Secret Weapons Being Deployed?

Written by Jim Shepherd

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Although most of us don’t think about it, we probably inherently realize that the equipment professional athletes use in competition really aren’t the same as the “identical product” we buy in stores. They might not all be as radically different as a NASCAR ride, but the pros get equipment well in advance of the rest of us. Last year, fellow Alabamian Boyd Duckett won the Bassmaster Classic using a new bait developed just for the event. It was the Berkley Chigger Craw and Duckett said straight out that it was responsible for most of his catches. The “Chigger” was a hot performer throughout the rest of the 2007 Elite Series. This year, it seems the secret laboratories are once again cranking out baits that have, in essence, been tuned to perform in South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. The Berkley pro team will be using some pretty interesting gear. Earlier this week, we received a plain brown package that contained the “consumer-ized” versions of most of those products. Consumerization, incidentally, is nothing more than packing the baits in retail packaging. We say “most” because one came in packaging that had none of the usual marketing and informational material, but more on that in a minute. Our informational package included, for instance, the Hank Parker Football Jig. This jig head features “3-D Angry Eyes” and they look every bit as angry as promised. It may look a bit cartoonish, but Parker’s accompanying tip says it will trigger more strikes when bass are clinging to rocks. It comes with a pair of three-inch double-tail grub trailers and an optional skirt. The skirt is one of those options where the pro anglers employ their personal touches, modifying their individual baits until they are, well, individual. Other rigs include a Finesse rig Mike Iaconelli says is deadly (it, of course, has angry eyes, it is Ike’s remember) when given the right presentation ( he recommends light line and a drag, hop and shake presentation to attract inactive fish in clear water) and a Flippin’ rig by Jay Yelas. Yelas says his Flippin rig is good in clear or stained water and recommends using the Chigger chunk trailer and jig skirt to coax bass out of heavy cover. These jig rigs come with double tail grubs (Parker/Iaconelli) or Chigger Chunk trailers (Yelas) Worms and Swim baits go from heavy to hollow, respectively. New five-inch “Hollow Bellies” are swimmers with an oversized paddle tail designed to add additional wobble. Another interesting feature of these baits is the clear coat finish. Berkley says that finish helps magnify the natural image. The three-bait package includes 6/0 3/32oz. Weighted hook (for Texas Rigs) and a size 2 Treble hook, 3/32 oz. Bullet weight, size 5 swivel and split ring for open water rigging. Heavy weight worms, on the other hand, use weight to give the lures a sinking sensation. The new SinkWorks (these are 5”) are versatile to allow the worm to be used in a Texas rig, on a small jig head, weedless or wacky rigged. It sinks faster than traditional worms, adding to the action and is available in ten colors with a slightly smaller profile than the Fat Sink Worm. 2007 Bass Elite Series Angler of the Year Skeet Reese says the weighted worm gives him the ability to “slow down my presentation for fish that have been highly pressured.” He also says it’s one of his favorites when fishing solely around thick cover. But it’s the unmarked and unadorned clear plastic bag that’s gotten my attention. Inside a clear bag is a jig head that has the apparently obligatory angry eyes, but looks like something ripped off a Mardi Gras parade outfit or an LSU fan’s best party clothes. It’s purple and gold, a color ensemble called “Joker” on the simple label. It comes with a three-inch double tail grub (in watermelon) and looks like it just may be this year’s semi-secret weapon. No promises, but at the first opportunity I’m going to take my 1/2 ounce Gripper Jig (Joker), attach my watermelon double tail grub, and see if I can’t rustle up some cold water bass. If nothing else, I’ll give them a color splash to brighten up their day. After all, it may be the same gear, but the guys on the packages are the pros. That’s probably the biggest difference, right? To sign up for the outdoorwire contact --Jim Shepherd This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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