> "...the understanding of FFS, seeing the fish and what baits get them to bite. Because a lot of times they don't bite. I at with him at his pool and we shake-and-baked every single lure and jighead combination to get that one just perfect."
3. Did any other pros have input on the baits?
> "No, not out of the gate. It's challenging to work with more than 1 guy initially. But some of the other guys are indirectly involved. Like Jacob calls Kyle Welcher a bit to get his thoughts on stuff. Wheeler thinks Welcher is the most analytical fisherman in fishing. I believe it too. He's got this other dimension of thinking that's really impressive.
> "He's a great person to have onboard for CrushCity...same with Bob Downey: He's a really, really smart guy.
> "If we make a bait that's more geared toward the specialty of another guy, we'll work with him as well. And if Jacob doesn't know [something], he knows who to talk to to get the right information to us.
> "He surrounds himself with good, smart, talented people. And he's always learning. He listens a lot."
[I said that reminds me of Al Lindner, who Dan knows well, and he agreed.]
4. How many more CrushCity baits are coming next year?
> "Another 5."
Can you give us any hints?
> "They're all tournament-winning worthy lures. That's a promise. And...we are making each bait its own thing. If this bait needs to be ElaZtech-type material for floating purposes, that's what we do. If that bait needs to be these colors, that's what we do. We are not limiting any bait. We are just making each bait what it needs to be.
> "That's pretty cool and you need to do something different...it's a pretty flooded market. We got the best factory we could find, the best engineers...we're truly putting our best foot forward to make the best plastics we can possibly make."
5. What's your fave CrushCity bait of the first 5?
> "They're all pretty special but I'd probably have to say Freeloader β because it's so good as a trailer and throwing it as a Fluke, but also this whole new shake-and-bake technique. It's one of those techniques and trends that's really revolutionizing the way people are fishing.
> "Pressured fish, suspended fish β throw this bait on a swimbait jighead, it rocks [I believe left to right] and they bite it. I've never seen anything quite like it. It's almost like an Alabama Rig where it's a whole different dimension.
> "Having a bait with that...versatility is pretty cool. People say it has a similar profile to a Spunk Shad, but it's like a spinnerbait or anything else [in that every one is a little different]. But this is totally different. The consistency, where the salt is in the bait, the flat sides β it's very specific."
Couple quick deals:
1. Interesting deets on the Freeloader. Doesn't surprise me at all the level of nitty gritty detail, but it's interesting that Jacob has to talk about 'em without revealing all the juice.
2. DQ said the next 5 CrushCity baits will be released at ICAST β I guess if Jacob doesn't win a tourney or 2 with 'em first!
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