By Ken Sturdivant
Stick baits were popularized by the Rapala Company years ago. What made these baits so effective is they almost perfectly mimicked the baits that game fish feed on, both in fresh and salt water. These first lures were, and are still, made of the best balsa wood in the world.
One major feature that makes them so effective is the wobble when retrieved. The small lips on the front of these baits are tuned, and they run straight right out of the box. Tie the fishing line directly to the lip. One tip is to use a loop knot on this lure. This makes the bait swim even better.
But even at a standstill, the colors of these baits attract all game fish. Since they are made of wood, they float. But once they start moving, this wobble is perfect. Every Rapala bait made today is tank tested before it leaves the factory.
Now, many of these lures are now made of plastic and even a foam material. Companies all over the world have a new style of the original stick bait and they have many new features. The most obvious feature of these new baits is that they suspend once the retrieve stops. Instead of floating to the surface, these new styles stay dead still in the water column. These baits have been perfectly weighted with lead inside the lures. As another benefit, the lures now rattle. World class hooks are another benefit to these new lures.
In the last two BassMasters Classic tournaments, professional angler Hank Cherry won these two events back-to-back, a very rare feat for any angler who makes a living fishing professionally. Hank Cherry is just the fourth angler in history to win the Classic in back-to-back years. And the one bait that helped him is a New Berkley Stunna Jerk Bait Stealth Shad.
Working with Berkley, his refinements with the new bait added more action, casting distance and in the design process. The Stunna delivers with a unique slow sink to trigger bites from neutral and inactive fish. Fish eat them almost all year and in almost any water color and water temperature.
Ken Sturdivant is a member of the Lowrance Pro Staff. You can find him at Southern Fishing Schools Inc., www.southernfishing.com; kensturdivant@att.net; 770-889-2654; www.southernfishing.com, or kensturdivant@att.net