BY BRIAN BOOG
Hello everybody and welcome back to Small Waters or should I say, Small Frozen Waters?,
Frozen lakes are common up north, but I’ve been told it doesn’t happen here, too often. As you’re all very aware, it has been brutally cold and every lake and pond that I’ve seen was frozen solid- way too cold to fish. I’m sure the next few weeks will warm up and everything will thaw out so we can get back to fishing.
I did get the boat back from the fine folks at Bass Pro Shops in Ashland and they did a great job fixing all the damage from the battery explosion. Thank you, Amanda and Steve!
Due to the ice and lack of fishing, I’m going to put together a list of things I’m excited about using this coming year. It’s in no particular order and some of the things are new to the market and some are older things that are new to me. A few I might have bought years ago and just have never used until this year. It’s funny how you buy something that looks amazing, it certainly caught you in the store and for whatever the reason, you just never tied it on. Everybody’s got those lures hanging on the wall that we just haven’t got too yet.
Well, here we go with my list.
Rapala DT12
I’m super excited about the 2025 release of the DT12. I’m a DT nut and I’ve wished they would come out with a twelve for years. The DT12 combines a DT10 body and a DT14 bill. It’s 2 ¼” in length and weighs 3/5oz., comes in 36 colors and is of course made of balsa. The average price is $10.99. The twelve is that perfect sweet spot between the ten and fourteen. I will be throwing this all year long.
St. Croix Black Bass Rods
I’m a St. Croix rods junkie and their newest line is the Black Bass series. The Black Bass line is in the $150-$200 price point, and they offer many different spinning and casting models. The reviews that I’ve seen so far have been great. I’m excited to see how the 7’10” extra heavy fast rod handles a 2-5oz swimbait.
Gambler EZ Shaker
Bladed Swimbait
This soft swimbait trailer comes in at 4 inches, in 6 colors and sells for $7.99 for a three pack. It has a bladed jig piece of metal on the tail. It looks awesome and I’m interested to see how it fishes. They sold out immediately, but I’ll have an opportunity next week to stop by the Gambler headquarters in Pompano Beach, FL to see if they have any in stock. This could be a good addition to the arsenal. They also have what looks like a pre-rigged swim jig with the same trailer on it for $8.99
Strike King Wake Shad 2.0
Wakebait
I’m a sucker for wake baits and will try just about anything that comes on the market. Strike King has re-issued the Wake Shad. It’s a flat sided, jointed wake bait that’s 4 inches in length and weighs in at 3/4oz. Retails for $14.99 and it’s available in seven colors. The mirage chrome black looks super fishy and I can’t wait to throw it around some grass.
Shimano Miravel Spinning Reel
I heard about this reel on a Tactical Bassin episode and Matt was raving about how good of a reel this was for $145. He wasn’t lying! I bought a 2500 and let me tell you, this is a beautiful reel for this price point. It stands toe to toe with higher priced reels. Solid as a rock. It comes in 1000-5000 sizes. I can’t wait to get back out and use it.
Deps Buzzjet Magnum
This is going to be the ticket this year. I have a regular Buzzjet tied on everytime I go fishing in shallow water or any sort of grass. It’s an extremely versatile Japanese wake bait that has a prop on the back that you just reel in at a slow pace. Very simple and the thing gets absolutely clobbered over any type of grass. The Magnum is just an upsized version. It’s 4.5” long and weighs 1.9oz. It was a very limited release in Japan a few years ago, but you can find them for around $30 on EBay. This is going to be fun. Hold on!
GeeCrack Bellows Gill
I bought a whole bunch of these a few years ago. I have never once thrown any of them. If you don’t know what they are, look them up. They’re pretty cool looking. They come in 2.8”, 3.8”, & 5.8”, come in 32 different colors and cost around $9.99 a pack. First, I’ve got to figure out how to rig them.
Keitech Swing Swimmer
Lead Swim Jig
My good friend and old fishing partner since the 90’s Joe Prop from Massachusetts recommended this one. This is a grass swim jig with an inverted T head design and is outfitted with a nasty looking “Kiro Hook.” It’s designed to be a perfect pairing with a 4.3” or 4.8” swimbait trailer. It’s $6.39 and comes in 1/4oz or 3/8oz and10 different colors. Excited to fish this in the grass this summer.
OSP Romance Topwater Crawler – Who doesn’t love crawlers? I love the angry explosions on them. There’s something very mesmerizing about fishing them. Is this one different than any of the others that I have? Maybe? I can’t wait to fish it and find out.This Japanese crawler is 3.63” in length and 1.34oz, comes in 9 colors and retails for $49.99
Minn Kota Ultrex LTO
Trolling Motor
The trolling motor that came on the boat that I bought is severely underpowered. It’s got 45 pounds of thrust and that’s just not cutting the mustard. I need more power! The LTO is a limited edition, 80lb thrust 24V trolling motor. It also comes with spot lock, compatible with the one-boat network and a lot cheaper than other models. It’s perfect for what I need. I can’t wait to get out and fish with it.
Nailed It Bait & Tackle 6”
Trick Worm
I bought six bags of these at the Richmond show last month. They’re all hand poured. I’ve been looking for an alternative to the Zoom trick worm and these look great. There are tons of great colors to choose from. Naileditbaitandtackle.com
Strike King Hog Father Jr.
Glide Bait
Another pick up from the Richmond show. The Jr. is a 7” 2.5oz slow sinking glide bait. I’m curious to see how it swims and chops. It sells for $44.95 and comes in 7 colors. You can never have enough mid-sized glide baits.
Hog Farmer Baits Hogwobblers
I’ve been looking at these for a long time. The scrounger head has been something I’ve been meaning to throw for years, and this is the year I’m going to figure them out. These come in sizes 1/4oz-1 1/4oz and sell for $6.99
Nishine Lure Works Abino
110F Propbait
Another suggestion from my buddy Joe. This bait has a lot going on. If you like to tinker and modify baits, this is for you. It’s a propbait with two propellers, but also comes with two different blades and a weight to put on. It clicks, clacks, and can sit on top or sub-surface. It’s 4.3” and weighs 0.9oz. It sells for $29.69 and comes in 4 different colors. I can’t wait to play around with this!
Smelly Jelly Pro Guide Formula 4oz
I start every year with a fresh bottle of pink Smelly Jelly in the delicious Bass Feast flavor. The best stuff I’ve ever used. After 30+ years, I still can’t figure out what it’s supposed to smell like… crawfish? Shad? Who knows, it just works.
There are a few honorable mentions for the list as well. The Shimano Curado200DC, The PB 3-piece Rat Wakebait and the Gambler Really Big GZ 8” soft swimbait. All look like killer additions to the arsenal.
Question: Can anyone recommend some good culling tags? Please let me know. I have the absolute worst luck with them lasting more than a week.
I hope you all have a safe month out on the water and catch many fat bass. See you all next month with a new Small Waters.
If you have any suggestions of where I should fish next please email me at woodsandwatersmagazine@gmail.com
