Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Clark Reehm inks deal with Evolve Fishing

EVOLVE Fishing LLC., manufacturer of cutting edge artificial lures, announces the addition of ELITE Series Angler Clark Reehm to their 2013 Pro Staff. Reehm will play the role of EVOLVE's key product ambassador within the tournament and professional angling community, serving an essential function for the small manufacturer.

Clark with a Rayburn Toad on Darkstar Swimmer

"We've known Clark going on a few years now, and he's always impressed us with his passion for the sport and talents as an angler," noted Derek Carr, EVOLVE Fishing's President. "We're excited to have Clark on board, he is an excellent representative of our young, aggressive brand, and his ability to put fish in the livewell using our product lines will certainly help move EVOLVE forward."

EVOLVE primarily manufactures quality soft plastics, and their VibraGRUB, DarkStar Swimmer, & MadMouse product lines are already common tools in tackle bags across the USA. "I met the guys from EVOLVE at the Classic in Shreveport last year when they were just getting going. Along with some super soft frogs, I saw they were reintroducing one of my favorite swimjig trailers that had been discontinued- their VibraGRUB. They gave me a few packages and we've been talking ever since," said Reehm.

iCAST 2012 saw several new product releases from EVOLVE. Reehm went on to comment, "At iCAST they hooked me up with some of their DarkStar Swimmers and their Mad Mouse. I played around with these baits a lot during the off-season, and can honestly say that they will be playing a role in 7 of the 11 Elite Series and Central Opens that I will be fishing this year. I look forward to working all of their baits, but that little buzzing rat just flat out catches them."

EVOLVE Fishing plans on working with Clark on color introductions and consumer awareness platforms through the 2013 season.

Rapala launches New Scatter Rap Series

There were plenty of rumblings about a new bait coming from Rapala as we led up to this year's Bassmaster Classic.

And this morning with a gusto, Rapala released many press releases, videos and some stores have started taking Pre-orders.  It appears that these baits will be ready to ship mid-to late March.

The concept of this hew series, are long time producing Rapala bodies and profiles paired with a new concept lip design that is designed to make these baits hunt and search on their own.  Basically giving you the effect of a bait deflecting off a piece cover without the need for cover.

Here is a video of Ott Defoe reviewing the Scatter Rap Shad, which is a Shad Rap body with new lip design.

Of the 4 new baits:
Scatter Rap Shad
Scatter Rap Crank
Scatter Rap Minnow
Scatter Rap Countdowns

I think it will be interesting to see if Mike "Ike" Iaconelli, Brandon Palanuik or Ott Defoe can leverage these into some kind of advantage during this Classic, likely it would be the Scatter Rap Shads of the four they are launching!

Berkley quitely releases a bunch of New Havoc Baits

Usually there is a lot more noise about when Havoc baits hit the shelf, if I wasn't signed up for email newsletters, I would have not heard that about 5 brand new profiles have been released and some new sizes of old favorites.

New baits include: Power Bait Chigger Quad, Power Bait Rib Snake, Havoc The Jerk, Havoc Beat Shad and Havoc Federale Worm. New Sizes with existing baits include: smaller 3.5" Havoc Devil Spear and a bigger 5" Havoc Pit Boss. Give them a look. 

I think I am most interested in the 4" Beat Shad, Rib Snake & 5" Pit Boss, but there are plenty of other cool profiles beyond these that other anglers and bass will love.

Interesting if any of these new baits will play a role at the 2013 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake....

What are the best colors for bass fishing jigs?

I posted about this on my other blog as well, but help me help all of you in determining most popular jig color for flipping jigs.

So please take this survey, if it takes more then 60 seconds you are probably over thinking it.  Also, consider emailing, sharing, this blog post and results with your fishing friends so we can gather as much data as possible.
 
Check back here and on the Bassin' Blog for full results.  The data could help somebody make better decisions on buying new jigs.  They could either take the data as what is most productive or what most bass have seen and make their own conclusions.

Havoc Sick Fish Now in Stores!

The highly touted Berkley Havoc Sick Fish which has a stunning resemblance to the Little Creeper All American Trash Fish swimbait is now in many online stores.


Here are some links:
Land Big Fish

Great Cross Over Jacket

Finding a good jacket is a task in it self, but one that meets the needs across different facets of your busy lifestyle, that is a mountain of a challenge.  Money and space is a premium for most of us, do I really want to buy and store a jacket for work, jacket for shoveling a jacket for cold weather fishing and hunting?  The short answer is no!

I had always admired Carharrt's toughness, durability and quality, but for me some of the stylings and stiffness of material were not great for all around use or light enough for a long day in my boat.  But until recently had always passed on making an investment, until I found their new offerings from their Quick Duck line.  Just buying picking this coat up off the rack you can instantly sense this is not your grandfather's Carhartt jacket.

I have now had my Black Woodward Traditional Quick Duck jacket for several weeks.  I have done everything from play in the snow with my kids, sub zero shoveling, to winter fishing to wearing it out to dinner with my wife.

The first few times I wore it outside, I over dressed with my under layers and was too warm while shoveling, I have adjusted to this and now no matter how cold, usually just wear a lightweight long sleeve shirt under my coat.  Even the coat is lighter and more pliable then some other Carhartts, it still kept 100% of the water and other elements on the outside, even rolling around in the snow and sledding for hours with my kids.

During fishing it was plenty flexible to impeded casting and general movements in the boat, no complaints there!  And when wearing to work or out with the wife, I got compliments on the styling of my coat.

Not that I foresee wearing this thing out, but if I did or lost it, I'd be quick to replace it with another on the spot!  You should be able to find this at your normal Carhartt dealers, I also noticed it on several websites:
Amazon
Dick's Sporting Goods
Bass Pro
Gander Mountain and many more

Merry Christmas!

Has Bass Fishing EVOLVE'd?

There are some cool things coming form a company that some of you may have not heard about, but they are cooking up some great baits that you will want to consider!  Check out their website and you can buy their products here.

  Evolve Baits

  Also, check out some of their videos!

Here is the Kompak Craw - great flipping & punching bait!

 Also the unique VibraGrub is a smallmouth killer.

And don't sleep on the new DarkStarr Swimmer as a swimbait or Alabama rig trailer.

New Fishing Shoes?

Thinking about ordering these shoes for fishing...

Vivobarefoot Ultra Pure

Anybody buy them, use them for fishing, any feedback?

www.zappos.com

www.Amazon.com 

Crossing Industries

I recently was doing some internet searching for different products for my boat and for fishing in general.  When I am bored, it is not out of the ordinary for me to just hop around the web on Google and other search engines looking for fresh ideas and ways to get a better deal or an edge on my competition.

An angler needs lots of dependable and weather resistant gear, but I kind of got to thinking, so do other people.  What other industries could have some cross over gear that would be well built and serve the needs of anglers as well.  Hunting is pretty well parallel to fishing, as many particpants do both sports.

One cool find was a website for Tactical Clothing and Outdoor Gear.  Their focus is on serving the Law Enforcement and Fire Industry. A product range that covers clothing or tactical gear, such as 5.11 Tactical, Surefire flashlights, police equipment, Benchmade knives, police gear and military gear they need and want.

For the most part fishing stuff is not cheap, but is not always as rugged as it could be for years or hard fishing, which makes me think that some of the clothing, flashlights, knives, tools and other gear could be a good fit for a bass anglers' boat. If it is good enough for law enforcement and military needs, it should be good enough to serve for years of dependable fishing.

So what other industries or sports do you borrow gear from for your bass fishing?

Fishing in the Wind, Devil is in the Details

Before I head out fishing, I always check the marine wind forecast.  I do this for several reasons, first and foremost is safety, I do not want to get caught in a bad situation, but it also helps me plan my day.  Often times on big water like Mille Lacs or Winnebago fishing the calmer side is the only option.


But also, wind can really position fish and make them bite in certain areas and make them bite baits they normally don't chase as well.  When it blows, I love to throw crankbaits and spinnberbaits.  I am anxious to try several of the new custom Ike's Ink colors for the Rapala DT Series.


There are lots of options to find wind forecasts, but I've found Predictwind.com for fishing weather forecasts seems to be the most accurate ( more info here --> http://www.predictwind.com/what-predictwind-forecast/fishing/ )

In the end, if you plan for the wind, you will be better prepared to catch more and bigger fish!

Sneak Peak New Berkley Havoc Rocket Craw

Photo by Tom Leogrande

Not yer for sale, but Skeet Reese caught most of his fish on a new Berkley Havoc Bait, called the Rocket Craw. You can see it here in this picture in Skeet Reese's hand.

Almost looks like a longer, thinner version of the popular Chigger Craw. I have not heard word on when it will be available, but I am sure we will know much more between now and ICAST which is in July.

Regardless it does appear to be another fish catching profile from the new Havoc line of baits.

What is your favorite Havoc bait?

Havoc Rocket Craw

Potent Worm Dye

JJ's Magic has been a somewhat tightly kept secret by many top bass anglers, but now it is getting some mainstream steam. I had heard good things about the product and then I got some custom poured baits that were dunked in their clear formula. I was instantly impressed with how well the garlic smell stuck to the baits after fishing and being in storage for so long.

So I had to get some clear and colored dips of my own. The brightness and lack of fading compared to other dipping products is second to none. Although, caution: It sticks to your hands as well as soft plastics. Also, be careful not to get salt from your plastics on the closure and threads of bottle, can cause them to seep.

If you like garlic on your baits and like customizing soft plastics, give JJ's a whirl! Comes in 4 colors & clear.

Purchase at BassTackleDepot.com & LBF!

Early Black Friday Deals on all your Favorite Bass Fishing Gear

Great time of year to reload your supplies, get year's best pricing all week while your spouse is out fighting the crowds! - http://www.basstackledepot.com/black-friday-2011.aspx

Not to mention they have plenty of Alabama Style rigs in stock.


http://www.basstackledepot.com/black-friday-2011.aspx

Can't find an Alabama Rig?

Castable Umbrella Rigs like The Alabama Rig are pretty hot ticket in bass fishing right now. But there are some options outside of what they are claiming as "The Original" which are 5 plus weeks out on back order right now. If you want the original quick, ebay has some people re-selling them for a bit of a profit. If you want to read more about what the Alabama Rig is, read this article. But, here are some options on where to buy Alabama style rigs:

You can get something similar from Sworming Hornet Lures called "The Swarm" from BTD or LBF.



Also, I have seen some nice baits from Chubby Chasers on BassTackleDepot, they have a couple versions, the School Girl & Calabama Rig for those states with 3 hooks limits for fishing.

Also, check out the bargain from D&L Tackle "The School" which features both a 3 & 5 wire versions for less then $20, so if you live in a stricter state, save a buck & buy the 3 wire!

The Jerry Rago Bait Ball is a little more unique, with the larger modled head, gives the appearance of 6 baits instead of just 5, little different wire configuration as well, Rago usually does things very well.


The Havoc Lures A-Rig kind of seems like a bit of an also ran, but its a few bucks less then some of these.

Picasso Lures has both the School-E-Rig and the Elementary School-E-Rig which is more stripped down version


The Viking Wolf Pack rig is another more economical option with a pretty cool sounding name.


Also the Venom Lures Pay-Me Rig has a nice look to it and is lead free!

So what is your favorite Bama Rig?

If you have the main rig, don't forget you will need some good jig heads and swimbait bodies as well!

I am sure there will be more options soon, good luck!