Choopy Lures: Introducing... lil Barky

If you have been following along my ramblings here, you know I have been busy working and fishing a small spook style lure this spring and summer. Well I am happy to announce, it is ready to go, and will be available at RM Tackle in the very near future. I just finished painting and assembling them, and will be sending them off today.

So, with no further adieu, lil Barky:

Bottom to top: Creek Chub, Bluegill, Bunker,
Schoolbus, Sexy Shad

Specifications:
Length: 4"
Weight: Approximately 3/4 oz.
Hardware: Stainless steel through wire construction. KROK 310 lb hook hanger
Hooks: #4 VMC 9651 (1x strong wide gap)

What they do:
In some ways, they are your classic spook / walk the dog style lure. They will fish well with a quick cadence or a medium cadence (my favorite). They also fish well slowly, similar to a glide bait. I have had success with them in the open water, along weed lines and pitching them into millfoil holes. They can also handle the current or rivers and streams just fine and dandy.

In case you aren't familiar with "walking the dog". It is a technique where you have a little bit of slack in the line and you twitch your rod tip. The lure will then pull to one side. Retrieve a tiny bit of line (leaving some slack again) and twitch, and the lure will pull to the other side. Continuously twitch the rod and retrieve and the lure will dance on the surface. I will hopefully have a video up shortly to demonstrate how lil Barky can be fished and how it works.

Hook Configurations:
They are packaged with #4 VMC 9651. I like this hook a whole lot for freshwater use. The wide gap hook fishes nicely, especially with top water lures. I know lil Barky will also have a use in the saltwater, or some people like a different or stronger hook, so I worked out a few other hook configurations.
1. #4 VMC 9626: This worked well and balance the lure fine. However I did miss a few fish. The gap of the hook is smaller that the VMC 9651.
2. #2 VMC 9626: This worked well since you had the wider gap to hook fish, but the lure sat slightly more vertical in the water and you had to work it a bit more.
3. #2 VMC 9626 on the belly, #4 VMC 9626 on the rear: This is the best of both worlds. You get the larger hook on the front where i hooked most of the fish, and it is well balanced.

The proof is in the pudding:
I could ramble on and on about how these are the next great lures and how you should buy dozens of them. But I won't. I much rather look at a small sampling of some fish they have caught.