John, thank you for your report on the Bass-A-Thon. re:

"Rago's "LA sewer rat" looked great; what astounds me about his baits are consistent quality, quality, quality....amazing. The 3:16 bait looked terrific, pricey, but terrifc. Mickey's hinge design seems far superior to anything out there right now, I also like the way the fins on the bait are kinda tight to the body, it seems to me that that would make the bait more durable. As a point of contrast, the Rago Generic Live trout has fins that would seem like they would snap off."

Thanks for the compliment about our quality, we try to make every single one of the Rago Baits worth every penny you anglers pay for them. You're right about the cool hinge design on Mickey's bait, perhaps we'll incorporate it into some of our new prototypes as they come along, test them and see how well they swim. Regarding the durability of the fins on the Live Trout, they're pretty tough. I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has had them snap off. It would take a pretty good jolt up against something hard, like a rock, to snap one off. If there are ever any problems with any of our baits, please work through the shop you bought them from for warranty work. We can always fix them up darned near as good as new for you so you can get back to catching those trophies.

Steve Kneip
Production
Rago Baits