Making a Splash, the Livingston Lures Walk N Pop 77

IMG_2714During the post-spawn, a lot of us like to rely of poppers as one of our main baits to target those bass who are guarding fry not to mention the females who are now recovering and feeding heavily.

The Livingston Lures Walk N Pop 77 is one of the new poppers that we tested this season.

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The New Shimano Crucial, a Fan Favorite Upgraded

Shimano has been introducing several new rods over the course of the last couple of years. One that may have been a little lost in the shuffle is the new Shimano Crucial. This series has been around for some time but last season it too was targeted for an upgrade.

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Why? To make it lighter, stronger and more sensitive all while keeping in mind that this series is already well known and respected particularly at its price point.

So it begs the question, exactly how will they accomplish these goals? [Read more…]

Rage Fish Attractants Liquid Mayhem

 

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So what do you do when somebody claims to have come up with a new product in a particular niche that they claim is “revolutionary” to the market?

I suppose the only practical thing to do is satisfy your curiosity by testing it against something that you have used and are confident in.

In this case, it’s all about the smell – or more appropriately in the bass fishing world – the scent. Rage Fish Attractants has come up with their newest innovation named Liquid Mayhem. We ran across this last year and have been using it since. [Read more…]

Daiwa’s Tatula 721MHRB Casting Rod

Tatula RodsSo you’ve been thinking in terms of getting a couple new rods to replace some older ones that are in need of being decommissioned.

One of the newer sticks that you may not have considered is the Daiwa Tatula. Specifically the TAT721MHRB 7’2” MH. This medium heavy rated rod is one that packs a lot of features into an affordable price. [Read more…]

The Livingston Lures School Master, Not Your Run of the Mill Jerkbait

IMG_2663With the water starting to warm, we wanted to spotlight one more jerkbait before we put them away in favor of other lures.

The new Livingston Lures School Master is one of the latest generation of baits from Livingston.

The School Master is a lipless, hard-bodied jerkbait that, like all the newest offerings from Livingston employs their EBS (Electronic Baitfish Sounds) Multi-Touch Technology. We reviewed a couple of this company’s first widely available baits a few years ago. Back then, they emitted one sound. Today, there are four different modes built into every bait that carries the EBSMT designation. [Read more…]

HI-SEAS Grand Slam Fluorocarbon Coated Line

WithIMG_2588 spring here you’re probably doing some of the same things that we are in terms of making an inventory for tasks that need to get done before the fishing season gets into high gear.

One of those tasks for us is always inspecting line and replacing any that has seen a lot of duty.

Of course this inevitably leads to the question of what to replace it, do we enough on hand as well as is it time to try something new? [Read more…]

The New Shimano Curado I, Back to the Future

IMG_2641There are lots of reels out there that have gone through more than one or a few incarnations with as many if not more opinions on which is or was the best version.

The Shimano Curado 200 I Casting Reel is the latest version of a storied name in casting reels. [Read more…]

The Rapala Shadow Rap, can it live up to the hype?

IMG_2670I don’t know what y’all have been doing with this cold weather but I know what we’ve been doing, fishin!

As is typical for the early part of the year, jerkbaits have been one of those genre’s of baits that have seen a lot of action the last couple of months.

The new Rapala Shadow Rap has been one in particular that we have focused on. [Read more…]

Daiwa Tatula Type-R Casting Reel, Contender or Pretender?

IMG_2584For any of you who are considering adding a new reel to your arsenal and are thinking in terms of trying a product that is designed utilizing, “outside the box” engineering, the Daiwa Tatula 100 Type-R Casting Reel should be on your list of serious contenders. [Read more…]

Fish Big and Shallow with the Jackall Kawashi Mikey 140

jackall-kawashi-mikey-140One of the trends that we’ve chronicled over the last few years in new fishing equipment introductions is that while rods and reels have been on a steady path to become smaller and lighter, hard bodied lures are becoming larger and heavier.

The Jackall Kawashi Mikey 140 has been around for a couple of years now and could be considered one of those baits that was a catalyst in the early days of this trend. [Read more…]