While we all have our favorite “go-to” baits for various fish species, it’s fun to try something new. It seems like everywhere you turn, some tackle manufacturer is offering the next big thing — a new way to seduce pressured fish into biting.
That said, here are some oddball baits you might want to give a shot this season. Who knows, one might just become a new confidence bait! But you won’t know if you don’t give them a shot.
Acme Reef Runner Flash Shad
This rattlebait is already causing quite a commotion on Green Bay walleyes, and it should have applications for all bass, including wipers and stripers, too. With unique, angled mirrors, it attracts fish from afar, reflecting light in numerous directions. It also features a built-in rail and rattle sound chamber.
The Reef Runner is available in 1/2-ounce, 2.25-inches size with No. 8 treble hooks, and a larger, 3/4-ounce, 3-inch version with size No. 4 trebles.
Berkley PowerBait Bearded Crazy Legs Chigger Craw
This bait looks like a PowerBait Chigger Craw with the addition of skirt-like legs on the slim craw body end and two antennae-like tentacles on the end with the claws. Designed to be fished on a football head, swing head, or Texas rigged, this 4.5-inch bait features maximum surface area to draw big bites. It also features proven PowerBait scent that fish hold on to for solid hooksets.
Deps Cover Scat Soft Stick Bait
Ever fished with a “poop” bait? You might want to. These baits are already big in Japan, but they’re only starting to catch on in the U.S. With a 40% salt content, the bait has a quick, horizontal fall for fishing like a wacky worm (but typically Texas rigged), eliminating the need for any extra weight. Once on bottom, it can then be retrieved emulating a crawfish in its closed-claw scooting orientation, which is practically weedless.
Like a wacky worm, this bait makes a great shore fishing lure for fishing around weeds, brush, wood, you name it. I’ve fished them and they flat out catch bass. Available in 2.5-, 3, 3.5-, and 4-inch models.
Geecrack Imo Kemushi Stick Worm
Another bass bait with Japanese origins, the Geecrack Imo Kemushi Stick Worm was designed to tempt highly-pressured bass, typically rigged weightless on an EWG hook. It falls horizontally, but features silicone legs that undulate on the fall. The bait is made of S.A.F. and is heavily salted; anglers say that once fish bite it, they hold on.
Read our full review of the Geecrack Imo Kemushi Stick Worm.
Great Lakes Finesse 2.5” Juvy Craw
I was super excited when I saw this bait demo’d at ICAST last summer. Part tube, part craw, this bait just looks good in the water, scooting along like a small crawfish. It’s intended to be fished with the company’s Mini Pro Tube Head.
Whether you’re fishing big smallmouth water (Great Lakes) or creek bass, this seems like a must-have in the brown bass tackle arsenal.
This bait was also selected for our list of the best smallmouth bass lures.
Imakatsu IK-800 R2 Deep Impact Crankbait
Looking for a deeper-diving crankbait? This may very well be the answer. With a giant lip, the manufacturer says it will dive to “18-plus feet quickly” and even deeper if you attach a small dropshot weight to the eyelet under the lip. It’s 2.5-inches long, weighs 3/4 ounce, and is available in six colors, including a sexy-looking Blue Gill pattern.
JB Lures Grabber Jig
Skirting lure restrictions in many states, this unique jig head design features three hooks, allowing anglers to attach three minnows at a time. Available in 1/8-, 1/4-, 3/8-, and 1/2-ounce sizes and six patterns, including Glow Watermelon.
It could be just the thing to create a bigger profile in turbid river waters or anywhere fish are seeking out plus-sized snacks. I plan to use it for walleyes, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t work with other species.
Liquid Willowcat Paddle Cat
Madtoms, stone cats, willow cats, small bullheads — river walleyes love ‘em all. The problem is, finding live specimens can be difficult, and when you do find them in bait shops they fetch a pretty penny. The solution? Liquid Willowcat’s 3.5 soft plastic may be the best substitute.
Don’t think that walleyes are the only fish that eat these critters. It sounds like the bait is popular with smallmouth anglers, too. It’s best rigged on a tungsten jig head for far casts and heightened ability to feel what’s going on when the bait touches bottom.
Mad Scientist Suspending Predator Jerkbait
There is no questioning the fish-catching efficacy of the Megabass 110 jerkbait. This bait resembles a 110 but features a unique, proprietary coating that according to Mad Scientist reflects not only UV light but heightens appeal in the infrared spectrum as well.
Choose from red, blue, green, gold, pink, or natural over a black, pearl, or nude base coat. Available in 4- or 5-inch sizes.
Strike King Tumbleweed
Modeled after odd-looking creature-shaped Japanese finesse bass baits, Strike King’s Tumbleweed is scheduled for launch this June 10. Constructed around a 10-sided soft-plastic dice-shaped hunk of plastic, it’s littered with skirt-strands that undulate on the fall.
This bait can be fished on a Neko rig, jig head, or drop shot, possibly even unweighted as a topwater like a fly popper. It’s very strange, but I’m willing to give it a try.
