Chasebaits Ultimate Squid

• “Designed to be the most realistic squid ever made,” says this bait’s Australian manufacturer. I saw this in the test tank and indeed the “rolling hood wings” scintillate as if on a living mollusk. Add 3D eyes, fluttering tentacles and squid scent and it seems a pretty tempting tidbit. Available in two sizes (5.9 inches and 7.8 inches); the manufacturer also offers weighted rigs designed specifically for this bait.
• Five color patterns.

Engage Dartspin

• This soft-plastic jerkbait is designed by Patrick Sebile to be particularly versatile, with multiple rigging options. The willow-leaf blade adds flash and vibration, even on the fall, when the lure moves horizontally. The Hyperlastic Softough body is tough and durable. Five sizes (3.5, 4.5, 5.5, 7 and 9.5 inches).
• Eight colors

Engage Twitcher Soft Lure Saltwater

• An extremely durable soft-bodied twitch bait with a great action, says the lure’s maker, Patrick Sebile. The 108-mm (4 ¼-inch)Twitcher is reinfored with a through-wire and has extra-strong split rings and hooks. A slot through the back holds a rattle to be inserted when conditions call for it; its transverse position offer maximum sound with a lure worked side to side. Effective on both a slow, steady retrieve and with a hard pause-and-twitch retrieve.
• Eight colors

Fish Snax Lures Da’Squid

• Fish Snax Lures is based in the Northeast, and while the new Da’Squid have already proven effective for stripers and other game fish, the manufacturers point out that everything everywhere eat squid. These are 7 ½ inches long.
• Three colors

LiveTarget Fleeing Shrimp

• The Fleeing Shrimp is designed to mimic the look/action of a shrimp trying to escape a predator. A silicone skirt folds on retrieve and fans out when resting. Two sizes (2 ¾ and 3 ½ inches).
• Three color patterns.

MirrOlure Paul Brown’s Soft-Dine XL Twitchbait

• Designed for fishing shallow water, with big seatrout and redfish in mind, the XL version of the popular soft-bodied Soft-Dine twitchbait offers a reflective-foil insert for added flash and a sonic rattling chamber for added vibration. Two sizes (2 5/8-inch and 3 ¼-inch).
• 23 color patterns

Savage Gear Salt 3D Swim Squid

• These soft mollusk baits are based on a 3D scan of a real squid, and look it. The manufacturer says the lure, of super-strong TPE material, swims and looks exactly like the real thing. It can be cast/retrieved, slow jigged or trolled; a unique two-part design allows for scent to be added. Four sizes (4, 5, 7 and 10 inches).
• Six color patterns.

Strike Pro Guppie and Guppie Junior

• The manufacturer calls this the “gold standard for handmade wood glide baits.” While the lure isn’t new, the various hand-painted colors are. The glide baits unique long, soft tail should make this hard/soft hybrid tempting for redfish, trout and other inshore game fish (though changing out the thin-wire hooks would be wise). The Guppie measures 5.3 inches; the Junior 4.3 inches.
• Six color patterns

Tsunami Pro Tidal Baits

• PVC construction baits in 3.5- and 4.5-inch sizes designed to mimic real fish.
• Two color patterns (mullet and sardine)

Westin Flat Matt Jig Soft Bait

• The realistic swimming action of this little soft flatfish is enhanced with the curly tail and side skirts. The baits feature 3D eyes and detailed, hand-painted colors. The result: amazingly lifelike. Two sizes (3 3/8 and 5 1/8 inches).
• Four color patterns

Z-Man Trout Trick Jerk Shrimpz

• A tail-first retrieve imitates backward swimming of a fleeing shrimp; wiggly appendages add appeal. The 4-inch ElaZtech plastic bait has a natural gliding action on the fall. Rigs weedless or on a Z-Man jig head.
• Eight color patterns

The post New Soft-Plastic Fishing Lures at the ICAST International Tackle Show appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Time to break those old habits. I’ll be the first one to admit I have some when it comes to ­fishing with soft baits. Often those habits take shape after successful trips. I think, “Heck yeah, I’ve got these fish figured out!” Then, on the next couple of trips, I’ll get skunked.

Techniques for fishing with soft baits shouldn’t remain static. The same old baits can stagnate in their effectiveness. Take advantage of better fish-catching opportunities by using different styles of fishing, trying new lures and techniques, or even considering a wider range of target species. Pick up some new habits.

Freshwater Finesse

Daniel Nussbaum, president of Z-Man Fishing, learned the costly consequences of sticking to the same presentations, especially during slow fishing periods.

“I was fishing in South Carolina with Drew Reese,” says Nussbaum. Reese is the former tournament bass angler who finished seventh at the inaugural Bassmaster Classic. “Reese caught eight quality seatrout in a row from the back of the boat, while I failed to get a bite on my three staple trout baits.”

Reese had chosen a finesse rig, also known as a Ned rig, similar to the style of bait he uses in summer for smallmouths at Lake of the Woods, Ontario. The rig consists of a ⅙-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig head and Hula StickZ (a buoyant creature bait with rear tentacles). Nussbaum stuck with his lead-head Trout Eye jig head and ElaZtech soft bodies that imitate baitfish.

“At the next few stops, we quietly poled and drifted across several flats in search of schools of redfish, and Reese proceeded to boat several quality redfish while I struck out again,” Nussbaum says. “Reese expertly played the fish on his light gear with 6-pound Fireline, 10-pound fluorocarbon leader and light-wire hooks. He was putting on a clinic using Midwest finesse tackle and tactics.”

Nussbaum realized why the bass master’s baits and presentation were so effective. “Reese slowly raised his rod three times before allowing the presentation to settle to the bottom,” he says. “He always allowed the bait to reach the bottom at least once on each retrieve, noting that the bait standing up off the bottom and moving slightly mimics a small minnow dying or feeding.”

Hard or Soft

A growing number of soft-plastic baits now come rigged with trebles, taking up real estate once reserved only for hard baits. Break the mindset that only hard baits can be twitchbaits or topwaters. The most established soft-bait brand to produce twitchbaits with trebles might be the one with Paul Brown’s namesake, now produced by MirrOlure. Some Gulf Coast anglers recognize them as Corkys.

“I think predators hang on to them for a bit longer due to the fact that they’re soft and more realistic in feel,” says Capt. Tommy Thompson, executive director of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. “We use them only in colder weather, when big seatrout are moving slowly and want slow-moving prey that’s easy to catch.”

The Paul Brown line of baits recently introduced topwater models to complement its suspending twitchbaits. Thompson favors the Devil twitchbait model, with a built-in wire harness, ­single treble hook, oversize eye and short “rat tail” at the rear.

“Use a very slow retrieve, just keeping the plug off the bottom. A random twitch will cause the plug to die, and that’s when predators like trout and reds are more likely to attack,” says Thompson. “I’ve caught 60 trout on one, but it takes just a single bluefish to cut one in half. A 2500-class reel on an 8-foot rod with 10-pound PowerPro works just fine for these plugs.”

Go Weedless All Day Long

Fishing with weedless soft baits is and always has been a productive technique in estuaries, creeks and other inshore waters. But for many, the jerkbait is just a single tool in the box when fishing in shallow waters.

I propose that the jerkbait become your prized tool, like a hammer that’s used regularly in around-the-house projects. Make sure there’s always a rod rigged with a jerkbait and worm hook whenever you’re fishing shallow waters less than three feet deep.

“If you retrieve the jerkbaits fast, you can skim them on top for surface strikes,” says Adrian Gray, fishing photographer and creative director at the International Game Fish Association. “If you fish them slower, they suspend if not heavily weighted. Plus, they land softer than most hard-body lures and spook fewer fish.”

The inshore scenarios where weedless baits excel illustrate their versatility. You can cast them under mangrove overhangs or docks, on top of oyster beds or grass beds, or even along rock jetties or shore breaks.

“I find that if I have someone fishing with me with little experience casting to shorelines or structure, a weedless jerkbait affords the angler more confidence to cast closer to structure with less risk of snags,” says Gray. “Plus, worm hooks are far easier to unhook and better for releasing fish than a mouth full of trebles.”

Creatures and Colors

Picking the right soft plastic sometimes defies conventional logic. If fish attacked only the most natural-looking presentations, all soft baits would come from the same baitfish molds, utilize the same natural colors, and replicate one another. But colors such as LSU’s purple and yellow are popular in ­places like Louisiana. And at times, the bait that’s shaped like a french fry can ­out-fish the mullet imitation.

“It’s all determined by our dirty marsh waters,” says Capt. Dan Skermetta of Venice, Louisiana. “Those darker ­colors show up so much better than light, natural colors.”

Creature baits that mimic crabs, eels and animals that I have never seen on this green earth also generate a profile that’s easier to pick up in murky waters. Often the baits are rigged with a noisy popping cork 2 to 3 feet above the bait.

Anglers who fish tidal zones where fresh meets salt have the opportunity to catch both largemouth bass and redfish at the same spot. Flip a jig-and-pig at reedy shorelines for both species.

In the Florida Everglades, Capt. Ray Van Horn pitches mangroves for snook, reds, black drum, young goliath grouper and tarpon with Strike King’s Hack Attack bass jig coupled with a Strike King Rage Bug (creature bait) or MirrOlure Marsh Minnow (baitfish) trailer.

“It truly is a reaction strike [I’m ­looking for] when flipping to mangroves and undercut banks,” says Van Horn. “I use a 7½-foot medium-heavy casting rod with backbone and large guides to handle the GT knot I tie between my 70-pound braid and 80-pound leader. When fish bite, they hit it with ­authority and don’t let go.”

Target New Species

The dirty secret that experienced deep-droppers only recently revealed is that eels are top natural baits for swordfish. Capt. Corey Burlew, a commercial fisher­man from Deerfield Beach, Florida, found that soft-plastic eel imitations are just as productive.

“The first day I ever tried the 18-inch Hogy eel, I had five bites and two swords landed,” says Burlew. “The next day I had five bites and landed three fish. Ever since, I’ve used them with confidence.”

Curlew uses traditional electric gear for the swordfish, but at the terminal end he adds a pink or black skirt to 300-pound mono leader before ­rigging the soft-plastic eel to two 8/0 Southern-style tuna hooks. He sews the Hogy to the hooks the same way he would sew a mackerel.

“What gives action to the eel when fished deep is the current at the surface,” he explains. “I’ll head up-current, say, into 3-knot current at just 2 knots, so the boat drifts slowly back, and that imparts action to the eel at the bottom.”

So far, Curlew has landed up to four swordfish on a single soft plastic, but averages closer to two or three fish per bait. “I’ve tried marinating the Hogy in menhaden oil,” he says, “but I haven’t noticed much of a difference in my catch rate between the scented and unscented baits.”

The post Secrets of Fishing Soft Plastics appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Perfect Presentation

With the plethora of soft plastic lures available today, soft baits are utilized in all but the most specialized fisheries. And even then, there’s probably an angler revolutionizing the fishery right now with a homebrew soft-bait rig. In fact, I know of one particular captain who catches swordfish in the northeast canyons by jigging 10-inch soft baits at night. That’s why it’s so important to know how to fish soft plastics in saltwater.

Because local and national manufacturers make soft baits so readily available to anglers, competition is fierce to produce the most lifelike imitators in terms of design, body and appearance. That leaves plenty of options for you and me.

Sport Fishing interviewed pros and lure manufacturers about their favorite soft-bait setups; from there, we whittled it down to 10 unique rigs that maximize action on soft baits. This feature is not going to proclaim the best soft plastic lures for saltwater, but will instead show you how to rig soft plastics for saltwater. Chances are at least one of these rigs will produce on your next trip.

Here are some great options for how to rig swimbaits and other soft plastic lures for saltwater.

No. 1: Sebile

Capt. Jeff Brooks, jeffbrooksfishing.wordpress.com

Orlando, Florida

Sebile’s Magic Swimmer soft bait is jointed into three segments for lively action but swims best when rigged to a worm hook. The hook entrance and exit points are rigged into the mold for precise alignment. Sebile’s soft weights slide up and down the length of the shaft to allow for weight forward or rear presentations. Or take the weights off completely and tie the bait to a Carolina rig. To rig this in an unconventional manner, Capt. Jeff Brooks slides the soft weights toward the throat of the hook and secures them with a drop of superglue. Perfect for skipping underneath mangroves and docks.

No. 2: Z-Man

Capt. Scott MacCalla, redfishonfly.com

Titusville, Florida

Capt. Scott MacCalla rigs Z-Man StreakZ 3.75 soft baits to catch juvenile tarpon. First, he wraps thread around the shank of a Gamakatsu SL12S 1/0 hook. Then, he threads the soft bait onto the hook, stopping just before the wrapped threads. That’s where he adds drops of superglue and pushes the bait all the way to the hook eye. The wrapped thread gives something to which the glue and bait can adhere.

No. 3: Hogy

Capt. Tyler Nonn, twcharters.com

Elkton, Maryland

Capt. Tyler Nonn prefers to fish with a 10-inch Hogy when sight-fishing for finicky striped bass along the beaches. He uses a 6/0 VMC circle hook that connects to the front of the Hogy with a bait keeper. With no hook in the bait to restrict action, the rig “allows an angler to talk a fish into biting,” he says. When working this bait, Nonn makes three big twitches with the rod tip and then a few quick cranks.

No. 4: MC Swimbaits

Erik Landesfeind, facebook.com/elandesfeind

Southern California

Eric Landesfeind rigs MC Weedless swimbaits to a 9/0 TroKar Kelp Trick ½-ounce weighted hook. The hook’s spring is screwed into the exact center of the nose to keep bait aligned with the hook. The bait’s belly is slit open to create a hook pocket. When a fish bites the bait, that hook slides into the body of the bait and allows the hook point to pop out. New TroKar Kelp Trick Hooks feature a secondary barb to keep lip-hooked fish from shaking the hook, especially if there’s slack line in heavy cover. The second barb sits close to the hook point, but not too close to adversely affect in-mouth hook-sets.

No. 5: Berkley Gulp!

Capt. Bobby Abruscato, ateamfishing.com

Dauphin Island, Alabama

To rig the Berkley Gulp! ­Doubletail Swimming Mullet, Capt. Bobby Abruscato modifies a traditional ­popping-cork rig. He adds about 2 feet of leader to a cup-shaped cork, and then ties on a homespun weighted worm hook in lieu of a jig head. The shank angles slightly at the hook eye where Abruscato adds a slug of lead to weight the hook. Comparable hooks to his handmade version include the Mustad Power Lock Weighted and Owner Weighted TwistLock (remove the locking mechanism). Thread the stinky Gulp! onto the hook so the point protrudes just before the double tail. Other Gulp! baits work too, including the new Gulp! Hollow Shrimp.

No. 6: Savage Gear

Capt. Eric Davis, verobackcountry.com

Vero Beach, Florida

Capt. Eric Davis doesn’t need a hook to be successful with his soft-bait rig. Savage Gear‘s 4Play soft bait works like a real mullet when attached to a dredge. Using No. 15 wire, he makes a sharp V at the end of his wire trace, then slides it into the soft-bait body. The V holds the wire inside the bait. The other end of the wire gets a loop with a haywire twist. This loop is used to attach the bait to your dredge. Use eight of these baits on the dredge, plus one natural mullet.

No. 7: Almost Alive

J.W. Pender

Harkers Island, North Carolina

To rig the Almost Alive Menhaden, J.W. Pender utilizes 4/0 treble and live-bait hooks. Use the two hooks and wire to tie a stinger rig that matches the length of the menhaden soft bait, about 4 inches. All connections include ­haywire twists. Insert the live-bait hook into the lower jaw out the top of the head, then pierce the base of the tail with the treble. Using this artificial offering mimics the popular method of slow-trolling for kingfish with natural bait.

No. 8: Williamson

Capt. Mike Weinhofer, fishnkw.com

Key West, Florida Keys

Capt. Mike Weinhofer fishes soft plastics to capitalize on wahoo bites when trolling 2 to 5 knots. He fishes light drags and lets the ‘hoo make a big first run with the boat in gear. Though most Williamson soft baits come pre-rigged, he outfits the Williamson Live Mackerel with a short piece of No. 10 wire near the swivel. Other wahoo will attack the swivel, even skirts in front of baits, which leads to cutoffs. The most important item to take when offshore fishing soft plastics is a bottle of superglue. “I have reglued baits that look like Frankenstein’s creations, but I wouldn’t trade them,” he says.

No. 9: D.O.A.

Capt. Rick De Paiva

Fort Myers, Florida

Capt. Rick De Paiva turns his D.O.A. Shrimp backward and cuts off the tip of the tail before rigging to an Owner TwistLock 3/0 worm hook. A spiral locks the tail section in place at the hook eye. The worm hook itself fits perfectly into a hole meant for the factory-rigged hook. This way, the shrimp casts farther and kicks away from prey naturally, plus it’s rigged weedless to slide through sea grass without fouling. De Paiva inserts a rattle into the nose of the bait.

No. 10: MirrOlure

Capt. Jeff Poe, biglakeguideservice.com

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Capt. Jeff Poe inserts the hook point of his 1⁄16- to ½-ounce jig head just above the center nose of MirrOlure’s Lil John soft bait, making sure the darkest side is facing up. Stay away from crooked baits or rigs; the bait should always swim ­perfectly straight. Poe pushes the point of the hook into the bait until it reaches the straight part of the shank, and then brings the point out of the bait, finishing by sliding the bait all the way to the lead head. Poe ties 20-pound-test leader to the jig head with a nonslip loop knot

The post How to Rig Soft Plastic Lures appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Today’s hottest topwaters, lipped baits and ­subsurface plugs are built from modern plastic blends, manufactured to last longer and attract more fish than ever before. The largest lure manufacturers shy away from timber, leaving woodwork to custom companies that specialize in the handcrafted production process. The effort and time that goes into each wooden plug is immense.

Plastic and wood baits both have worthy spots in any angler’s tackle box. In fact, many of today’s top hard-plastic baits mimic the mesmerizing motion that wooden lures once monopolized. If you’re not utilizing both types — plastic plugs with innovative features or the classic wobble of crafted wood — I strongly suggest diversifying your arsenal.

Distinct Advantages

Wood and plastic plugs each offer unique ­characteristics. It’s up to the angler to decide exactly what he’s looking for in the lure, and in what scenario he wants to fish the lure. With plastic hard baits, expect to get consistent action straight out of the box, while the movement of a specific wooden lure model can differ slightly from plug to plug. Still, when a wooden plug is tuned properly, it’s tough to beat.

“What makes us different is that we start with an actual bait and 3-D scan it,” says Mike Bennett, of Savage Gear. “From our 3-D scan, a positive is made to use as a temporary mold to adjust swimming action. After adjustments, we make a permanent mold.”

Plastic baits like Savage’s Manic Prey and Freestyler also tend to have brighter and more-vibrant colors, along with a larger range of actions and styles.

In this video by Jason Arnold, watch how fish see a Savage Gear Manic Prey Deep Diver lure:

“Patrick Sebile specifically sets out to design his baits for given techniques and applications,” says Chris Pitsilos, Sebile Lures product manager. “For example, the power keel on a Stick Shadd allows the bait to cut through water and aid in the swim action.” For Sebile, it’s not about a specific species to target, but rather modifying molds and designs to get the exact action he wants.

Wooden baits rely on the ­materials from which they’re crafted to attract fish species.

“What started years ago in the surf-fishing community has to lead to quality custom wood plugs across most fishing scenarios,” says Capt. Gene Quigley, of Shore Catch Charters in Manasquan, New Jersey. “Cedar plugs are naturally buoyant, floating completely level in the water; that’s hard to replicate with plastic.”

Also consider that wood is heavy and solid — much heavier than plastic — so it’s easier to cast wooden plugs longer distances. They often reach fish when other plugs can’t.

Allure of the Motion

“I believe a wood lure has the best action in the water, especially in the hands of a skilled fisherman,” says Dick Fincher, of Phase II Lures in Westport, Connecticut. “It’s important when picking a wood lure to know what that lure is designed to do.” Popular Phase II wood plugs like the Scooter Floating Popper and Junior Darting Swimmer come with a fishing‑suggestion card for this reason.

Anglers steeped in the history and tradition of fishing are more apt to consider wooden plugs. “If an angler learned about wood lures from a previous generation, and if he himself is skilled in casting,” says Fincher, “chances are, he will have a wood plug tied to a rod.”

For plastic plugs like the Shimano Orcas, sometimes the action is all about mayhem. Orcas are made from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) thermo­plastic, an impact-resistant and tough material. Polycarbonate, polypropylene and ABS plastics differ in density, weight and cost, but each is extremely durable. Lure manufacturers pick one plastic over the other when designing a lure to act a certain way, whether that’s a strong, lipped swimming action, durability and strength during high-speed trolling, or a hollow plug that utilizes a weight-transfer system.

Orca’s topwater version is meant to be worked fast and erratically, while the sinking-pencil version works well around feeding fish and panicked bait schools.

In this video by Jason Arnold, watch how fish see a Shimano Orca Floating lure:

“Shimano Orcas are built from plastic to allow for mass production, but also so they can be molded into a distinct round profile,” says Ted Sakai, senior brand manager at Shimano. “The main targets with the Orcas are tuna. You really want to be able to ‘jack’ the lure, causing it to dive and roll, but also to skip across the top of the water.”

In this video by Jason Arnold, watch how fish see a Shimano Pop Orca lure:

Built to Last

Some of the toughest hard baits in today’s market utilize polycarbonate, a plastic resin also used in ­applications such as bullet-resistant windows and Blu-ray discs. Yo-Zuri’s Crystal Minnow and Sashimi Pencil incorporate polycarbonate, as do many of Bomber’s saltwater plugs, such as the Magnum Long A.

In this video by Jason Arnold, watch how fish see a Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow lure:

In this video by Jason Arnold, watch how fish see a Bomber Magnum Long A lure:

Nonwood-lure companies have an advantage as they continue to experiment with new materials. Manufacturers such as Yo-Zuri can build tougher lures, but also incorporate fish-attracting features such as hollow bodies, rattle ­chambers, weight-transfer systems and 3-D prism finishes.

“Yo-Zuri alters polypropylene into a foam material called Power Body for its balance, action, and strength when producing Sashimi Bonitas and Sashimi Bull Poppers,” says Chris Bishop, national account manager at Yo-Zuri. “We have not received a single broken Sashimi Bonita or Bull Popper, even from anglers targeting species such as wahoo.”

Wood-lure manufacturers can’t build their lures via injected molds, but instead start from dowels of wood consisting of birch, pine, balsa and cedar. “Our popular Danny and Pro series of swimmers and ­topwaters is built from Pacific sugar pine,” says Matt Smalley, of Gibbs Lures. “Our Tuna Candy plugs are made from birch, a harder and more-resistant wood that handles strikes from bluefins.”

From those blocks of wood, it’s a 55-step process to the finished product, says Smalley. “Each lure has its own ‘knife,’ a sharp-cut piece of steel used to shape each specific lure,” he says. “Then there’s a drilling portion for the through-wire — it must be perfect, completely dialed in.” Sanding, sealants, drying, primers, painting and assembly all follow, illustrating why wooden handcrafted lures will never be mass-produced.

“Anglers love the action of our metal-lipped swimmers, often called ‘Dannys.’ Its action in the water is difficult to replicate with plastic,” says Smalley. “Add the sex appeal we give with paint, plus the natural buoyancy and weight of wood, and coastal anglers catch all kinds of fish on our lures.”

Wooden plugs are most popular in the Atlantic striped bass and bluefish fisheries, but they also catch seatrout, redfish, tarpon, and snook. Even if the wood loses some of its finish, it doesn’t stop attracting fish. As Fincher explains, “It’s fair to think of wooden plugs as an art, but art with a purpose — which is to catch fish!”

The post Wood or Plastic? appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

D.O.A. Airhead lures

D.O.A. lures bear long hours of on-water development, so anglers should know that — out of the package — the company’s new Airhead has caught plenty of fish. D.O.A. says the larger-than-normal hook cavity provides a high hookup percentage and creates buoyancy. The holographic eyes are made from the same material as the body, so they flex with the lure. Rigged with a worm hook, Airheads can be fished through all kinds of cover and at any depth. The lures measure 5 inches long and come in 18 colors. A pack of six bodies costs $5.49. Call 877-362-5873 or visit doalures​.com.

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Mold Craft Reel Eel

Mold Craft’s new Reel Eel comes in ­7- and 10-inch lengths in 10 colors. Pair the plastic tails with 3/8-, ½- and 1½-ounce gloss-black, powder-coated jig heads to cast for game fish such as cobia, snook and stripers, and jig for snapper, grouper, cod and halibut. Jig heads feature Mustad hooks. Three packs of one rigged eel and two spares cost $10.76 (7-inch bodies) and $15.63 (10-inch bodies). Six packs of unrigged baits cost $14.44 and $19.96. Call 954‑785‑4650 or visit www.moldcraftproducts.com.

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Savage Gear Soft 4Play Lures

Savage Gear’s new Soft 4Play lures offer anglers four rigging options — use an offset treble or weedless/weighted single hook, a unique “lipscull,” or any jig head. The segmented soft bodies come in four sizes — 3 3/4 (1/3 ounces), 5 1/8 (3/4 ounces), 7 1/2 (2 ounces) and 10 inches (5 ounces). Colors include mackerel, real herring, pearl silver and firetiger. Prices range from $8.99 to $12.99 for the bodies. Three-packs of offset treble rigs (in three sizes) cost $3.99; three weedless hooks with tungsten weights cost $5.99 (three sizes); and packs of two lipsculls (in four sizes) cost $6.99. Check out the Savage Gear 2012 catalog at www.okumafishing.com.

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