Spring Fishing time is now….

Out on a Limb with Tom Branch JrThere’s nothing wrong with giving new lures and products a try when you head out this spring. Spring time is when the Bass come out and start feeding after a long lethargic winter. This is the most exciting time of the year for many Bass anglers. But certain lures and equipment are odds-on winners. Here are some of my suggestions for this spring….

Picture courtesy of Costa

First, you might want to see the bass as they cruise in the warm water. My choice is the Costa Rooster style sunglasses. They give anglers an edge over their worthy opponents. The large-fit sunglasses include built-in side shields to block incoming glare, as well as vents to alleviate lens fogging. The temple tips provide open slots for a retainer cord. The frames are built of nearly indestructible co-injected molded nylon, with sturdy integral hinge technology. The hypoallergenic rubberized interior lining and nose pads keep the sunglasses comfortably in place all day, no matter how harsh the conditions. Rooster frame color options include blackout, tortoise, matte black, and white with a blue Costa logo. Suggested retail starts $169.

There are only a few basic bass lures you need in spring: soft plastic and crankbaits. These two basic lures can accommodate all the basic spring time patterns from shallow water to deep structure where the bass will be found from the pre spawn through post spawn in late spring.

Picture courtesy of Strike King Lures

The new Strike King KVD 1.5 Shallow is a shallow-running square bill crankbait that runs to 3 feet. It has the same body style as the original 1.5 – it’s designed to hunt and deflect off cover, just run shallower. To say that the KVD line of crankbaits from Strike King has been successful in regards to fish catches and tournament wins would be an understatement. The only way to make this crankbait line better would be to add more to it. So for 2015, that’s exactly what they have done with the all new KVD 1.5 Shallow! It is designed to be versatile enough to wake just below the surface or crash into cover within the 3-foot depth range; the KVD 1.5 Shallow still maintains the action, quality, durability and affordability of its predecessors. The all-new KVD 1.5 Shallow weighs 7/16-oz and is available in 13 colors.

Picture courtesy of Strike King Lures

The all new Lucky Shad from Strike King has had many requests from fishermen for this style of hardbait for years, but Strike King Lures didn’t want to release this bait until they got the action they wanted. Now, with some new technology breakthroughs in molding, they have achieved the action fishermen (and the fish!) want. This bait casts well, dives to 8 feet, chip-resistant painting, 3D eyes and black nickel hooks. The Strike King arsenal of crankbaits has become a mainstay in many boats and tackles boxes of anglers all over the world. In the process of doing so, they have refined certain baits and styles to accommodate a need, yet apply an improved design to them. The all-new Lucky Shad is born from that concept by being spawned from a traditionally popular profile, yet incorporating modern design techniques. This bait has the Strike King’s trademark quality; durability and the affordability are not lost on the ½-oz, 8-foot diving Lucky Shad. It is available in 11 colors.

Picture courtesy of Strike King Lures

The Strike King Blade Minnow is made from the perfect blend of plastic. The Blade Minnow is a minnow-shaped swimbait designed to be used as a bladed swim jig trailer, but it also works great on a weighted head hook or belly weighted hook. The jointed plastic body moves at the slowest of speeds, but also runs great at high speeds. What began as an exercise to design a great trailer transformed this design to a great all-around bait. The Blade Minnow is a swimbait-style bait that has some awesome action and a profile that fish can’t resist! It works great on a jighead or rigged weedless. It performs equally well around vegetation, wood or in open water. I continually find different ways to use it to catch fish. The Blade Minnow is 4.5” long and comes in 11 colors. “The segmented body and slender profile of the new Blade Minnow give it a very natural and lifelike swimming action that is pivotal for getting bites in clear water or from pressured fish,” says Bassmaster Elite Series angler Chris Zaldain. “The design of the bait makes it swim great, cast great and hookup great when you get a bite. It’s a great addition to my tournament arsenal,” he says.

Picture courtesy of www.finsntales.com

I’ve been using Seaguar Smackdown Braided Line since December and I am totally impressed by its performance, line diameter, strength & durability. This braided line is perfectly round and is constructed from a combination of eight ultra-thin fibers.  Its round profile allows it to be reeled exceptionally smoothly and easily onto the spool of a spinning reel or baitcaster. What’s more, its high-density and micro-weave pattern enhances its tensile strength, knot strength, abrasion resistance, and sensitivity. It is embellish with a clear coating that prevents it from digging into the spool and aids casting. The 10-pound-test of Seaguar Smackdown Braided Green has the diameter on .005 inches, which is equivalent to two-pound-test monofilament line. And its 20-pound-test has the diameter of .007 inches and equal to the size of six-pound-test monofilament.

Picture courtesy of Bass Pro Shops

I have given you some of my choices for sunglasses, baits and fishing line; now you have to have a rod and reel to go catch them! My choice is the new Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris CarbonLite Baitcast Combo. This is the lightest rod and reel I have ever used from Bass Pro Shops. This combo was built to be the most sensitive and the strongest rod and reel they have ever made. The Baitcasting reel sports such amazing benefits with their famous Dual Braking System. It weighs less than 6 ounces and has a computer molded carbon frame and powerlock instant anti-reverse. The rods all boast an immensely strong and incredibly lightweight graphite blank, with durable Pac Bay guides to further enhance weight reduction of the rod. Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris CarbonLite Baitcast Combos were developed to give tournament anglers a competitive edge. I urge anyone looking for a lightweight and affordable rod and reel combo that performs at peak levels and holds up to whatever wear and tear you can throw at it to visit your nearest Bass Pro Shops.

The key to any successful fishing trip during the spring lies in using the proper lures, equipment and techniques. Each angler must present the baits properly and use the weather conditions to your advantage. When you head to the lake, try some of these new products and your fishing success is bound to improve.

Thanks for reading…. Branch

About the author:
Tom Branch, Jr. is a freelance outdoor writer and a retired Lieutenant/Paramedic/Firefighter with Gwinnett County Fire, GA after 29 years of service in 2013. He is currently a contracted employee with NAVICO/Lowrance working as the College Fishing Recruiter. He has been working in the Outdoor Industry for over 20 years. He and his beautiful wife, Kim live north of Atlanta near Braselton, GA with their black lab, Jake. They volunteer with Operation One Voice (501c3) (www.operationonevoice.org)

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