Brand New Must-Have Swimbait – The Cull Shad

Brand New Must-Have Swimbait – The Cull Shad

    Over the past few months, the Berkley Cull Shad soft swimbait has gotten a lot of buzz. Even before it was introduced, a lot of guys at the pro level were experiencing some big catches on it and the cat got out of the bag early. (Pre-order Now Available.) First, the basics. It comes in two sizes. There’s a 6-inch model for when bass are feeding on smaller forage like little shad, herring and juvenile perch. There’s also the Big Mama, an 8-incher for when they’re eating gizzard shad, big shiners, trout, hitch and other larger bait. Both […]

The Ultimate Guide to Crankbait Tackle

<strong>The Ultimate Guide to Crankbait Tackle</strong>

In previous columns, I’ve talked a lot about diving crankbaits. They are a great lure because they’ll catch fish that are hungry and they’ll also trigger bites from non-feeding fish. We discussed color, size and the importance of making your lures deflect off of something and change direction. That’s how you generate reaction strikes. In order to complete the circle, though, we need to discuss the proper rod, reel and line. Without that system in place, you can’t fully appreciate what a great lure a crankbait can be. Let’s start with the rod. Crankbait rods are very different than most […]