Bass Tackle Intelligence Report — October 2026

Depth, fall, and smaller profiles.

October’s tackle news comes down to three questions: can you reach the fish, can you change the fall, and can you make the presentation smaller without losing control?

Berkley’s Unlock puts countdown depth control into a sinking crankbait. Frittside X changes the bill on a familiar flat-side platform. A smaller maker, 2K Jigs, pairs a buoyant urchin worm with dedicated wacky terminal tackle. Japan brings a larger Kunnery and compact reaction-bait developments, while Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ChatterBait gives BFS anglers a complete little moving bait.

Domestic

Berkley Unlock: count it down, then crank

Unlock is a sinking crankbait intended to reach your chosen depth before the retrieve begins. Instead of asking a floating crankbait to dive through its usual curve, count this one down and start working it nearer the fish.

Berkley describes a hunting action on a straight retrieve, darting with cadence changes, and a hover-and-flare response on pauses. Its October 15 announcement lists 52, 62, and 72 mm versions with Fusion19 hooks and reports availability. All three sizes are available at Tackle Warehouse.

The important change is where the retrieve begins. Steep breaks and suspended bait give this countdown approach a clear application. Sink rate depends on the bait, line, and conditions; depth control here comes from the countdown, not an adjustable bill.

Frittside X: pay attention to the bill

Frittside X retains the family’s FlashDisc balancing approach and Fusion19 hooks, adding a reinforced circuit-board bill and premium custom-painted finishes in 13 colors. Berkley’s stated goal is greater bill durability while preserving the familiar flat-side action. The X 5 and X 5 Jr are available at Tackle Warehouse. For anglers regularly contacting shallow cover, it is a more meaningful construction change.

2K Jigs: the urchin becomes a familiar rig

2K Jigs’ October 5 post says four products are launching that month and that everything is live. The most useful pairing is the downsized, buoyant TPE Urchin Worm and a tungsten wacky head with a 1/0 EWG Gamakatsu finesse-wire hook and single-fiber weedguard. Both are available directly from 2K Jigs. The pairing puts a tentacled profile into a familiar wacky presentation.

The maker also describes ball-jig, free-rig, and drop-shot applications. A quad hook and storage box round out the release.

More Domestic developments

Missile Ike’s Dice Jig: October retail attention brought a July introduction back into view. Thick, hand-tied rubber forms the body around a strong 1/0 VMC hook, with a wire form accepting interchangeable loop-style weights.
Missile Ike’s Dice Jig
Jewel Freak-O Rig: BassResource’s October 15 coverage highlights another approach to rigging tentacled baits. The hook arrangement is the development to examine; the coverage does not date the product’s original launch.
Jewel Freak-O Rig
Z-Man Ball HeadZ: October 5 shipping coverage describes a ridged lead keeper plus secondary wire, a BKK black-nickel hook, and 16 weight/hook combinations from 1/8 to 1/2 oz. Holding both ElaZtech and conventional plastics straight is the practical proposition.
Z-Man Ball HeadZ
Berkley Minnotator Grub: the October 14 release extends the pre-rigged minnow family with a curly grub tail. It lists 2 inches/1/16 oz, 2.5 inches/1/8 oz, 3 inches/1/4 oz, and 3.5 inches/3/8 oz, in 12 colors, and says available now. The smallest versions overlap light tackle; the whole range is not BFS-specific.
Berkley Minnotator Grub
Savage Gear 3D 4Play Herring: October 9 US-focused coverage describes a quad-jointed bait with BKK trebles, seven colors, high-speed stability, and stop-and-shimmy action. Its strongest application is where herring actually drive the bite.
Savage Gear 3D 4Play Herring
Big Bite Scentsation Fuzzy Stick: an October retailer spotlight, not a verified October launch. Public pages identify a 4-inch drop-shot-oriented bait with fuzzy appendages, six colors, and five per pack.
Big Bite Scentsation Fuzzy Stick

JDM

Next-generation Megabass LEVANTE reaches US retail

Megabass USA’s October 5 announcement introduces next-generation LEVANTE with its High-Density X-Graphite System. The company emphasizes recovery, controlled absorption, and reel-mounted balance. The casting range is available at Tackle Warehouse.

Megabass LEVANTE casting rod — family detail

HideUp Coike Fish Gill M/L: an interesting new shape on a popular style bait

Fish Gill puts fish-shaped elements around a textured central ball. Manufacturer order sheets identify a 16 mm ball for medium and a 20 mm ball for large; those are central-ball measurements, not total lure dimensions.

The fish-shaped elements give the Coike Fish Gill a distinct profile within the Coike family. October’s US availability brings that variation into reach for more anglers.

BottomUp Kunnery 4.4: more mass, different options

BottomUp’s October 7 announcement and October 8 dispatch notice establish the Kunnery 4.4 as an early-October new product. It is a larger version of their existing short, thick, self-wobbling bait.

BottomUp lists 4.4 inches, over 16 grams, and a recommended 4/0 offset hook, with weightless, free-rig, and leaderless drop-shot applications.

Over 16 grams opens different casting and rigging options from the smaller Kunnery. This is a full-size bait, not a BFS addition.

Japanese shipping is confirmed. It is not yet available in the US.

Compact reaction baits and a floating pause

RAID LEVEL VIB BOOST HEAT2 received a dated Japanese arrival entry October 1. RAID describes improved startup and response to short lifts, with 38 mm versions at 3.5, 5, and 7 grams and 46 mm versions at 9 and 11 grams. It is available in the US at The Hook Up Tackle.

Short-lift reaction fishing is the cold-water application behind RAID’s emphasis on startup and response.

Imakatsu Cover Waker gives a buzzbait-like presentation a floating pause. Imakatsu lists 135 mm, 21 grams, and a floating prop that also serves as a cover guard, with the hook and trailer beneath the surface. Its emphasized cadence is two jerks and a pause.

Japanese receipt is dated October 1, and a Japan-based export retailer reported arrival. Earlier late-August release planning makes this an October availability update. It is not yet available in the US.

More from Japan

Deps Frilled Shad 3.7: listed for October 17 Japanese release, with six per pack and 14 colors in its eco-tackle certification record. October 16 retailer evidence shows advance ordering, not completed deliveries. Not yet available in the US.
Deps Frilled Shad 3.7
O.S.P Eco Mylar Minnow 5-inch: Japanese receipt October 3, following late-September staff coverage. The larger bait combines mylar flash and an air chamber; staff describes seven initial colors and hover/mid-strolling and surface applications. Not yet available in the US.
O.S.P Eco Mylar Minnow 5-inch
Deps RC Flat Back Jig: October distribution of a design with earlier Rodio Craft collaboration history. October 4 retailer receipt identifies a 5/0 hook and fine silicone skirt; the full weight range was not established. It is not yet available in the US.
Deps RC Flat Back Jig
September watch update — Issei G.C. Kurukoma Jr. 7g ZERO5 Special: moved into a retailer-announced October 17 Japanese release/advance-order window. This updates September’s release schedule; Japanese delivery was not established. It is not yet available in the US.
Issei G.C. Kurukoma Jr. ZERO5 Special

BFS

Z-Man Micro Finesse ChatterBait: a complete small moving bait

The Micro Finesse version comes pre-rigged with a 2-inch Baby BallerZ ElaZtech trailer, directly connected compact ChatterBlade, stainless keeper, and black-nickel hook. It is offered in 1/16, 1/8, and 3/16 oz and six colors. Z-Man explicitly positions it for BFS and ultralight use, with development input from Jimmy Ly.

Compact forage and small-water bass are clear applications for a deliberately multispecies bait. The finished jig-and-trailer rig, rather than the jig weight alone, determines the casting load.

Z-Man’s October release and October 12 trade coverage report availability, following the earlier ICAST introduction.

LEVANTE BFS Spec-UL: a slow-taper option for small plugs

The F1-65LV BFS Spec-UL is 6 feet 5 inches, ultralight, slow taper, rated 1/16–3/8 oz and 4–12 lb line. Megabass emphasizes small plugs, tiny cranks, and bank/trout crossover use.

The slow taper distinguishes this model from a fast-tip bottom-contact BFS rod. Small plugs and tiny cranks are its stated focus.

The model belongs to the October-introduced US family. The LEVANTE casting range is available at Tackle Warehouse. The BFS Spec-UL is model F1-65LV.

Across the tackle box

Depth control: Unlock starts the crankbait retrieve at a counted-down depth.
Construction: Frittside X brings a reinforced circuit-board bill to an established flat-side family.
Profiles and rigging: 2K pairs a buoyant urchin worm with dedicated wacky tackle; Coike Fish Gill adds fish-shaped elements to the Coike profile.
JDM arrivals: LEVANTE’s US introduction and Kunnery 4.4’s Japanese shipping are different developments on different timelines.
BFS: Micro Finesse ChatterBait supplies a complete small moving bait; LEVANTE BFS Spec-UL adds a slow-taper rod option for small plugs.