As I look at some of the new lures that were introduced this year, I wonder how we ever caught fish on the stuff of yesteryear.
Modern hard baits are works of art. The paint schemes are so lifelike, and the finishes are pearly smooth. I don't know if they actually catch more fish than the old stuff, but they certainly are more attractive to anglers.
I am impressed with the line of Berkley's hard baits that were introduced last summer. They include three stickbaits, six crankbaits and two lipless crankbaits.
The crankbaits include the Bad Shad 5 and 7, which appear to be modified versions of Berkley's popular and highly effective Flick'r Shad. The 5 dives to 6.5 feet, and the 7 dives to 8.5 feet.
The Digger is a deep-body, deep-diving crankbait that resembles the old Bagley Killer B2, but with a different bill. It has a flashy, exaggerated wobble and comes in two sizes, the 6.5 and 8.5. I am a loyal fan of the old Bagley and Poe crankbaits, so this is a lure I'll fish with confidence.
The Pitbull is a square-bill crankbait with a tapered body that's a little longer than the average square-bill. The sculpted back flashes at more angles and gives the bait a slightly different action than usual.
David Fritts, an FLW Tour pro, designed these lures with Scott Suggs of Bryant, Gary Klein, Josh Bertrand and Justin Lucas. Fritts said the Pitbull tracks truer than other squarebills that tend to jump to the surface.
The Pitbull comes in 12 colors, including the gilly, which looks astonishingly like a longear sunfish. This should be a killer stream and river lure in the post-spawn, when longears relentlessly raid bass beds. Bass hate bream during the spawning season and attack them with abandon.
The Wild Thang has a longer bill than the Pitbull and comes in 11 colors. Fritts said the Wild Thang is the best crankbait he's ever made.
"It tracks between 2 and 2 1/2 feet from side to side when you retrieve it," Fritts said. "It changes direction almost with a 90-degree angle. It's a very aggressive bait. It's fun to fish because it's jumping around so much."
The jerkbaits, or stickbaits, are called Cutters. Fritts said it took two years to develop this lure, which has a coffin-shaped bill and flat face that make the lure roll more than other cigar plugs. It also lacks an internal casting weight, which Fritts said compromises the actions of other cigar plugs. The lure's design makes the lure as castable as any jerkbait with an internal weight.
The Warpig is a variation of a lure that includes the venerable Rat-L-Trap. It looks somewhat like the Sebile Seeker, which is coincidentally, is another Berkley brand. The Seeker is the only lipless that I fish with confidence, but I'm looking forward to using the Warpig.
Fort Smith-based Rebel has struggled to keep up with the times, but I really like its Bluegill crankbaits.
The Bluegill line was also introduced in 2015. These squarebills are 2 3/8 inches long and have thin tapered bodies that closely resemble baby bluegills. They have a tight wiggle that's very similar to that of lipless crankbaits, which also have thin bodies.
The Rebel Bluegill comes in four colors, natural bluegill, firetiger, pumpkinseed and albino bluegill. You can buy them individually or in three-packs.
Customer service
I've had the pleasant misfortune in the past few weeks of having a couple of companies make good on their lifetime warranties.
Exhibit A was a SOG Powerduo that I've had for about five years. It was part of my camping kit, and it disintegrated under moderate use.
The other was a Gerber 2.5-inch DBL Bolster Stag lockblade pocketknife that also fell apart under light use.
The warranty procedure was very easy. I filled out warranty claims online at each company's Web site. The form required owner and contact information and how long I've owned the item.
Gerber wanted to know when and where I bought the item.
Both forms asked if the item had sentimental value. I bought the Gerber in Idaho for one of my most memorable bird hunts. I used it to fan and cape my first two ruffed grouse. I'm sentimental about the hunt, but the knife? Nah, not really.
Both companies sent me new replacement units.
If they had sentimental value, I assume they would have repaired them.
Sports on 01/31/2016