You say you want to start a revolution shad?  Well, you know shad.  We all want to change the world of fishing.  Anglers know through evolution and product design better quality swimbaits are being produced.  Well, you know when you are talking about swimbaits that the Revolution Shad cannot be counted out. 

The Revolution Shad by Reaction Strike is a new three jointed, hard bodied, hydrodynamic engineered swimbait with detailed paint schemes and 3-D oversized eyes.  It comes in two different body shapes and four different models including wake, slow fall, fast fall, and dive/suspending.  The Revolution Shad comes in a variety of color paint schemes and in 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 12-inches in lengths.  But what is all this talk about Revolution Shad?  All right, fishing with swimbaits is not a new obsession among anglers; however, there is really little quality information on this subject for anglers to read about.  Knowledgeable professional anglers rarely like to give out any information on techniques or lures that catch fish.  Nevertheless, Bassmaster Elite Series Professional Angler Mark Burgess from Norton, Maine, shared the following tips when fishing with Revolution Shad.

“The Revolution Shad (wwwreactionstrike.com) comes in four models and depending on the situation, I select which one to use accordingly,” explained Burgess.  When fishing with the wake model, Burgess likes to run it over top submerged vegetation that has grown to one foot or less near the surface.  “With the wake model, I can cast out and reel back in right on top without getting in the weeds,” said Burgess.  Another situation that Burgess likes to fish the wake model is in the late summer or early fall.  “I basically fish it like any other topwater during that period,” Burgess continued, “the bait is pushed up into the top of the water column and it’s a reaction strike.”  Burgess prefers to fish the wake model with a co-polymer monofilament 12- to 14-pound fishing line because it stays on top of the water’s surface better without causing line drag.  When fishing with the wake model, Burgess will usually make long cast then just reel in slow and steady.  Two lakes that he recommended fishing the wake model on were Kentucky Lake in Kentucky and Lake Texoma on the Texas and Oklahoma boarder.

With the slow fall model, Burgess likes fishing it in 10-foot or less around rock piles and weed lines.  “I fish the slow fall model in off color or stained water when I want a sinking bait but do not want it to fall fast,” Burgess said.  The slow fall also happens to be the one model he fishes the most.  Three lakes that he recommended fishing the slow fall model on were Lake Champlain in New York and Lake Guntersville or Wheeler Lake in Alabama.

When fishing with the fast fall model, Burgess is normally trying to get the swimbait down to where the baitfish and fish are suspending.  “One of the best ways to catch smallmouth in clear water reservoirs is to cast it out and count it down to where the fish are at and reel it back fast; the smallmouth will come up and eat it,” Burgess said.  In general, he is targeting the 10- to 15-foot zone in the water column when fishing with the fast fall model.  Burgess did point out that in clear water, anglers should fish their lures fast to get a reaction strike on a swimbait.  One lake he recommended fishing the fast fall model was on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

When fishing the dive/suspending model, Burgess is targeting suspending fish or when the water temperature is below 50-degress.  “I will use it instead of a jerkbait because it has the look and actions of a real baitfish,” he continued, “the bass like to eat it any time you pause it during the retrieve.”  The dive/suspending model has a bill that dives the lure five to six feet deep during the retrieve.  Again, one of the Lakes he recommended to fish the dive/suspending model on was Lake Winnipesaukee or any of the lakes up located in New Hampshire, agreed that it would be extremely productive on Table Rock in Missouri or Bull Shoals in Arkansas.

Burgess’ typical rod and reel combo for fishing the Revolution Shad consist of a high speed Shimano Curado E low profile baitcasting reel and 6’10” Shimano Curcial rod.  As for fishing line, he uses 12- to 14-pound monofilament for the wake model, 12- to 15-pound fluorocarbon line on the 3-, 4-, or 5-inch slow fall, fast fall, or dive/suspending models, and 20-pound fluorocarbon line on the 7-, 9-, or 12-inch slow fall, fast fall, or dive/suspending models.  Burgess also recommended that anglers add snap lock to any swimbait if it does not have a split ring to give it more action.

The great thing about swimbaits is they catch fish anywhere.  “The Revolution Shad will catch anything that swims in saltwater or freshwater,” Burgess continued, “anglers just need to use the correct model to present the swimbait in the water column where the fish are to catch them.”  So you want to fish a Revolution Shad?  Well, don’t you know?  For Burgess, that would be all right, all right, all right!