The Jackall Gavacho Frog – Right At Home in the Slop

With spring well on its way in the majority of the country, our thoughts — and I’m sure we’re not alone — are again turning toward fishing with a frog.

 

Yes, there are any number of frogs available to the angler these days but very few of them combine as much versatility as one that we obtained last season that has become a first stringer for us.

The Jackall Gavacho’s body is 2.75 inches long with the longest tail, in the center, adding another almost 3 inches. It weighs about 5/8. The body is streamlined in the front around the cupped mouth while getting wider in the rear to accommodate and very effectively hide the double hook. The material used is soft and easily collapses when a fish bites.

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Favorite Fishing’s Phantom Spinning reel, hardly unnoticeable

We ran across a newer company last year that is producing rods and reels in the upper end of the value segment.

Favorite Fishing has a fairly expansive list of skews in both categories but the one that we’re going to focus on today is the Phantom Spinning Reel.

 

Let’s start by saying that as of this writing, these reels are only available on their website, but tacklewarehouse has begun to stock some of their rods. We’ve also seen a display of their products at Cabelas for those who are within range of one of their stores and would like to get a first hand look at them.

We obtained the PTM2000 spinning reel for our review process. This has 8 bearings + 1 roller bearing, 5.2:1 gear ratio, titanium nitride covered anti-twist line roller and spool lip, stainless steel main shaft, machined metal handle and an EVA knob all for $99.99 retail.

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Storm’s new Arashi Cover Pop – Big Mouth, Big Action

Popper’s are one genre of baits that don’t really get the kudos that they deserve.

These seemingly simple, chugging, blooping, walking, spitting, rattling baitfish imitators have caught fish for decades.

The trick for any new bait in this category is how to differentiate itself from the long list available to anglers in a way that will get you to try them.

The new Storm Arashi Cover Pop took on this challenge with specific performance characteristics in mind for their final production design.

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The new Terminator Walking Frog Jr. – The Goldilocks Frog

We anticipate frogging season every year and this year has been no exception  especially considering the number of new frogs available. It’s always interesting to see what changes the manufacturers come up with to make this genre of lures more productive.

 

Terminator followed their Walking Frog with the new Walking Frog Jr. A smaller, more compact hollow body frog that has borrowed all the best features from its larger sibling.

Jr. is 2-1/2 inches in length, 1/2 oz. as opposed to 3 inches, 11/16 oz. for the regular Walking Frog. It utilizes the same body proportions with the wide, deep head and narrow, shallow tail as the original. Jr. uses a slightly smaller VMC hook, the same round rubber leg strands and a down-sized version of the curved rear weight that sits flush with the body.

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The Daiwa Tatula SV TW, the best Tatula yet?

We’ve been fishing the Daiwa Tatula since it was introduced three years ago and have been impressed with them from the beginning. Three years ago, the Tatula series was born with the Tatula 100 and the Tatula 100 Type R. This reel has proven to be a workhorse for us that continues to provide reliable performance no matter what we throw at it.

 

Last year we obtained the Tatula CT Type R which maintained all the technologies of the original but did so in a more compact and lighter weight package that was a major step forward. As of this writing our CT Type R is smoother than the day it came out of the box.

Daiwa chose the 2017 Bassmaster Classic to release the latest thoroughbred in the Tatula stable – the Tatula SV TW. While the CT was a major step forward, the SV is a quantum leap forward.

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The Spro BBZ-1 Rat 25 – Mighty Mouse?

This time of year we are usually testing a bunch of new topwater offerings that debuted at ICAST.

This year has been no different and we have discovered that there are several gems.

 

Today we are looking at something that is truly special and has been putting fish in the boat since the first trip.

We’ve now thrown this plug on every subsequent trip and have never failed to catch fish with it. It’s a fish magnet, plain and simple. [Read more…]

The Jackall Firecracker High Impact Buzzbait – Compact Thunder

It’s often said, “Summertime is buzzbait time!” Yes, summertime can be a great time to throw a buzzer but don’t limit yourself to the dog days.

 

We’ve been using the Jackall Firecracker High Impact Buzzbait for a several months now and have caught fish with it from spring to fall. We still haven’t put it away because it’s still generating strikes.

The Firecracker has some interesting design features that give it a unique sound that seems to either goad bass into biting by irritating them or by drawing them in from a distance. Whatever the motivation is for hitting this bait, the result is the same—heart racing, explosive strikes. [Read more…]

The Nichol’s Elite Lo-Pro Double Willow Spinnerbait

The spinnerbait bite is  just plain fun when it’s on. Sometimes however, just like any other genre of lures, the fish can turn off to a particular size of blade configuration, vibration, color or action which requires you to change it up.

One of the ways you can do that is carry different profiles including some that are smaller. The Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Double Willow Spinnerbait is one that we’ve been using a lot this season because it’s been catching a lot of fish for us and matches the forage in the early part of the year.

The Elite Lo-Pro does indeed have a smaller profile than the average spinnerbait but doesn’t sacrifice castability. You can get them in either 3/8 or 1/2 in the double willowleaf configuration in a variety of colors. [Read more…]

Custom Lures Zero Gravity Jig – Defying Tradition

IMG_0290We’ve been fishing a not so new jig for several months now that for some reason, just hasn’t gotten a lot of attention. Like you, we’ve got our favorite jigs, swim jigs, bladed jigs, football head jigs etc. But we’ve never had one with a sink rate this slow.

 

We’re talking about the Custom Lures Unlimited Zero Gravity Jig which has a sink rate of about 1foot every 3 seconds even with a trailer. Yup, you heard right, this is not a typo. This jig sinks slower than molasses in January even though it is a “full sized jig”.

How? Here is the simple answer. The Zero Gravity Jig uses a non-metal arkie style head that is so light the overall weight of this jig is a published .21 oz. That is with the skirting material, hook and weed guard factored in.

Traditionally, if you wanted to change the rate of fall on your jig, you would switch trailers to bulk it up which in turn provided more resistance in the water slowing the descent. Yes, this works to an extent but let’s get real, a 1/2 oz. head falls like a 1/2 oz. head. This also dictates the swimming motion of the typical jig.

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The New Bagley B Minus Lipless Crankbait

IMG_8136This spring we ran across a new lipless plug, the Bagley Rattlin’ B Minus. A shallow sinking, full-sized lipless crankbait that defies the old notion of the proverbial “idiot bait.”

 

They were called, “idiot baits” because most anglers simply threw them out and wound them back in. When fish were aggressively biting these lures you could fill the live well quick, fast and in a hurry. Not to mention that when this bite is on, you’ll get some of the most bone-jarring strikes you’re likely to experience.

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