New colors of the Spro 6 inch BBZ-1 will be shown at ICAST in July along with an 8 inch BBZ-1.

Introducing the new EZ-Shad. This new 5 inch paddletail swimbait is from the maker of the very popular Roboworm plastic worms and other products.

The EZ-Shads are available in these popular colors:

Blueback Minnow
Prizm Perch
Hologram Shad
Stocker Trout
SXE Shad

Three EZ-Shads per pack and will retail for $7.99

The paddletails are now available and should be showing up at your favorite online store or local retailer.

Youvella Hooks – Little Flip Hook, OWG (Offset Wide Gap) Hook, OWG Super Strong Hook, Pro Swimbait Hooks, and Pro Flip Hook.

In 2008 the Fish Harder company acquired the rights to be the sole distributor of Youvella-USA, LLC products in the United States and Canada.

Tim Norman, head of Sales and Marketing for Fish Harder Companies, has been named president of the new company, Youvella-USA, LLC.

“We’re excited about this opportunity. Youvella is by far the most modern and progressive sportfishing hook company in the world. They make a wide variety of hooks for the freshwater, saltwater and commercial markets,” Norman said. “We intend to use their expertise – along with that of our pro staff – to develop a line of professional grade fish hooks for the American and Canadian markets.”

Norman also announced Mike Iaconelli, Ish Monroe, Greg Hackney and Peter Thliveros to be the first members of Youvella’s professional pro staff.

There are swimbaits, and then there are Castaic Swimbaits- a distinction that matters greatly to anglers the likes of Southern California’s Mike Long, perhaps the finest swimbait tactician alive.

In recent months, Long has used Castaic’s newest secret weapon, the soft-bodied Catch22, to boat numerous largemouths in the 10 to 15-pound class.  The lure also scored him a recent tournament win on Lower Otay Lake, near San Diego, where he outfished his nearest competitors by over ten-pounds.  Long’s limit was capped by a 13-pound hawg that fell for a 6-inch Catch22, in Castaic’s new Ghost Rainbow pattern.

Long had lately been field testing three additions to the already exceptional swimbait line.  With his stamp of approval, Castaic released today its newest swimbait species’-the Catch22 Threadfin Shad, Sunfish and Ghost Rainbow.  Like the original Rainbow Trout, the new species were crafted with Castaic’s trademark “Actual Species Replication.”  No other lure company offers such realism, both in design and function.

The new Catch22 Threadfin Shad patterns include 4- and 6-inch sizes in Slow Sink, and four colors, including Blue Shad, Green Shad, Golden Shiner and Silver Shiner.  The new Sunfish is a 5-inch bait in Slow Sink, available in Sunfish, Bluegill and Tilapia patterns.  Like the original Rainbow Trout, the new Ghost Rainbow is offered in 4-inch (Slow Sink), 6-inch (Slow Sink), 8-inch (Slow Sink or Floating), and 10-inch (Slow Sink or Floating) sizes.  Catch22 Swimbaits retail for $16.99 to $29.99.

“Using these baits my hook-up ratio has gone from 60% to well over 90%,” states Long.  The bait’s collapsible body construction enables the hook to penetrate bass jaws easier than any other soft-bodied swimbait on the market.  And its interior soft skeleton lets you catch bass after bass without damaging the bait.  What I really love about the C22, though, is the way it swims.  It has phenomenal action at all retrieve speeds, and when you pause and rip the bait, it darts and turns more realistically than any lure I’ve ever thrown.”

Catch22 Swimbaits feature revolutionary design elements that set them apart from all other lures on the market today.  In addition, Castaic offers an exclusive Catch22 Guarantee.  If you catch fewer than 22 bass before the C22 loses its ability to swim, return the bait, along with $7.50 shipping and handling, for a one-time lure replacement.  To learn more about Catch22, continue reading below, or visit www.castaicswimbait.com

The Catch22 possesses traits never before seen in a softbait, coupling a fluid, lifelike action with the durability and longevity of a hardbait. Castaic Catch22 innovations include:

The CATCH22 GUARANTEE – To back its claims of toughness, Castaic is offering an unheard of 22 bass guarantee. If you catch fewer than 22 bass before the C22 loses its ability to swim, return the bait, along with $7.50 shipping and handling, for a one-time lure replacement.

Innovation #1 – Castaic’s exclusive patent-pending INNER ARMOR Fiber Skeleton prevents the Catch22 (C22) from tearing and losing its natural swimming motion. While other soft baits break down after just a few fish, the Catch22 keeps on kicking. Similar to the interior cartilage structure of a live shark, this soft, flexible skeleton reinforces vital joint sections, while preserving the lure body’s integrity.

Innovation #2 – Ingenious NO-THROW Sliding Hook System keeps fish hooked solidly from strike to lip-lock. This critical design element allows the C22 to slide freely up the line when fish are hooked. This yields more successful hooksets, while also preventing fish from using the weight of the lure as leverage against you, and throwing the hook.

Innovation #3 – Another patented Castaic exclusive-the MAGNETIC HOOK HOLDER®-keeps the Tri-Claw hook aligned parallel to the C22’s body. When retrieved, a magnet pins the hook to the belly of the lure, precisely positioned for a sound hookset. This streamlined hook placement yields an ultra natural appearance and presentation, while also helping the lure resist snags.

Innovation #4 – Castaic’s advanced TRI-CLAW® hook is unique among swimbaits today. Coupled with the Magnetic Hook Holder, which pins the Tri-Claw hook against the lure body, hook gaps lie exposed and away from the bait, where they’re in ideal position to penetrate and hold. For pro-level swimbait fishing, this radical hook system is a must.

Innovation #5 – REAL SWIM(tm) Technology allows the C22 to swim naturally at multiple retrieve speeds. From a slow crawl to a speedy burn, the C22 is one of the most versatile swimbaits available. While most swimbaits require the angler to learn and master one specific retrieve, the C22 swims flawlessly at almost any speed.

“The Catch22 is the biggest breakthrough in swimbaits in a long time,” Long asserts. “Fishermen are going to catch a lot of bass with this lure.” One of America’s original swimbait tacticians, Mike Long has boated 27 of the top 100 heaviest bass ever documented. Throwing Castaic Swimbaits, he has caught thirteen bass over 15-pounds. In 2001, Long boated the ninth largest bass ever documented, a 20-pound 12-ounce monster using a 6-inch Castaic Trout.

This is the ultimate stinger harness rig, designed for use with both soft plastic and natural baits to eliminate short strikes and improve hookup ratio. Available in two models, each rig features a length of super tough 80-lb. braided line, terminating at one end with a large loop and at the other with our EZ-Snap (dual interlocking), to which is attached an Owner ST-36 Treble hook. Simply pass the loop through the eye of any swimbaitbait hook, then pass the treble through the loop and cinch the rig down against the eye for either a top side or under side rigging of the bait. The snap allows for a convenient change of treble hook sizes. Shown above is the 5130W Weighted Beast™ Hook which is the perfect hook to pair up with the Stinger Harness Rig.

The Berkley Bass Tank will be at the Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show in Long Beach, Calif. The tank is scheduled to stop March 4 – 8 and will feature seminars and appearances by Berkley Pro Anglers.

Berkley sends two 4,000-gallon bass tanks all over the country to help out the everyday angler. Kids and adults alike will enjoy learning about new Berkley products and tips on how to use these innovative baits.

“The Berkley Bass Tanks are out on the road, giving all anglers the opportunity to hone their skills,” said Tammy Cox, Berkley Marketing Manager “Not only will attendees learn to “Catch More Fish,” they will also learn about new products that will help them become a better angler.”

March 4 – 8
Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
300 E. Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90802

If you are unable to make it by the Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show, plan to attend one of these other upcoming events:

March 12-16 – Minneapolis Boat Show, Minneapolis, Minn.
March 14-15 – FLW Tour Family Fun Zone, Branson, Mo.
March 28-29 – BASS Elite Series Expo, Russellville, Ark.
March 26 – April 5 – South Texas State Fair, Beaumont, Texas
April 24 – April 26 – Joe’s Fish Fest, St. Paul, Minn.
April 25 – 26 – FLW Tour Family Fun Zone, Charlotte, N.C.

Beast™ Hooks with TwistLOCK® Centering-Pin Spring (CPS) are designed for weedless-style rigging of larger plastics like big swimbaits, flukes, tubes and creature baits. With its TwistLOCK® Centering-Pin Spring (CPS – patent pending) attached to the hook eye, baits can be permanently secured by inserting the pin in the center of the nose of a soft plastic, which can then be screwed onto the TwistLOCK® coil spring to rig perfect everytime! Different Size springs are matched to hook size to maximize holding power. Quick-drop shank below eye allows for rigging fat-headed baits, and maximum gap allows for improved hook sets because of better bait clearance. The non-movable weight attached (5130W) not only helps to sink or swim a rigged bait down into the strike zone, but because the weight is positioned so low on the shank, it provides a keel effect. As a result, when rigging large swimbaits weedless-style, plastics swim naturally (as opposed to rolling or flipping where weights are inserted inside soft baits). Ideal for both fresh and saltwater fishing, features include a TwistLOCK® Centering-Pin Spring (CPS – patent pending) attached to the hook eye, maximum gap, a XXX-strong forged shank, Super Needle Point, and black chrome finish.