Livetarget New Fishing Baits Highlights for 2017/2018
Since we were first introduced to Livetarget at its inception in 2007, a couple of things have stood out about the company. First, they are one of the most innovative product companies in the business. Secondly, they strive very hard to realistically “match the hatch” as our North 40 Fly Shop crew would say.
This year’s new product releases compliment both of those qualities and we are very excited to be carrying them in the upcoming season. Many things stood out, including their 2017 I-CAST Best in Show Hollow Body Mullet, which I would have died to have a few times standing on the beaches of Baja.
However, in our geography we narrowed it down to 3 key baits that our largemouth and smallmouth bass community is going to be pumped about. We sat down with Ted Moody, our Livetarget representative to go over these new editions.
Baitball Spinner Rig
I told Paul Considine, our fishing buyer, this is probably my pick for best new bait at I-Cast in 2017 but then of course he reminded me how many times I’ve said that. None the less, this is at the top of my list. Forget your Alabama rigs, this new rig allows you to get a similar affect with 3 smaller swimbaits that don’t have hooks and a blade in the middle to draw attention to the “Target” bait at the bottom.
The “Target” bait is a slightly larger swimbait which holds the hook, and a bass’s natural instinct is to try to move the smaller baits to the side and eat the larger meal. I guess the best way to describe it in short is that it’s the hybrid between an Alabama rig or an Umbrella rig and a spinnerbait. Check out the video we shot at iCast:
There will be 6 sizes and 8 colors, as well as replacement packs of the swimbaits so that you can change colors or replace chewed off paddle tails.
Sunfish Swimbait
Swimbaits aren’t new to Livetarget but the sunfish swimbait is. Bluegills and pumpkinseeds are one of the most prolific bass forage’s. I asked Moody, “What’s up with the tail’s on the swimbaits?” He had a quick response that makes a lot of sense, he explained that, “The tail was designed to swim like the exact forage it represents. Most swimbaits just have a generic paddle tail.” These new swimbaits are coming in 4 colors and 3 sizes. While we love the big ones, that new 3 1/2” size is going to catch them and it’s a size not yet on the market.
Scott Martin’s Hollow Body Popper
There are a couple of these on the market now but the idea is to combine 2 great baits; a popper and a hollow body frog. Scott Martin, currently one of the best bass anglers in the world, mentored by father Roland Martin who is arguably in a 3 way tie with Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance as the most famous bass fisherman ever is the dude who designed this frog.
So, out of the couple of hollow body popping frogs that exist, which one are you going to try? Scott developed this bait to easily walk with a narrow profile and cupped face. This new frog is completely weedless and is available in 10 colors and 2 sizes (2 and 2.5”). See our Livetarget baits and lures online here.