Go Big: The Most Interesting Swimbaits at ICAST 2026

Introduction: The most prevalent bait category at this year's ICAST was, unsurprisingly, the urchin bait. Looking to capitalize on the fuzzy-bodied bait craze, nearly every manufacturer unveiled either a new urchin-style soft bait or a new rigging system designed to improve its presentation, hook-up ratio, or both.

Swimbaits are always a highlight at the show and this year we saw a blend of custom bait and big brand showcases as well as a few surprise newcomers

Before diving into all of the urchin madness, however, let's take a look at another category that never fails to generate excitement among bass anglers, swimbaits and big baits. This year's show delivered an impressive mix of new offerings, from custom lure builders introducing injection-molded ABS versions of their most sought-after creations to make them more accessible, to innovative new designs that blur the line between traditional swimbaits and conventional lures. Let's take a look at the most notable swimbaits from this year's show. 

It is always great to see Kyle from Throwback at ICAST and see what the custom bait maker has been working on

Throwback is introducing a ABS version of their popular resin Metroglide. The Metro LT will be available in multiple sizes. The larger version measures 7" and weighs in at 2.5 ounces and will retail for $49.99

Two of the benefits of ABS over resin is consistency and the ability to make translucent patterns

Throwback will continue to make custom swimbaits and unveiled the Chickadee V2 crawler

The new Chickadee V2 features a new two piece design with plastic wings that are removable

The wings are now embedded into the bait for durability and swim consistency

JYG Fishing is a popular brand that has origins in saltwater and has made the leap into freshwater and inshore swimbaits with their JYG GLYDE

The GLYDE is a resin bait that measures just under 8" and is a slow sinking class bait

This resin bait has some incredible patterns with the companies dual paint and photo realistic paint finish

Each bait comes with 360 degree rotating hook hangers and BKK hooks

The tail is silicon and is replaceable. The GLYDE is also adjustable to deliver different glide, swim, and chopping actions

There will be many different patterns and the dual paint finish has a silver under-layer to increase flash and also looks like an injured fish as the surface printing wears over time

Jose, President of JYG, shows us the very exciting custom GLYDE swimbaits and the company is targeting a super aggressive retail price of $49.99 when it launches this Fall

Andrew Gardner designs the unique looking Synch Fishing Artisan Wake & Crank swimbaits that look like fishable works of art

Each Synch Artisan features heavy-duty swiveling hook hangers and BKK treble hooks. Everything down to the packaging looks premium and each bait retails for $79.99

Bill is always working on new swimbaits and this year introduced the FishLab Pro Hydra Glide

The Hydra Glide measures 6" and features semi-soft fins

The Hydra Glide can be worked slow or quickly and features a super slow sink design

There are a lot of great finishes and like other FishLab lures the Hydra Glide is very aggressively priced at only $19.99

On the soft swimbait side FishLab also unveiled the Alpha Underspin which features a jighead with a clear PVC cover over a lead core and matching tails. A dual swivel underspin is designed to rotate at even the slowest retrieve speeds

It is easy to match the hatch with three different size options (3", 3.5" and 4"), all with a perfectly matched head and tail. The Fishlab Alpha Underspin

The Rapala PXR STRYDA 180 may look like a traditional glidebait but it has a very unique feature...

Notice the extra weight in the package

The STRYDA's removable belly weight is easy to screw in and out and allows the bait to be fished at multiple depths. This versatile glide will retail for $59.99

Building on their previous success the Hustlin' Hog is the second collab between Strike King and Tater Hog custom lures

The Hustlin' Hog is 5" long and weighs 7/8oz. and is designed to be an easier swimbait to throw while delivering the characteristic Tater Hog smooth swimming action. The Hustlin' Hog will retail for $39.99

Not all swimbaits are big baits and the Strike Pro Bitsy Glide is a BFS option measuring only 2.75" and weighing 1/4oz.

This tiny glide is great for matching smaller forage and will be available in ten different patterns for $9.99

Bucca introduced a new crawler swimbait at the show

The wings are inset and have a backstop behind them to increase swim consistency and durability

The Bucca crawler is designed to be fished both fast and slow. They measure 6" and will come in six different colors and will retail for $34.99

Bucca's newest glidebait is the 6" Trick Herring

The Trick Herring is a skinnier glide that is designed to excel in warmer water conditions where an erratic retrieve can help drive strikes

Bucca explained that the Trick Herring is great when waked just under the surface and reel bumps impart strong side to side twitch action. The Trick Herring will retail for $34.99

Technically not a swimbait the Bucca El Toro is certainly a big bait measuring in at 7"

The El Toro is an oversized ripbait with a swimbait style broom tail turned 180 degrees. It features a casting system to help the bait cover more water

The Kurlfish is a new lure that looks like a swimbait but is more like a live bait harness or trolling class bait. Unlike helmet type rigs the Kurlfish protects the bait from head to tail

Justin and Mark worked with G.Ratts bait's factory to introduce the Kurl swim/trolling lure at ICAST

The Kurlfish comes fully rigged outside of the package and can be fished with or without a baitfish or scent sponge. The bait creates a unique action as it is retrieved and there will be a 5" and 6" model which will retail for $16.99 and $18.99 respectively and start shipping this Fall

Whether it was custom lure builders making their popular resin designs more accessible through injection molding or manufacturers introducing entirely new concepts, this year's ICAST offered no shortage of intriguing swimbait introductions. But we have only scratched the surface of new baits unveiled at the show. In our next roundup, we'll dive into the year's biggest trend, the explosion of urchin baits, along with the latest blades, cranks, frogs, and other traditional lure introductions that are coming to tackle stores in the coming season.