My nemesis for underwater lures is Gary Yamamoto. He built one of the greatest lures of all time, the Senko. It has built in obsolescence. It catches tons of fish but you need to keep on buying them because they either get lost by the fish throwing it, lost during the cast, or eventually destroyed from the build up of damage from fishing it. (Although I might have solved this part of this problem by using Gamakatsu Superline Offset EWG worm hooks and laying the Senko next to the bottom of the hook and using two small zip ties to hold it on - it's worked well so far, lost far less Senkos). On the other hand, my KVD Sexy Dawg topwater lure which has caught me a ton of fish this year could theoretically last my lifetime if I don't lose it to a fish or broken line, and it may only need sharpening of the hooks or replacement hooks at the most.

 

Well, my most productive topwater lure is the Ragetail Toad. And like the Gary Yamamoto Senko it has built in obsolescence. It could last through 10 bass or get a leg bitten off on the first cast. But man, does it catch fish. I've caught countless bass on them and even lost a 40" musky at the boat that hit the lure at the boat last week. It catches fish during the sink/drop and retrieve, unlike most topwaters which normally only catch them on the retrieve. Is my nemesis for topwater lures Big-0?

 

 

 

I am going on a guys fishing weekend next week and this is what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

The problem with Ragetail Toads is I can't fish without them!

 

 

 

O, well, Ragetail Toads and Senko's are like toilet paper. Even if you buy too many, there is no doubt that you will eventually end up using them all and needing to buy more.

 

 

 

 

Either way my boat will always have 2 lures in stock no matter what and this is Ragetail Toads and Gary Yamamoto Senkos.

Works great once you figure out how to rig the thing!!!

I agree 100% on these baits, they can't be bested on the occasions when the bass are aggressive, in the weeds, and are wanting top water. I like Gambler's Cane Toad better if the fish aren't as aggressive for two reasons; one I can fish it much slower without it sinking and two it doesn't cause as much disturbance on the surface.

 

Big O did a masterful job on this particular rage plastic, it's one of my personal favorites.   

Doesn't every plastic bait have built in obsolescence? Never fished the toads but the craws and the menace are 2 of my favorite baits.

 

Your comment about the Sexy Dawg is exactly how I justify buying expensive swimbaits. Given that I don't do something stupid and lose them, they can easily last me a lifetime. A $100 bait really isn't that expensive when you only have to buy it once and use it your entire life . At 6-8 dollars a pack, I could spend $100 on Senkos in a couple months very easily. 

The Rage Toad is a work of art!

Caught on a rage toad. They do work.

 

 

I like the shad better.

I like the shad better.

Why?

Why?

 

Exactly! I'm sure this bait works but I've personally never been able to get even so much as a swirl on it.

So Rage Toad > Zoom horny Toad? 

So Rage Toad > Zoom horny Toad? 

 

 

I have both and have had far more success with the Rage Toad. However, to be fair because of that I fish the Rage Toad way more. I want to start using the Zoom Horny Toads to see how well they do.

 

 

 

The Zooms are considerably cheaper I think.

The Zoom bait will definitely catch fish and is the first toad style lure I caught fish with. I find the Rage Toad to be a "better" bait for my personal fishing style and the vegetation that my local lakes have in them.