I know we are in the middle of summer and Ice seems so far away, but that hasn’t kept Clam outdoors from thinking way ahead.
This company never seems to rest and this year they have gone way over the top to put some great new products out into the market.
Clam has introduced “Pro Tackle” which is a new line of tungsten jigs that are sure to put more fish on the ice this year for me and all the other ice guys that tie one on.
Here is what Clam had to say about this new venture:
Touring the Tungsten Drop Series
All-new tungsten jigs anchor Clam Pro Tackle™ lineup
Until now, Clam Outdoors™ has focused on matters above the ice.
This winter, with the introduction of Clam Pro Tackle™, the company is plunging into the icy waters with a full range of brand new jigs, rigs, spoons, soft plastics, hard baits, and more.
It’s a bold, but natural, move. Products of the restless, demanding minds of Clam pros, a collection of the best ice anglers in the world.
“We knew what we wanted,” says Clam’s Nick Chiodo, “so we made it.”
At the heart of Clam Pro Tackle™ is the Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series™, seven distinct models in a variety of sizes, shapes, and color patterns.
Tungsten jigs have a rabid fan base among in-the-know anglers. These particular tungsten jigs produce vibrations known to trigger bites, and feature sticky razors for hooks, designed so the point pivots to find the upper lip of fish on the hookset.
Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series™
Bearing the name of the man who invented Clam’s Fish Trap™ shelters, the Dave Genz Tungsten Drop series are precision bombing tools that embody everything Genz holds dear in an ice jig.
They fish heavy for their size. Sound familiar?
Tungsten is 70 percent denser, and 30 percent heavier, than lead.
That means these jigs punch through slush, get up and down fast, show up well on a flasher, let you experiment with cadence, and produce crisp sensations in your hands with newfound feel for bites.
With these jigs, your skills advance faster, and you catch more fish.
Tungsten is the ultimate material to build ice jigs from, but tricky to work with. In the end, Clam decided it was worth any amount of extra effort to produce tungsten jigs from the prototypes coveted by its pros.
Because there are so many shapes, features, sizes and colors, it takes time to explore the Tungsten Drop Series. Here is a brief tour.
The Drop™
Centerpiece of our tungsten series. Five sizes, six colors. Your new bread-and-butter jig.
Bulbous front, tapered back. Typically hangs at a 45-degree angle, with a pivoting hook design that finds fish mouths on the hookset.
Size 8, 10, 12, 14, 16. All color patterns except gold feature glow paint.
Dingle Drop™
The chain of life dangles from this jig, swinging enticingly at the slightest movement.
Same shape as the Drop jig, with a tantalizing colored bead on the end of a gold chain. Every jiggle you impart produces movement within movement, creating the impression of distracted prey items.
This is a chain reaction Clam pros insisted on having in their bag of tricks.
In two must-have panfish sizes (#12 and #14), six colors.
Half Ant Drop™
When fish are finicky, a slow-dropping bait that appears to hang in the water can be the ticket. That’s what the Half Ant Drop™ is designed to do. Bottom half of the body is tungsten, but the upper half is a proprietary epoxy blend securing a Swarovski® gem.
The gem suggests an oversized prey fish eye, another search image known to trigger fish into biting. It’s faceted, so light reflects and refracts at every angle. It looks right, feels right, hangs there in the strike zone like a ball on a tee.
In two sizes (#10 and #12), six color combos.
Epoxy Drop™
If you left Drops and Half Ant Drops in the same tackle box, this is what their babies would look like. Built on a Drop-like body, we added a “nose shelf” platform for a Swarovski® Gem. The whole jig is coated with bright and incredibly durable epoxy paint.
Interesting presentation properties are introduced with the nose. Alluring light reflection from the disco ball. Talk about something fish haven’t seen.
Another one our pros dreamed up, and we found a way to build it. Comes in size #10 and #12, in six pro staff-inspired colors.
Ant Drop™
Built to hang at a 45-degree angle and produce amazing vibration when ‘pounded’ Genz style, the Ant Drop™ is built around the concept of three insect-body-suggesting segments.
Owing to its head-heavy design, Genz loves this one because it almost never spins as it’s lowered in the water. There’s something about a segmented body jig that we simply had to have in the lineup, and you’ll see what we mean when you fish it.
In sizes #12 and #14, in six proven colors.
Maggot Drop™
Purposely built with a slightly off-balance body, the Maggot Drop™ is all tungsten jig. It powers through slush in the hole, gets down into the fish zone fast, and you can feel that crisp sensation as you pound it.
Study it closely and you’ll notice that it behaves a bit wobbly, like a prey item in trouble. We had to have this set of signals in our repertoire, too, because on some days this is the trigger. Predator fish (including big panfish) understand the signals produced by off-balance prey. Off balance signals vulnerability. That means easy pickins, which stimulates feeding behavior. The Maggot Drop™ comes in sizes #10 and #12, in six colors.
Duckbill Drop™
This one’s a wild card, with a prominent arching shape and set-back eyelet. The jutting bill catches water when you pump the bait, producing a forward thrust that often propels your offering right into the face of inspecting fish. It can be the difference maker that forces fish to instinctively open and suck it in as it comes at them.
Other times, the bait appears to take sudden power strokes away from fish, often provoking them into pumping forward to grab it. Like we said, it’a wild card presentation you should have in your tool box. We had to have it, so that’s why the Duckbill Drop™ is part of the mix.
In sizes #12 and #14, in six colors.
For the full story behind new Clam Pro Tackle™, check out the full-color catalog at www.clamoutdoors.com. The catalog is loaded with QR codes that lead directly to videos showing these new baits in action.
We don’t want to just sell you tackle. We want you to catch fish with it.
Cory Yarmuth