Freshwater Lures

While this is not the original Cordell Spot ‘Knocker’ that many hard core fisherman cherished till not so long ago when it was discontinued. The XCaliber One Knocker is the 21st century version of the of the Cordell Spot Knocker favored by the pros.

As freshwater fishing lures go, this closely guarded secret of the pros, the Xcaliber One Knocker represents perfection in lipless crankbaits. This lure emits a fish attracting rhythmic knock as it travels over structure it pushes against an enormous amount of water, attracting fish from a great distance. Though the rattle is distinctly differently to most lure rattles as this crankbait has a single round lead/tungsten ball instead of the numerous BB’s found in many lipless fresh water lures.

The One Knocker seems to emit a dull thudding sound as it travels through the water which is said to attract ‘bigger fish’. Alton Jones used this lure on Lake Amistad and displayed its effectiveness to a handful of BASS writers as the One Knocker consistently caught the biggest Bass each day on the lake.

So what makes this lures so good? The Tungsten ball inside the lure is more durable than lead and doesn’t flatten out, therefore retains its sound better over time and because tungsten is lighter than lead the lure has the same body size as heavier lipless crankbaits.

The One Knocker is Jones' choice when the water is cold during the prespawn and late fall seasons.


"That doesn't mean I won't use the One Knocker during the summer. But it's my first choice of lure when water is cold," Jones explained. "It's also my choice after I have a limit and am looking for that really big bite."




David Giudice of Madison, AL says....

“I have fished the XCaliber one knockers's for some time now. These fresh water lures have become my go to crank and has caught me many fish during tournaments when others are using regular rat-l-traps. This trap has great action, and great knocking aka booming sound that I have found has caught me fish when others fail, and believe me I love trap fishing as much as I love swimbait fishing. The one knocker also has caught me several fish in the 7 lb range on several occasions here on 3 different north Alabama lakes. this is also the crank I grab when I need to rip them off the grass to induce strikes, or when schooling bass are on baitfish, or even to yoyo this bait produces big results this crank flat out catches fish!!!!!!!”

DawgGone from Georgia says...

"I picked a few x75 lipless fresh water lures for a Feb bass tournament and it paid off landing a 19.97lb fishing in 3 ft of water ripping it through the grass.”

Jake2117 from Milwaukee Area, Wisconsin says....

"I have ripped this thing through all kinds of cover, thrown it on rocks (by accident), and it still hasn’t worn out. The paint is top notch and won’t scratch off, the hooks are razor sharp and I haven’t missed a hook set with this lure. I’m definitely looking forward to buying more of these freshwater fishing lures, they are worth every penny."

Anyone who knows fresh water lures are familiar with crankbaits, for a beginner, fishing with a crankbait requires little more than tying the lure to a line and casting it out and reeling it back. But there are a large variety of crankbaits available, each design for a specific purpose and condition.

There are deep running crankbaits, shallow running and lipless lures, there is literally countless variations of this freshwater fishing lure for every situation imaginable.


One of my favorites is the lipless lure with the rattle built within the lure and using an erratic motion on the retrieve creates a loud rattle through the water which just seems to get the most lethargic fish on the bite.



Shallow crankbaits typically have a smaller lip which provides less resistance through the water and therefore a shallow dive. The great thing about these lures is that you very rarely get hooked up as the crankbait stays very near to the surface and doesn’t get a chance to snag itself on a log or reeds. The fatter shallow crankbaits are good for Bass while the longer thinner lures are better for Walleye.



Deep diving crankbaits have a larger lip up front which creates a larger down force on the lure. These freshwater lures are designed to dive from anywhere from 8 to 20 feet below the surface, using a lighter line will help the lure to dive even deeper and provide for more vibration.

In up and coming posts, I'll present the most popular lures the pro's use as well as the reasons why they use them, until then happy Freshwater Fishing.

Perch are very visual predators so your spinning lure needs to stand out. I have found that red or orange spinning lures work best; this colour just seems to attract Perch better and gives them a stronger enticement to bite than the other colours.

A good size spinning lure for perch would be ¾ oz, which might look large but you will be surprised at the size of the spinners these fish will take. A ¾ oz spinner lure will give you a further cast and create plenty of vibrations through the water.



Barapoon spinning lures are ideal for bank fishing with the best pattern having a red body and a silver blade. The silver is very visible and the red is what has been said to attract perch. I particularly like the ABU Reflex with its full weighted body and feathered treble hook.

Perch love to hang around water outlets and submerged trees so cast your spinner past these features and retrieve your lure so that the spinner passes just next to feature in order to bring on instant takes.

Otherwise I cast at different angles and retrieve at different depths to cover the whole swim.

If you are enthusiastic about Bass Fishing Lures, it's necessary to explore some of the reasons why bass bite.

So the one question you have to ask, ‘what food do Bass normally hunt’?

In the majority of cases Big Bass prey on live crayfish, minnows, shad, lizards, small rodents, frogs, and almost any other aquatic quarry that they can fit into their mouth. The most popular of these aquatic quarries (depending on the lake or river system) are probably crayfish, minnows, frogs, and shad.

Therefore it is then easy to assume that the more realistic your bass fishing lures look and feel, the better. In other words the more your lure looks like the quarry the bass normally eats; you stand a much better chance of landing a bite by that monster Big Bass.

This is why top water lures that mimic frogs and minnows are so effective in flat water conditions. Any seasoned bass angler knows how effective top water bass fishing lures are to use in the right situations. The main reason for this is because top water lures that mimic frogs or bait fish appear so much like the real thing to the bass when the bass is looking up through the water at the lures silhouette.

So what about other bass lures, where the bass observe the lure deep in the rather than above the bass such as in the case of top water fishing lures? In most cases it is even more important that these types of bass fishing lures appear as a natural food source. You want your bass fishing lure to look and even feel as ‘realistic’ as possible, especially when your bass fishing lure is ‘in the water’ with the bass, rather than above the bass.

What Fish Don't Want You to Know: An Insider's Guide to Freshwater Fishing

A Guide to Freshwater Fishing

Two things jumped at me the moment I began to read this guide to freshwater fishing

"What Fish Don't Want You to Know" The Author Frank P. Baron not only does he know the inns and outs of fishing, but he is also very passionate about it. The other thing is that the book is written in an easy to understand language and with a healthy amount of humour.

Unlike many other books covering this subject, this guide to freshwater fishing is actually very entertaining and full of common sense wisdom that can only come from years of fishing.

Let me say it right here if you look for any "secrets" or a "sure fire strategy" to catch more or bigger fish then this is the wrong book for you. But then again, we all know there are no secrets for fishing success other than spending time on the lakes and streams and learning about the fish.

It is exactly here where this book shines. In my opinion, this guide to freshwater fishing should find a home in every fisher’s bookshelf. The novice fisher will learn from the book what it takes to become a successful fisherman and what equipment is needed. While the seasoned fisherman will find this book invaluable for information to refresh his knowledge. Any way you look at it, this is a book any fisherman should own or to be given as a present.

What Fish Don't Want You to Know: An Insider's Guide to Freshwater Fishing

Guide to Freshwater Fishing

Knowing which type of Crank bait to use can sometimes be a confusing proposition; as with many diving lures there many characteristics to consider and deciding the best crank bait for your immediate situation is vital more so for crank bait than probably any other type of fresh water lure, so it’s essential for an angler to be familiar with the target species behavior and habits in order to choose the best crank bait.

The size, shape and placement of a crank baits bib and its towing point will determine the action of the lure; a long wide bib will make more noise and generate more vibrations which will more than likely attract less active fish. A large angled bib will enable a crank bait to dive sharply and remain deeper in the water as opposed to a crank bait with a shorter and less angled bib which will exhibit a tighter action and produce less noise.

An added feature too many crank baits is the inclusion of a rattle, which can come in handy when fishing in unclear murky water. Fish which are have made themselves cosy in a nestling spot may feel reluctant to move so the noise of a rattle may be all that is needed to entice a fish out from its comfortable hiding spot and take a swipe at your crank bait.

Also there are a number of actions you could use and experiment with ranging from a small twitch, a stop and go or simply a straight line retrieve. All have methods have their place in successfully snaring yourself a prize fish.

• Twitching a lure causes it to make a sub-surface dive, which is productive with shallow water feeders or those that are feeding high in the water column.
• A stop and go works by using a pause in a straight retrieve which will either cause the lure to suspend or float upward giving the impression of a startled or wounded food item.
• A more deliberate straight line retrieve will cause the crank bait to dive to its maximum depth and therefore tempt deep lying fish.

Most crank baits these days like the Halco “Poltergeist”, Custom Craft “Fish Stick”, Legend Lures “Outback”, Bennet’s “Merlin” and Lively Lures “Mini Mullet” are buoyant, which allows an angler the ability of floating lures up off structure whenever they make contact.