“Generic” Bass Lures With Name Brand Results

When you’re searching for a product, do you ever ask for it by naming the original or leading brand name in that genre? For example, you order a “Coke” or blow your nose with a “Kleenex,” even if that’s not precisely what you’ll get. Or maybe you want to “Xerox” some pages, despite the fact that the machine is made by Canon or Toshiba or Ricoh? 

Sometimes, asking for the “generic” is seen as derision, but in the case of prescription pharmaceuticals, the generic is often exactly the same as the name brand. In the case of fishing lures, they may be better. 

When interviewing bass pros about their lure choices, when referring to their sponsor’s soft stickbait they’ll often state, “You know, their version of the Senko.” The Yamamoto category leader isn’t the only one, though. Below are some other examples of lures where the specific has become the name for the entire category: 

“Throwing a Trap” (aka, Rat-L-Trap) can refer to just about any lipless crank. 

The “Damiki Rig” gained prominence for vertical jigging within the past decade. 

An “Arkie Head Jig” can come from almost any manufacturer. 

People know what a “Beaver-style bait” is even if it’s not the Reaction Innovations original. 

Any articulated jighead can be described as a “Biffle Head.” 

Finally, as you know if you’ve read this blog for any period of time, I love “Plopper-style topwaters,” including but not limited to the original River2Sea Whopper Plopper. 

Obviously, some of these generics have been around for decades and continue to catch fish, even if they’ve been emulated by others that claim to be the latest and greatest. Drop a comment indicating whether you still prefer the OG or have a latter-day replacement that works better where you fish.