LIVETARGET Goby Paddle Tail Swimbait Review

LIVETARGET makes some of the most realistic baits on the market. They make some great lures and always seem to win awards at shows like ICAST. With that being said, I owned maybe two of their baits until recently. I received one of their Sunfish Hollow Belly (another ICAST winner) and these two gobies at ICAST this year. The sunfish works as advertised and I have been using both the Goby Paddle Tail Swimbait and Goby Single Tail Swimbait over the past month.

My first impression of the goby swimbaits were that they looked great and would definitely catch smallmouth where I fish. I was right, they do catch fish and they are very realistic.

Before I get started, here are the details of the two baits.

Along the back, the LIVETARGET Goby Paddle Tail Swimbait features a hard-kicking paddle tail that comes to life on a slow drift. Offered in a range of lifelike goby patterns, the LIVETARGET Goby paddle Tail Swimbait provides multi-species attraction that is sure to become a staple among Northern anglers. LIVETARGET 

At the rear, the LIVETARGET Goby Single Tail Swimbait is fitted with an oversized J-shaped tail that flickers and thumps, even with a super-slow drift. Equipped with a razor-sharp top hook, the LIVETARGET Goby Single Tail Swimbait delivers an unsurpassed Goby imitation that Northern anglers are sure to love.

Length Weight 

3-1/4"   1/2oz 

3-5/8"   3/4oz 

4"         1oz

Fishing these two baits was kind of a cross between fishing a football head jig and a swimbait. Although we do not have gobies in our waters, we do have some sculpin which are very similar. Both of these species stay along the bottom most of their lives and often around rocks. This is what I targeted with the bait and I tried to keep it close to the bottom more like I fish a jig.  The paddle tail and single grub tail both have great action and do not require much effort to get started.

The baits were easy to fish and I got bit fairly quickly during testing. I was able to hook most of what bit and I would compare the hook-to-land ratio to a football head. Some fish short strike it, but most of the time they stayed hooked once you get them.

The color selection and sizes available were pretty impressive. All of the colors looked good and I like the 1/2oz size I was using. The bigger sizes may be good for deep water and rough conditions, but may be too big and too heavy for some situations.

I also like the fact that these come in packs of three. I didn't lose any but know that if you are fishing these in the right areas, you are bound to lose a few in the rocks The price also isn't outrageous. $11.99-$12.99 for a three pack is pretty good. It's more than a jighead and hula grub, but much less than most swimbaits, which again this bait is a cross between both of them.

Overall I like the baits. It worked for me and I think it will work anywhere smallmouth live even if there are no gobies in the water.

New Skeet Reese Rods

Ahhh, ICAST Season is here. This is the time of year when my inbox starts getting me excited with the newest items that are set to hit the market. The following is a snippet of the press release about the new Skeet Reese rods. I have seen the blinding yellow rods everywhere the last several years and now that they have changed (toned down) the look, I may give them a chance.

Here are some of the specs:

• Every Victory Pro Carbon rod has a completely new and redesigned reel seat that optimizes reel placement for balance and features a skeletal design for extreme weight reduction while still providing a solid platform.
• Casting models all feature our new patent pending “Flipping Trigger” Reel Seat that will improve leverage and control by using a dual trigger design that is a true game changing innovation in casting rod design.
• Pacbay Minima one piece guide frames reduce weight by 20-30% over ceramic ring guides while increasing sensitivity and rod blank return rate.
• Redesigned handles reduce weight and improve all day comfort while providing a solid rod hand connection.
• Custom fighting butt provides exceptional balance and fish fighting comfort.
• Easy to read line and lure weight designations.
• Suggested retail on all 10 new rods is just $159.99

Love em' of Hate em'...what are your thoughts?

A Review of the Mitchell 300 Pro

If you have been fishing for any amount of time you have probably encountered a Mitchell 300 reel. They were a little before my time, but I have fished with them. All of the anglers I knew that were older than me swore by them, "They don't make them like they used to" and "These reels are bulletproof" are what they would say when comparing them to the new generation of gear and talking about the original Mitchell 300.

With all that being said, there is a new Mitchell 300 that is now available at TackleWarehouse. Will it be enough to live up to it's legendary name?

Old School vs. New School

As you can see they kept some of the same design but totally revamped the reel and made it more in line with modern options available on the market. It should be enough to satisfy the old school and new school Mitchell fans.

Reel Specs:

• 10 bearings with instant anti-reverse
• Bail Halo for superior strength
• Strong advanced polymeric body
• Aluminum spool and handle with EVA knob
• Smooth hybrid carbon fiber drag
• 3 sizes: 300, 308 and 310
• Price: $69.95 for each model

The reel I have been using for a few months is the 300 size. Originally I didn't have a use for it as I prefer smaller reels and really light line for my finesse fishing. I decided to spool it up with 10lb fluorocarbon and attach it to a 7' M Abu Garcia Villain and it was awesome for light Texas-rigs. This combo has been great for tubes and small jigs.

Overall I was impressed with the reel. For the price, I don't think there is another reel that compare. It's smooth and casts well. It may be a little heavier than I prefer, but it balances nicely on a medium or even medium heavy spinning rod. Check them out, it looks like Mitchell is definitely back!

Are You Ready For the Rocket? The Revo Rocket is in Stock!

I have been waiting for this moment since ICAST, the Revo Rocket is now in stock at TackleWarehouse. I was very impressed with the look and feel of the reel when I saw it and the 9.0:1 ratio is just amazing. It retails for $299.99 and is sure to be another awesome reel from Abu Garcia.

Features: 

• Ten Stainless Steel HPCR Bearings + 1 Roller Bearing
• X2-Craftic Alloy Frame and Sideplates
• Carbon Matrix Drag System
• D2 Gear Range
• Infini Brake System
• Infini II Spool
• Extended Bent Carbon Handle
• Large EVA Knobs
• Titanium-coated Line Guide

The Storm Arashi crankbaits are in Stock!

While I was walking around ICAST, I ran into Brandon Palaniuk. We chatted for a bit about what's new with Storm and Rapala and the whole time he clutched his new favorite crankbaits in his palm. He was like a proud father showing off these baits and it was with good reason, they are awesome. The styling alone looks like a much more expensive line of baits, the finishes are like many top Japanese baits. They retail for $8.99 and have quality components and the first "self-tuning" line tie I have ever seen. This is big for crankbaits and Brandon swears they allow the bait to stay in the strike zone after deflecting cover, where most crankbaits get out of tune and out of the strike zone after hitting something. The hook hanger is also rotated so you can use bigger hooks and not have to worry about them hanging up with each other.

I'm looking forward to trying them and they are now available to order at TackleWarehouse! 

Brandon Palaniuk with his prized crankbaits

RUSTY CRAW color

HOT BLUE SHAD color

VIDEO: ICAST 2013: Elite Series pro Kevin Hawk shows the new DUO Realis Spinbait

VIDEO: ICAST 2013: John Murray with the River2Sea Papa Mur Football Jig

VIDEO: FLW Tour Pro Kevin Stewart with the Damiki Rambler: ICAST 2013

VIDEO: FLW Tour Pro Stetson Blaylock talks the 13 Fishing Crankenstein Rod: ICAST 2013

VIDEO: Elite Series Pro Fletcher Shryock at ICAST Showing off the new Revo Rocket

ICAST 2013: New Reels from Abu, Lew's and Pflueger

The Revo Rocket 9:1 reel!

Pflueger redesigned several reels for this year

Lew's continues to improve

New Squarebills at ICAST 2013

The squarebill crankbait isn't going anywhere and there were some good ones introduced this year at ICAST. Here are four that caught my attention among all of the visual stimuli at the ICAST show.

Megabass Knuckle Jr: I love the original and this downsized version is just as good in terms of quality and design. It also features the adjustable lip to change the diving depths.

Damiki: A perfect size and some great finishes. This is going to be a good one.

Storm Arashi: This bait was the bait during Brandon Palaniuk's great event and subsequent DQ at the last Elite Series. It has the self tuning design to make it run true over and over again.

DUO: Their squarebill has a circuit board lip and aerodynamic design.

ICAST 2013: Shimano Chronarch CI4+

I'm a big Shimano fan, always have been, probably always will be. Just wanted to get that disclaimer out there. With that being said, I really like the new Chronarch CI4+. It's designed as a reel in between the regular Chronarch and Core, but with many of the best features of both.

Here's three things I got from a quick inspection:

1. Super light: I didn't catch the exact specs, but it's really, really light.
2. Solid: Even with the lightweight, it still feels solid and like it can handle heavy baits and big bass.
3. Sleek: It feels like a sports car design. That's one of the biggest cliches in describing new products, but for this reel it fits.

The TBrinksFishing ICAST Awards

Each year we hear about the same old categories at ICAST: Best New Freshwater Rod, Reel, Soft Lure...etc. I agree we need to have these awards but decided to make my own categories.

Ugliest Rod: This was a hard choice with all of the colors in the rainbow represented, but the Halo Ronald McDonald Signature Rod wins it. By the way, that's not what it is really called.

Strangest Reel: Again, this was a tough one..but 13 Fishing wins!  It's a reel designed for ice fishing and definitely caught my attention from the looks.

Craziest Soft Plastic: The Mann's Three For All. There were a few others that were close, but this one wins!

Those were the big winners tonight.

Top Secret Eco Pro Sneak Peak for ICAST

I just found out about all of the new products coming out from Eco Pro Tungsten. Before they started telling me about the new items, I was sworn to secrecy and it's killing me to not be able to share what they have been working on all year.  One product in particular really caught my attention because it is something nobody else has been able to figure out, it's been an engineering problem for many companies who have tried to make it happen.  

I'll give you a couple hints. One is it's made of tungsten (obviously) and the other is a quick picture of part of the lure.  Trust me, this thing is going to be awesome.

A New Look at Jigheads: Freedom Tackle

One booth at ICAST that really caught my attention was Freedom Tackle.  They are a brand new company from Canada and both the company and their ideas were refreshing to hear about.  They were excited about the product and passionate about the design which was great to see. 

The jigs are what they call a live action hybrid jig.  The concept was unique in that the hook can be changed out from the jighead.  How often have you had a great jig only to have the hook damaged, bent or become dull?  I've had it happen more than a few times and it makes the whole jig worthless.  Their design allows you to change hooks if they become bad or even if you wanted to add a smaller, larger or different style of hook. The hooks swivel and move like an Accent Lures Scooter Jig or the Biffle Hardhead, but the fact that you can change hooks makes it even better.

It was cool seeing how easy it was to switch out hooks.  Watch this video to learn more.

This is more of what they say about the jig:  "Unlike the conventional fishing jig Freedom’s Live Action “Hybrid” Jigs offer total flexibility from the second the jig hits the water through the retrieve. This is achieved by separating the hook from the jig head and by specially weighting the jig head to ensure that it always lands “hook side” up in the perfect “strike” position."

More info can be found on their website freedomlures.com

The swim jig design

New from Z-Man Fishing

Z-Man continues to come up with new designs using ElaZtech.  Check out what Luke Clausen had to say about two new baits and also about the new redesigned Chatterbait Elite.

Bobby Barrack Talks Snag Proof Frogs

There is maybe nobody in the world with as much frog fishing passion and knowledge as Bobby Barrack.  The Bobby from the Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog shared some of his expertise at ICAST.  Enjoy the video:

ICAST: DUO North America

DUO North America has had a busy few months since they launched at the Bassmaster Classic earlier this year.  This was their first ICAST and it was a big success.  They have Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie Brandon Card on their staff and he was there to explain what's new from DUO in this video.  Check it out.

Also, DUO announced a scholarship program for young bass anglers.  This is the first of it's kind and I thought it was a great idea.  You can learn more about it here.

Enjoy the video:

ICAST: Missile Baits VIDEO

Missile Baits has been getting plenty attention this year after Ish Monroe won on Okeechobee with the D Bomb. It's with good reason, these baits are awesome.  I talked with John Crews at ICAST and a video of him explaining the Missile Craw.  I have a few friends who have been using this bait here in Florida and have been doing great using it as a punching bait, but John explained a few other ways to fish it.

Since, I can't go a few days without fishing...the first thing I did when I got home from ICAST was to go out and test some new baits.  I was using a spinnerbait with a Twin Turbo and caught a bunch of fish.  It looked great on the back.  Think about this next time you are looking for a new swimjig or spinnerbait trailer.

Missile Baits Twin Turbo as a trailer

Check out the video below: