Today’s review is about another new kid on the block from the folks at Livingston Lures.
The Pro Ripper is their lipless crankbait.
If you’re unfamiliar with Livingston Lures, they make a series of hard baits which use micro-electronics to emit a “croaking” sound as the lure is retrieved. Some models also add an LED light to the package.
Pro Ripper Construction
The Pro Ripper as actually measured is about 2 5/8 inches in length and weighs 2/5 of an ounce. It features big 3D eyes, sharp Mustad stock hooks, interesting color patterns and of course an internal rattle system to augment the electronic “croaking”.
As we all know, lipless cranks are a great way to efficiently cover a lot of water quickly in search of those active fish. They also excel at being ripped out of grass for reaction strikes.
Back in the “good ole days”, this class of baits was known as idiot baits for their ease of use. You just cast ‘em out and wind ‘em in. Fortunately, times have changed as well as how versatile lipless cranks are now due in no small measure to technological advances by manufactures as well as folks using them in situations where previously, no one would have thought to.
The Pro Ripper is sized well in that it represents a lot of early season forage, a favorite snack of both pre and post spawn bass. You can target those fish who have moved up into the shallows or who are gorging themselves post spawn.
Unique Weighting System
While the sound technology is a unique feature of the Livingston offering, the weighting system is something that we feel deserves as much attention if not more. The reason is that while this bait casts well like most other lipless cranks, it also sinks slower than most of the comparable sized lures in this segment.
This is particularly useful when fishing shallow to mid-range depths and or course for fishing emerging vegetation. One of the best ways to use this bait is to find those long, relatively shallow areas with grass. Cast the Pro Ripper out and allow it to sink to the level of the top of the grass then give it a solid 3/4 rip of the rod.
By that I mean the angle of your rod tip, much like a pitcher who throws 3/4 as opposed to overhand. The reason is that if you pull straight up, you are moving the bait out of the strike zone as opposed to that 3/4 motion that keeps it within a foot or so of the grass.
While you will get some strikes on a straight retrieve, most of them for us have occurred after having come into contact with grass or other impediments and ripping the bait out. I have tell you, when bass hit this bait, it tends to be purposeful.
You’ll find that depth control with the Pro Ripper is fairly easy. Varying your retrieve is likewise no problem. As we eluded to, this is in our opinion the most outstanding feature of the Pro Ripper.
On the dead fall, this bait has almost no movement. This can be both good and bad, depending on the fish’s mood at that particular moment. We would prefer some wobble over none but that is in no way a deal breaker.
The wobble that you get with the Pro Ripper is wider than some competitors’ and narrower than others. If we had to assign a number between 1 and 10 to its wobble with 10 being the widest and 1 the narrowest, we would go about a 7.
All of our test baits have run true out of the package and still have not needed any tuning.
The finishes are sound, having displayed little damage despite repeated strikes. The components likewise have shown little wear in our testing.
The Pro Ripper retails for about $8 per. This is more than some, less than others in this class of baits.
While there is a good choice of color patterns, they are not the ultra-realistic finishes of some other brands. Again, we don’t consider this a deal breaker for baits such as these that are reaction baits. Typically fish don’t follow these for long distances trying to decide whether or not to hit it.
Overall the Pro Ripper has been a steady performer for us in our time with the bait and will become a permanent fixture in our tackle boxes.
| Livingston Lures Pro Ripper | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |   |
| Innovative features, and solid performance | |
See ya’ on the water ….
