Cl8 Baits
New on the big bait scene is a new company out of San Diego, California; Cl8 Baits. With some serious R&D, this company spent the time and effort necessary to put together one of the most innovative swimbaits to hit the big bait market in a while. Their attention to detail culminates in a very trick hook system. The Cl8 Bait features a big Gamakatsu jig hook molded into the top of the 8 inch hard bait. Along the belly and pelvic fins is a Gamakatsu EWG Frog Hook very well and cleverly hidden along a slot between the fins, which is held in place by a powerful magnet. If this wasn’t trick enough, there is an additional trap hook very well hidden in the adipose fin near the tail. This clipped Gamakatsu treble hook only has two points, but this is necessary to maintain the stealth factor. This is also held in place via a slot and magnet.
Durability was an important feature that this swimbait company has paid close attention to. The soft moldable fins add lifelike movement to these hard baits and are very resistant to tearing. Although the Cl8 Bait is a hard bait, the unique material utilized actually allows a good amount of flex which only makes these baits all the more durable. Instead of cracking/breaking like most hardbaits, this flexible “hard” material will absorb the shock of an accidental errant cast. These baits are available in Chartreuse Shad, a Golden Shiner/Hitch pattern and Rainbow Trout. Look for some big fish to be caught by the Cl8 bait in 2009.
Izorline
Wendy Tochihara of Izorline International displays Izorline’s Braided Spectra line, which is endorsed and fished by Bass Pro Dean Rojas. Izorline has a strong foothold in the west, where their Platinum Green Monofilament and XXX copolymer lines have been a solid performing and affordable line. The Izorline brand braided spectra line is also softer than other superlines, making it more castable and manageable.
Jackall
Curt Arakawa of Jackall shows some of the new offerings straight from Japan.
First the new Cover Craw which is available in 3 and 4 inch sizes. This unique creature bait is designed to be rigged backwards, allowing the bait to fall away from the angler. This backwards swimming action opens up new opportunities to present a crawdad imitation in difficult to reach habitats such as docks, brush piles, etc. Heavy enough to be fished weightless with conventional baitcasting gear, the Jackall Cover Craw is already a proven winner out west. These baits fish perfectly with the Owner
The hottest finesse fishing technique to come out of Japan since drop shotting, Jackall’s Wacky Jig Head system is a deadly weapon when a subtle approach is needed. With 3 size options available, the Jackall Flickshake worm (4.8, 5.8, and 6.8 inch models available) combined with the Jackally Wacky Jighead (3/32, 1/16, 1/8 oz models available) will produce a squirming action unmatched by other soft plastic worms.
The very popular Jackall Giron lipless crankbait/swimbait is now available in super realistic RT finishes. These beautiful working piecing of art are a perfect choice when fish are feeding on sunfish.
The Jackall SRide is a new swimbait straight out of Japan, measuring 125 mm and weighing 30g, this smaller swimbait has a seductive “S” swimming pattern that looks very fishy on a straight or twitch type retrieve.
Jackall’s popular Mikey Swimbait has a new bigger brother, the Mikey Sr. Measuring 6.4 inches in length, this proven design will put bigger fish in the boat than it’s two smaller counterparts. Pick one up when you’re ready to tangle with something a bigger than average fish.
Also new for 2009 are some new sizes for their already popular and established baits. The Squadminnow 95 is now available in a 115 and 128 size. There is also a new Muscle Deep 7+, which should fill the niche for a smaller and shallower diving crank bait. New color patters such as Sexy Shad, Ghost Sexy Shad, Brown Crawfish, and Purple Chartreuse with spots add some exciting new patterns to the existing baits.
