Last week, I surveyed some bass fishing products that are new to the market in 2009.

The new fishing lures that I reported on last week were mostly made from soft plastic, but a number of new hard baits or crankbaits are also being introduced this year. In addition to new crankbaits, other new products include new fishing lines and terminal tackle.

The Biopulse hard crankbait from Mystic Tackleworks (www.mystictackleworks.com) won the Best of Show at the 2008 ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades). This new crankbait was not designed by anglers but by a group of scientists, and the lure took years to develop. It seems almost as if this lure comes alive in the water. That statement is based on the manufacturer’s claims! I wonder if it will be banned from the tournament circuit because it is a live bait.

The Biopulse lure contains a combination of sensory features that include sound that comes from a built in electronic chip, light that changes depending on water clarity and a slow release feeding stimulant called Sci-X that anglers will spray into the lure’s bladder. The feeding stimulant is designed for a number of different fish species that include fresh and saltwater fish. What will they think of next?

The lure comes in several models including topwater, shallow divers and deep diving models. The cost of the lure has not been determined yet and the lure is not yet available commercially. The company Web site says it will be available shortly. I have to ask myself if this is fair to the fish and just remember that not all performance claims pan out. Keep this in mind before you purchase a dozen of these likely expensive lures.

Another new hot lure that was introduced at the 2008 ICAST show was the Spro Bronzeye Popper from SPRO (www.spro.com). The frog-like popping lure was developed by tournament angler Dean Rojas and may be the hottest new lure on the market this year for largemouth bass. It sells for around $9 and is available now.

There are also new crankbaits from Normark (www.rapala.com) named DT Fat 1, DT-9 and DT-20. The DT Fat 1 is a shallow running balsa crankbait that only runs about 12 inches deep. The DT-9 has a coffin shaped bill and runs about nine feet deep. The DT-20 has a metal lip and the company claims it can reach depths of 20 feet.

A number of new lines will hit the market this year and many are either fluorocarbon or braided lines and they offer significant improvement in this type of fishing lines. Berkley (www.berkley.com) has a new braided line called FireLine Braid for baitcasting. The FireLine casting line allows anglers to spool larger diameter line but still enjoy smooth casting on their baitcasting reels.

One of the more unique lines introduced at the 2008 ICAST show was Bioline (www.biolinefishing.com) monofilament line. This new line supposedly biodegrades in the water in about five years where as regular monofilament lines take more than 500 years to biodegrade. That could be good for the environment and may lead to a new push to create lines that are more environmentally friendly. The line comes in sizes from 4-12 pounds.

One additional line that is worth mentioning is ANDE (www.andemonofilament.com) freshwater monofilament line. ANDE lines have for many years been the choice of saltwater anglers but this is the first entry by ANDE into the freshwater line market. The line is sold as being strong, smooth, very sensitive and abrasion resistant. Based on the excellent reputation the company has earned from saltwater anglers, the freshwater angler using monofilament should give this line a try.

In the area of terminal tackle a good number of new products are available for anglers using soft plastic swimbaits, shaky head worms, Texas rigged worms and jigs. Those new products offer numerous weighted hooks in various styles and sizes. Several new sinkers are also available including a sinker made by Invisible Sinker Company (www.invisablesinker.com) that they claim is virtually invisible under water.

These invisible sinkers are made from silica (pink or clear), they come in weights from 1 to 3 ounces and they are expensive (a single 1 ounce sinker costs about $3). Just might be a little pricey for fishing on a lake’s cluttered bottom.

One other new sinker is a new line of Magnetic Bullet Weights from Bullet Weights (www.bulletweights.com). The magnetic bullet weight will cling to the hook in a Texas rig setup but will release from the hook when fighting a fish. Sounds like a good idea but these sinkers are also a little pricey at about $5 each.

That concludes my look at some of the new fishing products available to anglers this year. Only time will tell if these new products will pass the angler’s test and become a standard item in the tackle box. If you’re like me, you probably have a few of those “greatest new fishing products” somewhere on the shelf gaining dust. We anglers just can’t seem to resist new fishing things. Good fishing and see you nest week.



Bobby Peoples may be reached at brpeoples@windstream.net.