I have to give a shout out to a brand acquired by GSM Outdoors.  Most know me as a hard core Yamamoto Baits plastics fisherman.  Traditionally, my first choice for picking off bass in deep water was a dropshot fished vertically.  Admittedly, my blade bait game was pretty weak, but I decided to really give it a shot with SteelShad Lures line of blades.  

Other than way too many options to choose from, here is my impression.  First, we mainly vertical jig, and the most annoying aspect of some blade baits is that they foul the front or back hook. They can foul on the line, on the clip, or even on the weighted belly. When fishing 35 feet or deeper, it’s a real pain to reel up to free a fouled hook. The SteelShad blades rarely foul.  Second, they have a totally different vibration and flash.  Third, the stock hooks are wicked sharp, they keep fish pinned and finally, there are options that are for all water conditions.  These are not your old style of blades. If you are a dedicated blade fisherman or just wanting to try a new technique, go to their website and check them out.  Go to www.baits.com or www.SteelShad.com 

Just to be clear, I have a Plano box full of blades and spoons of all different manufacturers.  On this very day my fishing partner wanted to try the SteelShad side by side with one of our old favorites who shall remain nameless.  It was no contest.  We don’t normally fish blades until the water gets 50 degrees or below, but on this mid November day in Virginia, we found them (bass) schooled up in deep water along with catfish and white perch in water that was mid 60’s. We had a 50 fish day easily. I’m still perfecting my blade game and have yet to master casting them but vertical jigging is a blast.  On an earlier trip, to the St Clair River in Michigan last May, we caught a slew of walleye on blades. I did an article on Inside Line for that trip also. Moral of the story, when the water gets cold and the winter winds start to blow, put on the Gortex, grab some SteelShad blades, and go fishing!