IBASSIN is your first choice for all things bass fishing. Tournaments, new lures, articles, interviews and resources centred around bass fishing.
Building off the success and premium components of the Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead, the brand new Fusion19 Hybrid Jighead has all of the same great features with modern roundball jig performance and a 90-degree line tie. Available in two hook size options per head, this versatile jighead gives anglers the opportunity to utilize a variety of soft bait shapes and sizes perfectly tuned for their favorite techniques.
Designed with a low center of gravity, the Fusion19 Hybrid Jighead is able to maintain precise balance and bait orientation while cutting through the water, providing anglers with the ability to generate a side-topside rolling action that proves deadly with finicky fish.
The Fusion19 Hybrid Jighead comes equipped with a sticky sharp double-conical hook point and a conical bait keeper for straight and precise locked-in rigging. Excelling in a variety of fishing applications, the hybrid jighead can be utilized for mid-strolling, Damiki style baits, finesse swimbaits, and vertical fishing applications. Pair it with Berkley’s new PowerBait Drip Minnow and Drip Swimmer or any of Berkley’s softbaits for an unprecedented advantage.
KEY FEATURES
8 strand braid
PSP-Performance Sustaining Processing for greater longevity
Reduced fraying and maintained slickness for longer performance life
Two colors available, orange for high visibility and dark green for stealth
Orange: 165 YD or 660 YD Spool; Available in 10 LB, 12 LB, 16 LB, 18 LB Test
Dark Green: 165 YD or 660 YD Spool; Available in 35 LB, 50 LB, 60LB Test
Leeches have been a walleye fishing mainstay since the early 1960s. Prior to that, only a handful of savvy anglers trapped and used them. Just ask longtime Northland guide and angler, Dick “Griz” Gryzwinski, who was fishing leeches in the 1950s, but kept their walleye magic close to the vest.
Eye- Candy Jiggin' Leech
 |
| Eye Candy Riggin' Leech |
Have there been other bait companies who have tried to mimic the unique look, texture, feel, and action of fishing leeches? Absolutely.
But until now, most have been crude, lifeless pieces of plastic. That’s where Northland’s Eye-Candy Jiggin’ Leech and Eye-Candy Riggin’ Leech differ. Molded of a highly-buoyant and scent-absorbing TPE plastic, they nearly float on a dropshot, jig, or rig hook, making them move just like the real thing with subtle rod actions, boat speed, or underwater currents, even at a standstill.
We talked with a few guides to get the skinny on these fat walleye-catchers, catching up with Brian “Bro” Brosdahl (northern MN), Donnie O’Bert (Rainy Lake), and Brad Hawthorne (Mille Lacs).
Bro Knows Leeches
“The new Jiggin’ and Riggin’ Leeches are ideal summer walleye baits,” says Bro. “The Jiggin’ Leech is the perfect size and works great on a long-shank, short-shank, or stand-up jig. They’re really as effective as the real thing without the fuss of live bait. Another thing: For going into Canada or places where live bait is restricted, they’re the perfect solution.”
Bro continues: “I’ve been fishing a lot of the black- and darker-colored leeches, but on guide trips I will have clients experiment with different colors based on water clarity. Bright colors on bright days and darker colors on dark days holds true.”
Both baits, Bro says, catch walleyes. “Fish recognize the size, shape, and movement and come over right away to eat it, which is super cool for a plastic bait. They have a real swimming motion, and rigged on a jig, rig, or dropshot, it’s pretty close to the real thing because of the TPE plastic which has a lot of buoyancy and will also absorb scent to kick it up a notch—like adding some Pro Cure.”
Lastly, Bro adds that now through fall, the Riggin’ Leech is going to be a dynamite solution for spinner harnesses—either drifted or trolled.
Jason made the announcement on his Facebook account. He wrote:
I’m very proud to make this announcement. Some have already heard but as I’m packing for my first adventure that starts tomorrow I will make this official. As the New Co-Host of “Fish Tv” @teamfishtv I’m looking forward to the opportunity to both educate and entertain you through our many planned adventures this year. Be sure to tune in this fall and check them out.
BASS PRO TOUR
RICHMOND, Va. — On his 55th birthday, Skeet Reese received the best present of his life. The Bass Fishing Hall of Famer added his first Bass Pro Tour trophy to his long list of accolades at General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on the James River, plus the $100,000 top prize that came with it.
Reese totaled 54 pounds, 3 ounces on 23 scorable bass during Sunday’s Championship Round. He would need just about all of it, as Jeff Sprague put together a furious late-day rally but ultimately fell 3-11 shy of Reese’s total.
The California pro said the 12th victory of his legendary career will go down as one of his most memorable, as each passing season has made him increasingly hungry to join the list of BPT champions.
“This I what I’ve been fishing for the last five years out here, trying to be able to be in a position to hoist one of these Bass Pro Tour trophies,” Reese said. “To beat the group of guys that we compete against – I mean, literally, this is the best group of anglers assembled ever in the history of the sport. So, to beat these guys, that means a lot to me.”
Here’s how the Top 10 finished the Championship Round:
Canadians Cory Johnston 4th & Cooper Gallant 6th!
BASS Press Release
CULLMAN, Ala. — The Bassmaster Elite Series Media Guide notes that Smith Lake is Taku Ito’s favorite U.S. fishery.
On Sunday, at the TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Elite Series stop at Smith Lake, he showed the world why.
Ito, a 38-year-old pro from Chiba, Japan, led a field of 98 Elites with a four-day total of 20 bass totaling 58 pounds. That was 4-1 more than Robert Gee, who finished second with 53-15, and 4-2 more than Jay Przekurat, who placed third with 53-14.
Ito claimed $100,000 for finishing first, his second Elite title. In a virtual tie with Gee and Przekurat late in the day, Ito landed a 5-12 spotted bass with just over an hour left of fishing time. That fish earned Ito bonuses as the daily ($1,000) and overall Phoenix Boats Big Bass ($2,000) and helped him weigh the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of 16-9 worth $2,000.
It was a wild finish to what had been a difficult tournament for many of the Elites. The Alabama heat made Smith’s fabled spotted bass bite go slack at times, and most bass caught ranged from 1 to 2 pounds. The heat index, which climbed into triple digits during the final three days of the tournament, made the sluggish bite that much more grueling.
