Ice anglers love their Maki hand-poured baits from Clam Pro Tackle, and new this year,the Maki Mino and Maki Jamei are kicking it up a notch to an extra-large size. Now in 2” length with the Maki Mino XL, ice anglers will have choices when they need to go big. Six in a bag, in six great colors: white red flake, red, pink glow, watermelon red flake, fathead and shiner, the super soft Maki Mino XL is perfect for crappie, bluegill, perch, trout, walleye and sauger. Thread it on a jig or wacky rig or tip it on the end of a spoon, both sizes of the Maki Mino fish faster than live bait to light up a school. The original Maki Mino is 1” so this is a go-big-or-go-home option for larger panfish “A lot of fish feed on insects or minnows and this is a great way to offer a profile they want to eat,” said Matt Johnson, Ice Team Manager. “Going bigger entices some fish which means weeding out smaller fish.” The larger size is better for some hook sizes, too. “Finesse plastics have evolved a great deal, and now we’ve increased the Maki Mino XL to target big crappies or even walleyes. Bigger fish eat bigger baits.” Many anglers find the Maki baits fish well in summer fishing, too, so watch for these products on the shelves all 12 months of the year.
Another reason anglers prefer artificial over live bait is that it helps be more efficient. “It’s nice to not worry about them freezing and that makes time on the ice far more productive,” said Johnson. “Leave the live bait at the bait shop! Keep your hands out of water and don’t worry about minnows dying. With Maki Mino XL and Maki Jamei XL you’re always The Maki Jamei XL is the 1.5” big brother to the 1 1/8” original MakiJamei. Also super soft and hand poured, like the Maki Mino, the Jamei XL is packaged six to a bag and comes in six colors: chartreuse glow, motor oil, white glow, red, purple and pink glow. The shrimp-like design boasts twin tails and side cilia adding realism to the perfect shrimp imitator. The most common method to use the Jamei is to thread it on a jig for horizontal presentations. “There’s always current moving that will cause subtle movement on the feelers or tentacles on the Jamei. That triggers bites,” continued Johnson. “They work great for a dead stick, too. Freshwater shrimp—or scuds as some call them—are a hearty diet for panfish. It imitates what fish want to eat.”
Suggested retail for both the Maki Mino XL and the Maki Jamei XL, both packaged six per bag, is $2.99. For more information on Clam Outdoors go to http://www.clamoutdoors.com