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Elite favorites at ICAST 2022

We caught up with a few Bassmaster Elite Series pros to see what new products they were most excited about at ICAST 2022!

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Kyle Jessie
As the doors opened for the first day of ICAST 2022, we caught up with a few Bassmaster Elite Series pros to see what new products they were most excited about.
Bernie Schultz – Shimano Arma Joint 190SF
“This bait is a jointed swimbait that features the Flash Boost technology that we introduced earlier this year,” he said. “When you cast the bait it folds, which makes it cast really easy.”
Bernie Schultz – Don’t Die Lithium Battery System
“It’s a stackable ion lithium batter,” he said. “The orientation can be upright or laid sideways. I have a set of these batteries that I bought back in 2015 and they are still as good as the day I bought them.”
Clent Davis – Nichols Lures The Catalyst Spinnerbait
“Everything these days are going more finesse because it’s hard to get a bass to bite,” Davis said. “This is a sized down version of a spinnerbait that has a great profile.”
Matt Arey – Lunkerhunt Glitch Blade
“This is actually a hybrid crankbait,” Arey said. “The back half of the bait is actually a blade bait while the front half is like a traditional squarebill. This little dude will be a killer over submerged grass and tidal water.”
Luke Palmer – Yum Forward Facing Sonar Minnow and YUM Scottsboro Swimbait
“The Scottsboro swimbait is great because of the action, size and profile,” he said. “The Forward Facing Minnow tricks those pressured fish to bite that have become accustomed to seeing Alabama rigs and swimbaits.”
KJ Queen – Queen Tackle Live Sonar Tungsten Jigheads
“The key is the tungsten head,” Queen said. “The tungsten shows up on your forward facing sonar much more clear.”
Josh Stracner – Strike King Chick Magnet Jr. and Filler Worm
“I was actually the one pushing for the smaller sized Chick Magnet and it’s the perfect size,” he said. “The Filler Worm is a hand poured worm that’s super soft. It will be a killer on a drop shot.”
Lee Livesay – Scum Frog Launch Frog XS
“This is the smaller version of the original Launch Frog that has the same features of but in a more compact size,” said Livesay.
David Fritts – Berkley Frittside Crankbait and Digger Crankbait
“Most people know about the Frittside by now and I truly think it’s one of the greatest crankbaits to hit the water,” said Fritts. “The Digger just might be the most overlooked bait in the lineup.”
Matt Robertson – Ugly Stik Scales
Shane LaHew – Abu Garcia Pro Series Rods
“I designed a 7’1″ dock skipping rod that’s the right action for a lot of things and a 7’2″ crankbait rod,” he said. “It’s a little longer than a traditional 7′ cranking rod which allows for longer casts. It’s a perfect action for squarebills all the way up to a 14-foot diving crankbait.”
Josh Douglas – Shimano Curado 200DC
“The bigger 200 size of the DC will be a huge advantage when throwing a crankbait or frog where you want to make long cast,” said Douglas.
David Mullins – Shimano Curado 150 MGL
“It’s an all around beast of a reel,” Mullins said. “It has all the qualities you want in a reel and it’s become my favorite reel in the Shimano lineup.”
Caleb Sumrall – Missile Baits Chunky D
“The Chunky D is going to be an awesome addition to the arsenal,” Sumrall said. “It’s got a little smaller profile than a D Bomb and a little bit more flapping action. I’m going to punch it, throw it on a vibrating jig or as a swim jig trailer – it’s a very versatile bait.”
Chris Johnston – SPRO CJ Smasher and Outsider Crankbait
“The Outsider comes in three different sizes that covers all different depth ranges,” he said. “The CJ Smasher is a bait I helped design from start to finish. It’s the best profile that I’ve found – the key factors are the action the bait provides, the material and scent.”
Chris Zaldain – Bass Mafia Daingerous Freestyle Swimbait
“There’s three main things we payed attention to when creating this swimbait – the triangular shape which allows the bait to be retrieved at a much higher speen, the attention to detail with colors and components and the biggest thing is the important head wobble,” Zaldain said.
Mark Menendez – Strike King Rattlin’ Rage Craw and Rage Twin Tail Menace Worm
“I probably use at least 2,000 Rage Craws per year, and the Rattlin’ Rage Craw just provides a the new and different look,” he said. “The Rage Menace Worm brings the menace action into a big bulk worm profile – this bait will be one that you can do multiple different things with.”
Jacob Foutz – Sea Clear Power Wiring System
“With today’s electronics, it’s essential to maximize your power to get the most out of your units,” Foutz said. “The Sea Clear harness will provide the clearest image out of your units.”
Jonathan Kelley – Ark Fishing Gravity Casting Reels
“This is Ark’s first release of fishing reels and we’re supper excited about it,” he said.
Justin Atkins – Fenwick Elite Bass Rods
“These rods have Powerlux in them which makes them extremely light, sensitive and durable,” Atkins said. “I’ve never broke a rod with Powerlux in it and I feel like I’m really tough on my rods.”
Hunter Shryock – Abu Garcia Pro Series Rod
“The rod that I designed is a flipping rod which is my favorite way to catch a bass,” Shryock said. “I basically took everything that I like in a rod and built it into it.
Kyle Welcher – SPRO KGB Chad Shad 180 Glide Bait
Kyle Welcher knows a thing or two about throwing a swimbait as we found out in the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Drew Cook – SPRO Outsider Crankbaits
“The external weight system in the lineup of crankbaits allows me to make long casts,” said Cook. “The shape of the body is very inviting for great hookups as well.”
Wes Logan – Humminbird MEGA Live TargetLock Adapter
“The best thing about the MEGA Live TargetLock is having the ability to use the Ultrex Spot-Lock while still being able to turn the Live whatever direction you want,” Logan said.
Brandon Cobb – Yo-Zuri 3DR-X Cranbait
“In my area of the country, a finesse style crankbait is a major player, especially in the prespawn,” Cobb said. “This is an easy to cast crankbait that still offers a smaller profile.”
Patrick Walters – Rapala R12 Lithium Fillet Knife
“No matter where you’re at you can still us the fillet knife because of the lithium power which makes it super convenient,” he said.
Cody Huff – Rapala Jigging Shadow Rap
“The new Jigging Shadow Rap is available in a lot more life like than the original Jigging Rap,” Huff said.
Gerald Swindle – 13 Fishing Meta Rod and Inception G2 Casting Reel
“I can say with 100 percent honesty that I have spent more time than anyone in this coliseum designing,” Swindle said. “I have put two hard years of work into this series and I am very proud of it. The pride factor is there and the quality is too.”

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