Just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s really hot, and vice-versa. Most years, things both hot and new for smallmouth bass make a mighty short list. But that was before the popularity of smallmouth fishing went through the roof. That list now includes specialty rods, a luxury smalljaw anglers haven’t enjoyed in the past.

When a new lure really appeals to smallmouth bass, it might become a staple, alongside the venerable tubes and grubs and jerks that never fail. But even new staples tend to be most effective within the first few months after being introduced. “Remember when Lunker City’s Slug-Go first came out?” Kevin VanDam asked me recently. “You could throw it anywhere and get bit. Bass that would bite nothing else would chase it down. Multiple wakes would converge on it.”

Swimbaits

“That’s what the new King Shad is like,” he continued, referring to the new hard-body swimbait from Strike King. “I recently fished a small natural lake on a windy day that kept me off the bigger lakes. I’d never caught really big smallmouths in that lake, just numbers. I tried a King Shad there and within 45 minutes I had a string of bass ranging from 4.5 to 6 pounds. I’d never seen bass that size in the lake before.

“Needless to say, when I’ve wanted to catch big ones the past couple seasons, I’ve been throwing swimbaits,” VanDam said, “though not the largest California editions. The soft-plastic variety are good, but you miss a lot of fish. The King Shad, by comparison, is a great hooker with a few modifications, and it’s just 4 inches long, within that critical size range that appeals best to smallmouths. In ultraclear water it has a completely natural look.”

VanDam said he’s been testing it out in the gin-clear waters of Grand Traverse Bay. “In that 0- to 15-foot zone, smallmouths can see this bait extremely well. They rise up and just blast it. The primary prey for smallmouths in the Great Lakes includes smelt, gobies, and alewives—all fairly large, open-water baitfish. I’m still amazed how well they bite that thing. When they won’t chase any other type of reaction bait, I’m smoking fish with this swimbait.”

The King Shad comes in a 4-inch size only, but it’s tall from belly to dorsal, like a shad. “It can troll up to 14 mph and it won’t roll,” VanDam said. “That means you can burn it, snap it, and rip it without blowing it off-track. I modify it for smallies by changing the trebles to Mustad Ultra-Points, which increases the hookup ratio. And I’ve been adding weight to it because it only runs about 3 to 4 feet deep out of the package.