The Rising Son was released in November, 2003 by 3:16 Lure Company. It comes in two sizes, a 6.5” 2.15oz model which retails for approximately $15 and a 8” 3.9oz model that retails around $20. Like all of the 3:16 baits it comes stock with premium hooks, a 2/0 Owner Stinger on the 8” bait and a 1/0 black VMC on the 6.5”. There are three primary colors available; Blue Trout, Brown Trout, and Green Trout. I know that other colors have been made but I don’t believe they are commercially available.
Like all of the 3:16 product, the Rising Son has great attention to detail, clean molds and solid construction. The Rising Son also features the standard 3:16 block and tube harness which means you don’t have to run any special rigging on the bait. Either fish the bait as is, or attach a second treble hook via wire or braid to the eye of the first hook and you are good to go. The block and tube means you won’t tear up as many baits on fish, and you’re likely to land more of your bites because the heavy plastic lure will slide up the line leaving the bass to fight the hooks. Speaking to the hooks, I always give props to manufacturers who put on hooks that don’t need immediate replacement and the Rising Son as mentioned in the overview, comes ready to go with either an Owner or a VMC.
I’ve tested about a half dozen Rising Son’s over the past two years and found that they are good performers when it comes to running straight and true. The baits are not weighted heavily, so on some of the baits you can roll them over at high speeds, but for typical retrieves they are very fishable and perform nicely. The tail on the Rising Son is very large and gives you a strong throbbing feel through your rod tip. Color wise, I like the available colors for clear water but in murky water they really don’t stand out. Most of the lakes around where these baits are designed and manufactured are very clear, so the color selection is understandable.
Fishing wise, I’ve heard a decent amount of positive feedback on the Rising Sun. The bait hasn’t caught on like some baits, but if you’re looking for a bait in this general genre that runs barely subsurface and puts out a big throbbing tail action it’s one to check out.
The first thing I tell people about this style of bait is that you have to expect to miss and lose a certain amount of fish, especially on the larger 8” size. Bass typically bite the head of any trout imitating lure, and when the head is a thick piece of rubber, it’s just hard to get a hook in the bass a lot of the time. This is true for any bait with a soft plastic bait with a wide head construction.
The other turn off for me with the Rising Sun is the fact that it is in such a popular bait category. Between the Osprey, the Eagle, and the Water Striker Double D the bass just see a lot of this type of bait. The Rising Son is undeniably similar in size and action to all of those baits and it just dilutes the effectiveness of the bait on pressured bass. This bait is a solid performer in it’s category but it’s not a “light the world on fire bait”.