ICAST is over. Most of the new products are out. The secrecy is over. I assure you they're the real deal. They're all products that'll make your fishing more enjoyable and help you catch more fish regardless of whether you're fishing your home lake or off on the trip of a lifetime.
Rather than briefly mention every product in one blog, however, I'm going to detail everything one group at a time over the next few weeks. That'll give you a better understanding of what's available and give you an opportunity to look everything over before you allocate your fishing dollars.
We'll start with Strike King. Our plastics now include a 4-inch Caffeine Shad, new KVD Chunks, 6 1/2- and 5-inch KVD Finesse Worms, new creature bait body styles, a Baby Rodent, new Rage Tail baits in different body styles, a new 7-inch Thumper Worm, several new jigs and a new Baby Burner spinnerbait along with new models sporting painted blades.
Along with new models and designs, many of our existing baits are now available in more colors than ever before. That should make it easier to match the hatch, or to match current water conditions, or to show them something new.
Two of the additions I'm most proud of are the KVD1.5 and KVD2.5 shallow running crankbaits. These hard lures have a unique square bill design that lets them hunt or wander during the retrieve but still run true right out of the box. (It took two years for us to get that right.) They also bounce over and off cover without hanging and run silent without internal rattles.
There's a huge selection of colors including Sexy Shad and a couple of bluegill imitators that should be perfect for fishing bluegill beds during the spawn this summer. Match the local hatch as closely as possible and then crank them right over the top of where they're spawning. Change up retrieves until you find what turns them on.
Another product that goes with the new Strike King baits is the Irish Setter KVD Axis Fishing Shoes. They feature quick-dry, breathable air-mesh uppers and an EVA midsole and footbed for underfoot and conditioning.
They are exactly what you need to stand and fish all day in a rocking boat. We all know that's hard on your feet. Foot support is not a luxury. It's a necessity. You can't concentrate on catching bass when your feet hurt.
There are a couple of other things I want to mention before I go. During the postseason I'll try to blog daily — I said "try." Given the full schedule and the intensity of the competition, I can't promise anything more than my best effort. And sometime in the near future I want to blog about my newly revised Bass Strategies book. It's really neat and full of solid fishing information.
Remember, it's all about the attitude.
