Fall 2025
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Photo: Garrett Dixon
page 26
“That’s our new forward-facing bait, and people are catching fish everywhere. It’s been a great new addition for us since we released it,” said Dixon. “We waited a long time to get it right and took time designing it. It’s great for forward-facing sonar on a jighead, but it’s also been lights out for us on Clear Lake when used as a trailer on the back of a ChatterBait or swim jig.”
Many minnow baits are on the market, so Dixon explained what makes this different from the rest. “It’s made of TPE material, so it’s very durable. It has a very tapered tail that comes to a needle point, which gives it a ton of action,” he said. “It will rock from side to side but also undulate up and down, so you get the best of both worlds. Right now, it’s just available in the four- and five-inch versions, but we have a six- and seven-inch bait coming very soon.”
Dixon has a few favorite colors, including John Pearl Shad and the custom Steve Kennedy green color, and says to fish it quickly on a jighead to get the bait to use its full potential.
“One thing I like to do is to tie a loop knot to my jighead to give it even more action, and I move it a lot,” he said. “I shake it with a tight line and keep the whole thing moving quickly above fish I see on the screen. The slender of the bait keeps that action going, and it doesn’t slow down.”
Dixon prefers to fish it on a new tungsten jighead they are working on and a spinning rod. “I fish it on a Douglas XMatrix 6103F rod, 2500-sized reel, and 10-pound Cortland braid with a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader,” he shared.
Clear Lake has always been one of the best bass fisheries in the world, but it may be the best there is now. The fishing is good, and the swimbait and jighead minnow bites will be excellent from now until spring. •