Details

Published: 20 December 2024

CrushCity Report

CrushCity’s new Mooch Minnow

Bass Pro Tour champion Dustin Connell put CrushCity’s new Mooch Minnow to work this spring, before the lure was officially released. He won both the BPT RedCrest on Lay Lake and regular season event on Toledo Bend with this new minnow imitator. Two very different fisheries, one with mostly spotted bass, the other with mostly largemouths, but the defining similarity was the appeal of this one lure – the Mooch Minnow, one of four new softbaits that joins Rapala’s tournament-grade softbait line, CrushCity.

The Mooch Minnow may appear at first glance like many other soft plastic minnow baits, but there are key differences, starting with the lure’s tab tail, which makes it substantially different, and in most cases better.

“You can’t reinvent the wheel, but you can do things a little bit different,” said fellow BPT Champion Jacob Wheeler. “Like actions, you can change the profiles a bit, you can do a lot of little things to separate yourself from other softbaits.”

In addition to its unique paddle tail design, another defining feature of the Mooch Minnow, is its use of TPE Material. Not only does it float, enhancing the action of presentation, but it’s ultra-durable. That meant that Connell could catch 20 bass on tournament day on a single softbait. That alone saved him valuable time, and saves other tournament anglers valuable cash. It’s scented, too, so fish grab it and won’t let go.

Because of the way the tail is designed, it doesn’t have a hard kick, but rather a tight wobble, one that’s almost invisible to the naked eye.

“I didn’t want a lot of resistance where there was a lot of lift,” Wheeler said. Connell agreed – one of the key attributes of this lure when he’s using forward facing sonar is that he can get it down in front of fish while they’re still present and active.

It can be fished on a dropshot, on a jig head vertically, or with Wheeler’s signature horizontal shake, and it’ll still maintain the absolute correct amount of roll and kick to emulate a living, fleeing baitfish.

The Mooch Minnow’s 3-½ inch profile resembles the size of many common baitfish throughout bass fishing country, from threadfin shad to perch to ciscoes to smelt.

The Mooch Minnow is available in 20 pro-designed colors, including: Albino Shad, Black, Black N Blue, Chartreuse Pearl, Electric Shad, Ghost Morning Dawn, Goby, Green Pumpkin Chartreuse Pepper, Green Pumpkin Disco, Green Pumpkin Goby, Green Pumpkin Magic, Green Pumpkin, Green Shad, Gizzard Shad, Perch, Pearl White, Shad, Sungill, Sexy Shad, and Tennessee Shad.

The Mooch Minnow is sold six per pack and has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $5.99.

Details

Published: 19 December 2024

Savage Gear Report

Savage Gear Gravity Twitch

Savage Gear has released its new shallow runner twitch bait, the Savage Gear Gravity Twitch, made to mimic a small baitfish prone to being ambushed by a hungry predator.

The Savage Gear Gravity Twitch is strategically designed to deliver long casting performance and action. A magnetic long-cast weighting system, featuring a sliding iron core in the belly of the lure, makes it easy to cast and ensures precise accuracy. Adding to its appeal, the Gravity Twitch features a built-in tubular rattle chamber, producing noise when reeling or ripping the bait. By pausing the lure on the retrieve, the Gravity Twitch suspends, teasing a wary predator into striking.

Available in six ultra-realistic, baitfish-imitating colors, the Gravity Twitch’s matte finish is more than just for looks. The finish reflects light in the water, creating a subtle shimmer that attracts predators from great distances.

SAVAGE GEAR GRAVITY TWITCH – KEY FEATURES:

• Strategic weighting for long casting performance
• Internal rattle produces sound to draw strikes
• Matte finish that picks up light and makes the lure extremely visible
• Photo print colors and details from an actual fish

Size: 115 • 145

Colors: Gold Shiner • Brown Chrome • Blue Chrome • Firetiger • Pike • Perch
Suggested retail is $9.99.

Available: December 2024

For more information about Savage Gear products, click here.

Details

Published: 16 December 2024

VMC Report

Tungsten Roach Jig

Naturally flowing marabou creates life-like action and mimics natural prey. That’s the secret behind the new Tungsten Roach Jig.

This new jig delivers your presentation to the strike zone faster and with a better live sonar return than traditional lead.

The jig is complemented with VMC’s exclusive Power Gap hook, which features a wider round gap, greatly increasing an angler’s hook rate percentage.

The Tungsten Roach Jig comes in eight colors, including Black, Glow, Glow Chartreuse, Glow Juicy Lucy, Glow Metallic Rainbow, Glow Metallic Red, Glow Orange, and Glow Pink. Ultra Glow finish allows the jig to be seen at lower depths and during the night bite.

The Tungsten Roach Jig is in three sizes, 1/64 oz., 1/32 oz., and 1/16 oz. It’s sold two per pack and has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at US $6.99.