Cranking Up a Revitalized Classic : Bagley Bait's Balsa B

TT Reviews - Latest reviews listed and open to member comments
Post Reply
User avatar
Cal
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 12763
Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 5:31 pm
Location: TT Headquarters
Contact:

Cranking Up a Revitalized Classic : Bagley Bait's Balsa B

Post by Cal » Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:15 am

Cranking Up a Revitalized Classic : Bagley Bait's Balsa B

Image

Introduction: Bagley Baits has a long and storied history in the bait manufacturing world. Founder, Jim Bagley (1923-2004), was an innovator with high standards and strict quality control that translated to a series of lures that produced results. At least five Bassmaster Classic wins can be credited to Bagley's products.

When Jim retired in the late 1980's he sold the company and after changing hands several times in 2010, a new investment group led by the grandson of legendary Lauri Rapala, founder of Rapala Lures, Jarmo Rapala, purchased Bagley Baits and set their sights on revitalizing the brand. It was during this period (2015) when the company introduced a proprietary manufacturing process called Heat Compression Molding, or HCM, which drastically improved both product consistency and function in their wooden lures. Each Bagley bait is precisely weighted and balanced to produce the subtle action that the balsa crankbaits are known for. In May 2020 Bagley Bait company was acquired by Northland Fishing Tackle and the company transitioned operations to Northand's headquarters in Bemidji, Minnesota. With the acquisition Jarmo Rapala also joined the Northland team where he continued to work on developing the company's lures as one combined team.

Though Bagley Bait Company has changed hands a few times the brand has always had a strong following among crankbait fans and in recent years under Northland the company has put a renewed focus on quality and a return to form on the tournament scene. Bagley now has some of the biggest name prostaff on their roster including Pros Drew Benton, Scott Canterbury, Matt Becker, and Jeff "Gussy" Gustafson, who has been part of the Northland Fishing Tackle pro staff for over a decade and joined the Bagley Bait family in 2021.

Today, we take a look at the reincarnation of a bait that helped define the original Bagley Baits. It's a bait that is credited as being the original squarebill and one that Takahiro Omori used to win the 2004 Bassmaster Classic. Here's our take on the modern day, Bagley Balsa B.

Complete Article: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewbagleybwoodcrank.html
Cal, Managing Editor
"fish with mindfulness : beware the darkside"

Post Reply