New fishing lures for 2022

By Dan Durbin
Contributing Writer

The hard water is starting to liquify, which means it’s time to get your tackle bought and organized for this spring. Check out a variety of options below to help put a bend in your rod and some fillets in your skillet.

Rapala

The new BX Mid Brat dives as deep as 5 feet and measures 21⁄2 inches, weighs 7⁄16 ounce, and comes armed with two sticky-sharp No. 4 VMC black-nickel, round-bend treble hooks. 

Rapala BX Brat square-bill crankbaits feature a balsa-wood core within a brawny hard-plastic shell and famously float up and back out of cover. Encasing a balsa core in copolymer armor allows a BX Brat to bounce off cover and trigger bites without hanging up often and getting beat up. 

Also new is the DT-8 that gets to 8 feet sooner than other crankbaits – and stays in the strike zone longer. The DT-8 has a smaller profile than most deep divers, which is a big advantage in many conditions, especially in cooler water. With balsa construction, carefully placed internal weights, a tapered body and a thin-tail design, the DT-8 has a unique side-to-side, high-vibration action when cranked. 

Rapala.com

SPRO

The Zero Minnow 130 is super user-friendly for a variety of gamefish that prowl the shallows. It’s a minnow-style wake bait that is effective in early spring through the dog days of summer. They cast like a rocket so you can cover a lot of water in a hurry. With a diving depth of zero to 1 foot, a variety for retrievals work from twitching to ripping to burning. With its loud-knocking sound and No. 4 Gamakatsu treble hooks, the Zero Minnow 130 is a game-changer in wake baits.

Spro.com

Bugsy Baits

The new SIC NED Worm is 23⁄4 inches long and is scented with its “fish-bite scent,” which is made from an anise oil base. Its unique soft-plastic formulation has just the right salt content to provide the ideal sink rate, lifelike feel, and flutter desired by all finesse anglers. 

Bugsybaitsusa.com

Kalin’s

The Tickle Shad is available in 2.8-inch and 3.8-inch lengths in eight enticing colors and is ideal for walleyes and bass as well as many other game fish species. It features a baitfish-shaped body coupled with appendage-tipped ribs to create hyper-realistic movement and action. Tickle Shad’s paddle tail generates a wide swimming action the gets bit by even highly-pressured fish.  

Also available is their 4-inch Tickle Worm that is finished off with a curled tail for added action that drives bass and walleyes crazy. 

Acmetackle.com

Berkley

The Stunna has all the characteristics needed for a jerkbait to fool even the most pressured fish. With increased action and casting distance, Fusion 19 treble hooks and durability all at the forefront of the design, the Stunna also delivers a unique and slow sink rate to trigger more bites.

Also new are Berkley PowerBait jigs that have the infusion of PowerBait flavor into silicone jig skirts, a breakthrough that results in an exponential increase in the amount of surface area for which the PowerBait flavor can reside. Bass hang on longer, giving anglers more time to set the hook, which leads to fewer missed fish. 

Berkley-fishing.com

Missile Baits

Swim jig lovers will enjoy the new Mini Swim Jig that pairs perfectly with the Mini D Chunk for bass that are weary of larger baits. The lure skips great around docks or overhanging trees, and despite its small profile can trick even giant fish into biting. 

Missilebaits.com

River2Sea

The Whopper Plopper 60 integrates all the qualities you love about its older brothers into a 60-mm frame. It’s small enough for panfish to eat it and still big enough to entice those big fish into biting an easy meal. Throw it on spinning or baitcasting gear and expect jaw-dropping hits from nearly all game fish.

River2seausa.com

Storm

When walleyes, bass, pike, and other species head deeper, it’s time to pull out the new Deep Wiggle Wart. Boasting the Original Wiggle Wart’s time-tested, proven action, Storm’s newest bait delivers deep-fish satisfaction and triggers big bites in water depths from 11 to 13 feet.

Rapala.com

Wisey Worms

Hand-poured in Wisconsin, Wisey Worms come with a barrel swivel and bullet weight, so they are ready to use right out of the package.  Perfect for novices and experts alike, just cast the pre-rigged worm out, let it sink, and reel it in slowly for amazing results for all game fish.

Wiseyworms.com

VMC

VMC’s new Ned Rig Jig helps anglers of all skill levels hook and hold bass, making it easier than ever to both catch ‘em and boat ‘em.

A hybrid bend in the Ned Rig Jig’s 1X-strong, forged, fine-wire Vanadium Steel hook provides extra strength and a chemically sharpened needle point and a hybrid, wide gap ensures that bass stay buttoned on. The unique, beveled-edged, conical keeper on the Ned Rig Jig’s hook shank holds soft-plastic Ned worms so securely you’ll get many casts and hooksets out of each one you thread on. 

Rapala.com

Woodcraft Lures

The Jitterbug is a new creature-style finesse bait and gets great reaction bites when pitched or flipped around cover. It’s 31⁄2 inches long and could also be used as a trailer or tipped on a new-rig.

Woodcraftsandlures.com