Wednesday, 05 January 2022 / Published in Gear Reviews

Northwoods Bass 2022 Gear List

With open water season somewhere between 3 to 5 months out depending upon ice-out in spring, and winter boredom exceedingly settling in, I wanted to compile a list of absolutely necessary essential products that help catch more fish and should be on your upcoming shopping lists. These are all items we fish with often, and I recommend for every bass angler.

Cortland Masterbraid

A strong, premium fishing line is what links angler and quarry together. Cortland Master Braid is the toughest, most consistently performing super braid, ideal for a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater applications. Without needing a break-in period, Master Braid stays true, maintaining its strength, low stretch, body, color and handling. Cast after cast, drop after drop.

Made in the USA, Master Braid is woven from Spectra fibers in a tight, round braid for less twist, long casts, and a very long shelf life. In fact, some of my reels are spooled with Master Braid that’s up to 5 seasons old.

It casts beautifully on spinning and casting set-ups. How you spool braided lines onto your reels will make a difference.

Whether spooled up for crappies, walleyes, muskies and bass, we fish Master Braid on most of our set-ups unless they’re spooled with monofilament or fluorocarbon.

Available in 5-8-10-15-20-30-40-50-65-80-100-130-200 lb sizes. We prefer hi-vis yellow for jigging and bite detection aid, and moss green, bronze, and black for all casting applications.

Freedom Tackle FT Series Jigs

Freedom Tackle Corp. with the assistance from American Baitworks, continues to expand and offer more to bass anglers. These last two years I had been searching for the next great jig brand for Northwoods Bass to partner up with. Super happy I didn’t have to look too hard and elsewhere. Our good friends in Toronto, Canada now make bass jigs and since the start of 2021 we have fished them religiously.

“We’re extremely pleased to launch a complete series of jigs that rely on Freedom’s commitment to innovative design to help anglers dominate on the water. Our Made in the USA jigs were developed in collaboration with professional anglers to offer colors and features we believe are unmatched in the industry,” says Freedom Tackle’s Vice President Nick Tamburro.

Constructed with a broad, wedge-shaped head and precise line tie angles, the Freedom Tackle FT Series jigs feature a multi-purpose designs that penetrate through grass, trees, brush piles, rocks, and other covers with ease. Fitted with oversized weed guards for enhanced snag resistance, these jigs deflect well off structure so you can fish your jig in areas where others would hang up. Freedom Tackle’s proprietary non-slip bait keeper is molded with a double barb so that your soft-plastics stay pinned to the premium black nickel jig hook. Equipped with a double glass rattle band and premium 50-strand silicone skirt, the Freedom Tackle FT Structure Jig has both audible and visual appeal that triggers an aggressive feeding response.

Football Jig
Swim Jig
Structure Jig
Flipping Jig

Freedom Tackle Corp. NEW Terminal Tackle

Also new, Freedom Tackle Corp. unleashes a full terminal tackle lineup for the 2022 season.

American Baitworks continues its commitment to innovative design and performance with an all-new line up of Terminal Tackle from Freedom Tackle Corp. These 10 new products launched at ICAST 2021 offer a complete line up of terminal tackle, featuring innovative products like the Wire Drop Shot, to classic designs with a twist. All FT terminal tackle products feature printed weights to know exactly how heavy your drop shot, tungsten or ned rig is when you grab it from your tackle box.

FT Wire Drop Shot Weights
FT Tungsten Flipping & Worm Weights
FT Tear Drop & Cylinder Drop Shot Weights
FT Tungsten Nail Weights
FT Ned Rig
FT Tube Jigs
FT Shakey Head
FT Swimbait Head
FT Punch Stopper
FT Peg Stopper

Kalin’s Google Eye Swimbait Jigs

From ice-out through late fall post-turnover, paddletails fished on swimbait jigs account for several big smallmouths. Rarely will fish show favoritism to the jig head, as it is the least visible component of the paddletail. What a good jig head allows the swimmer to achieve is tail kick, and vibration. Another good jig added to our rotation is the Kalin’s Google Eye Swimbait Jig. It utilizes sight and sound through its internal rattles to help trigger strikes. On pressured fisheries, and gloomy overcast days smallmouths seem to take greater notice of these features. We fish the Google Eye on 1/4 oz. with spinning gear, and 3/8 oz. with casting setup. Be forewarned that the hook shaft and gap is significantly larger than other brands. Therefore these jigs NEED to be paired with paddletails of longer length. If too short, the swimmer fails to achieve action.

VRX Fishing Rod Gloves and Bait Gloves

VRX Fishing Products is North America’s leading supplier of fishing rod protection products.

I keep all of our St. Croix Rods secure and protected with Rod Gloves. By utilizing them, I am able to keep up to 25 additional rods stored in my Ranger’s rod locker – free of tangles and mess. Whether using for storage or transport, they’ll protect the rod’s cosmetic finish and prevent delicate guides from breaking.

Additionally, The Rod Glove goes even further beyond rod care to offer storage solutions for lures.

Designed to secure your rigged bait to your rod, the Rod Glove Bait Glove is constructed from durable, flexible rubber backed canvas and features a quality velcro attachment. It also comes with super small edging for reduced hook snags, and its low profile makes it easier to get rods from your rod locker. Wrap it around your rod first to protect your blank’s finish from treble hook scratches, then wrap the velcro tight to keep your Bait Glove and bait in place. Protect and organize your gear with the Rod Glove Bait Glove.

St. Croix Rods Victory

Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, Victory rods combine new materials, technologies, and ergonomics to deliver anglers more performance and satisfaction on the water.

New for 2021 and 2022, Victory rods utilize the combination of St. Croix’s proprietary SCVI and SCIII carbon fibers in a hybrid pattern blended to create SCIII+. Designed with the input of bass anglers nationwide, Victory Casting Rods are available in 17 balanced models, and spinning rods in 8 models, focused on techniques, comfort, and the ultimate in fishability and affordability backed by a 15 year transferable warranty, built in the USA.

Bass anglers of all levels have the unprecedented choice in selecting the proper tools for a complete range of bass presentations. From finesse techniques; bombing hair jigs and spy baits; to crankbaits; chatterbaits; flippin’, pitching and punching; to heaving and retrieving 8-ounce swimbaits, it’s all there in this complete and balanced assortment of high-performance, technology-laden, American-crafted rods – backed by a 15-year transferrable warranty – that cost a fraction of other “elite-level” rods in the marketplace.

Costa Sunglasses

Enhance and protect your vision on the water with Costa Polarized Fishing Sunglasses. See fish more clearly under the water, before they see you with the top best polarized fishing sunglasses. Learn more about how to choose the perfect pair perfect pair of Polarized Fishing Sunglasses – the most important piece of equipment on the water for any seasoned angler, fisherman, boater, or water adventurer.

See Clearly. Catch More Fish. Polarized lenses are essential for anyone who spends time outdoors – especially out on the water. But not all polarized sunglasses are created equal. Your eyes are one of the most important tools in your toolbox, and the right pair of polarized sunglass lenses can make or break your days out on the water. It’s important to have the best polarized lenses technology available to reduce eye-strain, squinting and to provide comfort by eliminating reflective glare.

All sets of eyes operate differently. Costa offers lens color tint options for low light conditions like sight fishing at dusk or dawn, and colors for extremely bright light conditions with blinding glare like offshore fishing. I carry 3 pairs of glasses based on this guideline.

My favorite frames are Blackfin and Reefton. Green Mirror is suggested for sunlight and shallow water fishing. Gray Silver Mirror is great for overcast days. Gray Mirror is best all-around and also good too for overcast days.

STORMR Cold Weather Gear – STRYKR Suit

Stormr has built its reputation by setting new standards in severe weather outerwear. For fishing comfortably during the spring and fall seasons, I rely on my Stormr STRYKR series cold weather suit. It features Neoprene Core Technology, which provides windproof, waterproof and insulating qualities by combining a membrane of soft, thin, durable and highly elastic neoprene with a durable water repellent outer fabric and interior wicking fleece. All exterior seams on the STRYKR Series are thermal welded for waterproof seam integrity. The STRYKR was also the first outerwear of its kind to provide inherent positive buoyancy, providing added safety in the event the user encountered an accidental immersion into cold water.

Not only is it weatherproof, but warm and comfortable too. I wouldn’t be able to fish comfortably and all day long if it weren’t for this suit.

These essential products will make a great addition to your fishing.

All products are linked in the post above, and down below for ease of ordering. Any questions about specific items and everything else we use and fish with throughout the course of a year, shoot me your questions to andrew@northwoodsbass.com and I’ll be happy to answer.

Product Links

NORTHERN WISCONSIN BASS FISHING GUIDE - MINOCQUA, WI