Prop Talk

Old meets new as propbaits resurge and reestablish their role in angling's repertoire

By Margie Anderson

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Lure popularity seems to surge and dwindle with no apparent relationship to how well a bait actually performs. Witness the buzzbait: when it first appeared, it took the fishing world by storm. Everywhere, no matter the conditions or time of year, you could find someone catching fish on the new miracle lure. But slowly, the atmosphere changed.

Sure, everyone still carries buzzbaits in their boxes, but hardly anyone ties one on every single day. Same thing with the venerable propbait, but these splashy little plugs are making a big comeback, and anglers in the know are keeping it quiet.

Just about everyone who fishes remembers when Arizona pro Dean Rojas fished the 2001 Bassmaster Top 150 on Florida's Lake Toho and shattered the record for the biggest weight ever in a tournament. But did you know Rojas caught some of those scale-busters on a propbait? "On my final day at Toho, I caught my first three fish of the day on a propbait," Rojas says. He actually smashed the existing five-bass record of 34-7 on the first day, when he brought 45 pounds, 2 ounces to the scales. By the end of the third day, his total weight was a staggering 108 pounds, 12 ounces. A propbait, his backup strategy, helped get those hawgs into the livewell.

Prop Patterns

"I’ll throw a propbait any time of year," Rojas says, "as long as the conditions are right." The right conditions for Rojas include bass in weeds, grass or brush, and in fairly shallow water. "A propbait isn’t my first choice for fish over 10 feet deep," he adds, "but for shallow fish that are sucked into heavy cover or hiding out under docks or trees, a propbait is one of my favorites for persuading them to come out and eat."

Although a buzzbait would make just as much racket, and flippin’ would get into the thick stuff to entice those bass, Rojas says, "At times, a propbait is the better choice. When fish are holed up in weeds or under docks, a buzzbait might entice them, but only if they are fairly active fish," he explains. "Flippin’ is more thorough and keeps the bait in the strike zone longer than a buzzbait, but it’s a slow way to find fish. A propbait can be worked much more slowly than a buzzbait, so it stays in the strike zone much longer. And you can cover ground with it a lot faster than you can with a flippin’ presentation."

Sort of like the best of both worlds! If he’s not sure the fish are around, he pops the lure along slowly to give the bass a chance to notice it. When he spots schooling fish he likes to work the bait fast--splashing it around to mimic frantic shad.

Rojas starts throwing the Nip-I-Diddee in earnest during pre-spawn, and continues to work propbaits over weeds and cover all the way through fall. But working a propbait is not like walking the dog with a stickbait, or running a buzzbait over the weeds--methods that produce a fairly regular and steady movement. With a propbait, the movement is more erratic and irregular.

Rojas likes to work his favorite, the Luhr-Jensen Nip-I-Diddee, with a series of small pops that move the bait only six inches at a time. "The beauty of this bait is that, even if you rip it hard, it will only move about a foot or so," he explains. "This keeps it in the strike zone and makes it an excellent lure for fishing around specific targets." Rojas keeps the rod down and uses the rodtip to impart erratic jiggling action to the lure. "It’s all in the wrist," he says.

"Almost every time, the strike comes when the bait is stopped," Rojas continues, "so it’s important to work the bait with jerks or twitches and frequent pauses. Occasionally, the fish will attack a lure that's just burned across the surface, but most of the time they want it to act a little crazy.

Tackle Tips

Equipment is important, too. "The ideal propbait rod," he says, "is a 6 1/2-foot medium-action. You want it to load up on the cast so you get some distance." He likes heavy line because it’s stiffer, and the baits he likes best have props in both front and back. Limp line can get tangled in the front prop during the cast, but heavier, stiffer line is less likely to snarl. "Heavy line is better for topwater because it floats better anyway," he says, "and I don’t think the fish are paying any attention to the line. They’re focused on the commotion that lure is making."

Like most professional anglers, Dean doesn’t use the bait "as is" right out of the box. He almost always replaces the stock hooks with better-quality hooks, and often adds a split-ring to the hooks as well. "The split-rings seem to increase my hooking ratio," he explains. "When I change the hooks out I use the same size, I just replace them with the best hooks I can find."

Rojas also notes that most propbaits move forward in a straight line, but occasionally, one insists on pulling to the side. Generally this happens with the double-propped baits: both props are twisted in the same direction, which makes the bait veer off at an angle. To correct it, grab one prop on either side of the shaft and twist the blades the opposite way. That should make it run true.

When you are using a bait with both front and rear blades, check your line frequently. The props can get caught up in the line now and then, which can weaken it. Also, line clips or snaps are a definite no-no: they change the balance of the lure and don’t allow it to work properly."

Venerable Variety

Although all propbaits have at least one propeller, the variety of lures that exist may surprise you. There are pointed lures, cupped lures, even propbaits with wings. Lures with two props are usually pointed and have a prop at each end, but there are some with two props to the rear. Luhr-Jensen's Jerkin’ Sam, on the other hand, has a cupped face and rear prop, so it spits and churns at the same time.

Mirr-O-Lure offers a new propbait called the L & S Prop Bait. This one has flattened sides, plus counter-rotating props front and back, and the finishes are beautiful.

Obviously, some manufacturers are "on to" the increasing popularity of these old standbys, because Lucky Craft is also designing a new propbait. The Lucky Craft Splash Tail stays true to Lucky Craft's top-end construction, and will feature a vibrating shaft and ball bearings on both the front and rear props. This means that the slightest movement of the bait will get the props spinning. It almost sounds like a finesse propbait!

Presentation is always important, and for anglers who value eyes, propbaits offer a few options. Some feature eyes opposite the hooks, which makes the bait look more like a fleeing fish. The Smithwick Devil’s Horse places the eyes on the bottom, looking down at the approaching predator. This tactic must be successful, because the Devil’s Horse has been catching bass for a long, long time.

Thornwood Lures makes a line of hand-crafted propbaits with minnow-shaped bodies and gorgeous finishes that include holographic eyes. One Thornwood lure floats on its side, and the back treble hook is dressed with feathers for added attraction.

Different body designs also create different actions. Propbaits with just one prop, usually located on the back, tend to hang tail-down in the water when paused. Classics like the Heddon Torpedo have blunt, round faces, while the old Rebel Splash-R has a pointed face. Some baits can almost "walk." Each design creates a different noise levels, plus swimming and splashing actions. Stock a selection to cover various conditions.

With so much attention turning to finesse techniques like dropshotting--or more glamorous topwaters like Spooks and Sammys--propbaits often lie neglected in the bottoms of countless tackle boxes. But as Rojas points out, "Propbaits are the pioneers of the top-water craze. They’re old, but they still catch fish, so they’ll always have a place in my tackle box." Maybe they should have a better, bigger place in yours, too.