By Trevor Knight
Lake Fork Trophy Lures is adding another member to it’s Live Series of soft plastics, which have already produced countless trophy bass and several top tour-level finishes. However, the newest addition to the family is designed to target smaller gamefish.
The LFT Live Baby Shad incorporates the live action swimming motion of a fleeing baitfish into a smaller minnow profile bait. At a miniscule 2 ¼”, the Live Baby Shad entices bites from a variety of panfish. The profile of the bait is similar to other panfish shad bodies with a plump body that tapers to a pintail. However, there are two key differences in the Live Baby Shad that set it apart from the rest. The segmented body utilized in the Live Series and Hyper Series of baits from LFT is also incorporated in the Baby Shad. The Live Baby Shad also has a tiny ball on the end of the pintail. The combination of the segmented body and the ball tipped pintail causes increased vibration from the tail with even the slightest movement of the rod tip. The result is more bites on those tough days when nothing else works. As with all LFT baits, the Live Baby Shad is impregnated with garlic and salt to make sure fish bite and don’t let go. This versatile bait can be rigged as a trailer on a variety of panfish rigs, such as horse-head jigs, spinner jigheads, and crappie jigs. It can also be rigged with a traditional panfish hook and float for a more passive presentation.
Lake Fork Trophy Lures’ pint size bait will excel at a variety of applications. The Live Baby Shad is great for enticing slab crappie from the reservoirs of Texas to the natural lakes of Florida. It is also deadly on bull bluegills in the Midwest. Another technique the Live Baby Shad will work well in is ice fishing for yellow perch. The Live Baby Shad will quiver and vibrate without even moving the rod tip enticing bites from lethargic panfish under the ice.
It is important to point out that the Live Baby Shad will catch more than just panfish. On a recent trip to Lake Champlain, I tested the Live Baby Shad out. I rigged the Live Baby Shad on a dropshot rig and caught numerous yellow perch and rock bass. I also caught numerous smallmouth bass ranging from 10” to 15” in the brief time I tested the bait. The Live Baby Shad is going to be a deadly dropshot bait for smallmouths and spotted bass in clear pressured lakes. It can also be used as a trailer on a float-n-fly rig for smallies.
There is one other niche where the Live Baby Shad is ideal. Across the Southeast and into Texas, reside the lesser known species of bass. The Guadalupe, Redeye, Shoal, Bartram’s, and Suwannee bass all inhabit small rivers and streams and feed on smaller prey than their more popular cousins. The Live Baby Shad is the perfect size for targeting these bass species when used as a trailer on a small jighead, underspin, or spinnerbait.
Do not let the small size of the Live Baby Shad fool you into thinking it will not catch lunker bass though. Earlier this spring, Lake Fork Crappie guide Terri Moon caught an 11.95 lb. bass on a prototype Live Baby Shad.
The LFT Live Baby Shad will be unveiled at ICAST July 14-16, and will be available to the public soon after that. For more information on the Live Baby Shad and other baits from Lake Fork Trophy Lures, go to www.lftlures.com.
