New Products for Mexican Bass from ICAST 2025
I never stop scheming for our next trip to Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos. While I could probably have great trips South of the Border with established lures, once in a while showing the bass something different makes for some unreal days. I recall the first time we threw a Whopper Plopper down there and the first time we got on a good flutter spoon bite – the strikes and quality were simply exceptional.
I took careful note of the new offerings at the 2025 ICAST show and here are a few that caught my attention for my southbound travel bag:
I hadn’t really thought much about Yo-Zuri’s lines until we started frequenting Panama, but since then I’ve become enamored of its castability and durability. We use the same 65-pound test you might flip with for bass to tame tuna and roosterfish and cubera snaper.
Another giant diver – 1.6 ounces – that’ll get down to 24 feet. It comes in all of the right colors, but might be different enough in terms of body shape and sound profile to keep the schools fired up.
I’ve caught some fish on the original Bull Shad both in Mexico and at home, but even at the categorically-reasonable $50 or so, it’s hard to throw one in the thick timber of Mexico. At half that price, it’s still not cheap, but I can justify sacrificing one or two to the fish gods.
I am religious about changing hooks every night on every trip, partially because they get worn down, and partially because I can’t take any chances when I might encounter the fish of a lifetime. These 3X trebles should be ideal for swimbaits, big crankbaits and topwaters.
I still struggle with storage of terminal tackle in a travel bag, vacillating between small hard boxes and just throwing the packages into ziplocs. This may be a safer and more organized way to always have what I need right at my fingertips.
The Mexican bass still attack a plopper like Amazonian peacock bass on a woodchopper, but it’s not quite as frequent as it was a decade ago. Maybe a slightly different sound pattern will aggravate reluctant biters.
This lure – a combination blade bait, spoon and vibrating crankbait – may be one of a kind, and it’s big enough to attract bass in search of a hefty meal. I envision myself jigging it in the same places I’d throw the flutter spoon and getting my shoulder ripped out of the socket.
