By the Inside Line… As I’ve emptied the boat to be sold and started planning my 2014 tackle purchases, I’ve come across several lures that I had every intention of throwing in 2013, but circumstances, favoritism and sheer forgetfulness got in the way. In some cases, I’ve realized that I’ll probably never use them, but in others I’ve renewed my vows to put them to the test in the coming year.
Back in college, there was a popular party girl who some of my friends referred to as “The Shovelface” (might’ve been two words, not one, but we never committed the name to writing). Part of the rationale for the development of that nickname was because we were obnoxious, insecure, snot-nosed little punks. Boys are cruel. The other half of the equation is that she truly looked like someone had taken a steel shovel and whacked her upside the head. Probably the nicest, smartest, most interesting girl you could ever meet, but all we could see was the flattened face. Twenty five years after graduation, I have no idea what she’s doing but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out that she’s a supermodel, a CEO or our country’s answer to Mother Theresa.
That kind of reminds me of this F-Sonic from Deps, a lipless crankbait that I meant to throw in 2013 but which somehow never left the pegboard. I’ve got scores of original Rat-L-Traps, Redeye Shad and Cordell Spots, along with “new and improved” versions like the Ima Rock N’Vibe, the Megabass Vibration-X and some of the Lucky Craft LVs. I tend to wear the paint off a few of them every spring on the Potomac, which has long been known as a lipless crankbait hotbed. Unfortunately, I never really got on that bite all that well this year, so when I was chunking and winding I tended to stick with known commodities. Couldn’t take the time to investigate something that looked different.
No doubt about it, the F-Sonic is weird looking. It reminds me of an anteater more than any creature found in the water, and I’m not really sure what the extended snout will do for me – maybe it provides a different wiggle or prevents the lure from getting snagged as much as the competition – but I intend to find out. First appearances can lead to improper conclusions.
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