The Little Dipper Package
Let’s look at another offering in the swimbait category. When the situation calls for something on the smallish side, what are you going to use? We decided to give the Reaction Innovations Little Dipper a go. We fished the Little Dipper as a swimbait with a weighted hook on Lake Lanier so let’s take a look at the action that you can expect from this pint-sized lure.
The RI Little Dipper isn’t unlike other paddle tail baits. It displaces a lot of water with its oversized swim tail and, depending on the weight that you choose to use, will exhibit some body roll. You can fish it fast, slow or in between. It consistently runs true out of the package and comes in some good color patterns.
The Little Dipper is a split-belly bait as opposed to a hollow-body but does have some width to it. In our testing we ran it through, around and into as much cover as we could find and had no issues with tearing of the tail or other material weaknesses. However, the tail can be torn fairly easily when fish strike and during the fight.
This bait is cast easily on both spinning and bait-casting gear but can be over-powered by using line that is too heavy which will result in a dampening of the action. But, if you’re going to be using 17 pound line or heavier, why would you use something this small as a standalone bait?
The Reaction Innovations Little Dipper can be used for several applications other than just a swim-bait. It makes a good jig trailer for
swim-jigs and with all the colors available, you should be able to find one that goes well with your jig choice. Another way to use this lure is behind a fish head spinner like a Sworming Hornet. I personally like baits that can do double or triple duty and are effective in more than one role.
While I would not replace my other swim-baits and use the Little Dipper exclusively, it does deserve a place in my tackle box based on its action and versatility. So if you find that larger swim-baits are consistently getting short struck, tie one of these on and you may find that the smaller size is what the fish are after.
On the MVF rating scale, the Reaction Innovation Little Dipper earns 2.75 stars.
See ya on the water …