Best Walleye Fishing Products of 2018
With almost 600 vendors, the 2018 ICAST show was overwhelming, to say the least. But with a mission to get through the entire show, I spent the better part of three days scouring for new and exciting products for walleye fishing. Not only would I recommend these products to retailers, but these are also products I am putting on my boat and in my tackle box too.
10. Garmin Panoptix LiveScope
The Panopitx LiveScope sonar allows the angler the ability to see all around their boat, in real time, and in three dimensions. Available in both forward-looking and down looking versions, this live scanning sonar is the most advanced sonar technology ever introduced to the public.
Want to learn more? Watch our video on the Panoptix LiveScope.
9. Berkley Jointed Flicker Shad
Berkley has taken one of my absolute favorite crankbaits and created a new jointed Flicker Shad in sizes 5 and 7. According to the dive curve charts the, jointed version will run a bit shallower than the original comparable sizes of Flicker Shad. They do offer it in nine colors, including four of my favorites; purple tiger, fire tiger, red tiger, and peale white. There is no doubt in my mind that these will do very well. Sometimes the extra action and noise can really trigger the bites. Overall, this is probably my number one pick from everything I looked at in the show for lures.
8. Berkley Flicker Shad Shallow
Another spin off from the original Flicker Shad is the shallow version. It has the same basic profile but with a smaller bill making the lure run shallower. This bait will run two to four feet, for a number #5 and three feet for the #7. Again, they have four of my favorite colors, the purple tiger, fire tiger, red tiger, and peale white, however, they also have a new blue smelt and an MF bluegill color that look great.
7. Berkley Fushion19 Slow Turn hooks
These were not displayed at the show but were in the catalog and something I ran into this summer. They are like a slow death hook with an improved bait keeper barb. I absolutely love fishing slow death rigs, so this new hook will be something I will stock up on for the future.
Enjoy fishing with Berkley? Check out our selection of Berkley products.
6. Northland Butterfly Super Death Rigs
I am a big fan of Mack’s Lure smile blades, rigged with slow death hooks. Now we have another option, the Northland Butterfly blade. It is similar but, in a slightly different style featuring a poly-carbonate blade that will spin at very slow trolling speeds. This rig is also very light, meaning it won’t fall to the bottom and get snagged as quickly as a typical spinner rig. I can’t wait to give the Butterfly Super Death Rigs a try! They also offer a Butterfly Rig with the same blade but a single #2 hook, which should be great for tipping with a leech or minnow.
5. Wahoo! Lures
During the show, I had a chance to visit with a long-time friend and owner of Wahoo, Ric Welle. They have really grown and expanded their line of products. I started using the Perfection Jig over 20 years ago winning some pretty good money fishing the Montana Walleye Circuit. It is still one of my favorite, go-to jigs. My favorite color is the pink/white glow.
This jig is a standup jig design, with a good bait keeper system for fishing 1/2 crawler or tails. They also offer several other styles of jigs. One is a Wing Ding Tail spinner jig, which has a unique design that includes a spinner at the tail of the jig. Again, this simply looks like something that is going to catch fish. I’d try the 1/2-ounce size and I would fish it fast and aggressively to find fish pitching or trolling.
Another jig worth looking at from Wahoo is their Willow Wobblers, which is another stand-up jig head design with a small willow leaf off the bottom. I’d try the 1/8-ounce and 1/4-ounce sizes. Looks like they will catch fish and again they can be fished fast when searching for fish.
4. LiveTarget
LiveTarget really continues to expand and improve with some really neat products. They have a number of very good-looking crankbaits and have added a new lipless rattle bait, which should work well for pitching and covering a lot of water fast. They also have a new Yellow Perch and a new Golden Shiner. Other products include a variety of hollow body baits like the new Hollow Body Craw, which is a rigged crayfish imitation that should work well when fish are feeding on crayfish. The Commotion Shad Hollow Belly also caught my attention. It has a shad profile with a rear spinner blade. I’d be really interested in hooking it up behind a bottom bouncer rig and trolling it through the weeds for walleye. It looks nearly weedless with the hollow body.
3. Lunkerhunt
Lunkerhunt is a great company that has continued their lines with a 3-inch and 4-1/2-inch Swim Bento and Bento tail bait. I also liked the look of the Hatch Spin Rig. It might be worth trying as well as the Walking Drop Shot sinker, which would work really well for those who like to drop shot.
Did you know Lunkerhunt introduced a new Yappa series at ICAST 2018? Read about it here.
2. Flambeau Double Cap Crawler Box
This is a great system for keeping your crawlers cool and handy. Basically, it is a double compartmented can, that features one compartment to fill with ice. The second compartment is where the crawlers will live, while you’re fishing for the day. It beats having to dig into your cooler each time you need a new crawler.
1. Stealth Rod Holders
Over the years I have looked for the ultimate rod holder. One that is easy to use but, also minimizes the risk of losing a rod overboard or breaking a rod trying to get it out. The Stealth Rod Holder looks like the best rod holder system I have ever seen. This is what will be going on my new boat. Both spinning and casting rods work in these holders and they offer two sizes.
By Dale Gilbert
Need a new rod for your Stealth Rod Holder? Check out our selection here.