This lure falls in the "definitely different" category, and although I feel like I don't understand the bait well yet, it's interesting - and has potential in specific applications.

The concept behind the Slide Jack is to put your lure under overhanging cover, whether that's willows, or bamboo, or trees, or docks. By switching the snap to either side of the lure, you can make it run left or right and "swim" at about a 55 degree angle away from the boat.

I put the word swim in quotations, because the lure I tested didn't have a very enticing action as you moved it, but it did accomplish the goal of moving sideways. Perhaps the theory here is that fish living in hard to reach places are stupider because they are fished for less often :) It's also possible that I have not discovered the proper method for imparting action with this lure. It seems like a bait that requires a fair amount of operator skill.

Fishing around California I can think of only a few lakes where this lure could be useful. Clear Lake of course. The Delta - maybe, but at the Delta most docks rest on the water to account for the up and down movement of the tides. So fishing under those docks is not an option. Around the country there may be an endless number of situations where this lure is the only swimbait that could reach the fish.

I will report back in a few months, and hopefully a visit to somewhere with overhanging items to fish under.

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