Last night I was fishing one of my dropping tide spots and doing quite well.

I was using a Lew's minnow in silver/green/black it resembles a Yozuri Crytal minnow but cost a fraction less and to be servicable it needs to have the splits and hooks changed as they are to light and frankly, junk.

Anyway, I was doing a fish every 3rd or 4th cast with intermitent bumps for an hour or so then the tide got low enough where just before the plug got within 30 feet of me I would bottom out.

Now by that time what with the overcast and sun dropping into the west it was pretty near on dark and I could see the lure very well but did notice after it hit bottom hard it wasn't swimming very well. Upon inspection the first time it looked okay so I cast it out again but it was not swimming. So I jerked it hard across the surface (it floats like a cork at rest) and let it stop while I reeled up the slack and found I was on to a decent fish.

While removing the plug from the bass's jaw I noticed the little molded lip was broke off. So I cast it out and sure enough got the same action which was none but in the pause while pondering it I got slammed again with another decent fish ( 30 inches which ain't bad for CC the firast week of May)

I made another cast and twitched agin and let it sit and the water exploded while it sat there again. Man that plug produced better w/o the lip on a dead float with occasional twitch. I'm liking it.

Anyone else ever have that happen to them? It's a fish magnet like that.

I've never had it happen with a plug w/ a broken lip, but have had a similar experience with a black Bomber. Twice last fall I caught keepers when my lure was left still in the water. Once it happened when I stopped reeling to grab my bottle of water to take a gulp. The second time it happened when I was messing around with a wind knot in my line.

that's pretty cool Flap!
The exact opposite happened to me actually, I was casting to popping fish with a mambo and not catching, only to realize the lip had broken off, so I put on new one with a good lip and starting slamming them!

sounds like you stumbled upon the perfect injured minnow .. We work hard on lip size,,weighting,,hook sizes,,looking for the perfect swimmer,,only to have a busted lure slay ... go figure .. :tm:

take a redfin let it rest then rip it let it float back up rest for a second then repeat the thing looks like its dying then fish slam it hard.

I love this story. It's awesome when you stumble on something like that. Good for you Flap. Keep using it and let us know how it's doing.

I've had some good fish on water logged bombers. Didn't seem like the plug was swimming right but kept getting fish. Finally noticed the crack in the body.

The reverse has been true for the most part.

Flap, the same thing happend to me a few years ago. I was killing big fish (up to 36#) on a 6" black broken back Gags. I bounced it off a rock one night at Watch Hill and broke the lip off. I kept using it and sure enought a few casts later I got a fish in the low 20s.

I used that plug with no lip and caught a ton of fish on it. At the time, I fished only at night so I'm really not sure what the action was but the "big girls" loved it. This was a Sept timeframe so I figured it imitated the Mullet that run around Watch Hill in Sept.

If you look at a lot of lures overseas, you will find lots of the "jerk baits" are lip-less. ( As well as the big muskie lures in the US too) When I picked up a salmo fatso about 3 or 4 years ago, it looked awesome for SB but had no lip. I fished it and it swam but I thought it had very weak action....But I got a 32#er on it anyway that night and was a believer. Also, lots of the Jap. tuna casting jerk-baits also have no lips. I picked up 5 or 6 over the winter to try for bass in the surf this season. IMO bass will eat damn near anything if they are hungry.

The good news is it casts better without the lip. I did a quickie experiment in a field to see how far a lure casts normally, then with a weight in the tail end, also with and without a lip, the lip will take about 10-15% or more (depending on the lip) off your distance.

Flap-
Cool stuff!
For several years while fishing the Vineyard in May the Rebel Jumping Minnow (lip-less) was the only thing that would take bass when retrieved in an irractic jerking or twitching motion. A local was using it and banging fish on everycast while everyone else had zippo. I asked him and he showed me the lure at first I thoight it was just a regular Rebel...until I saw it had no lip.
:kewl: It worked like a charm.

Cool stuff!

"Mini me" spook

My observation is that even Flap can catch bass with a broken plug.:jester:

Nice Steve :wavey:

What was that story of removing Rebel lips or after they had broken off and fishing it that way? If I remeber right it was an old Cape Cod beach trick.

Nice Steve :wavey:

What was that story of removing Rebel lips or after they had broken off and fishing it that way? If I remeber right it was an old Cape Cod beach trick.

Same thing but those were 7 inch Rebels and they were used in very shallow water at night with a slow steady retrieve. Now we have floating needlefish but this is different in the way I was basically dead floating it with an occasional twitch. The hits came on the dead float after the twitch.

Tonight more testing!:uhuh:

fishing the florida keys with a guide years back, the first thing he did was take out a swimmer and break the plastic lip off the plug. We nailed shark, cuda and jakcs all day long on them

The same thing happened to me but it was with a cheapo lure I got at a flea market in Florida. I was minding my own business when the bluefish came along. I was catching them up at a pretty good clip when they went anto a shallow spot. One of them grabbed it and must have bounced it off the bottom. When I got him in I noticed the lip had broken off. Not all of it but most of it. I figured, what the hell, they will eat anything as long as it is moving so I continued to cast with it. I noticed that when reeled slow it had a slight wiggle and swam just below the surface. When I reeled in quick it worked kind of like a popper especially when I gave it a quick jerk or twitch. I kept catching them until they left and later after dark I was into Bass with it.
I have since lost it to a toothy Blue but it produced while it lasted. Although I don't think I could just break off a lip and have it work like that even though I had thought of it a few times it was not attempted.

It was the late David Baker that showed me by breaking the lip off a sinker 7" rebel that the dam thing would kill fish when the pogies were touching the surface with there backs making ripples.Cast out and as it wanted to sink ,just a twitch ad the nose would brake the surface and wham.

Flap-
Cool stuff!
For several years while fishing the Vineyard in May the Rebel Jumping Minnow (lip-less) was the only thing that would take bass when retrieved in an irractic jerking or twitching motion. A local was using it and banging fish on everycast while everyone else had zippo. I asked him and he showed me the lure at first I thoight it was just a regular Rebel...until I saw it had no lip.
:kewl: It worked like a charm.

Cool stuff!

I've seen the "Jumper" outfish eels at high noon off Block Island. It's one deadly little lure and definitely proves the "elephants eat peanuts" theory true more often then not. Needless to say, you better change the hooks before you fish it...

It's funny how certain lures just have the magic. The Jumpin Minnow is one of them. Universally deadly on almost any species. Any color as long as it's bone.

I've seen the "Jumper" outfish eels at high noon off Block Island. It's one deadly little lure and definitely proves the "elephants eat peanuts" theory true more often then not. Needless to say, you better change the hooks before you fish it...

It's funny how certain lures just have the magic. The Jumpin Minnow is one of them. Universally deadly on almost any species. Any color as long as it's bone.

If you think about the surface thing, it is very realistic. How many times have you ever seen pogies, mullet or spearing greyhounding across the surface causing all kinds of commotion?
I should throw mine back into the bag and kick them back into use.
You're definitely right about how certain lures are magic at times.

Funny too about the hooks, that is soooo true, they came with garbage hooks!

Another day time killer is a Gag`s 3.5 " (I think) chrome popper with feathers and mylar tail or the smaller salty Skitterpop in mullet. Those Rebels jumpers are nice in the 4.5" / .5 oz model.

Makes total sense to me when the prevalent baitfish are all 3 to 5 inches.


Steve`s deadsticking is different. Maybe its the sound when he twitches it without lip? Then profile without lip?

Steve how are you stocked for the older 5.5" / .5 oz Rebel floaters? Or the the 5.5" sinker at 5/8ths oz?

I have killed them on the 4.5" saltwater Rebel in rainbow and brown trout. :hihi: or the 5.5" models

If you have an old Redfin you can take the lip and the back treble off then turn it around and fish it backwards,,,, It darts and wiggles nicely........

I have even made some jerk style with a slow sink,,,, posted pics of them like a year ago,,,,

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=39697

Rebel Jumpin Minnow = Good Lure
Original size (a 1/4 oz and a bit bigger than currently on the market) that had the Mark Sosin sig on it was even better!!!

Up in Portland Maine Dana who owns The Tackle Shop orders a lot at a time so that Rebel makes a special run of the original size and damn they are good...I still got a few left and cry when I loose one


Flap-
Cool stuff!
For several years while fishing the Vineyard in May the Rebel Jumping Minnow (lip-less) was the only thing that would take bass when retrieved in an irractic jerking or twitching motion. A local was using it and banging fish on everycast while everyone else had zippo. I asked him and he showed me the lure at first I thoight it was just a regular Rebel...until I saw it had no lip.
:kewl: It worked like a charm.

Cool stuff!

I absolutely agree on the chrome Gag's Popper...they slay...some of the older fellows will remember the Zebco (I think it was Zebco) "Dolly Pop" and the Gag's is just about an exact replica of that old time standard...there was an unconfirmed rumor that Gag's actually bought the Dolly Pop molds.


Another day time killer is a Gag`s 3.5 " (I think) chrome popper with feathers and mylar tail or the smaller salty Skitterpop in mullet. Those Rebels jumpers are nice in the 4.5" / .5 oz model.

:jump:you bringing some of those tommorow????????

I have never used that plug but,I had the same results last night with a green eyed (floating) super srtike popper.I was slowly retrieving with pauses and light twithces and that produced three fish about thirty inches and two dinks in about an hour span at dead low.Slow was the way to go last night anyway.:D

Years ago I was told to throw it out, wait until the rings in the water go away, twitch, wait, slow swim a coupla feet, wait, twitch, wait, until it's time to cast again. A lot of guys work to hard with plugs.

Years ago I was told to throw it out, wait until the rings in the water go away, twitch, wait, slow swim a coupla feet, wait, twitch, wait, until it's time to cast again. A lot of guys work to hard with plugs.

Yup, that was how I learned to work poppers for stripers - Phil Schwin talks about it in his book from the 70s - "Striped Bass and other Cape Cod Gamefish" - works like a charm.

As for breaking off the lip for Rebels down in the Keys - that is a tried and true method most definitely, but that is immitate the needlefish that skitter across the surface trying to escape cudas, jacks, etc. Works great and is awesome action - did that out in the area known as the Lakes just West of Key West before you cross Boca Grande Channel to the Marquesas Keys.