08/14/2026
Rundown for the 308 prop crew .
Laundry list / Novel about the baits, overview about them , MAG lures , tips, bass behavior, misconceptions and whatever else came to mind and guaranteed it’s full of typos , for a reason.👍
- Two Models both 3 inch props , different carvings and different molds. The thicker one ,
model 1 is my interpretation of the 3 inch bluegill which is the most common size that hang out in the shade in my neck of the woods, combined with inspiration of Propbait that was carved by Mr Pearson . In my mind a legendary lure maker and carver. 20 years ago or I got to see some of his work and meet him once . World class maybe
an understatement . Without question on shortlist of best of the best in my mind. Along with the gentleman that helped the original 44 & 45 come to life.
The model 1 was carved around 5/6 years with inspiration of one of his, aiming to achieve that level of detail by others definitely pushed me to improve. The body was different and the first mold was created in 2021 .. and was a flop for the crankbait it was intended for.
So I thought.
It was fatter than my carving and ended up actually being just right for a floating topwater.
Really good actually.
That one balances and stays put , ‘squats’
, or whatever term works best while maintaining the ‘listing’ with each pull at a 45 that to me , is what makes a custom propbait excel.
Seen it too many times, when dialed and applied properly that’s what draws strikes from the followers.
Prop baits get two categories of strikes , in moderately clean water Im referring to .
1) Unload from below. Fast rate of speed
Startle you they’ll hit it so hard .
They are committed early on by profile, sound , action, scenario etc. generally in competition with others in a wolf pack .
They’ll have it sideways most cases and 1 reason that 3 inch body is perfect for strike and hook to land ratio.
Big Spots don’t bat it around and big largemouth are locked up too. Too big they want to beat it up first then eat it carefully the same way Nature requires them to eat Sunfish.
2) Shark it and inspect it. Then ‘kiss’ it or barley take it down
Again that’s natural!
It’s required of Bass to do that with a sunfish or it kill them. Obviously size , species of Bass in relation to prey comes in to consideration but they learn early on and for those new to fishing , the fins on a sunfish and catfish for example will lock from behind and is a built in defense mechanism.
They have to be taken down head first .
They’ll Often swarm it then disappear then reappear (weighing risk and reward and strategizing) or they will stay with it (typically the largest fish in the group and the others will trail her, not challenge her or a big male also) That’s where the fins, colors and ability to slight handle tap to make the bait rock and change direction comes into play.
The fins do provide realism and balance but can get rashed out , except them to under heavy abuse. They are not casted into the resin on this model, they are easily replaced with standard glue and craft brush.
Many customers modify and doctor up their baits with more elaborate options.
Back to fishing the bait..
Trying to talk one into to kissing it so to speak, and the reflection on the surface from below of the leaning bait gives the appearance of the Sunfish having that Oh s-t moment of looking back.
That draws strikes , period. And often what it takes from bigger ones in clean water and high visibility light conditions.
That happens more than we realize with other baits aswell.
The model 2 is a couple years later and the body was first created for thin 2 piece. It’s a completely separate carving all together then casted , hand shaped/heated to have a off centered profile.
That oiginal thin has only been offered one time before , and it’s a different bait than meets the eye at first glance
It has a slight “Bow” or hook molded into it like a standard jigging spoon for example. Its to throw off the center of balance and have the ability to cut off to side more.
Being thin like it is , it ‘lists’ easier and has a mind of its own in a sense once you dial in the blades and your preferred hardware/setup.
It’ll cut around more .
These baits are intended to be worked in a 5-15ft section of cast.
Most of these baits are as that’s all that matters in most cases. But do have the ability to tune and fish on much longer casts also
Ex: long casts on grass lines or coming by multiple high percentage targets in same cast.
The pair that were built are replicas of 2 different prototypes that smashed them.
They both have small ballast holes for adjustments to action and to accommodate hardware changes.
Some wire thru and some screws options.
Screws are set with epoxy threads as twisting in and out and blade changing / removal is common on these baits
Some guys remove front props, some add oversized props . Whatever you do just maintain your hardware.
The ballast /tuning holes are in the belly like the original
Nothing fancy, just take a fish hook and snap out or glue in a BB, small split shot or pellet. They come tuned by me but allow micro adjustments for action and hardware changes.
For example, guy in Florida or Texas may opt for biggest hooks possible just short of sinking the bait or having to keep it moving.
He’s gonna clear out both tuning spots.
They are painted and intentionally built with the flat style clear and paint scheme.
It’s got color/ scattered barring baked in original casting and layered from there.
Overwhelming that’s what Limited Run versions of these baits are offered in for many reasons and will be moving forward
Beyond the time and costs standpoint
They are going to get the Hell beat out of them getting slung around docks, trees, rocks , off the head of trolling motors and not to mention with fish and boat flips etc.
ZERO BAIT EVER SHORT OF A METAL SPOON IS INDESTRUCTIBLE. BURN EM DOWN 💪
Removing the high gloss shell clear that may be desired in the herring baits or for collectible baits
is best and only shot of making drops like this work.
I try to leave out the Fishing talk here and share it on other pages for a reason . But there is no right or wrong way to fish any lure. Hell some guys rig worms perfectly lazer straight or won’t throw it. Others hook in the middle and weight the tail!
Trail, error and creativity is Fishing. And that’s one reason why I try to embrace that here as much as possible because watching it be slowly removed wasn’t flying for me.
Beat them up and rash them up, you may be surprised that’s the ones that get bit and that’s the ones the “Pros” ask for.
Seriously, the baits that all our buddy’s on the Elite / MLF etc will ask for are the ones that are different. Couldn’t care less about a blemish , by the time it’s done it should be a mangled mess of rashed resin and scratches.
Flip side, you so much has have an eye off center or slight color variance from a picture and you’ll swear Handmade was never seen and that this is Amazon 24/7 customer care. 😂
(It’s not, Customer care is large part of why we (That’s me) do what we do and offer what we offer. It’s a labor of love from the get go , standard maintenance is required on anything. Leave the car lot , you’re expected to tighten the lug nuts and address paint scratches)
You’re supposed to scratch them up, that’s Fishing! They are all tested raw Bone from the get go and have to get bit raw without eyes long before they ever became a lure for you to view.
You may notice in previous videos of strikes some baits that were filmed, were chosen to be filmed for a reason . Unpainted , Untuned, No eyes to check boxes prior to any color added that only would increase the effectiveness of the bait. And
So at the end of the day, you still have a custom fishing lure that likely will last you significantly longer than the equal value of liquid
Gold in your gas tank will.
This part is important to know if you’re new here,
All of the original introductions of MAG lures are
Replicas of the original working prototype .
The custom one , The unique one, the one they freakin’ ate!
I am an angler , first and foremost. Long before Guiding, Competition, teaching, filming and Painting for that matter. The Painting, modifications, creating and tinkering was a product of necessity and happened to develop into a side business that goes along with fishing. That’s soley fueled by the support of Y’all! And Thank you for that!
I understand for large scale production the imperfections are removed and man do I know about that. Consistency is what make business sense. When these baits were first offered I wanted to invest the time to effectively explain that from the get go but the hamster wheel gets to spinning fast sometimes .
Bottom line, to me.
Unique and off center is what make Fish bite.
Fish are Unique , no two situations or sets of experiences are ever the same.
I’ve been fortunate to fish with well over a Thousand individuals, the same is true there aswell. And that’s what it’s all about but I’ll save that for later.
That’s why custom baits are made in the first place.
I know that’s not common anymore, I get it.
Early on the originals are what the People wanted,
That’s what the customer base wanted . XLC sole customer base for 85% of the time has been Competitive Bass anglers that are fitna catch em’
Same way them prop baits will.
Thanks for coming to the 308 propbait introduction / rambling Non AI field note meeting from the Real World.
And Thank you for supporting all that goes into US Handmade custom baits.
Enjoy,
Rob
