Wanted: Dead or Alive
Posted by Pete Robbins on May 17th 2020
I play for keeps ‘cause I might not make it back. (Bon Jovi)
I’ve wanted a Daiwa Dead or Alive wake bait for at least a decade, possibly even longer since there’s a strong likelihood that I read a 2007 Tackle Tour review of the lure giving it their Innovation Award. It may be the one of the most hideous Frankensteins of lure parts in the fishing industry, but something about it called to me. Even after I watched a Bass University video in which Ish Monroe praised the lure’s fish-attracting abilities while regretting the number of fish that came unbuttoned from it, I wasn’t deterred.
The only thing holding me up was price and availability. I didn’t want to buy used, many of my JDM online sources were out of them, and the bidding on ebay typically exceeded what I wanted to pay. Perhaps my recent fascination with big bait culture acclimated me to the insane pricing on some of these big baits, but at long last I bit the bullet and now I have one of my own. I may regret this purchase – either because I can’t hook or can’t land any fish on it – but after a long period of intrigue I’m ready to get it on the water.
