No other lure runs through thick, matted grass like Texas-rigged soft plastic baits, but even those baits hang up occasionally as grass stems stick between the hooks and the plastic bodies. Now, legendary lure and jighead designer Lonnie Stanley came up with not one, but two innovative products that make soft plastics run through grass even better.

“I’m as excited about this system as anything I’ve ever designed,” said the five-time Bassmaster Classic veteran and world-renown lure manufacturer of his new Wedge V Lock hook and Wedgehead V Lock jighead system. “It can go into places where people previously wouldn’t think of throwing a lure.”

Both systems use the same wedge-shaped coil spring that locks any plastic bait tight to the hook eye. The spring increases in width as it spirals upward from the point of insertion into the plastic to the hook eye, making a snug fit.

“The tornado v shaped spring makes it easier to line up a soft plastic bait and we built it with strong stainless wire,” Stanley explained. Most springs on the market are either too little or too big and they are hard to line up on the nose of baits. A tapered Wedge V Lock spring self-centers when lining up on any bait one wants to use with it. With the spring locked into the plastic, it can’t pull out of a bait easily. The tighter one screws it in, the tighter the plastic stays on the hook. People can catch several fish on one bait without knocking the plastic off the jighead.

Both systems use an identical hook, in either 5/0 or 4/0. However, Wedge V Lock hooks come without weights while a Wedgehead V Lock jighead system contains an 1/8-ounce boat-shaped weight attached to the upper hook shaft instead of the traditional hook top. Looking like the red hull of a bass boat, the uniquely designed jighead allows soft plastic baits to “plain” over grasses or slide through weeds effortlessly.

“I was fishing with a Ribbit Frog and noticed that it was hitting lily pads and sticking,” Stanley said. “I thought, ‘if I could get a bait to plane like a boat, it would go across the pads easier,’ so I designed a wedged-shaped jighead with a 30-degree angle. When people put other weights on soft plastic baits, the nose dips down and the bait digs into vegetation. A Wedgehead V Lock makes the nose rise like a boat coming on plane so the bait runs across the top of the water or vegetation.”

Designed primarily for use with soft plastic frogs, such as a Ribbit or Bull Ribbit, the system can improve how lizards, worms, eels, slugs, minnows or any other soft plastic baits run through grassy areas. With baits running nose high, anglers can work soft plastics like topwater baits or allow them to sink and wobble down.

“It makes any bait go crazy,” Stanley said. “When running a frog on top of the water nose high, the tail drops, making the feet dig in a little more. That causes more buzzing noises for a louder retrieve. The weight also has a little ‘keel,’ so I can skip it under docks, overhanging branches or other cover. In Florida, anglers use them to skip through mangrove roots to attract snook.”

People can also attach soft plastic minnows on Wedgehead V Lock jigheads and run them like crankbaits or just under the surface like waking spinnerbaits. Periodically, pop them out of the water to simulate baitfish jumping to escape predators. Pausing the retrieve allows baits to sink nose down like dying shad. People can also use them on the bottom like traditional Texas- or Carolina rigs.

“When falling on a slack line, the jighead is just heavy enough to slightly activate the legs of a frog or the tail on a Wedgetail minnow,” Stanley said. “That makes a minnow-type bait look like a baitfish running to the bottom to escape a predator. When it hits bottom, the bait stands up at a 30-degree angle. A lizard stands up like a salamander rooting for eggs on the bottom of the lake.”

Most people would probably prefer throwing an unweighted version in clear, calm water with little vegetation when a subtle retrieve works best. In really thick cover, anglers might desire more commotion and opt for a weighted hook. In addition, a weighted hook allows anglers to use heavy braid or monofilament lines necessary to horse big fish from thick cover and still make long casts.

Weighted versions come two to a pack. Unweighted versions come three to a back. Stanley also offers the system with either red or natural finish hooks. A 1/4-ounce weighted version will soon hit the market for people who wish to use super large frogs, lizards or other baits.

To purchase the new Stanley Wedge V Lock Hooks, please click here.

Stanley Fishing