ICAST 2007 Product Review
They Like To Tangle With A Tail
Nov/Dec '07 Issue
The first time I eyeballed the new Strike King Rage Tail lures I thought they were about the ugliest hunks of plastic I’d ever seen.
But you know what they say about books---you should never judge the contents by the cover. Much the same applies to these new bass baits I saw at the ICAST show in Las Vegas in mid-July.
ICAST is the short way of saying “International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades”, the annual show staged by the American Sportsfishing Association. Tackle makers come from all over the world to display their new products. Buyers and members of the outdoor media are there in droves. This year’s event attracted nearly 7,000 attendees.
Since I’ve been around almost as long as dirt, I’ve been to a bunch of these shows. Do I get tired of it? No way! As far as I’m concerned it's like Christmas in July. An angler who wouldn’t welcome the chance to be there probably wouldn’t enjoy watching the eyes of a 4-year-old kneeling beneath the tree on Christmas morning.
One of the booths I always have on my priority list is operated by Strike King Lure Company. Strike King has for years been right on the cutting edge of producing new baits for bass. Additionally, in more than a half century of fishing and writing about it have I rarely if ever found a collectively nicer bunch of guys associated with the business of building baits.
It was at Strike King’s booth I got my first look at that homely chunk of plastic I mentioned earlier. And like the book covers I mentioned, now that I know something about it, it looks a whole lot better than it did at first glance.
The Rage Tail lures are soft baits with big attitudes. So far, the few anglers who’ve had a chance to try them all seem to agree.
There are four baits in the Rage Tail lineup. They include a Rage Craw, Rage Shad, Rage Toad and a Rage Chunk. The Rage Shad is the ugliest one of the bunch and it was the first one that grabbed my attention. If you like to take your bass off the top (and who doesn’t?) chances are you’ll feel the same way.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Rage Shad is its overgrown tail. At first glance it appears way too big for the bait’s compact body. When you make your first cast with it you’ll see why it isn’t. Remember, it’s the unique action of the tail that gives this interesting new lure its fish attracting capability.
On a fast topwater retrieve the Rage Shad has more tail action than a pen full of puppies. Retrieve it quickly across the surface like a topwater toad or a flapping shad and it throws water as it flutters and flaps. It mimics the characteristics of a metal buzzbait as well as adding some moves of its own.
I’ve not had a chance yet to fish this bait as much as I'd like, but in the short time I've had it on the water, it has done nothing but impress me. When they are at all interested in topwater baits, bass flat knock the living bejabbers out of it!
As I’ve mentioned, there are three other baits in the new Rage Tail lineup. The Rage Tail Toad is also 
designed to be fished weightless and kicks up a fair fuss of its own, thanks again to the tail design used in the Rage Tail Shad. The Rage Chunk will get most use as a trailer to be used with jigs. The Rage Craw is intended to be fished either Carolina or Texas Style or also as a jig trailer.
My guess is that while these three other baits will get their share of attention, it’s the Rage Shad that anglers will find most interesting for topwater bassin’. You’ve got to see it to believe the way it wobbles and spits. When they've had a chance to ogle just about every other soft plastic surface-skimming toad and shad in the book, they'll go nuts for this fat bodied creature with the oversized sickle tail. Ain’t no evil-tempered largemouth gonna let that thing splutter over its territory very darn long before it takes a whack at it.
It always pays to give attention to the methods a lure maker suggests for using its products. In Strike King’s case I know just how much testing is done before a bait is brought to market.
My long time friend Tommy Akin works with Strike King and was involved in testing the Rage Shad. He says the best way to rig it is weedless with a 4/0 to 6/0 hook. Be sure the tail rides up when your hook is inserted. Rigged in this fashion this new bait can be fished through darn near any kind of cover including the spots where the big girls live.
You’re also likely to find that with this one they’ll grab it and go; unlike the hard topwater lures a bass spits out as fast as it picks it up.,
When you first take the Rage Shad out of its package you’ll note that the tail is still attached to its body with a tiny section of plastic. This isn’t a defect; it’s simply the way the bait comes out of its mold. Be sure to remove this connecting strip before you fish with it.
Rage Tail Shads are available in eight colors. I’m going to make sure I have both dark and light versions to better match existing weather and water conditions.
The Rage Shad is but one of the four baits in the new Rage Tail lineup. You can get all the details and a look at the others by visiting the Strike King web site at: www.strikeking.com.
I like to have lure catalogs on hand so I can study their contents at my leisure. If you want to do the same where Strike King is concerned, just call the company and request a catalog, free of charge. The number is (901) 853-1455.