What’s New For The Angler In 2004
By Mike Frisch

If you’re like me you eagerly await spring, not only because it means open-water fishing is just around the corner, but also because it is a good time to start getting fishing equipment in order for the coming season. One of the most exciting parts of that preparation for me is taking a look at the various new fishing lures on the market and trying to assess their value to my fishing situations. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the things that should be good additions to my tackle box this season.

The first thing that I think should be in every walleye angler’s tackle box is a good selection of Rattlin’ Fire-Ball Jigs. These jigs actually were new last year and, in fact, I wrote about them in a similar column a year ago. However, because they’re still relatively new and because of the successes I’ve had with them, they deserve further mention. These jigs produced dynamite results on an early spring river trip to Red Wing and kept on producing throughout the open-water walleye season. Though they’re most logical application might be in dirty-water conditions, they’ve also proven effective in clear water as well. My favorite color patterns are firetiger, sunrise and moonlight, though you might prefer some of the other colors as well.

As long as jigs are the topic, another jighead, this one geared toward bass fishing, will also find its way into my tackle box this spring. The new Jungle Jig-Worm offers a sleek bullet head and a premium hook. Plus it comes in some real “bassy” colors that should make it an awesome weapon for targeting bass holding on weed lines. In fact, tipping a jig head with a plastic worm and casting it along the deep weed line, often called jig worming, is one of my favorite summertime fishing activities and this jig should make that technique even more productive.

The new Jungle Jig-Worm will help my jig worming success. In addition, a new family of soft baits that hit store shelves late last summer has already increased my fishing success for bass and other fish species as well. The new Gulp! family of baits offer a scent and flavor that fish really seem to love and they’re also biodegradable. The Turtle Back Worms are dynamite when jig worming bass and the Sinking Minnows are great for finicky bass when fished weightless. In addition, my daughters enjoyed some fast panfish action last year when fishing the Earthworm and Extruded Grub members of this bait family. This summer, I’m going to give some of the shapes designed for walleyes a try as I’ve heard good reports from some walleye fishing buddies.

Providing good fishing reports to our buddies is probably a goal of lots of us who love to fish and now is a good time to start preparing to do that. A good way to prepare is by assessing what’s new in fishing lures and to start stocking up on what you think suits your needs and will help make your fishing trips more successful. The suggestions from above will hopefully be of benefit in that process. Good luck on your new lure acquisitions and good luck on the water this season!