2021 Gear Guide
By Tackle Warehouse | updated September 2021
From right here in the USA all the way to Japan, manufacturers delighted us with some impressively innovative new topwater baits, frog baits, and swimbaits for the 2021 fishing season. The voting was extremely close with some first and second place finishes only being separated by a 1% margin. Most of the winners varied amongst manufacturers and differed from Viewer’s Choice to TW Staff Picks with the exception of the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait, which swept the best swimbait category. Check out all the head-to-head battles down below, as well as all of the top finishers for the best new topwater bait, best new frog bait, and best new swimbait in this year’s awards.
Designed by Major League Fishing pro and one of the best skipping anglers of all time, Andy Montgomery, the Strike King Skipping Buzzbait features an innovative internal head design and reinforced wire frame that allows anglers to target hard-to-reach bass and get them back to the boat. It is also pre-rigged with a Strike King Rage Toad and comes with an additional Strike King Rage Tail Swimmer, so anglers can change up the profile and action depending on the mood of the fish or changing conditions. Equipped with a super sharp heavy wire hook, the Strike King Skipping Buzzbait is precision-tuned to help you catch bass that other anglers can’t access.
"Here's what separates the Strike King Skipping Buzzbait from any other. The little connector wire we came up with holds the buzzbait perfectly in place from the day you get it out of the pack to after you catch 50 bass. This deal is not going to open it up. It is going to stay the perfect frame all day long no matter how many skips you make or bass you catch. The reason it is built like this coming out of the pack is because this is the perfect shape for it to skip." - Andy Montomery, MLF Bass Pro Tour angler
Winning the hearts and minds of the TW Staff, the Deps Evoke Zero Topwater offers the promise of rod-jarring topwater strikes and years of joy on the water. Featuring a tunable metal tail design, the Deps Evoke Zero Topwater produces a generous splashing action and loud plopping sound that triggers incredible blow-ups. The tail can also be adjusted to create softer or louder pitches depending on the mood of the fish to really dial in the bite. Armed with a Ryugi rear treble and Ryugi swiveling quad hook in the front, Deps Evoke Zero Topwater delivers Japanese quality and action that is a cut above the rest.
Sweeping both the Viewer’s Choice and the TW Staff Picks categories for best new swimbait, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait is something that everyone is excited to try. Designed by Bassmaster Classic Champion, Mike Iaconelli, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait features a hyper realistic profile that is complemented by an untraditional diamond pattern tail section, which generates an unbelievably lifelike swimming action. It also gives anglers the freedom to use a wide variety of rigging options and target any section of the water column, as well as, heavy cover or open water. Infused with legendary Powerbait scent to trigger more bites and make fish hold on longer, the Berkley Powerbait Gilly Swimbait is sure to help deliver plenty of tournament checks, and even more bass thumb.
"The Berkley Powerbait Gilly is a sight to behold! Coming in 12 colors and 3 sizes makes this bait extremely versatile by giving you the ability to match the forage in the water you’re fishing. Do they catch bass you ask?! Yup…They certainly do!" - Mike Iaconelli, past Bassmaster Classic Champion & Tackle Warehouse pro
Designed by world-class frog angler and Major League Fishing pro, Dean Rojas, the Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 40 is a bite-sized popping frog that is deadly for pond fishing and those times when you’re trying to mimic smaller forage. Measuring just an inch-and-a-half in length, the Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 40 is fitted with a small cupped mouth that produces a subtle popping sound and splash on the surface. This allows it to mimic small shad or bluegill, and invites hungry bass for a meal. Backed up by a premium Gamakatsu EWG Double Frog Hook and available in a wide selection of proven Bronzeye colors, the Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 40 is the perfect frog when you need to downsize your presentation.
"The Spro Bronzeye Poppin' Frog 40 is a little snack-sized guy that is going to get bit. When you need a smaller profile frog, this little guy weighs 1/5oz with an ultra-strong Gamakatsu hook. This is the perfect sized frog when I think they are on mayflies or small shad spawn and you really need to downsize your frog, this is going to be the one I grab." - Caleb Sumrall, Bassmaster Elite Series angler
There isn’t a frog box among anyone in the TW office that doesn’t have at least one original Bobby’s Perfect Frog in it, so we were all excited for the new updated version of the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog to hit the market in 2021. Building off of the classic design, it features a keeled body shape that allows it to walk like a dream and a super soft body that immediately collapses to expose the razor-sharp hook points for incredible hook ups. It also features a new water evacuation system that naturally expels any water infiltration during the cast for more consistent topwater performance. Covered in custom paint schemes designed and created by award-winning lure designer, Andrew Gardner, the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog is revamped and even better than before.
"This thing has been redesigned from front to back. This is not the old Bobby's Perfect Frog that you are used to seeing. One of the biggest improvements with the Bobby's Perfect Frog is our water evacuation system. Every time you rear back to make a cast, whatever water got inside the frog comes out of that evacuation system, so you don't have to squeeze the frog all of the time to get the water out of it. This keeps it very buoyant, so it’s always up on top and having the maximum amount of action every cast without having to squeeze water out of it." - JT Kenney, Major League Fishing & Bass Pro Tour analyst