Mustad Teams Up with Lucky Tackle Box
OutdoorHub 05.06.14
With the world’s best-selling hooks teaming up with the world’s greatest tackle club, the recently announced pairing of O. Mustad & Son with Fishhound’s Lucky Tackle Box “Box of the Month” club seemed a match made in heaven!
Then Bassmaster Elite Series pro Kevin VanDam sweetened the deal!
“I have worked with Mustad to develop signature products – signature hooks, rigs, clips, and an array of specialized hooks for soft plastic lures,” explained VanDam, widely acknowledged as the greatest bass fisherman of all time. “I have also helped to develop some Mustad products that are not marketed under my name. Now we have provided the missing link — videos on how to use them, how to rig them, and the types of baits to match with them.”
Long regarded as one of the most versatile and detail-minded anglers on the pro tour, VanDam has designed, field-tested, and fine-tuned a wide spectrum of hooks for bass fishermen. Included are multiple sizes of the Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip Treble, a 2X short shank, wide gap, extra-strong treble hook that anglers have used to upgrade from factory hooks on crankbaits, jerkbaits and other hardbaits; the hot new Mustad KVD Grip-Pin hook with its unique no-slip,no-slide lure-friendly bait keeper feature; and specialty hooks and rigs for a variety of finesse and power fishing lures and techniques.
“The one constant among these hook designs and rigs is the Mustad UltraPoint hook, the strongest, sharpest fishing hook ever made!” added VanDam, noting that Mustad’s tempering process makes hooks 30 percent stronger than those made with conventional tempering methods. UltraPoint hooks maintain their sharpness even when worked around and through rock and thick cover.
Learning tools
The VanDam videos offer insights into other Mustad products, too, including tools and line cutters that KVD has tailored to angler needs, and the innovative Mustad KVD Fastach Clips, a revolutionary set of clip-less snap and snap swivel substitutes that make changing any lure – jig to crankbait – quick, simple and secure.
The revolutionary “Fastach” concept also has opened avenues to new rigging concepts.
“The biggest, coolest tackle addition this year is the Mustad KVD Fastach X-Rig with Mustad’s Ultra-Lock Hook,” said VanDam, who owns multiple Bassmaster Angler of the Year awards and Bassmaster Classic wins. “It is a really unique system that enables you to change baits and weights without having to retie. It won’t come unsnapped, and it has minimal hardware. You can use it with almost any plastic, and you have the option of changing either the hook size or the (dropper) weight depending on the situation.”
Lucky Tackle Box members will find a number of these KVD-approved Mustad products as featured items in Box of the Month selections of innovative lures and terminal tackle.
The video series gives anglers, old and new, the wherewithal to use these products, all introduced within the past two seasons.
“The videos are not long,” says VanDam. “They are right to the point. We explain the keys to putting each product to work and the features and benefits that make these products great. Without spending a lot of time, fishermen will see why these hooks and rigs are the best on the market. More importantly, they will know how to use them!”
Sneak Previews
Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip Treble – “The original KVD treble hook concept was to create a hook with an extra wide gap and short shank so you could fish a crankbait around heavy cover,” explains Kevin VanDam, who credits this 2X short shank, extra-strong wire wide gap hook for a Bassmaster Classic win, Angler of the Year award and over $1,000,000 in tournament winnings in his 2010 dream season. The short shank eliminates hook tangling and allows anglers to upsize hooks without affecting lure action. Point position optimizes impact for better hook-ups; the modified bend helps lock the fish into the elbow of the bend. That means more fish in the boat.
Mustad KVD Fastach Clip – Creating a quick-change lure clip that eliminates the human and mechanical frailties that lead to lost lures and lost fish seemed as elusive as the Holy Grail before the Fastach series completed the quest. Mustad teamed with Stringease Tackle, originator of the concept, to fine-tune and expand this unique and practical line of lure connectors. “Twist and change” is all it takes to clip on or take off a lure. No snaps to fail! No fine wires to pinch close!
Mustad KVD Fastach X-Rig – This wide gap worm hook with dropper weight a heavy downshot (a.k.a. heavy dropshot) rig opens up a world of rigging opportunities and technique modifications with a wide range of plastic lures. But the addition of the Fastach feature adds convenience and versatility that no other version of this rigging concept come close to capturing. The ¼-ounce model comes with 2/0 and 3/0 hook options; the ½-ounce model with 4/0 and 5/0 hooks. But you can change out dropper weights of any size and a variety of shapes in an instant. “In my mind, it is the biggest, coolest introduction this year,” said KVD of the Fastach X-Rig. “It is innovative, really fast and foolproof!”
Mustad Grip-Pin Hooks – The no-slip, no-slide plastic bait keeper in the UltraPoint Grip-Pin hook series secures plastic lures neatly without tearing them. Choose from a variety of models from the Mustad UltraPoint Grip-Pin Max Soft Plastic Hook and Edge Soft Plastic Hook with Straight Shank to the Mustad UltraPoint KVD Grip-Pin Wide Gap Soft Plastic Hook. Lighter, tougher hooks that keep your bait’s best face forward. What more can you ask.
Want to get lucky?
Fishhound’s Lucky Tackle Box program is the hottest deal in the tackle industry today. Try our Five Dollar introductory offer – yes, a mere $5 gets you started — and receive a tray of select lures, tools and terminal tackle that will help turn your next outing into an eye-opening fish-catching adventure. Then, for only $15 per month, you will continue to receive a new tackle tray each and every month. With Lucky Tackle Box, you will not only expand your grasp of the latest innovations in fishing, you will have those very tools at your fingertips! www.luckytacklebox.com
