A few years ago I was testing some prototype lures for a company, casting to little chopper blues. My brother was using a lure we had fished for years and we were comparing results. The new lure started out strong and I was matching him fish for fish. Before long the number of fish I was catching began to lag behind and eventually I was catching no fish. I looked at the hooks thinking I may have bent them, but they were in good shape. On the next cast I watched the action of the lure and I noticed a slight lean to one side on the retrieve. I checked the knot to make sure it was straight and looked the lure over. It was a hard lure plastic lure designed to look like a fish and as I turned the lure over I noticed a small amount of water inside the body. Apparently the design had a flaw and the continual beating the lure had taken from the hard hitting blues allowed water to get into and trapped in the lure. Even though the amount of water in the lure was a very small amount, it was enough to effect the action of the lure enough that it did not look natural coming through the water and did not attract any bites.
Hard stick type lures are very effective for trout and redfish on a year round basis. Unlike soft plastics, detecting a problem with these types of baits is not always so obvious. Many times, if you are not paying attention, you may just assume that the fish have quit biting. Properly inspecting and maintaining lures is easy and only takes a minute. Make sure hooks are not bent and are sharp. Making sure there is not damage to the body of the lure beyond normal scratches and bite marks. Using a loop knot will help these types of lures to run straight as well and will eliminate some of the slide you can experience with a normal clinch knot. Keeping your lure running upright and natural is critical to your fishing success with these types of baits so a few minutes of checking periodically is well worth your time when you get that chance to go and catch some fish.
Andy Pickett