The Most Versatile Bass Jighead: The Smeltinator is offered in four different weights (1/8 oz, ¼ oz, 3/8 oz, and ½ oz) and five different hook sizes (1/0-5/0) making this jig useful in a wide array of applications and different soft plastic baits. The rise of forward facing sonar and pressured waters create the need for proper baitfish imitations whether they are small perch or giant shad! For small finesse swimbaits, minnow baits, etc. around 3” in length, the 1/0 or 2/0 hook size would be most popular. The 2/0 and 3/0 hook size pairs up well for baits around 4”. This was the jig size ‘Gussy’ used during his Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic win on the Tennessee River while utilizing a 4 and 5 inch minnow style bait. For baits that are greater than 5 inches, anglers will lean towards the 4/0 or 5/0 hook size.
The Bassmaster Classic winning Smeltinator Jig is the creation of Canadian Angler Bryan Gustafson. It wouldn't be what it is today without a 20+ year relationship with Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jeff Gustafson and Northland Tackle founder John Peterson. The Smeltinator was designed to give anglers a premium minnow head that perfectly imitates slender baitfish across the Northern US and Canada. As Bryan started creating jigs, he consulted with John on the manufacturing process, and the Smeltinator was born. After dominating the Canadian Tournament scene for several years, Jeff Gustafson won more than $400,000 through B.A.S.S including the 2023 Bassmaster Classic. In 2023, Bryan licensed the Smeltinator manufacturing rights to Northland Tackle and reunited the three elements that brought this jig to life and made it famous.
The premium components of the Smeltinator is really what makes this jig head stand out from others. It features a sticky sharp, strong Gamakatsu hook, which by popular demand is a staple in the bass fishing tournament scene. Lifelike 3D holographic eyes and sculpted gill plates make the Smeltinator a realistic presentation and highly irresistible! Lastly, the universal ribbed baitkeeper holds your favorite plastics on the jig head and doesn’t tear your bait like traditional baitkeepers.
Northland Fishing Tackle® – EST. 1975
In 1975, a young Northwoods fishing guide named John Peterson started pouring jigs and tying tackle for his guiding 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! The word spread like wildfire, the phone started ringing for Team Northland®… and the Northland Fishing Tackle® brand was in hot demand!
For over 45 years Team Northland® Tackle has been designing, testing, and perfecting an exclusive line of products that catches 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, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and spoons for Panfish, Perch, Walleye, Bass, Trout, Northern Pike, and Muskie.
Northland Fishing Tackle® products are designed by fishermen for the quality-conscious anglers of the new millennium. The entire management team are fishermen who surround themselves with experienced Northwoods fishing guides, veteran charter captains, professional tournament anglers, and the famous Team Northland Pro-Staff! These fishing experts provide us with valuable product feedback and innovative fishing ideas that keep us on the “cutting edge” of the fishing tackle industry.
The Northland Fishing Tackle® Team has some of the best promotional fishermen in the industry such as Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson, Jason Mitchell, Brad Hawthorne, Joel Nelson, and Nick Lindner to showcase our innovative shapes, colors, and designs. Our Pro Staff and professionals spend hundreds of days each year on the water and are the backbone of our organization. Our social media channels reach millions of people across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Our content-rich Northland Fishing Tackle website serves as a home base for new product information and an excellent resource for fishing tips, tricks, and hacks.
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