Lure Series
I asked some of my Bassmaster Elite Series friends what their favorite bait was and why. The results inspired me to paint them.
2018 Bassmaster Elite Pro Lure Series
Rick Clunn
Luck E Strike Trickster
Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“In my first Bassmaster Classic in 1976, I caught 22 of my 27 fish on a square bill crankbait. A lot of people think of me as a crankbait guy. But the five biggest of that stringer were caught on a spinnerbait with an Indiana blade. I designed this lure in the early 2000’s with a long drop blade – a hybrid of an Indiana and willow-leaf blade to create the right amount of water displacement to create a wake. This lure has caught the largest fish ever caught in a Bassmaster Classic on a spinnerbait.”
Rick Clunn
4 Time Bassmaster Classic Champion
15 Time Bassmaster Winner
Kevin Van Dam
Strike King Sexy Shad
Oilon Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“Back in the late 2000’s I realized as our lakes get clearer and fishing pressure increases, your bait has to appear a lot more natural to get fish to react to it. I worked with Strike King to create the Sexy Shad lineup. As good as the standard colors have been, I knew that refining them would work even better. In 2009, I won two Elite events with this bait and the color really caught on. It became the number one hard bait color in America. It’s still number one with me.”
Kevin VanDam
4 Time Bassmaster Classic Champion
24 Time Bassmaster Elite Series Winner
Mike Iaconelli
Rapala Shad Rap in Ike’s Custom Ink
Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“I’m addicted to crankbaits. I can’t get enough of them; they are all over my boat and my truck; in storage bins and boxes. New ones, old ones, factory finished and custom painted models; I love cranks. Making these baits in my Ike’s Custom Ink custom colors was a great experience. Every tattoo tells a story. These baits are no different and are individual works of art to me.”
Michael Iaconelli
2003 Bassmaster Classic Champion
5 Time Bassmaster Winner
Gerald Swindle
Ed Chambers Mutt Crankbait
Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“When I see this lure, it takes me right back to the tournament I fished with it, the feeling I had when I won and how that whole experience made me feel. It tells a personal story for me of taking a bait that was hand made by Ed Chambers in his shop and using it to gain the confidence I needed to win. I have lot of lures that I like, but this particular crankbait will always be special to me.”
Gerald Swindle
Bassmaster Angler of the Year, 2011 and 2016
Chris Lane
River2Sea Lane Changer
Oil on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“When I was a kid my brothers and I would fish with my dad and Grandpa Bill on Kissimmee Lake and they only wanted to use a Devil’s Horse – morning, noon or night. But they did like to tweak them a little. They’d tune the blades, sharpen them around the edges sometimes and maybe even bend the eye a little if it got out of whack. Every night, they would have us boys filing the blades and turning them just right to get just the right angle and action he was looking for. I designed this prop bait with all of my dad and Grandpa Bill’s tweaks built in and every time I use it, I think of them.”
Chris Lane
2012 Bassmaster Classic Champion
3 Time Bassmaster Elite Series Winner
Steve Kennedy
Huddleston Swimbait
Oil on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“122 – 14 is a number I’ll never forget because of this bait. Heaviest winning weight…122 lbs 14 ounces. Biggest single bag I’ve ever caught….40-7. Biggest single bass I’ve ever caught…10-6. What else needs to be said? Discovering a swim bait was a pivotal moment in my approach to tournaments. Swimbaits rule!”
This bait is banged up and chewed on but it has a place of honor in the Kennedy home.
Steve Kennedy
2007 B.A.S.S. 4 Day Weight Record
8 Time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier
3 Time Bassmaster Elite Series Winner
David Walker
Z-Man CrossEyeZ Flipping Jig
Oil on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“I’ve fished professionally for almost 20 years and I think a jig is probably the most versatile lure; you can fish it shallow or deep, in cover or open water. I rarely go fishing without one tied on whether I’m fishing a tournament or fun fishing. I helped design this one with the help of my partners at Z-Man and it has all of the little tweaks that are important to me. It has been very gratifying to catch fish on the perfect jig for me.”
David Walker
11 Time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier
2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Winner
Casey Ashley
Fishhead Spin
Oil on Canvas 8″ x 8″
PRINTS AVAILABLE
“Before the 2015 Bassmaster Classic started my father, Danny, who is a good bass fisherman in his own right and taught me most of what I know about bass fishing, gave me about 20 of these before the tournament started and said, “This is what you’re going to win the Bassmaster Classic with.” We’ve been making these “blade runners” in his shop for years but I never dreamed it would be what I won the Classic on. To win on a bait my daddy made makes this the absolute most meaningful bait for me.”
Casey Ashley
2015 Bassmaster Classic Champion
3 Time Bassmaster Elite Series Winner
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