Just a couple of the many great things about the Black Mamba® baits is that they are so simple to use and it is very hard to fish them wrong. You can go out, pop one on the hook in just a few seconds, cast out, jerk the rod tip, reel in the slack line and set the hook when a fish bites. It's that easy to catch fish.

To get started, all you need to do is study the Instructional leaflet that comes with the Sampler Pack (or the inside of our header card if you have bought bags of baits), so that you can perform the basic rigging and in a few minutes, you'll be ready to go.

We have produced a couple of instructional videos to help you get the most out of your baits. Our Instructional Video is specifically for fishermen who are new to this kind of bait and covers several different species. We don't just show you how to rig the baits but also how to catch more fish. The Instructional Video is included with our Sampler Pack but can also be bought separately for those who prefer to buy the baits in bags.

We have also produced another videotape for more experienced fishermen, focusing mostly on Bass but several other species are included. This videotape is called Up your Catch! and is aptly named. There is a little overlap with the Instructional Video but this one goes into much more detail about how to catch more fish.

These baits fall into the general category of soft-plastic jerkbaits and as such, have no built-in action of their own. They rely on you jerking the rod tip to impart their action. When you jerk the rod tip, the baits will react for several seconds afterwards without you needing to do anything else.

However, they are far more versatile than any other bait period, that we have ever seen. You can produce an incredible range of actions which can trigger fish to bite, by varying the following, in whatever combination you choose:

a) The speed of your retrieve.
b) The weight of the line you are using.
c) The tension of the line
d) The action of your rod
e) The way the bait is hooked
f) Fishing the bait with or without weight.
g) The rhythm of the retrieve.

a) Speed of Retrieve.
You can fish these baits anywhere from deadstick slow to so fast, you cannot reel any quicker, without losing any of these great fish-catching actions. You might want to try several options and let the fish tell you how they want to see it. You can even try all of the options in a single retrieve. For example, if you find that most fish hit the bait when it is moving quickly, then you need to fish it quickly, a lot!

b) Line weight.
As a rule of thumb guide, the lighter the line you use, the wider and wilder the action. Make sure that you match the line weight with the type of fishing you are doing and the weight of fish you expect to catch. If you are fishing in heavy cover, you'll probably want 14 to 20lb test line. If you are fishing in open water, line weights from 6 to 15lbs will usually get the job done.

If you're fishing for big toothy critters 20 to 30lb line plus a seven strand steel leader of the same pound test should cover most eventualities.

We strongly recommend the use of a braided line such as PowerPro. This way, you can get the best of all worlds. 20lb PowerPro is about the same diameter as 8lb test monofilament line. However, you have the added benefits of the extra strength plus it doesn't stretch. These baits will cast a long way and if you get a bite 25 yards away, you will be in direct contact with the bait and the fish. If you move the rod tip an inch, the bait moves an inch. This is most important when you come to set the hook. With monofilament, you have to do a huge, sweeping hookset to get the bait to move at all.

c) Line Tension Options.
By varying the tension on the line, you can dramatically change the way the baits run in the water. By jerking the rod tip on a slack line, the baits will tend to run in a wide side to side action, which is an action preferred by Largemouth Bass. If you keep the line tighter, the bait will run in a much narrower path. Which is an action preferred by Smallmouth, Pike and Muskie.

d) Rod Actions.
A stiffer rod will make the bait run straighter and give you a better hookset. A whippier rod will give the most erratic action but will not be quite as good for setting the hook. We have found that the best compromise is a medium-heavy action rod in the 6' to 7' 6" range.

Jerking the rod tip down will cause the bait to run on or near the surface. Holding the rod tip up will cause the bait to 'walk the dog' about a foot under the surface.

e) Hooking options.
Straight- The most common method of hooking the baits is to hook them so that they lie perfectly straight. The baits can be fished with a bend in them but you will have to fish them slower to avoid making the bait spin which can cause line twist.

Making the baits weedless- If you are fishing open water with no chance of snags, just leave the hookpoint exposed in the small depression on the back of the bait.

If you are fishing around cover, such as weeds or wood, and you want to make absolutely sure that the baits are completely weedless, just pinch the bait and move it slightly backwards. Then, just hook the 'skin' of the bait with the hook point, so that the point is out of harm's way. Only hook the very surface and the hook will pop free on any bite and hookset. This is called "texposing' and we cover it in both the Instruction leaflet and the videotapes.

Make the bait dive- If you move the hook point just a little further back on the bait, it will cause the nose to bend down very slightly. This causes the water to hit the flat upper surface of the bait which makes the bait dive, a little like a crankbait. You need to work the bait more slowly to avoid line twist.

By moving the hook point in small increments, you can vary the depth at which the bait will run. You can get the bait to dive maybe three or four feet and it gives you a great subsurface 'Walking the Dog' action. This is ideal for when the fish are a little deeper or tighter into cover. It also is a very effective technique if the water clarity is poor, such as when it gets roiled up after a cold front. You can make the bait dive and put the bait much closer to the fish allowing them to see it and strike it better.

Bear in mind also, that the bait will still virtually suspend. So if a fish hits the bait and misses, just leave it there. Let it sink very slowly and the fish will come right back and eat it 70 or 80% of the time because it thinks it stunned it!

Nose-up- If you move the hook point a little further forward, it will cause the nose of the bait to turn up slightly. If you now cast the bait and retrieve it with a jerk, stop action, the bait will act like a popper. The big advantage of using a Black Mamba® bait in this mode is that you don't have to deal with treble hooks, so you can throw the bait into areas that you would never dream of throwing a popper into for fear of getting snagged.

If you hook the bait the same way and just reel it in steadily, it works like a subtle buzzbait (is that an oxymoron?). However, the Black Mamba® bait offers a much more acceptable profile, feel and taste than a buzzbait. Plus, it will suspend and so can be fished very slowly because it will not sink like a stone when stopped, as a buzzbait would. This technique works especially well in shallow, emergent vegetation (the kind of stuff that clogs up your spinnerbaits), where a buzzbait would be too aggressive an approach and would spook the fish. Plus, the Black Mamba® bait does not get clogged up with weeds and algae.

Short-strikers- If you have short-striking fish, merely thread the the bait further down the hook, so the point now exits more towards the tail. It hardly affects the action of the bait and will catch you those short-strikers.

Skipping- Because the Black Mamba® baits have enough weight to them and because of their unique shape, they will skip under overhanging cover such as trees, bushes and docks easier and better than any other bait we have seen. You can stay well away from the dock or tree, so the fish do not even know you are there, and skip these baits 30 to 40 feet, right into spots where other lures cannot reach.

Skipping the baits allows you to cover docks and overhanging trees and bushes much more thoroughly and in less than half the time than you can using more conventional methods such as pitching and flipping. This allows you to fish twice as many docks or trees in the same time period, which by default, puts you in front of twice as many fish. Also, because this is a presentation that fish do not normally see and because they know the UPC codes of all the other baits off by heart, they are more willing to bite these baits. Most people who have tried this, report back improvements in catch rates of 3 or 4 times more fish! Our experience certainly support these figures.

We recommend a medium to medium heavy action spinning rod of 6 feet to 61/2 feet in length. You should have a good quality spinning reel with a top quality braided line in the 10 to 20lb range, such as PowerPro.

A short while practicing will yield impressive results. Actually getting the baits to skip is very easy, getting a good degree of accuracy takes a little practice and getting all of the fish that you hook out from under the cover is another thing altogether! That's where the stout rod, good drag and the superline come in!

If you hook a fish and it gets caught around the cover, just release the tension on the line completely by opening the bale arm of your reel. Even though the fish is hooked it will not be hurt. Because they frequently eat fish like catfish and perch which have sharp fins, they have few pain receptors in their mouths. They went bananas when you set the hook because they were scared and they panicked! If you give them a few minutes to calm down, they will often swim right out of their hiding place. You can then resume hauling them in.

Popping the baits out of the water- We have seen no other bait that will pop out of the water like a scared baitfish does, with the ease of the Black Mamba® baits. This action is a very powerful trigger for predators and it makes them want to attack the baits. It's extremely easy to do with the Slick Willy®, Ribbed Willy® and Wild Willy®. All you need to do is pop the rod sharply down and the bait will jump. The magic is all in the design of the front of the baits.

Snags- Because there is no junk hanging off the baits and only the line comes out of the front of the bait, the Black Mamb® baits are weedless and snagless. The baits themselves will never get hung up.

However, from time to time, the line itself may get caught in some bark if you are fishing around cover or you may do a bad cast and land in brush, for example. If this happens, avoid yanking on the rod, as you risk exposing the hook. The best strategy is to just apply firm but gentle pressure. More often than not, the line will just unravel and the lure will pop free.

Catching following fish- If fish are following but not committing to bite, an often used strategy is to put on a smaller bait and try again. This is a good, effective strategy but it involves effort and loses time. We have found that speeding the retrieve often does the trick. Cast your Black Mamba® bait out to approximately the same spot and 'burn' it back towards you. Literally, pop the rod and reel as fast as you can go so that the bait is skittering across the surface. This will normally result in a heart-stopping topwater explosion from the fish that followed! This is particularly effective on fish such as Smallmouth Bass and Muskies which are notorious followers.

Catching fish that miss the bait- Fish are not the best shots in the world and occasionally miss baits. If a fish misses, resist the urge to reel in and try again. Instead, just let the bait sit and usually the fish that hit it will come right back and eat it. You might have to leave it sitting for up to two minutes. Rest assured the fish will usually be looking at the bait, to make sure it's for real. If you see the fish come back and it doesn't take the bait right away just give the bait a couple of tiny twitches, so that it imitates a stunned baitfish, and it will usually get eaten in a hurry.

Flipping and Pitching- We really like these baits for flipping and pitching. Firstly, fish eat other fish about 90% of the time. I have never understood why anglers want to throw crayfish baits, which are a seasonal and occasional, albeit tasty food. Why not throw something which is baitfish shaped?

Secondly, these baits glide really well. Instead of plummetting like a stone, they will glide under branches and docks into the waiting fish's face.

I much prefer to use a nose-weight as I find it better complements the weedless qualities of the Black Mamba® baits. A nose-weight just punches through vegetation much better than a flipping jig. I particularly like to use the rattling, screw-in nose weights from Gambler with a Ribbed Willy®.

I feel the subtle rattle plus the ribs rubbing against the cover, helps the fish locate it easier in dense weed cover. Use the lightest weight you can get away with and yet, still get the job done. The heavier the weight you use, the more you will lessen the natural action of the baits. Remember, no food in nature plummets like a stone!

If you are fishing sparse, shallow weeds or cover, lily pads, undercut banks, reed mats etc., pitch or flip a weightless, natural coloured Slick Willy® for spectacular results.

In clear, skinny water, you can watch the bait just flutter helplessly down and see the lunkers slowly swim out from the cover, suck it in and then hit reverse with their pectoral fins! I have caught some real donkeys, in areas where the water gets beaten to a froth by anglers, areas where the other guys couldn't BUY a fish. The only thing I will say, is you must be patient and give these very wary, gun-shy fish time to react. I promise you, it's well worth the wait!

When fish are really turn off, try pitching or casting a weightless Atomic Wedgie® tight around cover or into the holes in weed flats or lily pads and just let it slither down and do it's thing. You will surprise yourself with just how many fish you can still catch in very difficult conditions.

IMPORTANT ADVICE: The most important thing to remember when working these baits is PAY ATTENTION to the LURE. Don't make the mistake of focusing on what you are doing with your hands. If you do, you'll miss all of the great bites you'll be getting! Concentrate on what the lure is doing and what effect the different movements you make, have on its action. That way, the correct motions will come automatically and they will soon become second nature.

Secondly, DO NOT set the hook when you SEE the strike, wait until you FEEL the weight of the fish and then cross its eyes! If you set the hook when you see the strike, you will often pull the bait right out of the fish's mouth before he's had a chance to get hold of it properly. The fish will swim off and eat the bait, so you have plenty of time that you don't need to rush it.

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Rigging Options

Nose weights- You can fish any kind of nose-weight that you would use on any other worm, grub, or what have you. I particularly like the screw-in Florida rigs from Gambler. For a really subtle presentation, you can use a free-running nose-weight. This will punch through the vegetation but not drag the bait down with it like a stone. Instead the bait will flutter down afterwards and hang in the strike zone longer.

Jigs- You can use a variety of different jig heads with all of the Black Mamba® baits; ballhead, flipping, darter, football etc. If I am swimming the bait in situations where one might use a crankbait, I like to use a darter jig head as it doesn't kill the natural action of the baits. Again, use the lightest weight you can get away with to avoid being caught in the rocks. Unless of course, your objective is to stay in contact with the bottom and snagging is not an issue.

If you fish in rivers and want to keep the bait from riding up with the force of the current, rig it upside down, so that the hook slot is on top rather than underneath. Because the shape of the front of the bait is like that of a boat, when the bait is rigged normally, the lure tends to ride up as the water pushes down past the 'bow'. If you reverse the bait, that same shape pushes the bait down. This means you can achieve a nice balance between weight and risking snags and still have the bait in front of the bottom-hugging fish.

Carolina Rigging- The Black Mamba® baits work excellently on Carolina rigs. Dragging a bait along the bottom works but it is very awkward for predatory fish to pick them up. Predators' eyes are on the top of their head and facing forward which means they have to approach your bait from the side and circle around to suck it up. With the Black Mamba® baits, if you pop the lure sharply it will shoot up off the bottom, right into the bass' line of sight and then glide back down into its open mouth! The unique design of the front of the Black Mamba® baits is what causes the bait to rise.

Wacky Rigging- These baits work extremely well when rigged Wacky style. Throw them into weed pockets and watch them flutter down just like a dying baitfish.

Drop-shot rigging- These baits work great on a drop-shot rig. Their baitfish profile causes them to get eaten in a hurry. However, we find we get better results when the baits are fished on a three-way swivel. The baits have an awesome action and adding a leader allows them to do their thing better.

Bottom-bouncers- The Black Mamba® baits work extremely well when attached to a bottom bouncer. You can go over rocky bottoms and have the bait swimming seductively just off the bottom with no chance of it getting snagged. While this method is normally used by walleye anglers, I have also caught good numbers of Largemouth, Smallmouth, Pike and Muskie this way. This a phenomenal way of covering lots of water for those roaming fish on large flats.

Spinnerbait trailers- As outlandish as this may seem, all four Black Mamba® baits make excellent trailers on spinnerbaits. After all, a spinnerbait is meant to imitate the vibration pattern, general outline and flash of a baitfish. So do the Black Mamba® baits. If the Black Mamba® baits look like the belly of a baitfish by themselves, why wouldn't they look like like the belly of a baitfish on a spinnerbait?

Spinnerbaits are great baits, which is why so many people throw them. However, therein lies the problem; so many people throw them because they work and the fish become conditioned not to bite them.

Think for a second about how fish attack most baits. Better than 95% of the time, they attack from below and from behind.

When they attack a spinnerbait with a Black Mamba® bait as a trailer, they don't see a chunk of whirring metal but the belly of a baitfish. The bait usually gets engulfed so you don't need to use trailer hooks. Plus, you are giving the fish something different to look at from all the other thousands of spinnerbaits they have seen.

A good rule of thumb guide is to match the size of the bait to the size of the fish you are likely to catch and to the water clarity. If the water is dirty, then use a Ribbed Willy®. Of all the baits, the Ribbed Willy® will displace the most water and has the most aggressive vibration pattern. Remember that the bigger the bait, the more buoyant the spinnerbait will be and the higher it will tend to ride in the water column.

Other side benefits of added a Black Mamba® bait to your favourite spinnerbait are that it adds some weight for better casting, it reduces that horrible tendency for spinnerbaits to 'helicopter' when casting, thereby reducing backlashes (especially when casting into the wind). The addition of a Black Mamba® bait gives the fish a bigger target to home in on and a bigger bait will normally attract bigger fish. Having said that, when we were shooting our pike and walleye footage, I caught 5 walleye, on consecutive casts, that were all between 1 and 1.5 lbs, on a spinnerbait, tipped with a white Ribbed Willy®, go figure!

Buzzbait trailers- Buzzbaits are great baits at raising fish but their hook-up rate is awful. The reasons for this are that you have to fish them quickly to keep them on top plus you are normally fishing them in poor visibility conditions such as over thick weeds, in murky water and algal blooms etc. This means that the fish are deprived of their primary means of hunting; their eyesight. Speed and poor visibility are a recipe for disaster. I found I was only catching maybe 3 fish out of 10 strikes, a very poor ratio.

All four baits make excellent trailers on buzzbaits. By adding a Black Mamba® bait to your favorite buzzbait, you add buoyancy which means you can now fish the buzzbait at about half the speed and still keep it on top. When the fish gets to see the bait at the instant before it strikes, instead of seeing a chunk of whirring metal, it sees the belly of a baitfish. I now find I catch 6 or 7 of those 10 striking fish.

Wire leaders- When you're fishing for toothy critters, it is always cheap insurance to use our wire leader material. While you can use the leaders that you can buy in stores, there are a few disadvantages with doing so. Typically, store-bought leaders are heavy which tends to dampen the natural action of the baits and reduce the suspending qualities. Also, the snaps they have attached, grab weeds.

A far better alternative is to tie your own leaders. We use seven strand stainless steel wire, (we find 20 lb. covers most situations) and tie one end to a quality swivel and the other end directly to the hook. It takes only a little longer than tying on a store-bought leader but offers the following benefits:

a) The bait remains virtually weedless because there is no snap to get caught in the weeds.
b) It is lighter than a store-bought leader and doesn't drag the bait down.
c) You can put a nose weight on the wire before you tie it to the hook, for when you are fishing deeper or around cover.
d) The wire is almost invisible in the water. Even finicky Smallmouth in crystal clear water are not put off by the leader material.
e) You can easily make the leader whatever length the situation calls for.

We cover off tying wire leaders in the Instructional Video which is included in the Sampler Pack. This video can also be bought separately for those who do not want to purchase the Sampler Pack.