Tackle Week 2025: The year’s best new lures, including soft-plastics, jigs, jerkbaits, spoons & more

If there’s one predominant trend in 2025’s impressive array of new fishing gear, it’s the influence of forward-facing sonar, or FFS. Practically everything these days—even rods, reels, lines and lures—is being optimized for use with this cutting-edge fish-finding technology. Your boat is not yet equipped with FFS? Worry not. You can still catch plenty of fish with 2025’s impressive array of offerings, many of which earned Best of Show awards at the most recent ICAST event, the world’s largest sportfishing trade show. Here are my top picks.

For a look at more of the year’s best new fishing gear, also see our round-up of 2025’s best new rods, reels & electronics (coming Wednesday); angling accessories (coming Thursday) and fly-fishing gear (coming Friday).

 Best Jig

GRAPH SHADZ

Z-Man’s 3.8-inch, pre-rigged Graph ShadZ is a mindblower, designed to reflect FFS signals back to your fish finder. It also features a unique line-through line-tie system, allowing you to hover or mope your presentation in a perfectly balanced horizontal manner—you’ll never have to reposition your knot again. Poured on a 3/0 black nickel, sickle-shaped needlepoint hook, the jig comes in three weights. Learn more: www.zmanfishing.com