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Mickey sent me a couple prototypes of his new Mission Fish, the v2.0 Mission Fish.  This is just a prototype, and I haven’t had near the time or experience with the bait to come up with any final conclusions.  Mickey let me know he’s definitely still working on the bait, and this is just a prototype, but you can see where this bait is going.   Here is what I can tell you about the new Mission Fish:

• FATTER
• Rounder
• Bulkier
• Better swimming version (the Rising Son Tail gives the bait added swim, thump, rock & roll of the head and body, and just livens up the overall swim).   This version still fishes Texas Rig style, can be pitched, flipped, snatched, and dropped, but the Rising Son tail makes you want to keep it moving.
• More Weedless:  Improved split belly design, step-up reinforced rubber where the hook goes thru the bait, making the bait a bit more durable and fishable in the thick stuff.
• Better Hook-ups:  Okay, stop what you are doing, and invest $6.50 in a pack of 8/0 Owner Beast Hooks, and retrofit you old Mission Fishes (6-7-8″ Mission Fish for the 8/0 Beast Hook) and remove the CPS (Centering Pin Spring)–very easy to do.  I believe this hook, with the hook point way above the line tie, in a better jig hook setup and the overall size, bite, gap and reach back of the 8/0 Beast is going to significant improve hook-up ratios.  Its so far a better hook and system than the G Folks and their Mag Gap 5/0 bent out at 45 degrees.   Please help me test this out, but I believe this 8/0 Beast Hook will make a huge impact on old and new Mission Fishes.   It’s like a perfect worm hook setup for a big magnum bigbait.  Check out the 10/0 Beast for your old 9″ Mission Fishes!    Save your CPS.  Don’t throw them away or cut them off.   They are good for other rigs and rigging.

I’m in tournament practice and preparation mode on Okeechobee at the moment, so I don’t want to say too much about too much anyway. I just wanted to share the prototype, and provide a view of what the next generation of Mission Fish will look like and where Mickey is headed with it.  I have a lot of fishing yet to be done with the Mission Fish, both new and old versions, but believe me the Owner Beast Hook + PowerPro will be part of both approaches.   I’m not fishing for a world record or heavy teen fish. I’m looking for 4-7 pounders and I’m looking at the the tournament potential of the Mission Fish.   It’s just a really unique bait in that it swims, flips and pitches, and can be texas rigged outside and sorta snatched and ripped and just has a lot of versatility, sort of like a swim jig does.  A bigbait version of the swimjig.

This story is to be continued. Way too much yet to fish and explore with this bait before we say anything further.  No clue what Mickey has in store for the general release of this new version.   We might still be months away before he’s ready for a release. I’m going to keep fishing and taking notes and trying to progress and document what I do.   Stay tuned.