New products always showing up

   This Sunday's column has to do with a new crankbait called the Scatter Rap. It's a minnow-looking bait from the folks at Rapala.
   I don't know how many new baits, gadgets, line, rods or reels come out each year, but judging by what I see in tackle boxes on the racks in bait shops, it's a lot.
   You probably wonder if you need to replace your tackle each year with the newest and latest. Fishing is like golf in many ways.
   One way they are similar are the yearly changes in equipment with both sports. Golf club companies are always bringing out new sticks (clubs), different shafts, heads that promise the ball will go straighter and of course, longer, and so forth.
   But like fishing, some golfers by a set of clubs and play with them for years before changing to something newer.
   Fishermen think the same way. Many use rods, reels and tackle that they have had for years. Those jigs they bought several years ago still catch fish. So do the cranks, spinnerbaits and spoons.
   Some new tackle may have advantages over older stuff. More action, different materials in the construction process and so many newer colors to choose from.
   I tend to stay with what I've had for years. Even the skirts on some of my baits have never been changed.
   Soft plastics and creature baits are the same ones I've had since before Gulp or any of the other scented baits came out.
   I think what it all boils down to is the person using the tackle. There's one word to describe it, confidence.
   If you're confident in your equipment, or a favorite go to plug, by all means stay with the confidence baits.
   After all, attitude and confidence are a huge part of catching fish. But check the new stuff out too. There just may be a couple that will change up how you do things.