Two Underappreciated Lipless Crankbaits
When I first started fishing the Potomac River in the 1990s, no one I knew fished a swim jig. The Chatterbait had yet to be invented. That’s why just about every angler I knew had a Rat-L-Trap tied on throughout the year. Usually it was chrome with a blue back, ½ ounce or sometimes ¼ ounce. I still use the “trap” frequently, in a wider variety of colors, but a lipless crankbait has seen its overall playing time diminished. While many of us still use a trap, the Strike King Redeye Shad has also claimed a share of that playing time. It has a slightly different profile and action and I mix and match them to see what the fish want on a particular day.
Those aren’t the only lures in that class that work well. I have several trusted friends who like the Booyah Hard Knocker and Booyah One Knocker better than the Strike King. On our frequent trips to El Salto, the Berkley Warpig seems to outproduce them all. Accordingly, while I normally don’t stray too much, I have a couple hundred of them (?!?!) in various makes, sizes and colors. There are two in particular that I know produce. If you don’t already own them, you probably should:
I believe it was the late David Wharton who turned me onto this one, and I had the practice day of a lifetime fishing a red one out of his boat on Guntersville, and also caught key fish during an Elite event on the California Delta with that same one. I wore the paint off one in the old Baby Bass pattern fishing it around the country. This lure simply gets bit.
My friend Matt Paino of Optimum Baits gave me one of these and when the fish are really locked into a rip and pause presentation it doesn’t seem to have an equal. The small body comes free of grass easily, and then if you stop it, that often triggers the bite. Again, reds have been my best springtime colors, but the shad patterns (like “Silver Lining”) are preferable after the spawn and in the fall.
Remember, on grass-based fisheries like the Potomac and Guntersville, you often have to be in a crowd to get bit. Even when that’s not exclusively the case, you’ll frequently find yourself fishing around others – so it pays to distinguish your bait choices.
Both of these lures come with premium hooks, but don’t hesitate to change them out frequently. They will dull or bend out slightly after a lot of use, hefty contact with cover, and plier removals.
