None of us will ever know if Bill deliberately copied Rago's 8" Tool or not. It does look an awful lot like Rago's bait though. Yes, some of the details are different, but the design of the bait appears to be largely the same. Swimming actions may be slightly different, but the shape and makeup of them are very similar.

What is confusing about your post though Rob is that there is certainly an appearance that the design of the BBZ1 bait could be very much Rago's, and so many are discounting it as a coincidence; sight unseen. I know how feels Jerry about the subject, as several people have abused his talents and countenance in the past.

I am pretty sure that Rago feels similarly about these types of things as you do about people plagiarizing your articles, be it in part, or in whole. You personally have been very vocal about that subject it pertains to your intellectual property. While Rago, Huddleston, Yamamoto and any other bait manufacturer who gets their design ripped is supposed to accept it as coincidence.

The subject is troubling, and our industry seems to be a copy cat one. So few that think or design for themselves and so many willing to copy or plagiarize.

Dan O'Sullivan