I had a couple people send me emails asking me why I don't just paint realistic Shad and Shiner patterns all the time??? 

The simple answer: Realistic lures have a time and place, just as highly stylized lures do. 

As you fish more "pressured" waters it's more important to have ( what I like to call) "stylistic" lures that can grab the attention of bigger fish, WITHOUT turning them off- (esp if your tournament fishing and TIME is a factor).

 Most fishermen see a basic Shad, Shiner, Crappie, Baby Bass, Baby Pike, Frog, & Craw pattern and think- they MUST want this- it's what they feed on naturally! And this is true. They DO feed on these......

But, a Crankbait can't (really) mimic the exact nature of any forage-; how it reacts and interacts with its surroundings, how it changes color when threatened, how it changes direction when fleeing, how sloooow it may move along the bottom, Etc. Crankbait's must be reeled to impart action and therefore would be considered "reaction strike lures" in the same category as Spinnerbait's and Spoons. Does a Spinnerbait look JUST like a shad, shiner, Craw, Etc?? Does a Spoon??? No. 

The reason to purchase stylized lures is then apparent. Why??

#1. Most Fishermen want Cranks that look JUST LIKE common forage- but, IF everybody is throwing the same shad, shiner,craw pattern (relentlessly),  eventually fish get conditioned to NOT strike at those color's/patterns. Therefore, fishing stylized lures can pay big dividends when your fishing that lake/pond/river that gets tons of fishing pressure. 

#2. Stylized lures are vital to fishing "quickly". When you want to cover an area fast (to find those active Bass) a demure Shad/Shiner pattern usually isn't what will trigger bigger Bass to strike. Most larger bass have already been caught numerous times before they get 5 LB's, and, in most cases,  have been conditioned to stay away from that "thing that looks kinda like a shiner".  

How many of us have tried fishing a very realistic Live Target Minnow and caught zero fish (or dinks), then tied on a Fire-tiger Pattern and kicked butt?!!? Fire-tiger, Parrot, Bone- these are all good examples of stylized lures.   

Yes, water clarity can make a huge impact in choosing a realistic or stylized lure. But, in most cases, a stylized lure will get just as many strikes as a very realistic one- depending on speed of retrieve and lure blank.   

The only time realistic patterns usually outshine stylized? Cold water and super clear water. If your fishing in water temps lower than 55 and the water clarity is 10 FT plus,  usually a suspending jerkbait/crankbait in a realistic pattern will be what you want to use. 

Otherwise, don't discount stylized lures to rule the day. Stylized lures have won more tournaments than any other pattern....

The KEY is finding out WHICH stylized lure pattern to use. And what triggers to apply on the lure to make it stand out- but not stand out SO much it looks weird or totally unrealistic- which can be VERY difficult. 

Bottom-line?? You really need both in your tackle bag!  Which gives us all an excuse to buy MORE tackle.....yayyyyyyy! (lol)

Fishing for tarpon was slow on the Cuanza River in Angola, so when Thomas Gibson hooked into a giant fish that took a scorching run and stayed close to the surface, he and his fishing partner thought, finally, a tarpon.

But what came to the boat was not only a huge fish, but a huge surprise.

“It came to the boat fairly easily (too easily for a tarpon!) and once I got hold of the leader and pulled it up to the surface, we saw it was a HUGE barracuda,” Cam Nicolson wrote in an email to GrindTV Outdoor. “It was bigger than any barracuda I had seen.”

The barracuda—a Guinean barracuda, to be exact—measured 6.9-feet long and weighed a potential all-tackle world-record 102 pounds.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Iain Nicolson, Cam’s brother, told Sports Fishing Mag.

Indeed, Guinean barracuda in the Cuanza River typically average 10-20 pounds with the biggest the Nicolson’s of Angola have caught previously being around 65 pounds.

Gibson, a Houston resident who is an expert at catching tarpon, submitted the recent catch to the International Game Fish Association, the keeper of fishing world records. The IGFA is currently reviewing the potential record.

The current record is 101 pounds, 3 ounces, also caught in Africa. That fish was landed by Dr. Cyril Fabre in Olende, Gabon.

Amazingly, the one Gibson hooked took less than 10 minutes to land, but it came with one harrowing moment.

“We only had a lip gaff onboard [seen in photo below], so that was a little too close to the teeth for comfort,” Cam Nicolson said.

Hi guys! Just wanted to check in and tell you I'll be adding a gallery soon. The gallery will help give you (the customer) an idea of some of the other types of lures and paint jobs you could have. 

Here's an example. A 1/2 OZ modified Wake Bait that has been specially weighted to dive approx 1 1/2 FT (instead of 6"-8"). 

The Spring is slowly arriving here in MN. We had high 40's today!!! Hope you like the pics and the new lures I've updated? 

Just wanted to say thanks to all my customers. The Spring "customs rush" has slowed, (for the moment) and I'll be posting new Cranks for sale very soon. 

Thanks again for all the business. Please let me know how your lures are working! 

Johnny B- AKA Swamp Zombie

I'd like to apologize for not adding any new product lately. I've had many different custom orders to fill and I've been playing a few musical gigs here and there. Time is hard to manage when you have very little of it! (lol) 

I'm going to add some new product soon. In the meantime, here are a few pics of me playing Sax and a live demo recording of a band I worked with. It's a "live recording" recorded "off the board" (meaning no "studio tricks" or manipulations were possible, like auto tune, Etc) and spliced together for demo purposes. I'm singing 90% of it and playing a little horn on the first track. Hope you dig it! 

DORA, Alabama- James R. Bramlett, 65, landed a 70 pound striped bass from the Black Warrior River near the Gorgas Steam Plant Thursday February 28, 2013. The fish was weighed on certified scales and officials and a fisheries biologist with the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources were at Bramlett's home today to make it official. The fish is 45.5 inches long and has a 37.75 inch girth. It tops the previous state record by 15 pounds that has stood since 1959. That fish was caught on the Tallapoosa River. The catch may become the new IGFA world record for a landlocked stripe bass. That record currently stands at 67pounds, 8 ounces.

Have you ever had a Crankbait get demolished by a toothy fish?? Maybe you live up North where Crankbaits are common fodder for Pike and Musky? Maybe you live down South where Mudfish, Peacock Bass and Gators like to gnaw on your lures?

I feel your pain.

One of the reasons I started painting Cranks was because I got tired of spending $15-$18 (and MORE) on a Crank and have the paint job disappear after 2-3 Pike.

What to do?

 I started buying Cranks on Ebay (from sellers like myself) to see the quality of their clear coat, blanks and paint jobs. The first few I purchased had AMAZING paint jobs- but, again, after 3-4 Pike the amazing paint job was pretty much gone.  It occurred to me that a thicker clear coat would be required for the lure to retain it's beautiful properties.
 
Now, I know that a lure is a lure- and they don't last forever. BUT, 3-4 Pike and it's toast??? I had to do something.....

SO, when I made the plunge to start Swamp Zombie Lures I decided I'd try to always apply the most clear coat I could afford,  to make sure the lure would last a while. I wanted my fellow fishermen to not have to worry about Mr. Pike or Mr. Mudfish so much.  The problem?? Adding a lot of clear coat changes the retail PRICE AND timeline on a finished product. It can also change the lures dynamics- in a GOOD way!

By adding more than your usual amount of clear coat it makes the lure heavier and changes the way it swims in the water, how deep it will eventually go, and how LONG it will suspend before rising to the surface. It also assures the EYES don't get scraped off immediately! (Nothing p's me off more than buying an $18 lure and having an eye fall out on the 2nd fish! LOL)

Now, some areas of the country don't have toothy critters and some do. Some guys PREFER lighter clear coats so they can have a lure that lightly enters the water, is LOUDER and will rise to the surface faster and is (obviously) cheaper. 

SO, in the future, when you order a lure,  you will have to tell me how much clear you want. 

If you want an almost non-existent clear coat it will affect the overall price of my lure- but, I will not guarantee your lure will make it through too many "Pike Parties". I typically apply about $2 -$4 worth of epoxy resin on my regular lures. After checking out the competition my clear is usually about twice as thick as anybody else. What I call "2 layers" is similar to 4-5 layers from my competition.  Keep this in mind when you are drooling over their paint jobs.....(lol).

Thanks for reading! And remember- a beautiful paint job is only relevant if it STAYS on the lure!



 

Well, I got some of the new tackle/lures uploaded to the site. Taking pictures of the Cranks can be a serious pain,
(I experienced this with the last website). They are so glossy they can be very difficult to get clear pictures. Plus, uploading and formatting web pages is no fun. I'm not "Mr. Computer Guy". (lol)  I had forgot how time consuming updating a website is!

SO, I'll probably be adding a page, (or something). I have a lot of Misc tackle I'd like to show you.

Make sure to check out the Tubes. They are everything I stated in the add. If you rig them on a Gamakatsu 4/0 Skip Gap Hook with a 1/16 OZ Screw-in bullet weight you'll catch fish. I've used these in Florida, GA, TN, MN, WI and IL- they are very good Tubes- durable, pliable/soft, perfect size, with great color.

Anyway, back to the grind!  

I'd like to thank everybody for the past (and recent) purchases. Will be loading more stuff up tomorrow! Have a great day! And thanks again!

Johnny b

Sorry guys! Due to an influx of custom jobs I haven't had time to update my online lures in stock. (This is what happened the last time I had the website up! lol)

I will try to add some new stuff this weekend. In the meantime enjoy this video-