DRANCKRAZY BARRACUDA-T

The Barracuda-T is a 6 inch stick bait whose shaped tail produces an irregular dart just below the surface on the twitch, with a small tail-tremor that reproduces the tail-fin vibration of a baitfish fleeing a predator. The overall profile stays compact and easy to cast on lighter bass tackle, which helps when long sessions call for repeated accurate casts to cover.

Aimed at bass, seabass and large rockfish holding near cover or bait schools where an unweighted, natural-falling stick bait can be worked slowly through the strike zone without spooking wary fish. It also works well as a follow-up bait after a more aggressive lure has pulled fish in but failed to draw a solid take.

Twitch it in short sharp pulls to trigger the dart-and-tremor action, pausing between twitches to let it glide and fall; it can be rigged weightless, wacky, or on a light jighead depending on depth needed. Vary the cadence between casts, since the retrieve that draws strikes can change through the day as fish activity shifts.

Works on a 6'6"-7' ML to M spinning or baitcast rod, a 2500-3000 reel, 10-14 lb braid or fluorocarbon main line and, for seabass or rockfish, a short fluorocarbon leader. A 6.3:1 to 7.1:1 gear ratio suits most retrieve styles for this bait, and a smooth, well-maintained drag helps protect hooksets on a strike close to cover.