Not Too Big, Not Too Small, with Versatility That Can Surprise and Confuse : CBC's Mini-Sonar

Total Score: 8.42 + EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD!

Introduction: The parallel bass fishing universe of big baits sees new bait builders emerge with each passing year. Familiar bait profiles with a tweak here or a tweak there, sometimes no tweaks whatsoever, and of course, every so often something different emerges on the pages of Social Media and the feast is on in the race to discover and anoint the next hype bait. Once acquired, some of the baits are actually fished, many are set aside like a certificate of stock only to be sold off when cash is needed for the next investment.

Custom painters can deliver an extra bit of realism to your baits

However, you can't just build a bait, throw up photos on social media, and expect to have success. There are steps, paths, strategies you must follow to garner interest. One of those keys is in the bait's finish. Offer an interesting profile in a top notch pattern and you're sure generate some interest. That's where the ancillary talent of painters come in and how we came to know the builder behind the subject of today's article.

Background: Daniel Caricaburu-Lundin is a nomad moving from state to state every few months chasing whatever security his day job will allow. Not long ago, while anchored at one of those stops way up north where their vehicles are measured in dog instead of horse power, he pitched a tent where he could escape to refine and nurture his artistic side. When that endeavor met its inevitable demise, he picked up the pieces and merged that artistic yearning with another passion - fishing. He leaned on another skill he acquired over the years, taxidermy, and began painting baits. Click Bait Customs was born.

Click Bait Customs and U.F.O. collab bait

If you're immersed in that big bait world on Social Media, you're probably aware of some of his work. Click Bait Customs has painted for and collaborated with quite a few established builders including Bull Shad Swimbaits, U.F.O., LitLures, Lanciotti Lures, Sherpa Swimbaits, and more. But like many an artistic soul, sometimes painting just isn't enough - I mean really, how many times can you paint the same gill pattern? Sometimes, you need to turn to sculpting. Thus began Caricaburu-Lundin's journey from painter to builder.

Click Bait Customs and LitLures collab bait

His first bait profile was a lipped, multipiece deep diver titled the Fathom. It can best be described as the big bait universe's variant of a jointed Strike King 10XD. Three revisions later, by playing with a lipless variant of his original bait and adjusting the weight profile, Caricaburi-Lundin then shifted to a more conventional big bait actor, the swimmer. All of this is pretty standard fare and nothing the big bait or bass fishing universe hasn't seen.

Click Bait Customs and Red Top Worms collab bait

Enter the actual subject of today's article. Born from the need for a consistent big bait profile for colder water, the Sonar has a build resembling a swimmer, but it is weighted to behave like a flutter spoon or blade bait - not a spinnerbait, but a solid metal, fish profile, blade. It is offered in two sizes. The original is a six and a half inch (6.5") bait weighing about two and three quarter ounces (2.75oz), and the smaller Mini Sonar is a five inch (5") bait weighing one point two ounces (1.2oz).

Click Bait Custom's first bait was the Fathom, a large, 2-piece deep diving crankbait