I absolutely love this time of year because it’s ICAST season! If you’re a serious angler, you know ICAST is where some of the biggest innovations in fishing are introduced. The bad news? It’s a trade-only show, so most anglers won’t have a chance to get these new products for months. The good news? I’m giving you an early look at five incredible new baits that have me fired up.
What I really like about this year’s lineup is that these aren’t just copies of old lures with new paint jobs. These are fresh ideas that solve real problems on the water. Berkley, Missile Baits, and Molix have all stepped up with products that give bass something they’ve never seen before, and in today’s fishing world, showing fish a different look can make all the difference.
Keep an eye out for these new arrivals over at Tackle Warehouse!
The first three baits are all new hard baits from Berkley, and each one brings something unique to your tackle box. The Berkley Unlock crankbait might look familiar at first, but it’s actually a sinking crankbait. That means you can count it down to suspended fish on your forward-facing sonar or reach deeper water without throwing an oversized deep diver. It also has a weight-transfer system for long casts, a tight wobble for pressured fish, and a thin bill that comes through grass incredibly well. Then there’s the Berkley Doom Stroller, a hybrid between a jerkbait and a crankbait that’s built specifically for suspended bass. Because it sinks, you can keep it right in the strike zone, and its rolling action gives fish a completely different presentation than the minnows everyone else is throwing. Best of all, those treble hooks catch fish that simply slap or headbutt the bait instead of fully eating it.
One of my favorite introductions this year is another Berkley bait called the Berkley Slap Gill. If you love throwing topwater around bluegill beds, this lure is going to blow your mind. It imitates a bluegill perfectly, but the real magic happens when you work it across the surface. Instead of simply walking side to side like a traditional walking bait, the Slap Gill actually rolls over and “slaps” the water before righting itself. That sudden flash of a panfish profile is something bass simply can’t ignore. Around bluegill spawns, grass edges, docks, or shallow cover, I think this bait is going to be a game changer.
Three reasons these Berkley hard baits stand out:
- Unlock – A sinking crankbait that reaches suspended fish and deeper water with ease.
- Doom Stroller – A hybrid hard bait that rolls naturally and hooks fish that only swipe at traditional minnows.
- Slap Gill – A realistic bluegill-style topwater that creates a unique slapping action bass haven’t seen before.
The fourth bait comes from Missile Baits, and it’s one that really impressed me because it improves on one of the hottest trends in bass fishing. Everyone has heard about fuzzy-ball or “urchin” style baits, but they can tear easily, fall off the hook, and be difficult to store.
The new Missile Dice Jig solves those problems by using hand-tied living rubber on a custom jig hook. The living rubber creates incredible movement, and because it’s tied directly to the hook, you don’t have to worry about replacing soft plastics every few fish. Even better, the Dice Jig has an innovative clip system that lets you attach different closed-eye weights in seconds. That means you can fish it weightless for a slow fall or quickly switch to heavier weights without retying. Whether you’re shaking it in front of fish on forward-facing sonar or pulling it around docks, wood, and grass, this bait gives you unbelievable versatility.
Finally, Molix has taken one of my favorite frog designs and made it even better with the new Molix Supernato Frog Baby. If you’ve ever fished the original Molix Supernato Frog, you already know how deadly those buzzing legs can be.
The new smaller version keeps that same action but gives you a finesse option for tougher conditions, smaller forage, or heavily pressured bass. You can fish it over mats, around docks, across open water, or even skip it under overhanging cover. The compact profile makes it perfect for spinning or lighter casting gear while still creating that buzzing sound bass can’t resist. Looking at all five of these new baits, one thing stands out, they all offer fish a presentation that’s different from what they’re seeing every day. In today’s world of educated bass and advanced electronics, that’s a huge advantage.
My five favorite ICAST releases this year:
- Berkley Unlock – Sinking crankbait for deeper fish.
- Berkley Doom Stroller – Hybrid bait built for suspended bass.
- Berkley Slap Gill – Innovative bluegill-style topwater.
- Missile Baits Dice Jig – Adjustable finesse jig with incredible action.
- Molix Baby Supernato – Compact buzzing frog for big topwater bites.
These are the kinds of baits that get me excited because they don’t just look different, they fish different. If you’re looking to stay one step ahead of the bass and the competition, keep an eye out for these new releases. I have a feeling you’re going to be hearing a lot about them before long!
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