Little Creeper Baits: One of the most interesting swimbaits at the show was the "All American Trash Fish" from Little Creeper. This bait is designed to resemble a variety of trash fish which are the common forage for bass across the country. The first bait was hand sculpted using the body style of a Hitch as a model and the body style is designed to mimic other "trash fish" including Alewives, Perch, Smelt, Shiners, Suckers, Squawfish and even juvenile Carp.

The baits feature exceptional detail especially in the fins. Each and every bait is individually hand poured and features a phthalate free plastic and the eyes are PVC hologram silver.

It isn't just about the look of this lure, Benno Heune the Owner and Designer spent a great deal of time getting the action just right and actually uses two different densities of plastic in each lure to not only make it swim with a unique action but also increase durability. 

There is also a provision to make this swimbait easy to rig and just as easy to hook fish. A hook pocket in the top of the bait holds the hook right at the bend versus just the point so the entire hook point exposed in the pocket so the second a fish strikes the bait a quick hookset is possible. The Trash Fish can be rigged with a 6/0 or 7/0 weighted Gamakatsu EWG Monster hook or a 8/0 screw eye style hook. These baits are sold in packs of two for a very reasonable $12.99. The quality of these baits look outstanding and we look forward to seeing what they can do in the water.

CL8 Bait: We caught up with Clayton Bryant, Owner and Designer of CL8 Bait branded lures, who showed us a wide assortment of new lures that exhibited the same attention to detail that his innovative nine inch original exhibited. If you read our original review of the CL8 swimbait you will remember that this bait had a number of concealed hooks designed to ensure that when a fish struck they would not get away.     

The new 7" makes use of this same hidden hook plus magnet design but anglers will notice that there is a screw which olds the magnet in place, this makes it possible for anglers to remove the magnet and install more traditional treble hooks instead.

Like the original the smaller 7" model features realistic find and a collapsible design so the bait really can fit in the mouth of a bass. These baits are available now and retail for $59.99 each.

Another new bait from CL8 is a very custom looking rat bait called the Water Vole. This bait is designed to be waked right on the surface or if retrieved quickly it will swim right under.

The Water Vole is hand crafted completely out of wood and was designed by Pro Angler Gabe Bolivar to be used for hunting for kicker fish but after testing the team found that not only can it catch lunkers but it catches everything from 2 pounders and up. Depending on the color the company uses different materials including carbon fiber for the bill and quality components are used throughout including Owner split rings and hooks and SPRO swivels. Each Water Vole measures 4" in length and each and every bait is crafted out of wood personally by Clayton. These baits are available now and retail for $37 dollars each. 

It didn't end there for CL8, Clayton had one more bait to show us, his new Bluegill which was constructed out of a flexible material and features the same type of hinge design as his original CB-9 swimbait. This bait is very detailed and a matte and glossy version will be available. Both versions feature a dual hook configuration with a single top hook and an Owner treble hook underneath. These baits will be available soon and retail for $29 dollars each.

It is always fun to catch up with all the big bait manufacturers and Monster Bass Jam is quickly building a reputation as a gathering for some of the very best that the West Coast swimbait scene has to offer. But it wasn't just big baits at Bass Jam, stay tuned for Part 2 of our coverage where we check out some more lures as well as a few new rods.

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