Spro Aruku Shad Review

Click Here To Buy The Aruku Shad

Most of us old bass hounds have used and continue to use some type of lipless crank bait. Today’s long term product review is on just such a lure, the Spro Aruku Shad Jr(aff). I have now used this bait for the past two seasons and have been more than happy with it’s performance.

The Aruku Shad Jr. Is 2 1/3 inches long and weighs in at 3/8 of an ounce. This little bait can be cast very ling distances thanks to it’s compact size and relatively low wind resistance. It comes stock with Gamakatsu hooks, and the finishes all include details in both the casting process and the painting process that add to the look of the lure both in and out of the water. These finishes provide a good deal of flash while in the water and the tight wiggle enhances that flash.

The Spro bait was designed to run nose down which it does. This characteristic makes it more weedless than most of the other offerings in this bait class. I have thrown the Aruku Shad where I wouldn’t dare throw some of the other lipless cranks and tend to come through the structure without getting snagged.

This is not to say that you can throw all caution to the wind and cast into anything with this bait. Sorry, but putting a sinking bait with two very sharp treble hooks on the underside in the middle of the thickest stuff in a lake will result in a snag.

Besides running nose down, the Aruku Shad will sit on the bottom in the nose down position without falling over onto it’s side. This particular characteristic makes this one of the most effective lures for bedding bass I have ever used. The patterns that I prefer are the Magic Shad, Old Glory, Magic Tiger and Red Crawfish. All of these have produced very well for me whether I was using the bait for bedding bass or just casting and retrieving it.

I can burn it, use a medium retrieve, yo-yo it or jig and bounce it as I am reeling it in. There are many different retrieves that can be employed with this lure to find what the fish are in the mood for. Furthermore, I have caught multiple species on the Aruku Shad Jr. including bass, catfish, crappie and trout. It has very loud rattles and certainly seems to get the attention of fish as you are reeling it in.

In the old days the lipless crank bait was referred to as an idiot bait. Simply stated, all that means is that you cast it out, reel it in and wait for something to strike the lure as it’s being retrieved. More often than not, you are getting a reaction strike from this type of lure. It seems, with the Spro Aruku Shad Jr., that the hits are more than just reaction strikes. The ferocity of the strikes leads you to believe that either the fish that hit this bait are serious about eating it or it just flat irritates the h@$# out of them. Either way, the Aruku Shad is fun to fish, doesn’t require a lot of manipulation by the angler, and in the right situation, catches a lot of fish. What more can you ask from a lure?

Click Here To Buy The Aruku Shad