Fishing lure spotlight: D.O.A. Bait Buster

Soft plastic lure catches multiple species

Show anyone the D.O.A Bait Buster, and the chances are pretty good that their first reply will be something like “that’s an ugly lure.” D.O.A.’s own product description agrees, saying “it ain’t pretty…” But once on the water, they’ll agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And the beholder, in this case, is the fish. And which species really doesn’t matter. Redfish, speckled trout, flounder, stripers, and largemouth bass will all devour the Bait Buster. And the lure is available in three different configurations that will help anglers target fish at all levels of the water column.

The Shallow Runner version of the lure is a 5/8-ounce bait with a single hook in the upright position. This gives the lure a medium sink rate. It allows anglers the option of fishing it as a surface lure, a mid-range lure, or a bottom lure. Changing the rate of retrieve is all it takes to put the lure in different strike zones.

The Deep Runner model of Bait Buster also weighs 5/8 of an ounce, but the line entry is on top of the head, keeping the lure under the surface and making it ideal for bouncing off the bottom.

The third version of the lure is the Trolling version, which weighs 1 ounce. While it’s great for trolling in deeper water, it’s also a big hit with anglers that like to cast into water that is more than 5 feet deep.

A steady retrieve is the way to go

No matter which version of the Bait Buster you’re using, a steady retrieve is the way to go with these lures. But that doesn’t mean you have to reel it fast. Crawling it slowly along the bottom is a good strategy, especially in the spring and fall. Feeling the lure just scratching the bottom can be good for trout, redfish, and even flounder.

For anglers fishing largemouth and striper lakes in the fall and winter, you’ll love casting the Bait Buster into schooling fish. The lure’s weight makes casting easy, even at schools that are a little farther away than most lures can reach. And it allows anglers the option of letting it quickly sink if the lure doesn’t get hit right away close to the surface.

When it comes to soft plastic lures, this one is even softer than most, thanks to its hollow body design. So when fish bite, they don’t feel anything unnatural. So they hang on, ensuring the hook finds its way to paydirt. The split tail has one piece curled up and another curled down, giving it a unique action among similar lures.

The Bait Buster is available in a wide range of colors, and can be found here.