One of the best late summer, early fall fishing experiences I've had has been walking the banks of a pond and casting a Rebel Crickhopper.The small Crickhopper catches most everything.                                                             I've used various colors of these baits, and generally try to match the color of the grasshoppers I see. In 2024, Rebel introduced some of these lures with a matte finish. The finish is dull, with no sheen.                                          I haven't tried these matte finish baits yet, and the ones I've used are the standard shiny finish. I remember reading years ago that some folks lightly sanded topwater lures to achieve a full finish, and reported an increase in strikes on surface lures.                                             The concept is that a shiny topwater lure can reflect light, and look unnatural to bass. Has anyone tried any matte finish baits, or have you purposely dulled topwaters with an increase in surface strikes?

I sand the shine off all my crankbaits or let the bass do it.

Top water baits.....IDK.

I definitely prefer a matte jerkbait in the cold - seems to outfish a glossy one 10:1

You know, I always switch out spinnerbait blades from silver to gold or painted thinking that the glare was too much but I never thought about this approach. This is interesting for me.

 

Sitting back now, waiting for the thoughts to come in.