New Lures for Creeks, Rivers & Ponds

Heddon Spin'n Image Jr

Late summer often delivers new lures to my tackle selection. The ICAST show takes place in mid-July, and that’s when many fishing tackle brands introduce new products for the upcoming year. Because I work in marketing for a lure company that owns multiple brands , that means I typically have new lures that I need to get photos of and gain familiarity with for writing projects.

What stands out this year is that several of the new offerings from our brands really hit home with the way I like to fish the most and are perfectly suited for the waters I fish the most. I expect at least a few of these to remain a key part of my arsenal for years.

Heddon, Bandit and Rebel Lures all released new baits this summer that are extra well suited for the creeks and small rivers I love to wade and for walking the banks of ponds. All are small in size, but my expectations are big. That sounds like marketing talk, but I’m not wearing the marketing hat when I’m writing this blog. It’s just fortunate for me that some of the lures I currently need photos of the most are really good fits for my personal fishing preferences.

I won’t detail the features of each. Again, marketing isn’t the objective here. However, I will run through the stuff I’m excited to use. In truth, I’ve been catching fish on a few of them for a few months. One nice thing in my job is that I get some stuff early for photography needs.

Heddon Lures added a couple of topwater lures I know will excel in smaller waters. The Spin’n Image Jr is a downsized version of a proven rotating-tail topwater lure. The Spook Stick is a slender profiles small-sized surface walker. There is also a Spook Stick Crawler that I know will be an excellent lure, but it fits a little different niche.

Bandit Lures, meanwhile, added the Bandit 50 and 50D, which look and act a lot like the iconic Bandit 100 and 200 but are substantially smaller. They were designed for small water and for finesse situations and match perfectly with the light travel rod and spinning reel that live in my car all the time.

Finally, Rebel Lures added a couple of great new shapes to their LIVEflex soft plastic series. One is a hellgrammite, and every stream angler knows that hellgrammites are candy to creek fish. The other is a tadpole, another important forage species in ponds and creeks that surprisingly is not often imitated with fishing lures. The LIVE Hellgrammite and Tadpole are the two I’ve already used to catch a lot of fish!

You’ll likely be hearing more from me about some of these new lures. I need to go sit at the computer this morning, bit I really just want to go fishing!

Bandit 50

Heddon Spook Stick

 

Rebel LIVEflex Tadpole

Southbound Today - Sniffing Out the Coolest New Stuff

Mistaken Identity color patterns, new from Bandit

Friends think I'm a little wacky (or maybe more than a little) when I head north during the winter to fish through little holes in the ice. Pointing the car toward Florida in the middle of July somehow seems even worse, but that's exactly what I'm doing today. I'll spend the better part of today driving toward Orlando for ICAST, which is the industry trade show where tackle manufacturers from across the industry reveal all their new stuff for the following product year to retailers and wholesalers and to the media.

If you've paid attention to fishing website or follow fishing companies or pros on social media, you've undoubtedly gotten peeks at some of the new stuff, like Bandit's expansion of the hugely popular "Mistake" color pattern, which, despite many stories that bounce among bass fishermen, was never a mistake. The original Mistake color scheme was actually was the idea of a retailer and a special order. It drew immediate interest and was quickly expanded and has long been on the most popular colors of Bandit crankbaits, so Bandit has decided to build on concept with three new color schemes of the same sort.

Watch on this page and especially on my Facebook fishing page and other social media outlets for updates. I'll share live photos and reports as I see stuff that strikes me as extra cool.

Most of this week will be spent within the walls of a giant convention center, walking the show floor to look at stuff and talk with folks. Beyond seeing new products, it's my best single opportunity to reconnect with folks from so many companies to stay on top of things they've been doing and to talk about stories I might be working on now or in the future. Tomorrow, I'll actually be outside, though -- even fishing for a few hours.

ICAST has added an outdoors element as a kick-off. It begins with an informal bass tournament, which I'll be fishing with Dan Dannenmueller and Michael Range from Garmin. Dan is a tournament crappie angler, and I won't deny that my main interest is seeing what is new from Garmin and getting material from Dan for future crappie stories. That said, I have a couple of bass rods packed, and you can trust that I'm not going to ride around Lake Toho all morning and not make a few casts!

After the tournament, I'll get to check out some of the new stuff in more of a real setting at a new event called "ICAST on the Water." The actual ICAST show doesn't open until Wednesday, but Tuesday includes a couple of preview events. ICAST on the Water, held on the banks of Lake Toho (same site as the tournament blast off and weigh-in) will provide an opportunity for buyers and media to actually see baits swim, cast rods and reels and otherwise check out new stuff in a much more real fashion. It's a new event, so I don't know exactly what the structure will look like. Then, on Tuesday night, the New Product Showcase on the main show floor will be open for a few hours for a media and buyer preview.

Come Wednesday, it's onto the main show, and that will be going on for the next three days. Stay tuned!

 

Trip Promotion & Preparation

With the Rebel Trout Trek less than two weeks away, I'm turning ever more attention toward making certain all our stuff is in order and sharing the story of our upcoming journey so folks can follow. This morning, Asher and I had the opportunity to visit WCHM FM in our own town and talk about our plans. It was Asher's first taste of live radio, and I think he did a fine job. There may be opportunities for us to share from the road, on radio, podcasts or television, so now he's a broadcast veteran!

I'm also working to pass along word to friends in the outdoor media, in case any of them want to write a blog or column so that their readers can follow our travels or in case someone wants to catch up with us along the way.

The need for serious focus on trip preparation has been accentuated by the fact that I'm going to Florida for the ICAST show next week. We leave on the Trout Trek two days after I get home from ICAST, so I pretty much have to treat this week like my final week for getting ready. Fun stuff like packing fishing tackle and planning stops is mostly done. Now I'm having to get more practical and think about things like paying bills ahead of time, getting an oil change for the car, how we'll handle laundry on the road and much more.

The best places to follow the Rebel Trout Trek are at rebellures.com and on the Rebel Lures Facebook page. I'll also share on this page, and Asher will share on ashersamselsblog.blogspot.com.

#RebelTroutTrek

New Stuff Season

If you're a fisherman, the end of June and the first half of July can be a pretty fun time of the year. Not because of some hot bite, although I'm certainly not denying that those exist. Right about now is when word starts trickling out about cool new fishing products that will be released in two weeks at the ICAST show. Put on by the American Sportfishing Association, ICAST is a huge trade show and the place where fishing tackle manufacturers introduce the next year's product releases to retail and wholesale buyers and to the fishing media. This year's show is July 14-17 in Orlando.

Rods, apparel, lures, kayaks, reels, terminal tackle... you name it. If it is sport fishing gear, several companies that make it probably will be at ICAST, and some will have new products to show.

Many products aren't revealed until the media and buyer preview reception of the New Product Showcase, which takes place the evening before the main show floor opens. That said, many companies favor a PR and sales head start over the surprise factor, so a couple of weeks before the show they begin trickling out information about products and select samples. With today's electronic media and especially social media sites, word of anything noteworthy pretty well spreads immediately.

Because I attend the show and write about products in magazines and on websites, I get a lot of emails alerting me about cool new stuff, along with a few packages containing things to field test. In fact, I'll share some of the stuff that looks extra cool to me between now and the end of the show. I got information just today about the Plano A-Series QuickTop Tackle Bag (pictured above). I'll write more soon about this really cool hybrid box, which has some feature that make it stand out from anything before it.

In truth, though, if you pay attention to fishing news website or follow pro anglers or guides or fishing tackle manufacturers on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites, you've likely heard about several new products in recent days. That will grow dramatically over the next couple of weeks.

Most stuff won't actually be in full production and in stores for several months. Now is just when the products get announced and the companies start trying to build interest so they can fill store shelves once the products do hit production. For me, it's a really fun time of the year.

ICAST Friday

The ICAST show is always substantially slower on Friday than on the first two days, with a lot of buyers, media and folks in the booths having finished their business and started toward home. It's a good day to look at stuff in less crowded booths. It's sometimes a bad day to visit people because the person who deals with media often has gone home.

Today is my day to walk the floor and really look around. I've been part of the FLW live coverage team, focusing on rods and line, so I've sort of had to keep tunnel vision in order to get my part done. Today I take off the blinders and can take in everything, so maybe I'll get a few more photos or notes posted as I roam.

If you haven't checked out the FLW coverage, by the way, be sure to do so. The web crew has worked steadily to keep the page really fresh with photos, videos and loads of information about all the new products and cool stuff happening at the show.

Time to head that way for the final day!

Rods & Line at ICAST

I spent a couple of hours this evening at the ICAST New Product Showcase reception, checking out new rods and fishing lines for coverage I am doing for FLW, along with at least glancing at other new stuff in the Showcase, just to see what's cool and new. I'll be posting a lot of reports about line and rods on the ICAST page on flwoutdoors.com and posting note about other cool stuff here. Stay tuned!

Revo Beast

We often say around my house that you never know what a day will bring. Seems that also applies on the water in Mexico. Who knew I'd get to fish El Salto with the Beast?

It seems possible -- even likely -- that I could spot the Beast again this week at ICAST, as Abu Garcia is launching it's new Revo Beast reel at the show. I actually fished a quite a bit with a Revo Beast in Mexico, and I can tell you right now that if you like the sound of a smooth-operating, heavy-duty bass reel that was designed specifically to handle big baits, you're going to like the Beast. It was ideal for El Salto, where big worms, big swimbaits and big crankbaits typically are the major players. I used one a lot for deep crankbaits because I liked the oversized handle and grips for getting the bait down and manhandling it.

Speaking of ICAST, I made it to Orlando. Everything begins tomorrow!

ICAST Prep

This page has been way too quiet, which I don't like. Days have been filled with catch-up efforts on magazine work from so many days on the road this summer, and I just haven't found my way here to post updates. Not a good excuse, especially right now, as I get word about so much cool fishing stuff coming out next year, but still the way the week has gone.

This weekend I transition from catch-up mode to get-ready-again mode because on Monday I'll be driving to Florida for the ICAST show in Orlando. If you look at many fishing websites, you probably see the name ICAST quite a bit. It's the fishing industry's primary trade show and the place where much of the new stuff for the following model year gets revealed to tackle distributors and retailers, and to the outdoors media. Lures, rods, reels, fishing kayaks, clothes, electronics, lines, rigs... You name it, it's there. You've likely seen quite a few peeks at stuff already.

I go to ICAST both to learn about and report on the new stuff and to catch up with folks from the industry, including other writers, editors and various folks who represent fishing tackle manufacturers. For me, it's three days of walking a big show floor, looking at stuff, taking photos, asking questions and talking fishing. This year, I'll also be doing a lot of on-the-spot writing because I'll be reporting about new fishing line and rod introductions for FLW's website and magazine, along with other stuff I'll report here, on the Jeff Samsel Fishing facebook page, on Twitter and on Instagram.

So priorities today are gathering notes, clearing camera cards, charging batteries, packing and generally doing stuff at home that's good to take care of before returning to the road. I suppose I'd better get to it.

Watch here for updates on cool new stuff!

Gear: Plano 3700 Guide Series, ICAST Winner

Think that all tackle bags are created equal, beyond considerations of size? Think again. Take a look at this video as industry insider David Rose tells about the new Plano Guide Series Tackle Bag that took best of show for tackle management at this year's ICAST show. As David breaks down the features, think about your own fishing situations, the stuff you want to keep dry or protected, the baits types that are working best and that you want to keep handy and the benefit of things like a bag that doesn't fill with water when the rain decides to fall while you are fishing. Make it personal to your own situations and it's pretty easy to see what set apart this gear bag and helped make it winner in the New Product Showcase. For more fishing videos, be sure to check out Jeff Samsel on YouTube.

Unintended Fly-By

My biggest regret from last week's ICAST show in Las Vegas is that I never got the opportunity to give the International Fly Tackle Dealers show a decent look. For the first time ever, the two shows shared dates and a single convention center floor, and buying or media credentials for one got you in to the other. I never attended the fly show when it was a separate event in Denver because I don't do enough fly-fishing writing to justify the travel cost (and maybe to be granted media credentials). However, I do write enough about fly-fishing and fly tackle that I was excited about the opportunity to roam the show and meet more folks on the fly side while I was already right there.

Good idea. Poor planning.

When I booked my travel, I chose a flight that left Las Vegas mid-afternoon on Friday, which was the final day of the show. That gave me two full days, plus a few hours on Friday, to walk the floor. That has been enough time in the past. Between appointments with tackle manufacturers I always want to visit and a couple of major editorial projects, which were my top priority, I simply ran out of time this year. Beyond visiting as single booth by invitation, my entire time at the IFTD show totaled about 10 minutes, right before I packed up to start toward the airport. Basically, I walked the aisles and looked left and right to see what I was missing. It wasn't that I didn't keep busy. I spent every open show hour walking the floor, looking and visiting. I simply ran out of hours.

I do hope that the merged show format worked well for ICAST and IFTD and that they'll be back together next year. The next few ICAST shows are in Orlando, which means I can drive there, so I'll have more liberty with time. Were it back in Vegas, though, I'd either book a Friday redeye or stay Friday night so I could attend the whole show. I feel like I missed the boat -- the drift boat, so to speak -- by running out of time and missing the chance to learn more about the fly fishing industry and to meet more folks on that side of the business. Even 10 minutes on the IFTD floor was enough to make it clear that I was missing a lot of good stuff.

Fishing Tackle Show's Final Hours

Only a few ICAST hours remaining. Well, only a few for me. The show actually goes one more full day, but I fly out mid afternoon, so I only get a short visit this morning. I've admittedly failed on the live coverage front. There's simply been too much to see and too few hours.

I'm gathering a lot of good stuff, though, and reports from that will follow. And hopefully I'll do a bit of show reporting from the airport this afternoon. For now it's time to walk and talk some more. 8 minutes till show time.

New Stuff Revealed Soon

Well, it's almost that time. I'm in the Atlanta airport, through security, waiting to fly to Las Vegas in a couple of hours. Long travel day. It's a direct flight, which I'm thankful for, but it's still a four-hour flight and it takes it takes quite a while to get through the Las Vegas airport mess and to the hotel.

Enough travel mumbles, though. Beginning with a press conference at 4:00 (Las Vegas time) and then the New Product Showcase preview reception soon after, I'll get to start seeing the cool new stuff - sone of which ive heard about but much of which I know nothing about at this point. After that its three days on the ICAST and fly show floors, talking with folks and learning what's coming next year.

I'm especially eager to see the new Boo rigs from BOOYAH, which look like they'll take the while multi-rig trend to some new places; plus various electronics advancements, some of which I've already talked about. I'm also looking forward to putting my hands on various new rods and reels that I have been hearing about.

A lot of my blogs over the next few days might be very quick, but I'll try to keep things flowing as I learn about things that I think are extra cool.

Gear: Vexilar Sonarphone Looks Seriously Cool

The days leading up to ICAST can be almost as fun as the show itself as companies begin previewing the cool stuff they will release. No exception today. That's for sure! Just this morning, Vexilar leaked word about the coolest new release I've heard about yet.

The  Vexilar Sonarphone makes your smartphone or tablet into a high-definition sonar unit using a dedicated WiFi signal that goes from a little transducer box, which is the only thing you have to buy, to a free phone app. No corresponding graph needed. The phone becomes the graph, and the part you buy in it's simplest form is only $129.95. I haven't seen the real thing yet (next week!), but it sounds like they've though through practicalities of mounting, having your phone out in the weather, etc., and word is that the imagery and capabilities are really good. It even comes with a neoprene wristband for your phone to provide an option for keeping it handy. Some mounting/protection options are extra, but even the deluxe package is less than $200.

The Sonarphone especially intrigues me because of the way I fish. I travel all over and I mostly fish out of the backs of other people's boats, from docks, from canoes and johnboat boats, from atop the ice... Assuming the transducer unit is pretty portable and easy to place in various settings, it seems like the ideal thing to use on the ponds near home and then tote virtually anywhere I travel. I always borrow other people's units for ice-fishing because I live in Georgia and fly to everywhere I fish through the ice, which makes the idea of toting my own traditional sonar unit more than a little impractical.

I do have a few nuts-and-bolts questions, like how it impacts the already-short battery life of a typical smartphone if you use the graph much in a place where you don't have the capacity to re-charge. The Vexilar folks have most likely thought about the same things, though, and probably will have answers to most of my questions. I'll probably do another blog about the Sonarphone after I've seen the real thing, but this innovation definitely caught my attention this morning and I wanted to pass along word.

Tackle Show Only a Week Away

Wow. This time next week, I'll be traveling toward Las Vegas for the ICAST Show. I'm admittedly not a fan of Las Vegas, but I really enjoy the show, where a massive convention center floor is completely covered by fishing tackle manufacturers' booths. It's where the companies that make the rods and reels, the lures, the waders, the hooks, the sonar units... you name it -- gather each summer to show all their new stuff to wholesalers and to retailers from all over the world and to the fishing media. For most companies, it's the first showing of the following year's product introductions.

To a dedicated fisherman, it's like the world's largest candy store, and for a fishing writer, ICAST represents a tremendous opportunity to gather with the whole industry in a single place and to learn about all the cool, new stuff that companies are producing and to see industry trends. Things kick off Tuesday evening with a special preview of the New Product Showcase, which is a dedicated space where companies display the best of the best of their newest stuff. Of course, there also will be all sorts of pros and guide roaming the show floor and working sponsors' booths.

This year's show will be even better than normal, from my perspective, because the International Fly Tackle Dealer show will run concurrent with ICAST and use the same convention center. I don't do quite enough fly stuff to ever justify the traveling to just the IFTD show, which is the fly world's equivalent to ICAST, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the fly tackle too and meeting more folks on that side of the business.

Watch this blog, my Twitter feed, my facebook fishing page and my YouTube Channel for a steady flow of photos, videos and notes about stuff I see and things I learn from the pros.

Gear: Boat in a Backpack?

Photos courtesy of Creek Company.

With the ICAST show only a few weeks away, I'm starting to get word about some of the cool new stuff that will be released at the fishing industry's biggest trade show. As a fisherman who likes getting off the beaten trail and who has a fondness for small boats and small waters, I couldn't help but take note Creek Company's new Osprey Fishing Stand Up Paddle Board. This cool inflatable craft rolls into its own backpack and weighs in at only 36 pounds. Unroll it, inflate it, grab your paddle and you're ready to hit the lake.

Creek Company Osprey Fishing Stand Up Paddle Board, fully rigged

I haven't seen these in person yet (although I'm eager to check 'em out at the show!) However, I know that Creek Company has been making float tubes, pontoons and other inflatables designed for fishermen for many years. Therefore, I'm confident they've thought through the practicalities of making a craft of this sort into a functional fishing platform, and I have no doubt that it's seriously stable.

The bare basics approach for true backcountry fishing is to tote just the boat and the paddle. However, the Osprey also is set up so you can strap in an optional cooler for storage and a seat and so you can rig it with extras like rod holders, cargo straps, a fish finder and an anchor. Either way, it fits in the back of a vehicle and offers easy access to waters of many different kinds.

Keep watching. I'll continue to pass along work about cool stuff, both from what shows up in my inbox and especially from what I see for myself on the floor of the show.

Why Wait for Ice?

The new MarCum LX-9 combines digital sonar, high-definition underwater video and DVR functionality in one portable unit.

One inevitable effect of ICAST and all the reports that come from the world's largest sportfishing trade show is a surge of anticipation in the fishing world. Anglers everywhere read stories and watch reports, but most of the best stuff hasn't hit full production, and some may not be available for several months. And so we anticipate.

The waiting is even worse when it's stuff made for ice-fishing. No matter how quickly the manufacturers get production up to speed and make their products available, it's tough to ice-fish without ice. You can jiggle a new rod, hold jig between your fingers or even set up a shelter in your yard, but somehow it's not the same as really putting it to work on the hard water.

Such is the case this year. One of the coolest product introductions I'm aware of from this year's show, the MarCum LX-9, was designed primarily for ice fishing, so my guess is that some Minnesota lake will have to freeze before I'll actually get to see one in action. This portable unit combines digital sonar readings and high-definition camera, visible together on a split screen, and adds DVR recording capabilities. Talk about getting a seriously good picture of what's below you as you fish and being able to truly study the fish's behavior!

The more I think about these units and all their functions, though, the more I wonder why they should be only for ice. I realize most boating anglers rely upon in-dash units, and my guess is that changing bottom depths and a moving boat could create some challenges for the depth setting of the camera. Still, so much boat fishing is from a stationary position, with a lure or bait dropped straight down from the rod tip. It would seem like an LX-9 would be be immeasurably valuable to a drop-shotter working a school of suspended bass or a crappie fisherman jigging spoons beside a bridge piling. Or what about a scouting angler who is slowing going over a hole and is trying to figure out of he's seeing stripers, catfish or something else on his electronics?

What about dock fishermen, small-boat anglers or even back-of-the boat fishermen? Serious ice fishermen all carry their own electronics from hole to hole on every lake they visit. It seems to me like we might be "missing the boat" in the open-water world, and that the LX-9 is too seriously cool to only use when it's seriously cold.

All You Can Catch Buffet

Road Runner Reality Shad Buffet

I suggested in an earlier post that multi-lure rigs would be a major trend at this year's ICAST show, and from everything I've seen while tracking the show through fishing websites, facebook posts, press releases and such, that clearly is the case. I'm not at the show this year, so I admittedly haven't seen them all. However, one such offering that catches my eye and that seems different from most is the Road Runner Reality Shad Buffet.

The biggest thing that sets this one apart is that it really is a lure, not a rig. The pieces are all in place, from line tie to hook points, and everything except the tails is permanently affixed. What that means to the average angler is that a Reality Shad Buffet is ready to use, right out of the package. More importantly, the wire has been cut and shaped and the heads and blades chosen so the lure will swim balanced and straight in the water column. Also, because the Reality Shad Buffet has only two heads and hooks, it will be legal to use in most states.

The Buffet is also a compact package, with the whole thing being less than 4 inches long. That means you can cast it on light or even ultralight gear for bluegills, white bass, trout, stream smallmouths and more or troll it with crappie gear. Little being a plus is partly a personal bias, I suppose, because I'm a huge fan of light gear. I enjoy casting diminutive offerings on light tackle for whatever chooses to bite. From a practical standpoint, though, I've also found that you catch more fish overall by erring on the small side with offerings.

I'm eager to see a final Reality Shad Buffet tied to my line and to put it to work in some of my favorite creeks and ponds.

Ice Gear in Orlando?

Folks don't set up ice-fishing shelters in Florida during January, let alone July, but the shelters will be going up tomorrow. At the same time everything from ice lures to augers will being coming out of their packaging. Orlando is the host city of the International Convention of Allied Sport Fishing Trades (ICAST), and all segments of the sportfishing industry -- including ice-fishing -- will be represented at the show.

One new name in the ice world at this year's ICAST show will be Ice Force, which is not a new brand but instead a new marketing alliance of several classic ice brands. Otter, Strike Master, Mora Ice, MarCum, Rapala, VMC and Sufix together make up Ice Force. Collectively, these brands offer ice-fishing shelters, augers, electronics, lures, hooks, line and more.

You can bet these brands will break out some new stuff that will have northern anglers seriously longing for colder days. One I've heard about is an ice-specific version of Sufix 832, a high-performance superline.

Set-up for the three-day show begins tomorrow. ICAST activities begin with a New Products Showcase preview reception Tuesday night. The show runs Wednesday through Friday, so look for lots of buzz about new fishing stuff.

ICAST Preview: Square Lip Fat Free Shad

"What if you..?"

Lure manufacturers hear countless questions that begin with those three words as pro staffers and customers dream about variations of existing lures that would do something a little bit different.

Occasionally such a question makes too much sense to not create a bait that provides the answer."What if you combined the deflective values of a square-lipped crankbait with the shape and swimming action of a Bomber Fat Free Shad?"

Meet the Square Lip Fat Free Shad, which will be introduced in two sizes and eight colors at the ICAST show in Orlando next week. In most ways, this is the same Fat Free Shad that changed the crankbait world forever when Mark Davis used one to win the 1995 Bassmaster Classic. The main difference is a squared-off diving lip, which allows this Fat Free Shad to walk through brush or rocks 10 feet beneath the surface. The square-lipped version is also weighted to swim slightly nose down for the same purpose. That helps the lip and not the hooks to hit snaggy cover first.

This new Fat Free Shad will allow you to crank those classic spots where offshore structure and cover meet: thick brush on a point, a rockpile atop a hump, laydown branches at the edge of a channel...  Stuff you only used to be able to fish with worms or other weedless offerings.

I'm looking forward to putting the Square Lip Fat Free Shad to work some time soon!

New Spin on Multi-Lure Rigs

Typically at the ICAST show, several new-product trends emerge: hollow-bodied swimbaits, micro eyes on rods, a new material for waders, better-equipped fishing kayaks, square-lipped crankbaits... Something that has been hot or has shown signs of getting hot typically draws multiple manufacturers to develop some version of a certain style of product or something that goes with that type of product.

Anyone who follows the fishing business at all knows that one major trend at this year's show will be multi-lure rigs and all sorts of stuff to go with them. Following the trend started by Alabama Rigs on the bass tournament trails last fall, there will be many types of multi-lure rigs for fresh and salt water alike, rods designed for casting and presenting such rigs, baits made specifically to go on the ends of the wires, specialized boxes and wraps for storing them...

YUM, which quickly emerged as a leader in this category with the YUMbrella rig, is introducing an entire line of multi-lure offerings under the collective dubbing of Bait School Technology.

One of the coolest offerings in this line, from my perspective, is the Flash Mob Jr. As the Jr. part of the name suggests, it is downsized from the original YUMbrella rig and can be cast on most fishing gear. The flash part is what sets is apart, though. Four spinnerbait blades positioned halfway down the arms create a bunch of attention-getting flash just ahead of the grubs or swimbait bodies or whatever you choose to put on the jigheads.

The folks in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where YUM Bait Company is headquartered, have been had huge fun testing the Flash Mob Jr. and the results have been seriously good!