The History and Evolution of the KGB Chad Shad in the Big Swimbait Culture

Nov 06, 2025 0

The world of bass fishing has seen a surge in the popularity of big swimbaits, transforming from an underground culture to a more mainstream phenomenon. The most difficult part about fishing big swimbaits for largemouth bass is acquiring the lures. This evolution is marked by innovative designs and strategic collaborations, with the KGB Chad Shad playing a significant role.

The Rise of Big Swimbaits

Big swimbaits catch big bass-that’s not news. This tactic spun up out of southern California reservoirs in the 1980s, where fishermen looked for lures large enough to mimic the stocked rainbow trout offered up to enormous bass like lambs to the slaughter. The idea behind big swimbaits is that the largest, oldest largemouth bass in a body of water, having seen hundreds of small soft plastics, squarebill crankbaits, and suspending jerkbaits, tune out the noise of smaller conventional lures. Big swimbait adopters are often surprised at the size of the fish living in their home waters that they never knew were there before offering a trophy-sized bass a trophy-sized meal.

The Allure of Exclusivity

Part of the historical attraction of swimbaits was the notion that it was an underground culture. Not everyone could get one of the hottest baits around at any price. In fact, there were plenty of brands, baits and presentations that were strictly on the downlow. The scheming, horse-trading, and straight-up gambling that anglers engage in to get some of those most coveted swimbaits is its own form of fishing. He regularly enters “waffles,” which is social media codespeak for raffles, wherein he spends hundreds, even thousands, for a chance at getting a bait.

The exclusivity is part of the allure. These guys like having something that others don’t, not just the baits themselves but particular colorways, too. But not everyone can or will pay the big bucks or camp in front of the computer hoping to get it on the drop.

The KGB Chad Shad: A Key Player

Meanwhile, KGB Swimbaits (the name doesn’t connote the Russian spy agency, but rather owner Kevin Brightwell) partnered with SPRO, another giant, to bring his popular Chad Shad to market. Another slam dunk, so much so that this year he added a new smaller size to the mass-market version and canceled that option in his custom line. He just said it couldn’t get any better - and this not only puts more of them in the hands of customers (and the mouths of big bass) but gives him more time to work on the prized custom versions of his bigger baits.

Read also: Chad Shad 180 In-Depth Review

The SPRO KGB Chad Shad is a result of a collaboration between KGB Swimbaits and SPRO. Its key features include:

Oversized eye
3D scales
Premium hardware

Designed to produce bites in tough conditions, the SPRO KGB Lil Guy 120 Glide Bait delivers a similar action to the popular KGB Chad Shad 180 in a more compact size for coaxing strikes from reluctant fish. Manufactured by SPRO for KGB Swimbaits, the Lil Guy 120 features a lifelike baitfish profile tricked out with intricate detailing, oversized eyes, a wide brush tail, and a jointed body for enhanced action.

Recommended for use on 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon line, the Lil Guy 120 can be straight reeled or chopped and delivers a surprisingly long gliding action for its small size to draw in predators from a considerable distance. Fully equipped for battle right out of the package, the Lil Guy 120 is armed with a pair of razor-sharp treble hooks affixed to swiveling hook hangers to minimize the chances of a lunker bass coming unbuttoned mid-fight. Weighing just under one ounce, the Lil Guy 120 is easily fished on standard bass tackle, eliminating the need for specialized equipment often required with larger, heavier glide baits.

Glide Baits and Their Balance

Glide baits are all about balance. The head has to have enough mass to create momentum, the tail enough drag to allow that momentum to swing and turn the head side to side. Different balances can then create different actions. The choppy ones tend to be more coveted, especially when used with forward-facing sonar, as anglers can impart a lot of side-to-side action without actually moving the lure forward much, making it perfect to tempt a bass you’re watching on your screen. That’s why you may have heard of anglers modifying glide baits with lead tape or solder wrapped around the hooks.

However, everything with a glide bait is give and take. Adding more weight means more action, yes, but it also means it’s going to sink a lot faster. That’s where some of the better glide baits, such as the original Chad Shad or the Clutch models, separate themselves. On the outside, you can’t tell the difference between those and any other glide baits, just like you can’t tell the difference looking at two different bottles of whiskey. That key detail is going to make a difference in how the lure performs in the water compared to others.

Today's lure market offers glide bait options for everyone from the budget-conscious beginner to big-bait fanatic. Now, the SPRO KGB Chad Shad, Scottsboro Tackle Sogeki, G-Ratt Sneaky Pete, Clutch Swimbait Co. OG Glide Baits and many others have all popped up and are widely available. While not known as a multi-day tournament-winning technique, glides made a few appearances in Top 10 bait galleries in 2024, including at the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship on Lake Toho.

Swimbait Innovators Partnering with Big Lure Brands

In this lure collaborations, boutique baitmakers partner with a mainstream company to produce a slightly lesser-priced model with most if not all of the original’s magic. Perhaps they’re made of a different material or with a limited color schemes. The originator and his baits retain their street cred, while also getting wider exposure, the big companies add to their lineups with previously-established gravitas, and the consumer can get in on the game without bankrupting junior’s college fund. That’s where the collab comes in.

Here are a few notable collaborations:

Mike Bucca + GSM Outdoors = Bucca Brand Trick Shad

A collaboration of Mike Bucca and GSM Outdoors produces the Bucca Brand Trick Shad.

Name: Bucca Brand Trick Shad
Price: $39.99
Key Features: ABS Plastic, swivel hook hangers, Mustad Triple Grip hooks, replaceable tail

The first came from Mike Bucca, one of the OGs of the swimbait world, whose Bull Shad has quietly been on professional tournament anglers’ decks for over a decade. He collaborated with GSM - owner of brands like Yamamoto - to bring his Trick Shad glide to market at the $40 price point. It was ABS instead of resin, and came in only a handful of colors, but man did it draw in anglers and big bass.

This year, Bucca added an ABS version of his original three-piece Bull Shad as well as new sizes of the Trick Shad. Apparently the demand was huge - and he still sells the more expensive custom versions at shows across the country, where they’re in high demand.

Tater Hog + Strike King = Strike King Hog Father Jr.

A collaboration between Tater Hog and Strike King brings us the new Strike King Hog Father Jr.

Name: Strike King Hog Father Jr.
Price: $44.99
Key Features: Unique shape, swivel hook hangers

This year, industry giant Strike King got into the mix, too, partnering with Matt McBee, aka, “Tater Hog”. If that name sounds familiar it’s because pros like Chris Zaldain have been using them effectively at big fish factories like Lake Fork for years. Now you don’t have to spend over $200 to get one - for about $45 you can get a Hog Father Jr., a 7.5” slow sinker that looks remarkably like a gizzard shad or herring. They’re still not “cheap” but this is a price point where just about anyone can get in the game.

Collaboration Over Competition

There have been some nasty battles in the history of bass fishing over who invented what, and when they did it. Some of them have risen to the level of litigation or patent enforcement. Like everything, as it has moved more mainstream swimbaiting has become more widely accepted and appreciated. The purists may scoff, but it’s now possible to get top-notch gear without giving up your first born or winning the lottery.

It’s not just swimbaits where the collaboration bug is being passed around, nor is it a new practice. JDM lure companies have done it for years. For example, Megabass partnered with Heddon to produce a special run of “Big Bud” topwaters, a seeming novelty lure that is revered across the pond.

The collaboration trend extends to soft plastic lures as well. John Crews, owner of Missile Baits, has been particularly active in this process. Rather than “stealing” an idea, borrowing a color name, or strictly paying homage to an innovator, he worked with others to build a better mousetrap. Early on, Crews collaborated with legendary western company Roboworm to make their Magic Worm. They used the latter company’s unique pouring ability to produce colors that no one else could make, and they did it all in the USA. The Magic Worm has gone on to produce more than a few national tournament wins.

Subsequently, Missile combined with Tennessee-based Alabama Rig juggernaut Hog Farmer to produce their own lineup of Spunk Shads, a small pintail ringed worm that can be used as a jerkbait or jighead minnow, but which has almost incidentally become one of the most popular Chatterbait trailers around.