February 8, 2012
I've started my offseason tackle organization substantially later than normal this year. Being a confirmed procrastinator, I will further delay the process of figuring out what needs to be trashed, repaired or replaced by blogging about little oddities that I find along the way.
Among the dozens of thin-bodied and flat-sided cranks that fill my Plano boxes, most have modern finishes and high-tech bodies. There’s an outlier, though, and it’s the Bomber Speed Shad.
If you haven’t heard of the Speed Shad, it’s probably because they’re not in wide distribution. They’re available from the Lurenet website for a mere $6.99, but not from Basspro.com or Cabelas.com or TackleWarehouse.com, all of which carry plenty of other Bomber goodies. Here in Virginia, where there are little pockets of Speed Shad disciples, it is rumored that to obtain the formerly discontinued bait, tackle shops had to order many dozens at one time. Shops like Green Top in Glen Allen and Bobcat’s in Clarksville always seem to have them on their shelves.
I’m convinced that part of the reason the Speed Shad never gained wider acclaim is because many of them never run properly out of the package and it’s a bear to get them tuned right. On top of that, even though it’s not lightweight, its shape make it about as easy to throw as a potato chip. As a result, there are probably hundreds of them scattered in tackle boxes, garages and boxes of junk, that haven’t seen the light of day in years. I have to admit that I don’t think I’ve throw one in at least five or six years, maybe more. But if I get the right conditions this year, probably on Buggs Island or Lake Gaston, I might just have to tie one on.
