Evolve Fishing Partners with Traditions Media

Suffolk, NY - Most innovative tackle is hatched from a simple plan to build a better bait. It usually starts on the water with the discovery of some connection between fish-feeding behavior and forage. Then it's to the garage, basement or lab where sketches and carvings are made, followed by CAD drawings, molds, and prototypes. On-the-water testing reveals further tweaks and, hopefully, in the end a new contender is born.

Consider New York-based EVOLVE Fishing Co., founded in early 2012 by Derek Carr; a smart, diehard angler who has been designing baits for his own use since he was kid, pond hopping small, bass-filled waters.

"From inception, EVOLVE's goal has been to bring extremely high-quality baits to serious anglers. We're aiming for the level of craftsmanship and design in both our softbait lineup, and pending hardbait line, as you'd see in JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) products. We also try and keep production of key product lines domestic, to maintain top quality standards and support our workforce," says Carr.

EVOLVE's dedication to originality and peak performance didn't go unnoticed, either. Traditions Media staffers were already throwing EVOLVE soft plastics with tremendous success long before there were any business discussions.

"First and foremost, before we even consider representing a brand, the team has to be onboard from a product performance standpoint," says Traditions Media president Noel Vick. "The guys said we should talk to them, so we did. And let's just say the relationship quickly evolved."

Although a newcomer to the tackle business, Carr's EVOLVE has already developed a cult following with discerning anglers across the globe. His first bait, the U.S. manufactured VibraGRUB, is a soft plastic that defies categorization. A razor thin tail undulates with the slowest retrieve, creating something that draws no comparison in the tackle world.

The best way to describe it is cuttlefish-like. Suffice to say, the bait's action is unprecedented and transcends species, drawing strikes from bass to walleyes to redfish, panfish and trout. Everywhere there are fish, it catches fish.

But EVOLVE is no one-trick pony. They offer a full complement of soft plastic contenders, including the DarkStar Swimmer, KOMPAK Craw, Mad Mouse, Fluid Worm, as well as the Nervous Walker hollow-body frog.

The brand's evolutionary processes also translate into the soon-to-be-launched Soul5 Tackle Labs subsidiary, which Carr says "aims to bring a new level of hardbait design, engineering, and performance at a $7 price point." Four models are schedule to launch this month, with more baits anticipated in late 2013 and early 2014.

ABOUT EVOLVE Fishing Co.
EVOLVE Fishing Co. Inc is an independent manufacturer of high-quality soft plastic fishing tackle based in Suffolk, NY. Its subsidiary, Soul5 Tackle Labs, manufactures and markets premium hard lures for the freshwater fishing market. EVOLVE Fishing Co. has been serving the fishing tackle retail and wholesale trade since 2012. For more information, visit www.evolvebaits.com or www.soul5tackle.com.

- See more at: http://www.thefishingwire.com/story/298693#sthash.SMhan1MO.dpuf

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.

Ready for a Shakedown?

I just ordered some new shakey head jigs and I am pretty excited to get them & put them to the test bass fishing. These are designed by Mr. Clausen himself and he knows a little bit about Shaking a finesse head for bass.

Picasso Luke Clausen Shakedown Jigs
Picasso Luke Clausen Shakedown heads use a patent-pending flexible nickel titanium spring (bait keeper) along with a cross-eye Gamakatsu hook to give you the best “shakey style” head on the market. The flexible nickel titanium spring always comes back to position after each fish without breaking.
Because of its super soft elasticity, the spring allows the entire hook gap to be maintained during hook set. The “give” of the spring allows anglers to lock down and shake their plastics in cover or skip docks without ever losing or tearing the soft plastics. Because of the spring’s small size, finesse worms (such as Roboworms or other thin hand poured plastics) can be rigged very straight with no “hump.” It also prevents the plastic from tearing.

The Luke Clausen Shakedown heads are coated with the super tough Duraseal™ process, increasing the sensitivity and allowing them to hold up like no other on the market. This Duraseal coating is the same coating that is used on Tru-Tungsten Sinkers and Jigs, its an excellent finish. I just ordered several of each size in Black & Brown/Purple Fleck. I plan to give a full report when I get them in ;)

HellaBass
RichLindgren.com
Bassin' Blog
Rich's Bass Fishing Forum

Check out the new Phat Flies

The all new Spro Phat Flies
The SPRO Phat Flies were designed to take Float and Fly bass fishing to a new level. Not only designed to catch fish in the harshest conditions, these jigs are designed to catch big California trophy bass. Colors painstakingly matched to the most prevalent baitfish in North American waters. Perfectly balanced to sit horizontal under the bobber. Built with the worlds sharpest Gamakatsu hooks. The SPRO Phat Flies are the best on the market, period! These look awesome and I think they will be deadly in the winter through early spring. So if you live in middle to northern part of the country, buy them now and put them to use. Here is a link to a radio show explaining how to use them and their effectiveness.

HellaBass
RichLindgren.com
Bassin' Blog
Rich's Bass Fishing Forum

Get Shakey with it!

Shakey heads have been the craze for quite some time lately and there are more and more options to choose from when it comes to Shakey Style Heads. Many of the new options are not just your father's lead ball heads anymore ;)

Here are a bunch that I have found:

Tru-Tungsten Ikey Head Ball Buster Jigs

CritterBait Critter-Shaker Jigheads

HookerZ Shakey Heads

Bagley Shaky Head Jigs



Buckeye Lures Spot Remover Pro Model Jigheads



Envision Sweet Spot Jig Heads





Reaction Innovations Screwed-Up Jig Head



Spotsticker Jigheads




Everyone of these jigs has their pros & cons, whether it be keeper method, cost, hook quality, how it stands, how it comes through cover. My favorites are the Tru-Tungsten Ikey Head Jigs, but you will see everything from the most traditional ball heads with molded barbs to flat head designs and much more. Which is your favorites and which new ones do you want to try?

HellaBass
RichLindgren.com
Bassin' Blog
Rich's Bass Fishing Forum

Finesse Wacky Jig!

This jig originates from Japan and so does the technique and application it is designed for, which kind of a shakey - wacky type fishing.

Zappu Inchi Wacky Jig Heads
The Japanese anglers are a very studious bunch. They are always working on new and creative techniques. The drop shotting technique that the Japanese introduced to America several years back has become a household term in bass fishing recently, and now the Japanese have created a new technique called INCHI WACKY or Jig Head Wacky. This technique has taken Japan by storm over the past 12 months and for good reason. Two Japanese Bass Pros, Takuma Hata of Zappu IncAndnd Toshiro Ono of Jackall Inc pioneered the craze.

As the name suggests, it's a very straightforward rig and easy to put into practice.

Benefits of the Rig
1. You can get more distance on the cast.

2. You can fish deeper areas.

3. The bait falls quicker.

4. You can keep in contact with the bottom easier.

5. Most importantly it creates a wicked irregular action that looks exactly like a real worm squirming in the water.


Why It Works
The Japanese anglers firmly believe that this irregular action has a very appealing, teasing action that bass cannot resist. Both Hato and Ono believe this bait is ideal for fishing deeper water and tougher conditions. Areas such as rock piles, drop offs and other vertical structure points are perfect situations where the Jig Head Wacky Rig will produce.

Japanese will always say that you have to have an image in your head of what you want the jighead and worm to be doing. The ideal image you want to see is the ball part of the jighead going flip flopping up and down and that's it. If the jighead is doing that, then the worm will be doing its thing. The great thing about this rig is that you can create so much action in the worm and the worm doesn't even have to be moved in at all. Otherwise saying you can keep the bait exactly where you want it to be and stay there.

The How To
In order to do this, there is a secret, and that is keeping a good amount of slack in the line. By keeping slack in the line you can shake your rod constantly to produce the wicked irregular action and still keep your bait exactly where you want it.

When fishing bottom structure you will want to cast out the Jig Head Wacky and let it free fall to the bottom. While the jig falls the weight from the jig head causes the worm to roll back and forth. After it hits the bottom you will want to shake it and continue to wind up slack and then free fall it back to the bottom. Remember that this is an exposed hook so this is not a deadsticking technique. Leave that type of fishing for your regular weightless wacky rig. The fish will often attack as the bait free falls after you shake it.

The Jig Head Wacky is also very effective on suspended fish in mid water. The key in working this bait is again the slack in the line. You will want to cast the line out and as you reach the area the fish are holding in you will want to slowly shake the bait and as you swim the jighead back in.

The Rigging & Tackle
Like with all techniques, the tackle you use plays a huge role in the outcome. The key to the Jig Head Wacky Rig is in the rigging. When rigging the worm, it's vital that you position the hook correctly by inserting the point of the hook in the middle of the worm and have it exit on a 90 degree from the insertion point. This is so the worm is fixed good and tight on the hook and it makes for a better irregular action. The Japanese have experimented with different hooks and have found that a V shape angled hook keeps the worm permanently fixed on the hook. The most commonly used jig head weights are 1/32oz to 1/16oz but vary upon the size of the worm and the depth at which being fished.

When using the Jig Head Wacky Rig, the Japanese anglers like to use fast tapered rods that are rated light to ultra light. A popular length in Japan is 6 foot because they feel it's easier to handle lighter worms with a shorter stick. 4-pound fluorocarbon line on a spinning reel is also the choice for many Japanese anglers who have mastered the Jig Head Wacky Rig. When working the rod, it is vital to keep a good rhythm and a constant up and down speed in a 10-11 o'clock positioning. Recently pro anglers are even using a 3/8-1/2 oz football shaped jig around heavy rock area and have said that slowly dragging the bottom is also very effective. The most popular used worm styles for Jig Head Wacky consists of Zoom's swamp crawler, Jackall's Flick Shake, Gary Yamamoto Cut Tail, Optimum Bait's Twin Teaser, and Berkley Gulp! 5'' Wacky Japanese Crawler.
Click to Buy

Here is a video of me & buddy catching some nice smallmouth bass on this technique!


HellaBass
RichLindgren.com
Bassin' Blog
Rich's Bass Fishing Forum