I feel your pain in regards to buying baits and having them turn out to be junk. I have boxes and boxes of lures that I don't use.

This is part of the reason it takes me so long to review products here on the site. Some lure deficiencies are obvious right away. You make the first cast, the lure rolls on it's side and you know it's no good, etc.

Other times the drawbacks are more subtle. Weak hinge pins that can break or pull out on big fish. Hooks that seem good but bend out too easily. Paint jobs that hold up well for a few trips but swell and crack when the bait is put away wet.

If you want an unbiased opinion, read magmaster's review of the Lunker Punker which was just posted. Dan (magmaster) knows his stuff and tells it like it is. Erik knows his stuff too, and he's just joking around saying not to use the bait. If you read his posts a few months ago, he got some nice stripers on the punker.

I have not had time to use the bait yet. Given that it's November now, it may be a while longer before I use one much. I have heard of some good catches on the lure though, and I saw the prototypes in action with my team partner Cris a few years back. These baits walk the dog with a very convincing action, and they get bit. The only thing I saw first hand was that the hooks tend to tangle a lot. You have to adjust your casting style to lay the bait flat on the cast, and it can be tough throwing in to the wind.

I can't comment first hand about durability, and won't until I see how things pan out with my own baits. That's why I post the pics up first for each review, allowing other people to comment - then wait until I've had enough first hand experience to comment myself.

offduty - I'd love to post your comments once you have some time in with the bait. You seem like an unbiased guy who takes the good with the bad and tells it like it is. That's exactly the kind of review comments I like to see on the review pages, and that's the model I try to use in each and every review.

I have my own bias like anyone, but no matter what my relationships are with the individual bait makers, I always strive for fairness and honesty in the reviews. If you ever disagree with my stuff, the beauty of the system is that you can chime in with your own comments too. I hope to see many reviews for the Punker :)