One of the best parts about having our store is getting to try out new baits, or baits new to us.  Some of these are brand new and some are vintage lures we are fishing for the first time.  Recently we have had the opportunity to partner with Yo-Zuri baits and really give some of their lures a try.  We had fished Yo-Zuri lures before but with so many to choose from there were many new to us.  Over the last month or two we have been fishing hard one of these new baits, the Yo-Zuri Knuckle Bait.

I have fished a lot of spinner type baits through the years and honestly have been partial to in-line baits.  When I saw this new bait I just had to give it a try.  It's like a spinner bait but instead of a blade has a heavy ball in it's place.  Here is the official product info from Yo-Zuri:

"Yo-Zuri is proud to announce the launch of a brand new style wire bait, the likes of which have never been seen before! It’s called the Knuckle Bait, and it is truly one-of-a-kind. Developed and tested for nearly three years, the Knuckle Bait is now ready to hit the American market and its waters for the first time ever!  Part of 3DB.

What gives the Knuckle Bait its name comes from the ball which is attached to the wire, in a similar position to a spinnerbait blade. But this is no ordinary wire bait. The Knuckle Bait’s action is what makes it so unique. There are two styles of ball that are available; a 3D Prism pattern and a painted Sound Ball pattern. When this bait is retrieved, the ball wobbles in an erratic action, much like a knuckleball thrown from the pitchers’ mound."

Now I will tell you when I was first tying this lure on I had a little hesitation.  It really doesn't lend itself to the use of a leader so I hand tied the line directly to the bait.  In the waters of Northern Wisconsin this is usually a big mistake and prone to the loss of a fish and the lure very quickly.  That said, I gave it a shot.  

I was quickly surprised by how easy this lure casts.  The ball adds some nice weight to fish this a little deeper than some other similar type of spinner baits.  In about a dozen fishing trips this lure performed well.  I used the Bluegill and Black / Blue colors.  Both performed well.  I caught many northern, largemouth and smallmouth bass on this lure.  I even caught one smaller musky.  What I found is that when fish hit this they generally slam it.  I mean really slam it, much more so than what I've seen on really any other bait.  I was worried about not using a leader but found the single hook worked really well at providing a nice hook set but kept the line out of the way of the predator teeth on the northerns and musky.  It really performed very well and different than anything I have ever fished before.

I was also worried that a single hook lure would lose some fish or missed strikes.  The result was just the opposite, honestly I can't express enough just how hard this lure got hit time after time.  

My opinion on this lure is very high.  This is a unique lure unlike any other I have ever fished.  I have also seen that this has done well enough with Yo-Zuri that they will be adding two more sizes of this bait in the near future.  

Give this lure a try if you are looking for something different.  I put a lot of fish in the boat with these and you should be able to do the same.  Here is a link to our Yo-Zuri Knuckle Baits we have in stock.

 

Additional product specs below.

 

 

POINT

• 3D Prism and Painted Finishes
• Erratic action ball
• 1 proprietary round bend black nickel hook
• Soft and durable vinyl skirt
• Tough wire

Product Specs

ID	Type	Length	Length	Weight	Weight
R1302	Wire Bait	N/A	N/A	1/2oz	1/4g

Diving/Action

ID	Action Type	Diving Depth(ft)	Diving Depth (m)
R1302	Erratic Action	ALL RANGE	ALL RANGE