GAMBLER B.A.N.G.® Fish Attractants/B.A.N.G.® Fishing Products, Inc.

In marketing, the key to a great business is finding a market niche’. Gambler B.A.N.G.® took out a filet knife and carved off a big chunk of the fishing industry with their line of lures and attractants. The Gambler line of products covers any body of water from top to bottom. Gambler baits and B.A.N.G.® Fish Attractants are great for many styles of fishing. From thick cover to deep structure, Gambler has a product for any technique or part of the lake that hold fish. With pro input and a proven record of accomplishment, the great line of products is a pleasure to fish.

Like a kid trying to choose a candy bar at the candy store, anglers face a hard choice when choosing a favorite Gambler lure. Selection, pro input, techniques, and unique rigs show in the company’s line of baits and tournament record. Floating worms, Florida rigging weights and jigs are but a few choices facing the fisherman. Gambler listens to the pro team staff that suggests adjustments in current baits and ideas for new products. Special baits are needed for today’s angling techniques. Whether it is flipping, pitching, or drop shotting, Gambler has it covered. With special products for rigging baits, the companies combines product research and time on the water to create a unique line of fishing components.

Since I live in Louisiana, I was familiar with pro Davy Hite’s 1999 Classic Win. This win produces the following years best selling bait called the Bacon Rind®. Designed by professional angler Basil Bacon, the Bacon Rind® works across the country but seems to love the Louisiana marshes. The design of the bait causes the bait to glide through the water instead of falling like other baits. With appendages that give the bait a crawfish profile, the soft plastic imitates Louisiana abundant crawfish population. The ribbon tail gives off vibration and flash allowing the fish to find the bait in any color water and grass cover. The bait is great for flipping or pitching as a Texas rig and for dragging on a Carolina rig.

Finesse fishing is not dismissed at the Pompano Beach, Florida Company. Finesse fishing is the art of smaller diameter line, lighter weights, and smaller profile baits, which makes the Icesickle worm great for the lighter presentation. Davy Hite and Clark Wendlandt teamed up to design the new Icesickle Worm. Their ideas for a slender profile and better tail action are evident in the Icesickle worm. The bait performs in any water and with various rigging techniques. Whether you chose the six-inch or eight-inch model, a Texas rigged finesse worm works for tough bass fishing situations. The head is thick enough for a jig head, too. A jig head rigged Icesickle Worm is awesome for Kentucky bass. A weightless Icesickle worm is a tantalizing offering for targeting suspended bass. A highly specialized lure, the Icesickle worm adapts to different rigs and fishing techniques.

If the previously mentioned baits were not enough to put fish in your boat, Gambler has a full line of plastic baits. The Flapp’N Shad™ is a big hit in

Louisiana with the redfish and speckle trout anglers. It is popular with the bayou bass anglers, too. Try it for flipping or on a Carolina rig. For other areas of the country, place the bait on a heavy jighead for probing the deep humps and ledges of your favorite lake. The paddle tail gives the bait an exclusive action on the fall and more vibration than a thin tail version.

If you have problems with line twist when using a floating worm, try Gambler’s floating worm. It is designed to reduce line twist. It still works great with a swivel but gives the user another rigging option. The worm comes in many highly visible colors that attract fish and keeps the bait in eye contact.

The Sweebo Worm is a unique worm for fishing wacky. The egg sack is in the middle of the worm. This helps place the hook in the center of the bait, which give the ends of the worm more wiggle or action. Try the Sweebo Rig weighted hook. Wacky worming is a great technique and should be part of any anglers arsenal.

Calling the plastic worm going back to the basics would be an understatement, but sometimes you have to go back to the basics to catch fish. The Gambler Ribbon Tail worm comes in four sizes and dozens of colors. The Ribbon Tail worm is plain, basic fishing. Texas rigged or Carolina rigged, the worm has caught more fish than just about any lure out there. It is hard to argue with success.

I call the next collection of soft plastic trailers. I call anything that resembles a crawfish and goes on a jig a trailer. The Flex Chunk, Crawdaddy, and Guido’s Original™ are at home on a skirted jig.  The Crawdaddy and Guido’s Original™ are great for Texas and Florida rigs, too. Don’t forget drop shot and split shot techniques for these little critters. For flipping heavy cover, the trio is hard to beat when utilized on a Ninja Jig™.

Gambler continues to add to their stable of workhorses. New products complement the great array of fishing options from Gambler. The 3” B.B. Cricket made its present known in various tournaments around the country. The bait design penetrates thick cover with ease. The 6” ace is slow sinking, straight plastic lure. Do not let the do nothing style bait fool you. It catches fish with a leisurely wiggly as it falls through the water. The 5” Super Stud is a soft jerk bait with a slimmer profile. This gives the bait a better hook up ratio that put fish in the livewell and tournament winnings in your pocket.  Add the line of tungsten weights and glass rattles to the mix and the company’s line of products grows to meet the need of the fishing community.

Shad imitations are great producer. Along with the Super Stud, the Jump’N Shad and the Flapp’N Shad™ fool bass that feed on shad. The Jump’N Shad has a special hook and rigging instruction. Once rigged the bait pops, jumps, and imitates a shad fleeing a predator. Whether the presentation targets open water schools or ambushing loners, the topwater action of the Jump’N Shad is fun to fish. The Flapp’N Shad™, which I mentioned previously, works on weightless rigs or on a jighead. Try it Florida rigged when flipping cover that hold schools of shad. When a shad imitation is the bait of choice, a Gambler has different profiles and colors to match the situation.

Gambler has spinnerbaits and jigs, too. The Hibdon series of Ninja Spins™ and Ninja Jigs™ have distinctive design features that set them apart from other lures in the same class. Visit the Gambler website for more info. The Wake’n Bacon™ is a bait designed for bulging or waking a spinnerbait. The 3/8-ounce head and large blades are designed to keep the bait upright on a fast retrieve. The Pro Series Spinnerbaits give off more flash due to the shiny heads and polished blades. Sunny days and grass beds make these spinnerbaits tremble with fear.

The overall review for Gambler Lures is excellent. The company produces a wide selection of lures. The products reviewed fit a number of techniques and styles of fishing. The color selection had the basic winners with a few special colors to select and try. If you like to finesse fish or power fish, the baits work for any situation out there. The plastic used to make the baits were high in quality. If the Flapp’N Shad™ can stand up to a big red or speckle trout, it can handle a few, tough bass. With high quality components and an ear to the pro fishing community, Gambler Lures winning line of products guarantees success.

Note: I did not review the B.A.N.G.® Fish Attractant. However, I have used it in the past with excellent results.

About the author: Jeff Bruhl is a member of the Louisiana Outdoors Writer Association, pro angler, and a pharmacist. His website, www.marshbass.com, covers freshwater fishing across Louisiana and the gulf coast. Each Saturday morning between 5-7 am CST, a bass fishing report can be heard on the Outdoors with Don Dubuc Radio Show (www.dontheoutdoorsguy.com) on 870 AM from the New Orleans station. Jeff has made numerous television and radio appearances on shows like Paradise Louisiana, The Big Fish, and ABC26.com. From tips on youtube.com to weekly reports on his website, his articles and reports provide tips and tactics for bass anglers in the sportsman paradise. Jeff’s sponsors include Abu Garcia, Xpoint hooks, Bud Light, Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Power Pole, Stanley Jigs and Spinnerbaits, Skeeter, Dockside Marine, Rat-L-Trap, and Berkley. For more information about fishing in Louisiana, drop Jeff an email at jeff@marshbass.com.