Top new lures for the 2025 open-water season – Outdoor News
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While forward-facing sonar certainly has had some criticism, it doesn’t mean that lure manufacturers aren’t acknowledging that they need to have baits that work better for it, and most of them are creating baits that can be “seen” better by the technology.
The good thing is these baits also work well for the angler who hasn’t joined the world of FFS. Here is a look at some great options to add to your tackle box as you head onto the open water.
Rapala
The Jowler is a pencil popper-style lure, 5 inches long, weighing 15⁄16 ounce, and is packed full of features that make the Jowler tournament-ready right out of the package.
With three-dimensional eyes, 10 eye-catching color designs, a dual-frequency knocker and VMC RedLine Series 1X Round Bend Treble Hooks – this lure is an enticing meal whether you’re dealing with aggressive and lethargic bass alike.
The Jowler’s mouth design allows it to start “walking” from almost a dead stop with effortless twitches. It’s armed with three premium VMC RedLine Series 1X bend treble hooks and a dressed rear flash feather tail to makes it irresistible.
Kalin’s
The Kalin’s Tungsten Sho-W Jig features offsetting-recessed mirrors around the entire jig head to provide a whole new shimmering, dazzling, and downright mesmerizing jig head that also works great for being “seen” by forward-facing sonar imaging.
It’s like a disco ball dipped in fish-attracting magic because the mirrors catch the sunlight and scatter it like a thousand tiny fireworks under the water, tricking even the most elusive of fish from even deep water. It’s something many fish have never seen. The Show-W Jig is available in four sizes and eight colors.
Berkley
Designed for finesse anglers, the Drip Minnow combines ultra-realistic design, lifelike action, and unmatched detail.
Its internal core enhances translucent colors with intricate stomach detailing, while the signature drip-shaped tail delivers subtle, precise movements when used with some twitching or shaking. Perfectly mimicking shiners and baitfish, this versatile bait comes in three sizes and ultra-high definition colors.
Also new is the MaxScent Crud Craw that kills largemouth and smallmouth bass with its bold, large craw profile and aggressive action.
Designed to deliver a hard thump, it excels in warm water conditions, imitating a fleeing crawfish, making it a standout choice for Texas-rigged applications or as a jig trailer. Powered by MaxScent’s signature taste and scent technology, it not only attracts fish, but ensures more strikes.
LiveTarget
The soft body of the Freestyle Frog 2.0 topwater lure leverages Injected Core Technology to combine an alluring inner core and a highly durable exoskeleton.
Its innovative hollow core is easily compressed when a fish bites and greatly improves buoyancy in any environment.
Ultra-realistic extending legs give the frog an unmatched lifelike profile and action in the water.
VMC
Need a solid, all-around jig that you can use for just about any situation? Turn to the new VMC Utility Jig and get ready.
The VMC Utility Jig features a universal head for flipping, pitching, and casting around cover. It offers a color-matching 20 fiber nylon weed guard, a single rattle, and a 60-degree rotated eye.
This new jig also has a full silicone skirt with 50 strands for long-lasting durability. It has 14 color patterns and comes in four sizes.
Moonshine Lures
The MoonMaster Trolling Spoon has a shimmering, moonlit glow that sizzles in the water with an unpredictable, darting action.
This spoon is not just a lure; it’s a spectacle, an unexpected light in dark water, luring in curious predators with its awkward display.
Each lure is hand painted and inspected to ensure quality and comes in 24 colors in 4-inch and 5-inch sizes.
Z-Man
A true-to-nature shad profile swimbait, the Shadtron LT features a pioneering over/under line-through harness that allows for top-hook rigging with an included single hook, or belly rigging with a treble hook (not included.)
Propelled by a rounded, wedge-shaped tail, the Shadtron swims with a genuine shad motion, activated by a wide range of speeds, including extra slow retrieves. Lifelike body sculpt reflects accurate gill plate, eye, scale and fin details, while the swimbait’s 10X Tough ElaZtech composition.
For you forward-facing sonar fanatics, Z-Man created 3.8-inch Graph ShadZ which features radical realism and a profile that appeals to the most challenging bass.
The specialized pre-rigged jig and ElaZtech softbait leads with its minimalist line-through jighead design and recessed, under-chin line tie. This inventive design produces a potent, ever-repeatable presentation, protecting and eliminating the need to constantly reposition the knot to achieve optimal line angle for precise horizontal balance.
Storm
Glide baits have proven themselves for their big-bass-catching ability.
One of the most reliable versions on the market is the Storm Arashi Glide Bait, which is surging in popularity based on its effectiveness with bass anglers who use forward-facing sonar. Storm is expanding its Arashi lineup with four new colors – Ghost Sexy Shad, Green Gizzard Shad, True Gill, and Dirty Bone – adding to the nine existing colors from which anglers can already choose.
Booyah
The new Flash Point features a slender minnow body with hard lines and a raised mid-section for a heavy return on your sonar as it’s working through the depths.
The Flash Point shows off with an extremely fast darting action and suspends on the pause, but the real key is obvious when you pick one up. The small custom blade affixed to the head of the lure provides a subtle flash for attracting strikes but also enhances the return on live sonar.
Livingston Lures
The Kamakaze is a muskie chatterbait that puts off a violent thump that makes muskies and other predatory fish bite.
Its huge vibration calls them in from a distance and turns lazy fish into biters. It’s designed to keep its signature thump going in the figure-eight and unique octagonal holes keep the blades moving in an erratic manner even at low speeds. A fluttering tail gives the Kamakaze an unbelievably life-like presence in the water.
Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2025/03/25/top-new-lures-for-the-2025-open-water-season/
