ICAST new walleye and ice fishing stuff 💯 part 2

1. Rapala Jigging Rap.

It’s Jigging Rap SZN! The OG of hard-bodied jigging baits that can be pitched, dragged, or vertically fished. It’s the ultimate reaction bite, and IMO one of the most fun ways to catch a walleye.

This proven fish-catcher is getting 4 new colors…clockwise from the top left = fruit punch, glow slimey lime, glow pink squirrel, and head spin:

2. Rapala Shad Rap.Needs no introduction – it’s literally been the benchmark that other cranks are measured by – but here’s a little nugget you might not realize:

> The buoyancy of a balsa body (they twitch, quiver and wobble on the retrieve) allows a Shad Rap to deflect with an unrivaled action when it bangs into bottom structure and cover. Shad Raps also back out of shallow cover better than copycats, floating up and minimizing snags.

Will now be in 6 new colors. Clockwise from the top left = black wonderbread, voodoo haze, glow pink squirrel, juicy Lucy, moldy fruit, and headspin:

3. Rapala Rippin’ Rap.It’s no secret that one of the best ways to catch a truly BIG walleye is fishing Rapala Rippin’ Raps just like the name says…big 3-5′ rips and letting it crash back down to bottom. Pumped about these 4 new colors Rapala’s adding to the lineup:

Clockwise from the top left = moldy fruit, juicy Lucy, voodoo haze, and black light:

On your mark, ready, set, let’s go!

1. VMC Hover Jig.

Pop quiz: What floats like a balloon and gets popped by fish? VMC’s new Hover Jig, of course:

Floating jigheads are a KILLER, finesse-y way to catch walleyes. It’s an old-school technique that we haven’t talked about nearly enough in Target Walleye, and I’m going to try and change that.

Why are they so good? ‘Cuz they let you present live bait up off bottom, away from snags, and right in the strike zone all the time. Just gotta run a small slip-sinker in front of ’em.

What makes the new VMC Hover Jig really stand out to me is that its hook is pointing upwards when it floats, rather than downwards like most other floating jigs, so:

> Tony Roach: “It’s going to hook those walleyes in the roof of their mouth…and that makes it much harder for them to shake it. In other words, more fish in your boat.”

2. VMC Twitchin’ Jig.

Believe these are geared for the salmon/trout/steelhead crowd, but that hasn’t stopped me before 🤣.

Has that 2X strong, extra-long-shank TechSet Hook with the Technical Locking Curve. It’s made with “billowing skirts of rabbit hair, tinsel, Flashabou and living-silicone,” and maintains its shape in the water offering a larger profile:

3. VMC Ned Rig Jig.I mentioned this one in part 1, but now have a little more info and pics of the other colors:

> “A hybrid bend in the Ned Rig Jig’s 1X-strong, forged, fine-wire Vanadium Steel hook provides extra strength. A chemically sharpened needle point and a hybrid, wide gap ensures that bass [and of course walleyes! 😏] stay buttoned….”

Available in 4 sizes (1/16, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 oz) and 3 colors (black, green pumpkin and chartreuse). Love that all the sizes will have a 1/0 hook, ‘cuz a lot of other jigs out there start bumping up the hook size the heavier they get…which is fine unless you’re trying to throw compact little baits like you want to with a Ned rig. Can’t wait to try ’em.

4. VMC Hard Ball Jig.

> Featuring a traditional round-ball head and a built-in molded keeper, VMC’s Hard Ball Jig comes armed with a premium, high-carbon steel, black-nickel-finish VMC hook.

> A full dozen color patterns are available…come 4-per-pack in a single color and 10-per-pack and 25-per-pack in assorted colors. They come in three sizes: 1/8 oz 1/0 hook; 1/4 oz 2/0 hook; 3/8 oz 2/0 hook.

5. VMC Bucktail Jigs expanding.

Will be 4 new sizes including 1/32, 1/16, 1/2, 3/4, and 1 oz which I know you river 🐀s will love. Also adding a couple new colors = “shad” and my new favorite “purple albino” here:

New a couple years ago, but something a lot of folks are still having fun adding to their arsenal is the VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble. It has a resin-sealed swivel with a BLADE for flashy goodness. Currently comes in 6 sizes (2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8) but VMC will also be adding a couple smaller sizes to the lineup with a #10 and #12.

Lot of folks have been adding ’em to their crankbaits – it adds a fish-sexy little flash, but putting ’em on the middle or front treble can also give fish a focal point of where YOU want ’em to hit the bait…instead of nipping at the back:

Now there’s a brand new twist coming 2022…VMC Bladed Hybrid Quik Strike.

Endless options for you “tweakers.”

Will also be available without the Bladed treble in the Quik Strike Trailer Treble Hook and the Quik Strike Trailer Single Hook – both will have the same “Crossover Cap” technology that “creates a perfectly matched, no-slip connection from a hook to a VMC Open-Eye Rolling Swivel or VMC Spring Keeper. From the connected swivel or spring keeper, you can securely attach trailers and stinger hooks of multiple types.”

> Tony Roach: “There are a lot of jigs that you can’t use a stinger hook on unless you use this new system. And it is so easy – you put the cap over the clip, thread your main hook right through it, and then voila! You can start using stinger hooks on any jig you have. Your stinger hook is attached inside the connector, but the cap’s there, so it can’t get free because there’s that rubber material there.”

Believe VMC will be selling that Crossover Cap system separately, too.

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH