Fall 2024
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say what it was right away; it was a secret, which added to the mystique. Once it was mentioned, all the stores instantly sold out and then depleted our inventory. The next shipment was coming in February, and then he won again with it on Toledo Bend, and we’ve had to add to the order numerous times this year.”
Jackall’s United States manager, Ariel Biley, has also noticed the impact of baits designed for this method.
“With the current technology trend in bass fishing, we’ve noticed a high demand for lures that excel with forward- facing sonar, such as our DriftFry series,” he shared.
CHANGING TACKLE TRENDS
There has already been a seismic shift in tackle trends, and much more is likely to come. The change has also affected traditional fishing lures, with some tackle companies noticing steep declines in purchases of lures like crankbaits. Many anglers have pushed aside crankbaits in favor of trendier techniques while watching their sonar.
“Some hard bait sales have fallen off, but some are still doing well,” said Paino. “Baits like jerkbaits still have strong sales in the traditional season, fall through April. Plus, so many use them with forward-facing sonar all year.”
Paino said topwater is also doing fine but acknowledged that crankbaits sales have been affected. “Crankbait sales have fallen off, but walking topwater baits like the ima Skimmer and Little Stik still have a time and place and are great for casting to busting fish.”
Even with these changes in sales numbers, Paino said that many anglers are still fishing with traditional methods. Forward-facing sonar is the talk of bass fishing, but he believes it primarily focuses on the tournament world.
“The everyday guy still wants to go out and catch fish with the same traditional techniques,” he said. “You see how dominant forward-facing sonar is for tournaments, but if you or I go out for fun, we just want to catch them. Baits like a hollow-belly frog are still doing well for sales because they are one of the most fun ways to catch a bass, and there are times and conditions where they are still the best choice.”
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