Basher Lures

Crappie Bashers

The Basher is the most versatile
lure ever designed.
Four features back this statement:

The BAIT SPUR (look closely at the photos)---securely retains plastics or a chunk of live crawler or a whole live crawler. This spur works far better than any retainer I've seen.
The spinner adds flash and vibration. This helps fish locate the lure in dark or turbid conditions.
Bashers come in a wide range of sizes to take anything from bluegill to big alleye, bass, catfish and pike.
Since they are a jig, they allow a wide range of presentations---casting, jigging, slow vertical trolling (my favorite!---see the techniques page for a detailed description), deadstick, under any type of float, trolling, or drifting. About the only presentation not possible is dropshotting. To top it off, the smaller sizes are a KILLER through the ice! Bashers will catch fish every month of the year, anywhere in North America in all water conditions.

Close up of 1/32 #6 Crappie Basher. Note the bait holding spur under the shank of the hook.

Local Pond Crappies caught by casting a
Basher w plastic Sizes ranged from 9.5" to 14"
July 2005

Lake Sugema, June 2004.
Crappie taken on 1/32 #6 Basher w/plastic
under a slip float.

How to Use Crappie Bashers

Use any suitable size plastic curltail or shad thumper tail. Turn thumpers flatways so the belly won't interfere with spinner rotation, or trim the belly as we learned in In-Fisherman magazine. Bashers are extremely effective with any type of tube. If a tube is a little long, trim it from the head end. Even hollow tubes are securely held by the spur if you position the head end tight against the lead, then push the spur through the wall of the tube. With unscented plastics, always tip with a Berkley Crappie Nibble or prepared goo of your choice. You'll get more bites and the fish hang on longer.

With live crawler, use any suitable size piece, or a whole one on the larger sizes. The spur holds a live crawler so well you practically have to remove it with a knife---if you do use a knife, don't damage the thread wrap! Leave an inch or so hanging off as a trailer. The 1/64oz #8 is small enough to use a large waxworm in this manner---the spur will hold it just fine if done with some care. A waxie/crappie nibble combo is irresistible to bluegill, crappie, and channel catfish any time of the year. To use live minnows, mount any suitable curl tail grub. Remove the tail, and mount the minnow through the lips as usual. The grub body makes for a larger and more visible presentation.

1/32 #6 Crappie Basher w/piece of live crawler installed.Fished S-L-O-W, no bluegill alive will pass this up.

1/32 #4 w/tube. This is a crappie killer!!Tip with a Crappie Nibble.