It must have been the bonito reports showing up in my inbox while I was down at ICAST that had me searching the floor for something new I could throw at hardtails this fall. With word that many albie fishermen’s former favorite, the Maria Jig, has been discontinued, there is at least one opening for the next great albie lure. Walking the aisles at ICAST, I definitely think we found a few.
First up was the Sebile Fast Cast in the ½- to 1-ounce sizes. This lure will be a good match of the small baitfish that albies and bones regularly feast on. Also, it will launch, which will definitely come in handy when you need to get a cast into a distant school before it goes down. The colors and action all looked great, and we even snared a couple to try out as soon as we can get in front of some hardtails.
Next was the Lunkerhunt Bento. This bait won the Best Soft Bait in the 2012 New Product Showcase. While freshwater anglers were salivating over this lure for drop-shotting, I was thinking how nice it would look being worked through a school of false albacore. If there is a more spot-on spearing or bay anchovy imitation, I haven’t seen it. At 4.5 inches, it’s going to take some creativity to figure out a way to get this lure to cast far enough to get into feeding fish, yet still work erratically enough to draw strikes, but I’m certain there’s a way to make this work.
Not to be overlooked were the Swedish Pimples, which now feature a wide range of colors and sizes. Many anglers only know these lures as ice-fishing aces, but thanks to the enticing tail kick, Swedish Pimples have gained a quiet following from albie and bonito chasers.
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