Spin on: The lure that pretty much put DUO on the map here in the U.S. is the now iconic Spinbait spybait. This lure takes hardbait finesse fishing to the next level and has proven itself many times over to be effective in some of the toughest clear and even coldwater conditions when targeting both largemouth and smallmouth bass. This ICAST DUO continued to add to the series with two new patterns, the Aqua Herring and Black Ayu that look like crystal clear water weapons.

Aaron Martens G87 Signatures: Since DUO partnered with Aaron Martens the company has been hard at work creating new signature baits. One of the first introductions are a series of new patterns that are favorites in Aaron's arsenal. Anglers will now have access the G87 15A/20A crankbaits in Aaron's Citrus Shiner, Aaron Tiger, and Green Smelt patterns, all of which have been reserved only for his personal tournament use.

A Bigger Bug: One of the coolest cicada class baits on the market is the DUO Realis Shinmushi, a cleverly designed bait that combines both hard and soft body elements together to create a bait with the right silhouette and pulsing action of a beetle touching down on the surface. The standard Shinmushi was a hit but US anglers wanted something bigger, and DUO has answered with the massive Dekashinmushi which basically doubles the size and is 3 inches in length. This magnum crawler comes crashing in hard to draw those big reaction strikes and when twitched it creates a big ripple on the surface to draw fish in, and with the large soft wings a straight retrieve initiates the user-friendly crawl. 

A New Spin: Also new this year is the DUO Realis Spin, a tail spin type lure that is designed to stimulate chase instincts in fish. The compact body makes this bait easy to cast and the classic blade spin tail creates a smooth rotation as the body rolls to create a more natural appearance that is designed to trigger strikes. It is loaded with a belly hook and a rear hook behind the blade to maximize strike to hookup ratios.

As usual David Swendseid at DUO had some exciting new prototypes to show us at the booth, and this year some of them were still very early stage but got us excited about possibilities of what the final versions could offer anglers.

The first was a cross between a swimbait, frog, and topwater walker. This entire bait looks like it is molded out of soft plastic and is designed to be able to retrieved over the surface with an aggressive tail kicking action as the bait walks. Notice the tail has a cut out area, this is designed to maximize side to side kicking action by making the tail even softer.

The second prototype pretty much blew our minds. Designed by Mr. Adachi himself the Alabama Sub is basically a floating A-Rig that can be retrieved at a variety of speed right at or below the surface. The floating center portion is flanked by blades and four jig heads for shad trailers. A unique popper at the rear creates surface plunging and boils similar to pursuing predators. Absolutely wild! This bait clearly is in prototype stage but what the final product might look like and how fish will react to it has us more than curious.

DUO continues to introduce great baits that are exceptionally refined and have some of the nicest finishes in the industry. DUO's not so secret weapon is Mr. Adachi himself, and each and every season he continues to create some very exciting new lures. This year was no different.