Lipless is definitely the "in" thing in hardbaits these days. The Tail Wagger is a Triple Trout clone made by Black Dog Baits. The bait pictured below is 9.25" long and weighs 6oz. This is the sinking model, and it sinks fast.

If you happen to have a 1.5oz weighted Triple Trout, the sink rate on this bait is similar, perhaps a little less. Hooks are Owner 2/0 stingers. Split rings look better than what come on the Punker.

I threw the bait a few casts to check it out. The action is good. It's very much like the Triple Trout. I think this will be a bait that people catch fish on.

Two things that jumped out right away. When I checked the bait just now (after fishing it one time) there is noticeable rust in all 4 of the joints. Also, before I made my first cast with the bait I held it by the nose and let it wiggle back and forth to check the action. When I did that I felt something hit my foot. That was the tail, which had fallen out of the bait. I'd add a drop of superglue over the metal pin that holds the tail on.

As usual, I am on the leading, and often bleeding edge of lure purchasing. I'd imagine that the rusty joints and the tail thing will get fixed in subsequent production runs of the lure, but I get what I get - just like everyone else who buys a bait. So I report the results here.

The theme I notice over and over with brand new baits is that the stuff that comes out of the U.S. is pretty good, and the stuff that comes out of China and Mexico is prone to a variety of problems. Such are the perils of doing business overseas. I have no doubt that everyone sourcing baits out of the country has high expectations for the finished product, but the reality is that the people making these lures do not have the same level of personal investment that a garage guy does.

This is not to say you can't get good product from China or Mexico. It's just a lot harder to get it right the first time. I'm sure the guys at Black Dog did not expect the joints to rust or the tail to fall out. I'm sure the guys at Skinny Bear did not expect the lead harnesses to turn the nose of their lures white. Castaic assuredly did not expect the Rock Hard Platinum to swim so poorly. But these are the lessons of the modern economy.

In June 08 I will be traveling to India and China for 19 days as part of my MBA program. We've been studying business practices in those countries over the past 5 months. It's a wild East over there, and the small businesses of the United States seeking to leverage it are in for an equally wild ride sometimes. It's the big trend in big-baits right now so it bears reporting on, and I will advise if I stumble across any fishing lure manufacturing operations over there ;)

Diatribe aside, I will have more to follow on the Tail Wagger in the full review in a few months.

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/trout_plugs/black_dog_tail_wagger/index.html
http://www.calfishing.com/files/Images/lures/trout_plugs/black_dog_tail_wagger/black_dog_baits_tail_wagger_side.jpg

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/comment.html?product_id=1379

Rob I used to import 1 to 2 containers a month from India and China as a regional manager for a furniture import company. My job was to unwrap each piece of product and do quality/damage reports with camera in hand(sometimes containers would have 3000 pieces)Although the company I worked for had 10 other locations with nearly the same turnover it was near impossible to control the quality control issues. Working trade shows and talking to other exporters it was evident that this was expected at the price points americans are getting for the labor costs. After awhile I later learned that the company I worked for was able to write off a certain percentage of baits ::ahem:: I mean furniture that were declared damaged goods. Prices should reflect the workmanship in everything especially knockoffs from China

btw does anyone want a "Tiff any" necklace I bought for my g/f a few years ago? not only does it have a space in the name it turns your wrist green in just a few minutes.:7

Man that sucks -I have a punker and a floating shellcracker and they both look/feel/swim well made (did I get lucky?) and had high hopes for this bait - hopefully they turn it around with their craftsmanship.

I have thrown my Tail Wagger a few times and have not notices any rust or looseness in the tail pins. Once I get a better feel for the bait I will ad my thoughts to the reviews section. So far I like the bait.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Oh, I think this lure will catch fish. The swimming action, the colors, etc, all look good.

There's just some "structural" issues with the lure that I'm pointing out for purposes of giving a complete first impression of the lure. It's a $50 bait, and $50 baits shouldn't rust after one use in freshwater or have the tail fall out.

Rob, I see what you are saying, I was just pointing out my bait seems fine. It is truly frustrating that the some of these bait companies can not put out a consistent product.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Ive caught 4 fish on the Wagger so far. I like the action of the bait, especially at ultra high speeds. There are a few things I've noticed though that hopefully will get fixed. I have two that I purchased at the Bass-A-Thon and within 15 minutes of tossing the lure, huge chunks of paint were peeling off. I never hit anything either. After inspecting the bait, I noticed somewhat of a bubble that I could feel betwen the body of the lure and the outer paint coat. The same thing happened to my other Tail Wagger. I hope they get this fixed soon.

Again with the paint bubbling/peeling! I know the dudes at black dog are great about replacing the baits, but whats up with the place they are having manufacture them? This has been an ongoing problem for a while now hasn't it? My cracker and punker have held up ok but I havn't used them much - and i was anticipating a wagger in lieu of a TT but this paint post worries me...

Regardless of the paint issues, the bait still works great and I think it will give the Triple Trout a run for its $$$$. Don't let my post inhibit buying one of these baits. I just bought 3 more two days ago.

Same paint defect happened to me as well after a few fish and trips out with it. I am not satisfied by any means in the integrity of the paint. I am currently having this problem remedied so it will not occur in the future tailwaggers. There only a small number of them out right now until the paint is right. Paint is probably the most difficult and frustrating step in the manufacturing process. Coming from a guy that paints a lot this issue is extremely frustrating to me when I see a bait with paint not sticking properly. Hook scars a re an inevitable with any paint however adhesion is a different story. Any consumer with problems should email me asap so we can remedy this problem for you. As of right now I have no baits to trade out but I will personally repaint your bait and make sure it is right. We care about our customers and want everybodys satisfaction when they purchase a bait from us. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this paint issue may have caused our customers and will make it right. Also not trying to jab or replace the triple trout just wanted to make a different looking big lipless swimbait. I admire Scott Whitmer he is one of the nicest guys you will meet and makes some awesome baits. Tight Lines to all!!!!!
Jeremy Anderson

Jeremy, I am very new to these swimbaits, I appreciate your post. I want to order one of these baits thru TW. You say there are a few baits out there that may have paint issues. How can I be assured I avoid one of those baits?
Thanks

Not all are bad and if the paint does have issues contact me and Ill fix it for ya.

>Not all are bad and if the paint does have issues contact me
>and Ill fix it for ya.

I hope I don't have to.....but it sure is cool to know your there for me...

Jeremy, TW is backordered on these baits. Would you have an estimated ship date to them?

Thank you

No ship date as of yet but Im workin on it hard as I can. Until then Ill be Workin my but off on punkers and all kinds of other super k-5 gimmicks. Tight Lines!
Jeremy

Nice job Jeremy, Costomer service is huge in my world. Thank you for trying to make things right. Good job. By the way I love my punker jr. sweet bait.

Awesome baits Jeremy.