NEW RELEASES ® IN VIRTUAL VIEW
Fall 2020
OPTIMUM BAITS
THE OPTIMUM BAITS PAPA BOOM
Professional angler Fred Roumbanis designed the “Boom Boom” Swimbait lineup. Initially, there were two sizes of the weedless bait, and one pre- rigged six-inch swimbait.
Later, they added a line-thru version and now for 2020, they went bigger with an eight-inch bait called the Papa Boom. It weighs 3.2-ounces and is a weedless version of the swimbait meant to be fished with a 12/O weighted swimbait hook on heavy tackle.
Roumbanis recommends a 50 to 60-pound braided line or 25-pound fluorocarbon on heavy gear. He fishes it on a 7’6” to 8’ heavy rod paired with a reel with a 6.5:1 gear ratio.
It has the same excellent tail action as the smaller baits and comes in many popular colors from Optimum such as Ghost Rider, Sexy Minnow, Hitch, and more. Fishing this bait, you can expect a tight body roll, thumping tail and quivering action in the head of the bait.
The Optimum Baits family of brands includes some made in America brands such as Optimum and AA’s: but they are also the distributor of some of the most sought-after Japanese lure companies. Deps, ima, Madness, Zappu, and more fit under the Optimum Baits name here in the States. This year, there are several new items as well as some expansions of popular products with more sizes and unique colors being offered.
MADNESS JAPAN BALAM 245
The first bait to hit the market was the Balam 300 and now there is a downsized version, the 245. These multi-jointed swimbaits can be fished at ultra-fast speed and will not roll or blow out.
They are the brainchild of Japanese big bass guru Satan Shimada. He helped popularize a technique called the “8-Trap Method,” which he often fishes and is a unique way to get followers to bite. While it excels at fast speeds, it can also be dead-sticked and to trigger bites.
The new 245 version weighs 3.7-ounces and has an ABS body and silicon tail. It is available through Optimum in six colors.
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NEW IMA COLORS
The ima lineup of hardbaits has a few new colors to match different conditions and as a response to demands from anglers everywhere.
The new colors are Hot Shad, a great shad imitator and Chartreuse Shad meant for dirtier water. Also new is a bait made for clear water lakes called Watermelon Craw.
The ima Pinjack 200 is a great mid-range crankbait that is now offered in Chartreuse Smash, Watermelon Craw, and Hot Shad. The popular ima Square Bill also has these three new colors.
For the unique suspending lipless crankbait called the ima Suspending Vibration, the Sexy Minnow and Shimmer Shad were added. Both match more types of baitfish across the country.