Bagley bite-sized balsawood Sunny B available in 10 new imaginative and effective patterns.
BEMIDJI, Minn. (January 23, 2023) – Spring fishing can be one of the most exciting times of the year for bass fans. With both bigmouths and bronzebacks on the prowl and feeding aggressively prior to the spawn, the action can be downright amazing. Before that super bite gets underway, however, anglers generally must contend with clear water, fish that are still shaking off the chill of a long winter, and hot spots suddenly pressured by the weight of everyone hitting their favorite lakes, rivers and reservoirs in search of those first seasonal scores.
With that in mind, Bagley added 10 impressive new patterns to the Sunny B – a renowned producer of shallow-ranging springtime bass.
“That’s one time of year when Bagley Bait’s Sunny B really shines,” says Noah Schultz, a Bagley Baits pro-team member who topped the Classic Bass Champions Tour twice in the past four years. “This lure works great throughout the year, but it really shines in early spring and on heavily pressured waters,” continues Schultz. “When the fish are in a funk, it’s the lure I reach for to trigger strikes and get the ball rolling. Lightweight and thin-profiled with a tight, quiet wiggle, it’s an unobtrusive balsawood choice that simply digs in and gets to work without a whole lot of fanfare.”
Indeed, the Sunny B is designed to be a finesse crankbait rather than an in-your-face calling card. With a 5 cm length (2 inches), 3/8-ounce weight, and tall but thin profile, it’s a bite-sized, silent nugget that’s just right for turning on fish that need a little coaxing.
The famed Sunny B is handcrafted using Bagley’s distinctive heat compression molding process (HMC) in which two full-length halves of the lure body are created and sealed together. This technique allows precise positioning of the weights for optimal center of gravity, superior flotation at rest, better overall balance, longer casts, and tight action with just the right amount of roll to drive predator fish crazy.
Each lure is also through-wired and finished with a light coating of lacquer that’s strong enough to protect the body without adding much weight. The result is a uniquely shaped, precision balanced, tasty-looking morsel that casts easily despite its small size, features eye-popping vibration at any retrieval rate, easily probes 6- to 8-foot depths thanks to its uniquely curved lip.
NEW COLORS
“I’ll throw the Sunny B all season long,” continues the 40-year-old Schultz, “but it really sees a lot of action in the cool waters of early spring when I need a finesse presentation. Here in Minnesota, people don’t really think of throwing crankbaits for smallmouth, but I lean on the Sunny B heavily for bronzebacks. Typically, I fish a mix of crawdad colors and baitfish patterns, but I will go to brighter colors like chartreuse in dirty or murky water. In my sometimes-silty home waters, Chartreuse Root Beer and Chartreuse Shad patterns have served me well. On the road, I find the Burnt Crawdad color tough to beat.”
Schultz generally likes to present this bass snack with a lightweight, 7-foot baitcasting setup and 10-pound-test fluorocarbon line, but notes it casts fine with similar weight spinning gear. He especially likes to bounce the Sunny B off the bottom or deflect it off timber and hard structure whenever possible.
“You wouldn’t think a lure with such super-sharp hooks would excel at this approach, since it isn’t a squarebill style crankbait,” he says, “but you can crawl it right through wood or riprap and hardly ever get hung up. It’s surprisingly snag-less compared to other crankbaits on the market.
I think the tall but thin profile, superior buoyancy of balsa and small bill size help it come through wood and rocks especially well. If you get snagged, just snap it once or twice and it usually floats free. That’s really important because it means you don’t have to invade prime habitat and bang your lure with the rod tip to get it out. Last year, I was practicing for a tournament on the Mississippi River and threw a Sunny B for five days straight and never lost it, despite casting into some really challenging potential snags.”
Designed to turn the heads of bass anywhere under a wide range of conditions, the new color schemes include Blue Chartreuse Shad, Blue Olive Shad, Burnt Crawdad, Cooked Crawdad, Crusty Crawdad, Chartreuse Root Beer, Hot Craw Crawdad, Orange Belly Gill, Purple Gill, and Root Beer. All retail for $9.99 each.
NEW COLORS
Bagley Baits Sunny B Features
Bagley Baits Sunny B Features- Finesse profile, tight action and silent performance perfect for all seasons
- Excels in cool water situations and under heavy pressure
- Dives 6- to 8-feet with light tackle
- Heat compression molded (HCM) premium balsa
- Welded through-wire design for greater lure strength
- Precision weighting for superior action and maximum casting distance
- Uniquely shaped and precision balanced
- 18 hand-painted custom colors
ABOUT Northland Fishing Tackle
In 1975, a young Northwoods fishing guide named John Peterson started pouring jigs and tying tackle for his clients in a small remote cabin in northern Minnesota. The lures were innovative, made with high quality components, and most importantly, were catching fish when no other baits were working! Word spread like wildfire, the phone started ringing… and the Northland Fishing Tackle® brand was in hot demand!
For 40 years now, John and the Northland® team have been designing, testing and perfecting an exclusive line of products that catch fish like no other brand on the market today. Manufactured in the heart of Minnesota’s finest fishing waters, Northland® is one of the country’s leading producers of premium quality jigs, live bait rigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for crappies, bluegills, perch, walleyes, bass, trout, northern pike and muskies.
ABOUT Bagley Bait Company
The personality of any company comes from its founder. Jim Bagley was an inventive, fun-loving, passionate fisherman who became one the most respected legends in the fishing tackle industry. In late 2010, Jarmo Rapala and a group of investors bought Bagley Bait Company.
As an admirer of Jim Bagley for his attention to quality and of his product ingenuity and innovation, Jarmo initiated significant changes in operations, enhanced production processes and quality control. Now in 2020, Northland® Fishing Tackle, along with Jarmo as its Chief Lure Designer, maintain the legacy of creating premium balsa crankbaits and topwater lures, as well as jigs and spoons for both freshwater and saltwater anglers.
You might also like Bagley Baits Pros Talk Early-Season Tournament Bait Picks