Louisiana Sportsman

March 10, 2026

Logan Richard of Arnaudville started making hand-tied jigs as a hobby for himself, but eventually the word on their catch rate got out and other anglers convinced him to put them on the market.

Richard Jigs

March 1, 2026 Don Shoopman

Logan Richard has taken his crappie fishing to another level by making his own artificial lures. They are called Richard Jigs.[…]

Missile Baits' new Freedom Flyer has been catching on as a go-to soft plastic minnow whether used on a Missile Baits Eye Roll Jighead, like in this photo, as a swim bait, Carolina-rigged, Texas-rigged or as a soft plastic trailer on a spinnerbait or bladed jig.

Missile Baits Freedom Flyer

February 9, 2026 Don Shoopman

The Missile Baits Freedom Flyer is a soft plastic “minnow” that consistently has triggered strikes for bass anglers since its release.[…]

Bill Lewis Lures' new Big Gizz has been catching bass of all sizes, mostly big, ever since it was unveiled at ICAST 2025.

The Bill Lewis Big Gizz

January 26, 2026 Don Shoopman

Bossier City’s Nick LeBrun intends to catch plenty of bass with the Bill Lewis Lures Big Gizz he got his hands on in early November.[…]

More and more saltwater anglers are getting their hands on redfish like this one, plus beaucoup speckled trout, when they tie on a new Vudu Mambo Shrimp.

The new Vudu Mambo Shrimp

December 26, 2025 Don Shoopman

Whether fishing grass flats, marsh, docks or open water, the new Vudu Mambo Shrimp is hard for fish and anglers to resist.[…]

Young sac-a-lait anglers with a fish caught using an orange/chartreuse Crappie Magnet soft plastic.

The Crappie Magnet

November 20, 2025 Don Shoopman

With the Crappie Magnet’s introduction in the early 2000s, the world of fishing for crappie changed for the better.[…]

The Big Bite Baits Fuzzy Stick landed on the shelves and racks of fishing tackle stores late this summer and has caught bass across the country.

The Big Bite Scentsation Fuzzy Stick

October 24, 2025 Don Shoopman

Big Bite Baits is playing the soft plastic creepy, crawly appendages game with its recent introduction of the Scentsation Fuzzy Stick.[…]

Bass fishing pro Tommy Biffle, whose soft plastic creature bait was named after him by legendary artificial lure manufacturer Gene Larew, shows off a good-sized bass he caught on his renamed Scutter Bug.

The YUM Scutter Bug

September 21, 2025 Don Shoopman

PRADCO Outdoor Brands folded the ever-popular Gene Larew Baits line of soft plastics under the umbrella of YUM Fishing Baits.[…]

Brazola Custom Lures has brought back the version of the bushwhacker Pat Schlapper used to win the Bassmaster Elite Series event at the Sabine River.

The Schlapper Pro Bushwhacker

August 10, 2025 Don Shoopman

Danny Arballo of Brazalo Custom Lures talks about how Bassmaster Elite Series pro Pat Schlapper instantly made his buzzbait notorious.[…]

Former Bassmaster Classic Champion Cliff Pace enjoys catching bass on his company's Black Label Custom Soft Plastics Hi Roller on a Hi Roller Head, a ball-shaped leadhead that accentuates the roll of the bait.

Black Label Hi Roller

July 8, 2025 Don Shoopman

The Black Label Hi Roller is a soft plastic minnow-style bait with appealing rolling action that more bass are finding hard to resist.[…]

Heddon Super Zara Spook

June 8, 2025 Don Shoopman

Dustin Elder of Hot Springs, Ark., redesigned the new look for the Super Zara Spook from Heddon Lures, on the market in mid-October 2024.[…]

Toad Thumper Lure Co.'s Sway Glide made a big splash in the artificial lure manufacturing industry when it was introduced early this year.

Toad Thumper’s Sway Glide

May 12, 2025 Don Shoopman

The Toad Thumper Lure Co. Sway Glide is a versatile glide bait that will give you that large gizzard shad profile at an affordable price.[…]

The Creme Lure Co. Badd Bug catches quality fish Texas-rigged and several others ways, according to designer Mike Clark.

Creme Badd Bug

April 20, 2025 Don Shoopman

The Creme Lure Badd Bug will take a bass off its bed in the spring or lure it out of its comfort zone other times of the year.[…]

Lure Review: Super Lizard SI

March 21, 2025 Don Shoopman

Mister Twister unveiled a new product late last year. the 7-inch long Super Lizard Salt Infused soft plastic, that drives bass wild.[…]

A large speckled trout that bit a Mega Matrix Shad is cradled by a happy angler recently on a fishing trip in Lake Pontchartrain.

Lure Review: Mega Matrix Shad

February 10, 2025 Don Shoopman

The Mega Matrix Shad quickly rose to, well, mega go-to status for many saltwater fishermen across the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.[…]

The new Mini Hammer-Trap from Bill Lewis Lures packs a punch despite its 3/16-ounce weight.

Lure Review – The Mini Hammer-Trap

January 6, 2025 Don Shoopman

The new Mini Hammer-Trap from Bill Lewis Lures packs a punch despite its 3/16-ounce weight. It was introduced at ICAST earlier this year.[…]

The Zoo Kick is a remake of Snag Proof's old, highly sought-after Wobbletron Frog.

The Snag Proof Zoo Kick

December 13, 2024 Don Shoopman

The brand-new Snag Proof Zoo Kick is sure to prove as good as, if not better than, its predecessor from the mid-2010s, the Wobbletron Frog.[…]