One of the new line of lures that caught our attention at ICAST was Livingston Lures. These folks produce a series of hard baits that utilize some interesting technologies. They feature rattle chambers in conjunction with LED lights and electronic croaking sounds built into the lure.
You might be asking yourself if having all of this going on in a single lure is a good idea. Don’t forget that KVD used the Hydrowave unit to help him win his last classic and that the idea of transmitting baitfish sounds into the water has proven itself in the past. So now you’re wondering what is the source of the sound, and how does it work? For that, we’re going to have to give you a little background.
Livingston Lures Background
To make a long story short, Robert Castaneda came up with the idea out of frustration because he was trying to buy a live bait that was only available 3 months out of the year. Being an avid angler and successful inventor, he decided to attempt to develop a hard plastic lure that mimicked the vibration, sound and swimming action of live bait in distress.
From those early efforts, along with a subsequent business partnership, Livingston Lures was born. Fast forward to today with the result being an entire line-up of baits and you’ve got some very intriguing products.
Pro Sizzle Construction
We have been testing the Pro Sizzle since we obtained it shortly after getting back from ICAST. Let’s face it, topwater fishing is a blast! The Pro Sizzle is a 4 inch, 3/4 ounce walk-the-dog style bait that has all the features that Livingston has to offer. I mention this because there are some baits in the line-up that don’t utilize the LED in their construction.
You will see in the pictures how the electronics are incorporated into the design of the bait as well as the more traditional rattles. So out of the package, onto the end of our line and time to take the first cast!
At 3/4 of an ounce, this bait absolutely sails! Distance is everything that you would expect as well as having the ability to not be adversely affected by wind resulting in excellent accuracy.
The Pro Sizzle’s weighting is excellent which makes for a bait that even a novice can work effectively. The side to side action is predictable, consistent and can be altered by the angler with little effort. There are other baits in this genre of similar dimension but this one is unique in the feel that you get.
It seems a bit heavier when going through the water than some of its competitors. I guess the best way to describe it is like driving two cars, one with narrow tires – the other with much wider rubber. Generally, the wider the tire, the more in contact with the road the driver feels.
Both the sound and LED lights are motion and water activated. You can also do what we did to satisfy your curiosity and hear the sound – take it out of the package and shake the fire out of it! You really can hear a distinct croaking noise when the lure is close to your ear.
Fishing The Pro Sizzle
We worked this lure the same way we would other, similar baits. Changing our retrieve, speeding it up, slowing it down, walking it for a few strokes then dead sticking it etc.
Most of the strikes that we’ve gotten have been forceful with several fish actually knocking the Pro Sizzle out of the water only to come right back and grab it. Our hook-up ratio has been excellent which really was no surprise. The hooks on this bait are big, mean, and sharp out of the package.
We haven’t had any issues as far as finding a hidden weakness in the construction of the lure even though we have been deliberately abusing it to some degree.
In speaking with the folks from Livingston at ICAST, the expected battery life that enables the sound and light generation is approximately 80 to 120 hours if memory serves me. While we can’t attest to this definitively, the lures that we have been fishing are still lighting up as well as croaking. So the next logical question would be, what happens when the battery dies?
You will still have a lure that has good action, good components and of course the traditional rattles. For more pics of the Livingston Lures Pro Sizzle, check out our Facebook Page.
| Livingston Pro Sizzle | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| Very unique design that actually works | |
See ya’ on the water …