Top 10 Lucky Craft Lures - #8
By: “Triton” Mike Bucca
(www.tritonmike.com)

With the extensive lineup of baits that Lucky Craft has I can certainly understand why it might cause a lot of people mass confusion on what tool to purchase and for what job. I have received countless emails pertaining to my opinion of various baits in the Lucky Craft lineup. I have been fishing with Lucky Craft lures since the late 90’s and I have also been on the Lucky Craft Pro-staff for the past year and a half. As a fishing guide here in Georgia with over 200 days a year on the water, I have extensive experience in using pretty much every bait in their entire lineup, and several Lucky Craft baits that aren’t even offered here in the U.S. I felt this top 10 list would help ease your pain in your bait selection before you plop down the bucks for one of these fine pieces of craftsmanship. Do keep in mind that these are the top 10 baits that I find myself using most often and they are listed in no particular order.

Be sure to check in here at Probass.net often, as I will give a different review on my top ten Lucky Craft baits that I rely on the most. You just might be surprised to see some of the baits I rely on everyday that you might not think are an effective bait.

#8 Staysee 90 Version 2

Lucky Crafts Staysee 90 jerkbait gets my nod for #8 rank in my top ten listing. The Staysee 90 version 2 is currently the only version of the Staysee line of jerkbaits. In 2004, both the Staysee 60 and 80 were discontinued and replaced with the DD78 and DD100 Pointers. The Staysee 90 comes in 23 shad colors and is the deepest diving jerkbait in the Lucky Craft jerkbait lineup, which dives approximately 9-10 feet and can be seen at the Lucky Craft website.

I have to admit I am a bit biased in these rankings, as jerkbaits are my absolute favorite baits to use to catch fish, and the Staysee 90 is no exception. Overall, jerkbaits are primarily clear water baits where fish feed primarily by sight.

Gary Dobyns is one of the most feared anglers out on the West coast and his forte is ripping jerkbaits. Gary’s favorite ripping bait hands down is the Staysee 90 and it has helped him win tons of cash on the tournament scene out West.

The Staysee is unique in many different ways. Unlike similar deep diving jerkbaits on the market, the Staysee 90 allows for very long casts, which helps the bait dive deeper and to stay in the strike zone longer. The unique sliding weights inside the bait help to prevent the bait from catching the wind and tumbling, which causes shorter casting distances and not to mention gnarly backlashes. Another great selling feature of the Staysee 90 is its ability to suspend almost perfectly. The suspending feature of this bait is absolutely lethal in catching inactive bass.

6lb + Erie Smallmouth caught on a Staysee 90

During the early spring when fish are just moving up from the deep water to stage and spawn is a great time to throw the Staysee. I also like the Staysee during the winter time of the year as well when the fish are heading back to deep water from there fall feeding binge.

When working the Staysee 90 for lethargic fish, I like to jerk the bait down to its maximum depth and once it is there I like to slowly crank it back to the boat with some intermittent pauses. I have found that the colder the water, the slower the jerks and the longer the pause. When the fish are aggressive, I fish the Staysee fairly fast with almost no pause. I want them to have to decide in an instant whether to bite or let it get away and on most occasions they don’t let it get away. A lot of anglers like to use a crankbait in situations that I prefer a jerkbait in the winter time of the year, but here is why I feel like the jerkbait is a better choice when the fish are in the 8-10ft range. During the winter time of the year when the temperatures have dropped to the mid to low 40’s the bass are lethargic and not very aggressive. When working a crankbait in this situation with a pause and crank retrieve, most crankbaits are floaters and do not stay in the strike zone very effectively during the pauses. Now with the Staysee 90 it suspends almost perfectly during the pauses, therefore staying in the strike zone longer and creating more strikes from the less active fish. My favorite place to work the Staysee is parallel to bluff walls. Bluff walls are areas that are notorious for holding fish every season of the year. Besides, the Staysee matches the profile of one of our most common baitfish here in the south, the spot-tail minnow, which is also long and slender.

As far as equipment is concerned, I use 12lb Triplefish fluorocarbon (www.triplefish.net) fluorocarbon line when fishing the Staysee 90. Fluorocarbon is a sinking line and it also allows the bait to dive more effectively to its maximum depth. Also, due to the low stretch characteristics of fluorocarbon you will have no problem detecting the strikes, which are often very subtle when fishing jerkbaits especially in the winter time of the year. Most medium action 6 ft to 6.5 ft rods are great choices for using jerkbaits.

That’s my review of my #8 pick of my most often used Lucky Craft baits. Give the Staysee 90 a try in your favorite waters. You just might catch the biggest smallmouth of your life like I did on Lake Erie last year.

www.tacklewarehouse.com