Northland Tackle Butterfly Blades and Glo-Shot Spoons
ICAST. It’s the fishing industry’s largest international trade show. With North 40 Fly Shop’s video team, I was there this year trying to shoot as many product videos of the latest and greatest fishing products as I could find.
Three new baits took the featured spaces on the front of Northland Tackle’s bright yellow booth, and one of these baits piqued my curiosity. I was lucky enough to find Keith Eshbaugh, who happened to be the inventor and manufacturer of the new Northland Butterfly Blades. As a long-time Mack’s Smile Blade evangelist, my skepticism was palpable, but I was willing to give Keith and chance to tell me what was up with these new lures.
Northland Butterfly Blades Tackle
The first thing I learned is that the new Butterfly Blades are not meant to replace your Mack’s Smile Blades (although I’m sure Northland is fine with it if they do). They are different; they are a type of plastic which allows for translucent colorways. Check out the video below we filmed at iCast this year.
Northland also boasts that they spin at a slower speed than Mack’s Smile Blades down to .25 MPH (we haven’t tested that yet but we will soon). These blades come in 2 sizes (#1 size is 7/8-inch and the #2 size is 1 3/8-inch) with twelve colors to choose from.
Northland Tackle: Glo-Shot Spoons
Honestly, I sort of passed on this when I first saw them at the ICAST booth this year. I saw what it was and was impressed by the design, but as an angler, anytime you must purchase “refills” to make your bait work properly, it just seems like an added hassle.
However, as it turns out, talking with some of my hardcore walleye fishing amigos, I may very well be WRONG.
If you have been really following the walleye scene you know who Tony Roach is, and he is the man behind the scenes helping to develop this product. The glow sticks are inserted in to the spoons and one stick last eight hours. Each spoon comes with the glow sticks as well as a removal tool, and refills are $2.39 for three more.
The spoons come in twelve colors and three sizes, all with red treble hooks. The proprietary S-curve of the bait, as well as the use of a lead-free, z-alloy gives this spoon a fish-catching flutter on the drop.
View our selection of blade baits or spoons online here.