I am so partial to jig 'n pigs and soft plastics that this is likely the first and last article I'll write about hard plugs. Crankbaits and plugs for the most part are not a huge part of my fishing strategy. At times....ok.....in Spring I'll be sweeping a Rogue, Summer finds me burning a Footloose, but you will never see me deep cranking. To me, I can accomplish what most crankbaits do with other baits. I can also get a better percentage of those bass to the boat without having to worry about trebles coming unbuttoned. A spinnerbait can cover the mid to shallow depths as well as any crank. The Ledgebusters and heavy blades can cover the deepest haunts as well. The only thing that I can't duplicate is the stop and go side to side action of a topwater plug. I'm old enough to appreciate the Boy Howdy's, Red Fins, Jitterbugs, Hula Poppers, and Crippled Killers. Each in its own right was and still is a classic fish catcher. To me, the industry has made huge strides in making topwater plugs even better. For sheer excitement, topwater action can't be beaten. The rush of a huge wake closing in on your bait gets the old ticker pumping. Today's newer plugs feature sharper hooks, aerodynamic bodies, realistic finishes, and 3-D eyes. Add to that rattles and these baits are eons ahead of the classics. I've come to rely on three of the newer baits. These can be classified as top end baits as their price tags are a bit more that the standard $3.99 lure.

Spit'n Image
This is the bait that got me throwing topwaters again after a long layoff. Not all that new, this bait, labeled Excalibur, is made by Pradco. It features rotating Excalibur trebles that simply stick bass with little effort. The bait is available in over 18 finishes and two sizes for freshwater and a large model for saltwater. The lure is shaped like a shad and comes to life with the slightest twitch of the rod tip. It may be the easiest bait to walk the dog with. I picked up a few on the advice from a friend and have been using them quietly here on my home waters. The fact that I an even writing about it attests to my success with it. I like the smaller sized 1/4oz bait. I fish it on a 6-6 medium action baitcast set up with 14lb test.

Some things I've notices about the Spit'n Image: First, it is so easy to use. This bait skitters, walks, pops, spits, and is just plain erratic. Second, this bait has a great hooking percentage. Its lethal sharp hooks don't miss many bass at all. One of the reasons I stopped fishing plugs was that they get poor marks for hooking and holding fish. Next, this bait has a great set of rattles. A trick I employ is to drill a hole in the bait and remove the stock rattles. I replace them with glass rattles and plug the hole up. There is a huge difference between glass and steel rattles. Both work, but glass is better. Lastly, did I mention that this bait is easy to manipulate???? I love the Threadfin Shad and Arkansas shiner patterns. At 5.99, this bait is a steal.

Yo-Zuri Walk'n Dog
This cigar shaped bait deserves mention because it is everything the Zara Spook aspires to be. The Dog is slimmer than the Spook and made in a host of great colors and foil patterns. It features some decent hooks, although I change them to Owner's or Excalibur's. It is the middle of the road bait, priced anywhere between 6 and 10 dollars. While not as easy to master as the Spit'n Image, the Dog is legions simpler to master than the original Spook. One of its best attributes is its rattles. Once you get this bait sloshing side to side its rattles bang out a steady fish calling beat. In the water, the Dog behaves like a Spook. It walks nicely due to its slim profile. As far as hookups, it is not as efficient as the Spit'n Image.

The bait is available in two sizes. A 3 3/4" model and the Magnum 4.5" model. I work the Dog on the same set up as the Image. I prefer slower 5 to 1 ratio reels over the quicker models. The soft tip of the medium action rod dampens the shock of a strike. It helps to prevent lost fish by giving me an extra second preventing me from pulling the bait away from the bass on the hookset. One big reason I picked the cigar shaped bait up again was the great colors that the Yo-Zuri comes in. I like green shiner, gold black-back, and trout.

Lucky Craft Sammy
All I can say about any bait that costs between 15 and 20 dollars a pop is that it better be worth it. The Sammy surely fills the bill. Once, I refused to pay over 6 dollars for any bait. Through the barter system I accumulated several Sammies. These were 85 series baits in 4 Japan-only colors. Perhaps the prettiest looking cranks I've ever seen, the Sammy is not just superficial eye candy. The Lucky Craft baits have some of the best detail in the business. Lucky Craft uses what it calls the "Magic Scale finish" to produce the most realistic scale pattern to date. This results in light reflection in the lowest light conditions. The Sammy is available in 4 sizes; the 3" 1/8oz 65, the 3/16oz 3.5" 85, the 4" 1/2oz 100, and the 4.5" 3/4oz 115 series. This bait comes with the best hooks I've seen on any crankbait, bar Excaliburs. The Japan models I have came with Black Nickle needlepoints.

The Sammy is far from being a spook imitator. It features unique and deadly glass eyes and detailed mouth and gill plates. It has a slightly arched belly and straight back giving it a great shad profile. The mouth area features a slightly recessed spot that allows the bait to spit and throw water. It is very easy to work. A slight pop of the wrists sends this bait into a sweet sashay that makes it so deadly. I use the 85 most of the time, although I have a special place in my heart for the 65. The 85 is large enough to attract big fish and small enough that smaller keepers can handle it. I sometimes throw it on spinning gear. I like a 6-6 medium light rod and 8lb test. I stick with mono most times, but Power Pro has helped me out in the past with this bait. The line floats which prevents it from fouling the hooks. I use the following colors: Nishiki Clown, Imeron Black, and a bass pattern I call "guarantee". I love working this bait close to heavy cover. The Sammy looks like it is moving even when it is idle in the water. The reflective scale finish makes it seem like it is quivering in the water even at rest. I'm certainly against the high price tag that these baits feature, but they are amazing baits.

Earthworms Shootout
You knew that I couldn't do an article like this without comparing all of the baits together. I performed this shootout in the 2001 season. Fishing these baits in equal situations and for equal amounts of time. I would like to thank the bass of the Peconic River for their feedback. I decided to put these baits through a series of tests that judged their fish catching ability, durability, and several other key characteristics. All factors were rated from 1 to 10. 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest. I added the Super Spook to use as a regulator.

Abbreviation Key: Super Spook=SS | Spit'n Image=EX | Yo-Zuri Dog=YZ | Sammy=SY

• Detail: SS-7, EX-8, YZ-6, SY-9
• Hardware (split rings, hooks): SS-8, EX-8, YZ-7, SY-9
• Durability of finish: SS-7, EX-7, YZ-10, SY-9
• Ease of manipulation: SS-7, EX-10, YZ-8, SY-9
• Hooking percentage: SS-8, EX-9, YZ-7, SY-8
• Colors: SS-9, EX-9, YZ-7, SY-10
• Uniqueness: SS-10, EX-9, YZ-7, SY-10
• Realism: SS-7, EX-8, YZ-7, SY-10
• Totals: SS-8, EX-8.75, YZ-8, SY-9.37

The biggest suprise was the Spit'n Image which is the cheapest bait of the bunch. The Image may have broken the 9 mark had the paint not chipped off from being smacked around by bass. This in no way effects the lures action, but I was judging on the total package. The Spit'n Image is Earthworm's pick!!! It gets you the most bang for your buck.

Coming in a tie for 3rd was the Super Spook. This three-hook bait has several refinements over the traditional spook. It features a more streamlined belly , Excalibur hooks, and some neat colors. It, too, had problems with the paint chipping off. This was my regulator bait as I compared all of the baits to the Spook, the bait that spawned topwater fishing as we know it.

Tied for 3rd was the Walk'n Dog. This mark should not be indicative to what you can do with the bait. It is a great bait and I could tweak it a bit to make it perform better. I would immediately change the hooks on the bait to Owner ST's or Excalibur rotating trebles. This would increase its marks in both hardware and hooking percentage to at least the mid 8's. I could probably do the most upgrade work with the Dog. A few refinements here and there and this baby would be pushing 9's. I don't feel that I could tweak any of the others as much for fear of damaging the finishes of those baits.The colors of the bait are good but it lacks the detail of the Sammy. That earned the bait its worst mark. Still, the Dog is no slouch as it stood up to the biggest bass of the test, a raging 5lb. 3oz. brute that took it sideways on a flat near part of the creek channel. I'll be honest, I would throw this bait before I would ever throw a Spook. I like its slimmer profile and its internal rattle.

In all, these topwater baits have been responsible for my topwater revival. Each in its own right is a good bet.