Hanging out in Louisville KY and after taking care of business went and wandered the isles of Bass Pro, after all, it was customer appreciation day ;-)

Didn't really see to much but I was impressed with this top water plug, the Mega Bass I-loud. Looks like it would be an all around slay-em lure. A jointed wake bait type lure with a prop. Sort of chunky with a loud ball bearing inside.

I would probably be terrified to throw this in canoe country without a trace of wire considering the price ( the Japanese are proud of what they make). I picked it up primarily with snook fishing in mind but I bet it would smash the smallies and pike. Several Utube videos around.

I-Loud

Oh, and I also picked up some gamakatsu specialty carp fishing hooks in size #8. Pretty cool little hook with a little bit bigger gap than one would find in a size #8 hook. Slightly thicker wire with a mid length type shank. Interesting hook. I am thinking of using it with big night crawlers but it looks like it would be a very good hook with minnows and crappies. And I guess it doubles as a "carp" hook in a pinch ;-)

Anyway, this hook is worthy of a closer look.

The more money I spend on a lure the less likely I am to use it (from fear of losing it). I also suspect that my more expensive lures have not caught more or larger fish than my cheapies, over my fishing life.
I do admit to impulse defeating reason and experience sometimes when I wander thru a store.

quote Jeriatric: "The more money I spend on a lure the less likely I am to use it (from fear of losing it). I also suspect that my more expensive lures have not caught more or larger fish than my cheapies, over my fishing life.
I do admit to impulse defeating reason and experience sometimes when I wander thru a store."

In general I can agree with your statement but lots of very notable exceptions occur. The more I have been gravitating toward high end lures the better I have been doing as of late. I have a bazillion crank baits under $10 but the ones which have really produced lately for me is the triple segmented Deep diver made by Lucky craft which comes in at around $20 and of course the walleye killer Mega Bass Deep Six which will set you back some $25. I started out with only one each but after giving them some time in the water I quickly acquired 5 or 6 in various colors. Mega Bass also makes a popper which is the best I have ever seen being able to "walk the dog" while still throwing water like a chug bug. But throwing it around Esox Lucius is a non starter and it doesn't have the size of the I-Loud to overcome wire as easily. They are another offering which will set you back substantially but a very confidence inspiring lure no doubt.

I haven't even given the I-loud a try yet. But it is a very interesting concept. A wake style bait which is jointed. Throw on a prop and a ball bearing and it could be one of those "special" kind of baits. It would be interesting to see how much water the lip catches and if not excessive it might also be an excellent lure to run behind the boat on a travel day. I like topwaters (think Whopper Plopper) behind the boat while traveling or even exploring a new lake and you don't want to have to worry about getting hung.

Since it is a wake style bait it would also be interesting to see what sort of leader a guy should use. 60lb fluorocarbon would be heavier than wire and thus have the effect of angling the lip downward as opposed to wire which would likely come off a bit more straight. Could make a difference. Pike tend to like loud lures at times so I definitely would fish this with some protection.

As per being afraid to use it? Naw, what's the worst that can happen ;-)
On the other hand it might put the biggest smallie of your life in the boat.

Looks like a good bait for pike. Use a titanium leader.

Sadly, I too have been noticing that the more expensive stuff seems to actually out fish the cheaper stuff. I guess you just have to weigh the risk. I know 30 years ago that even losing a shad rap was enough to ruin my day. Thankfully money is no longer so tight. I second the titanium leader. I also like the tieable wire leaders (Surflon Wire Supreme from AFW). You can tie it with standard knots and although it isn't quite as kink resistant as titanium, it is fairly kink resistant. It's handy to be able to make leaders any length with any kind of swivel. So who's gonna be the guinea pig with the Mega Bass iloud ? It looks good.

What would be fun is to fish side by side with say a comparable and less expensive lure. Q Mikes Lucky 13 looks to be similar in size (being only a little smaller) and also makes a fuss.

It took 2 trips into Bass Pro before I pulled the trigger. I spotted it one evening and considered it and went and purchased it the next day. Guinea pig #1 (or would "sucker" be a better description ;-)

Unfortunately I don't think I would be able to give mine a go during the right time of year. I think june and early july would be a good time for it. I really want to use it for snook fishing truth be told.

On a positive note I was able to resist picking up a new rod to implement my crawler strategy of next summers walleye trip. I had my eye on a new Loomis and even had the rod in my hands but talked myself down off the ledge. Whew!

Finally got around to getting the I-Loud on the water in the small canal in front of my house. Very interesting lure. Picture a spinnerbait waked just below the surface but in a very snaky action since the I-Loud is jointed. Throw in that the tail spinner spits water occasionally this bait really has a lot going for it. I found that it attracted scads of small fish which followed it in.

I know Pike would like it but it really seems like a bass lure overall. I will have to try it out on the rim canal which encircles Lake Okeechobee on my morning bike rides. Don't forget the camera ;-)