Are BaitBalls the next step in “multiple baitfish” presentations?

Will single lure-multiple baitfish be a step up from Alabama rig?

Shad, minnows and other baitfish are present in lakes, ponds, and rivers all over the Carolinas, and each spawning baitfish can lay 10s of thousands of eggs annually. According to Scott Lamprecht, a fisheries biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, only about 15 percent of the hatchlings from those eggs survive long enough to reproduce themselves. The majority fall prey to gamefish early in their life cycle, which is great news for anglers who catch bass with lures that simulate baitfish.

But, why throw one lure that looks like one baitfish? It’s not realistic to see one baitfish swimming alone; they travel in schools, balling up tight with a “safety in numbers” mentality. Ironically, this often means quite a few die together as bass open their mouths and suck in as many as they can, giving them more food for less effort than it would take to chase individual baitfish.

Multiple-lure rigs like Alabama rigs mimic a school of bait, with several spreader wires that hold individual lures. They have proven to be plenty effective, but they are also heavy and take a physical toll on anglers who fish them. They require heavier rods and line, so they really require a dedicated outfit. They are also difficult to store; they won’t fit into a typical tackle box. This is where LIVETARGET’s BaitBall lures come into play.

Shaped and sized like an individual lure, the BaitBall’s secret lies in the multiple 3-D fingerlings that are grouped together in the single lure. These fingerlings have their own prominent eyes, scales and gills, and their ultra-realistic finishes give off the reflective shimmer and shine of real baitfish. Each lure appears to be a small school of baitfish, but because it is just one lure, the school stays tight together when the angler changes the speed or angle of retrieve, making the lure look even more realistic.

The BaitBall series includes crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater baits and rattlebaits. They don’t require extra-heavy rods or line, and they are as easy to store as any other bass lures.