaction strike and then literally horse the fish out of heavy cover.” He added, “Your line is one of the most important aspects of the presentation, and now Seaguar has made selecting the right line simple.”

	Line Qualities	Spool Size	Lb. Test
Flippin’ Fluoro	Best-in-Class Impact & Knot Strength Remarkable Abrasion Resistance Virtually no-stretch for extra sensitivity & better hook sets	100 yards	20, 25, 30
Flippin’ Braid	Round profile, 8 micro-weave strands in Lo-Vis black Exceptional Impact Strength & Abrasion Resistance No- stretch for extra sensitivity & better hook sets	100 yards	50, 65

Flipping is one of the most popular ways anglers fish for bass. Seaguar research shows that 9 out of 10 anglers use this technique when bass fishing, and 8 out of 10 have purchased rods and reels specifically for flipping. The launch of the line will be supported with the Flipping Encyclopedia Video Series. This collection of educational video shorts will feature Denny Brauer walking through the basics and benefits of the flipping technique, including when and why the presentation is critical, as well as explaining his equipment and lure choices based on the time of year. Brauer will also be featured in TV, print and electronic media to build awareness and trial for the new Flippin’ lines.

The Flippin’ lines are the second application- or species-specific products Seaguar has introduced recently. In 2014, Seaguar introduced STS, the first species-specific fluorocarbon leader material targeting Salmon, Trout and Steelhead. This product line was developed to meet the needs of anglers in the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and the Northeast fisheries.

FLW Tour 2016 Lake Hartwell Top-10 Baits

John Cox Wins FLW Hartwell

John "What's a Depth Finder" Cox of Florida won the second event of the 2016 FLW Tour held on Lake Hartwell over the weekend. Cox, who famously fished the 2015 season without electronic graphs on his boat, utilized another backwater - as he did when he won on the Red River - to capture the win with a final day weight of 16lbs 2oz that pushed his total weight to 67lbs 6oz and edge 2nd place angler Clark Wendlandt by just 7oz. Running his aluminum boat as he has for much of his time on the FLW Tour, Cox was able to access the pond by floating over a very shallow sandbar that blocks the pond from the main river.

Cox's Arsenal:

For the first three days, Cox utilized wacky-rigged, green pumpkin and watermelon colored worms including 5" Yamamoto Senkos and Zoom Trick Worms that he skipped under docks where fish were most likely spawning. He employed a 2 power spinning rod with 10lb braid tied to a 10lb fluorocarbon leader. On the final day, Cox transitioned to a black/blue Z-Man Chatterbait and a Strike King Rage Menace to catch all of the fish inside his little backwater area.

FLW Hartwell Top-10 Baits

You're going to see a lot of that. That, pictured above, being a wacky rigged Senko or, more generally speaking, a stickbait. Most of the top-10 used some form of a wacky rigged soft plastic stickbait to haul in their catch this week. In fact the top 7 anglers all used it as some piece of their gameplan, but obviously the baits they chose to employ varied. Let's take a look at some of the anglers' choices:

2nd Place - Clark Wendlandt

Clark Wendlandt elected to fish a few soft plastic baits during the event including a Strike King Flipping Tube for bedding bass. When he wasn't directly looking at the fish, he opted for a wacky rigged Strike King Ocho or Strike King Shim-E-Stick.

3rd Place - Jamie Horton

Former BASS Elite Series angler Jamie Horton utilized the relatively new Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket rigged with the same wacky style used by a majority of the anglers.

4th Place - Jeff Gustafson

Canadian Jeff Gustafson primarily fished a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko, but also mixed in a Jackall Dowzvido 90SP jerkbait in a matte pearl white color.

10th Place - Powell Kemp

One of the few pros in the top-10 not throwing a wacky-rig, Powell Kemp of North Carolina, fished a Zoom Lizard, Zoom UV Speed Craw and ball head jig with a Netbait Paca Chunk trailer in a matching color. Check out the full rundown of baits on FLWFishing.com

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels In Stock

New Shimano Curado 70 Reels

When the situation calls for pitching, flipping, or casting light lures, anglers are now offered the a compact size in the new Shimano Curado 70 reels, available in both right- and left-hand retrieve and two gear ratios. The line-up includes the Curado 70HG and left-hand 71HG with 7.2:1 gear ratios, and the even faster retrieve Curado 70XG and 71XG, each with 8.2:1 gear ratios. All four reels feature a compact, lightweight durable Hagane body design, weighing it at 6.5-ounces for all-day, in-hand fishing comfort.

The Curado 70 reels are equipped with Shimano’s innovative SVS Infinity braking system to provide easy-to-manage, consistent spool control and brake force. SVS Infinity controls spool speed especially when using lighter lures, plus the external adjustment knob allows quick, precise adjustments when conditions change or switching baits.

Through Shimano’s Stabile Spool Design (S3D) that includes a thin wall aluminum spool to provide better balance, anglers will notice less spool vibration. Add in five S-ARB anti-rust ball bearings, and a one-way roller bearing for absolutely no handle backplay, plus Shimano’s X-Ship for even more smoothness and durability, and anglers can expect enhanced casting performance for longer casts – a welcome benefit when using lighter lures.

With the choice of two gear ratios, anglers can reel in 28-inches of line with 7.2:1 HG models, and 32-inches with the higher speed 8.2:1 XG reels. And speaking of line, the Curado 70 reels will handle from 105 yards of 10-pound test monofilament or fluorocarbon line and up to 70 yards of 14-pound test. When used with standard PowerPro braid, the reels will hold 115 yards of 20-pound and up to 80 yards of 40-pound test.

A long standard among both bass and inshore anglers, Shimano’s Curado reels “are just so extremely versatile for all kinds of bass catching techniques,” said noted angler Mark Zona. “Having had the opportunity to field-test the new Curado 70 reels, they are ideal for quick, accurate casts, or when you need to downsize your lure and still want to work lots of water.”

You can find the New Shimano Curado 70 Reels at Monster Fishing Tackle before any other retailer.

2016 Bassmaster Classic Recap

All about the Classic

Talk about a comeback! Edwin Evers saved the best for last and absolutely crushed the field bringing in a final day limit of 29lbs 3oz en route to capturing the 2016 Bassmaster Classic crown. The event, held in Oklahoman Evers' backyard, was predicted to be an absolute slugfest, but turned out to be a tale of tough fishing conditions and low weights for all of the anglers, even Evers who nearly blew his shot at the classic when he only managed four fish on day one of the tournament.

At a glance, Evers' 10lb margin of victory makes his win look easy, but that was absolutely not the case. Heading in to the final day, and even halfway through the morning, it appeared as if another local, Jason Christie, would lay claim to the win, however, a flurry by Evers and some unsolicited information changed things rather quickly. After two days of fishing, Christie held a lead of 5lbs 11oz over his nearest pursuer and greater 6lbs over eventual winner Evers. All week Christie had made it clear he was not one of the many anglers who desired windy conditions, plainly stating it to anyone that would listen and on the final day, that's exactly what he got. Sustained winds and a large gallery of spectators almost certainly gave him trouble, but it might have been another incident that will go down in history as a deciding factor when fans look back on this classic.

After Evers had already boxed a significant portion of his monstrous bag, Christie came upon some shoreline spectators who told him he was down. When Christie commented he was probably 4lbs back, the spectator said, "no, Evers has 25lbs." Watching this unfold on Bassmaster Live, you could clearly see that Christie was rattled. As he spun his boat he inadvertently bumped boats with another spectator before starting to question what he had just heard. Prior to this information being given, Christie had clearly stated he had absolutely no desire to know what anyone else had as it might change his fishing style, the style which he had ridden all week to a sizable lead. Once those thoughts crept into his head, he felt the need to confirm this information, but he couldn't get his phone to see the Basstrakk weights. [Just to be clear, this is entirely legal on the final day of BASS Elite Series events - it's a new allowance, but it is completely acceptable.] From that point on, he fished far more rapidly than he had all week long. He jumped spots quickly, fished faster and kept a dialogue going about the incident for a short while after.

Back to Evers

• Day 1: 13lbs 12oz (4 fish)
• Day 2: 17lbs 8oz
• Day 3: 29lbs 3oz
• Total: 60lbs 7oz

Evers had to battle to even stay in the event after a first day that saw nothing go as planned. He scrambled and managed to only catch four bass. According to Evers, it was fortunate he even managed those four as he said it was an absolutely brutal day of fishing. Day two he went into full on survival mode using a flipping stick and a spinnerbait to catch a really good bag of fish weighing 17 1/2lbs. Evers acknowledged this wasn't part of his plan going into the event and fished in this manner simply to stay in the event, he really didn't know if he could remain close enough to Christie to have a legitimate chance at winning, but that was the only way he could find to catch fish. On the final day, with the winds blowing hard, he went way up the Elk River to an area he caught a few big fish in practice. It didn't take him long to change the game completely, boating several fish over 4lbs by 10am and putting lots of distance between him and Day 2 leader Christie.

On the first day of the event, Evers used a Megabass Flap Slap to catch all of his fish. On the second day, evers changed up and flipped a Zoom Z-hog and tossed a white spinnerbait. The final day he turned to a 5/16oz homemade flat rubber jig which he pitched to wood far up the Elk River to fish that were using the laydowns and staging areas for the upcoming spawn.

2nd Place - Jason Christie

• Day 1: 20bs 14oz
• Day 2: 16lbs 11oz
• Day 3: 12lbs 9oz (4 fish)
• Total: 50lbs 2oz

While it ended up being a home-state angler who won the classic by a huge margin, it wasn't the angler most people thought would do it. After two days of fishing and a 5 1/2lb lead over 2nd, it appeared Grand Lake stick Jason Christie was going to blow this tournament out. Eight hours of fishing and an improbable bag were all that separated Christie from winning the sport's biggest title. Christie caught them really well on the first two days despite having a floatilla of spectators that often hindered his ability to fish his desired locations.

Each of the first two days of the tournament, Christie managed 8 bites fishing the shoreline with a 1oz Booyah Spinnerbait paired with a shad style swimbait trailer that resembled a Keitech 3.8" Swing Impact Fat. He fished the spinnerbait right up against the shore and worked it as slowly as he could given the weight of the lure. Despite most of the anglers fishing a spinnerbait during the event, Christie's choice was made somewhat unique given the size of the bait. He used a 1oz while most competitors fished a 3/8 - 1/2oz model. He believed the added size caused the inactive bass to make a decision, either eat the thing or get out of its way.

3rd Place - Aaron Martens

• Day 1: 13bs 8oz
• Day 2: 16lbs 13oz
• Day 3: 16lbs 0oz (4 fish)
• Total: 46lbs 5oz

Given his inconsistent practice, Aaron Martens wasn't quite sure what to expect come tournament day, but he did have a lot of confidence he could figure it out and make a run at the classic title. His practice consisted of a day without a single bite, another day with 2 bites and finally a day with over 40 bites. The 40 bite day came on the last day of practice and provided him with the strategy he would use for the entire tournament - he was going to shallow crank, and by shallow we mean inches to only 3 feet of water where the fish had pushed up and were feeding.

Like Evers, Martens had a tough opening day of the Classic managing just 13 1/2lbs. The frustration of the low weight was compounded by the fact he managed nearly 20 bites during day and hooked only 7 fish. Once the day was over, he immediately started changing out all of his Gamakatsu G-Finesse Treble Hooks for a larger size on all of the front hooks of his crankbaits. His next two days were much better in terms of hook-up ratio and his weighs reflected that improvement bagging nearly 3lbs more on each of the last two days of the tournament.

During the event, Martens used a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap in the Texas Shad Crystal, Bone Orange Belly and Brown Mud Crawfish for all of his cranking. He used his namesake Enigma Aaron's Edge Rods and Shimano Metanium Reels with 12lb Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon.

4th Place - Bill Lowen

• Day 1: 16bs 9oz
• Day 2: 13lbs 15oz
• Day 3: 15lbs 3oz
• Total: 45lbs 11oz

Bill Lowen found ways to stick around the top-5 throughout the event with consistent bags of fish that never really catapulted him up the leaderboard or set him far behind either. Lowen fished very shallow all tournament using jigs and soft plastic tubes which he more or less crawled over the tops of rocks in water from 0 - 4ft of depth where bass were hanging out, but not aggressively feeding.

During the tournament, Lowen used a whole hodgepodge of lures including a Tightlines UV Bill Lowen Tube, a 3/8oz black/blue flipping jig with a Tightlines UV Bubba Craw trailer, a selection of spinnerbaits and on the final day he even threw a buzzbait a bit.

5th Place - Randy Howell

• Day 1: 17bs 6oz
• Day 2: 11lbs 13oz
• Day 3: 16lbs 7oz
• Total: 45lbs 10oz

Randy Howell nearly stumbled into the fish that would have propelled him to his second Bassmaster Classic victory. All week long Howell fished the Elk River and on day 2, despite his low weight, he actually started to figure out that the bass in the Elk were position around the isolated pieces of wood in the middle of the river; the structure Evers would fish day three to catch his monster bag. Howell was a serious player in the classic and had it not been for a poor day 2 and Evers show stopping day 3, he would almost certainly have played a bigger part in the storyline.
During the tournament, Howell primarily used a Livingston Lures Howeller Dream Master Classic Crankbait, a white spinnerbait and occasionally a Livingston Lures Jerkmaster 121 jerkbait.