Sweet Beaver Colors the Pros Use When No One’s Looking
The Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver changed the nature of the flipping game. While it didn’t displace jigs or other staples like the Brush Hog, it spawned a whole category of “beaver baits” and became the preferred choice for most mat flippers.
As most bait connoisseurs know, R.I. founder Andre Moore has birthed some of the most creative bait colors names of anyone in the industry. In addition to being entertaining and occasionally NSFW, they’re also aimed at serious anglers with specific needs. You can get by with standards like Watermelon Red, Black Red Flake, Black Blue Flake and Green Pumpkin – and while I’m generally a fan of keeping colors simple, I’ve been privy to several episodes where pros relied heavily on the Beaver, and it wasn’t always in the basic colors. Here are three such examples:
At a California Elite Series tournament over a decade ago, I asked my pro practice partner (sponsored by another soft plastics company which did not have a comparable bait at the time) how much he wanted for gas. Instead of cash, he asked me to deliver $60 worth of Sweet Beavers in this aptly-named color. It looked like a drug deal at the registration meeting when I handed over the paper bag. He went on to finish in the Top 10.
At the same tournament mentioned above, my friend Bill drew out with a renowned flipper (also not sponsored by Reaction Innovations) on Day Three and received a master clinic on how to pick apart a mat. That angler, who also went on to finish in the top 10, said that 90% of the time he chose Xmas pumpkin. It’s like opening a long-awaited gift every time you set the hook.
You would think that Okeechobee Craw would be a top choice in Florida, and it likely is, but every time I’ve been a pro’s boat down there and they’ve been throwing anything but some combination of black and blue it seems to be Sprayed Grass. It’s become my go-to on the Potomac when I can hear bluegills popping on the underside of the mats.
