Impressions: Crafted using special Smart Injection Technology, The Mayor utilizes a precise mixture of color, flake, salt, and scent for the best presentation possible. Accented with subtle ribbing and detailing, each bait features an accurate baitfish profile that includes a deep belly portion tapering down to a wide paddletail. Rather than just tossing them in a bag where they can get damaged or deformed, I instantly appreciated how Rapala provided a handy clamshell package to preserve the original shape of every bait.

The Mayor features a paddle style tail with a small point at the end giving it a hybrid finesse minnow style profile

Upon first handling The Mayor, I noticed how the plastic had a “just right” softness to it without being overly squishy or firm. During the design process, a big emphasis was put on achieving the ideal plastic composition to optimize the bait’s action while still maintaining durability. Just going by looks and feel alone, I had high hopes for The Mayor before I even got the bait wet.

Infused with salt and scent, The Mayor has that distinctly familiar “licorice” smell that typically comes from the use of anise. Furthermore, Rapala equips The Mayor with a shallow top slot and deeper belly slot for easier and straighter rigging with both weedless and exposed hooks.

The Mayor can be rigged a variety of different ways including on jigheads. Here The Mayor has slid down the jighead after a strike. Overall the durability of the bait is quite good and lasts through strike and landings

Real World Tests: I received the 4-inch size in Albino Pearl and the 3-inch size in Gizzard Shad for testing. The time I spent with the larger bait was honestly pretty limited, as the color and size just wasn’t quite right for the two Georgia lakes I was fishing at the time.

Rigged back up and ready to go

The vast majority of my testing was done with the smaller 3-inch model rigged on a ⅛-ounce jighead while fishing with Zander in California. I found this setup to be extremely productive and a great match for my medium-power Daiwa Tatula XT 2-piece spinning rod and Luvias LT 2500 paired with 15-pound braid and 8-pound fluorocarbon leader.

The Mayor can be fished like a traditional paddletail or used effectively as a target minnow style bait with scope

Operation: Paddletail swimbaits are a dime a dozen these days, but the uniqueness of The Mayor really shined on the first cast. Unlike other offerings in this category that exhibit a very pronounced kick and sway on the retrieve, The Mayor is specially tuned for a much tighter and more subtle action to closely mimic how many baitfish typically swim.

Thanks to the exacting design and plastic firmness of The Mayor, the tail starts swimming at very slow speeds, making the bait ideal for thoroughly dredging deeper water or targeting more inactive fish.

I caught a healthy number of largemouth up into the four-pound range by simply winding The Mayor at a slow-modest pace around weedbeds and shallow flats. At this speed, the bait exhibited a tight shimmy and kick that actually transmitted subtle vibrations through the braided line back to my hand.

The Mayor can also be rigged weedless with a weighted hook

Price and Applications: The Mayor delivers consistency, a very composed action, and excellent packaging at a price that falls right in the midst of other paddletail swimbaits. After the success I experienced during testing, my newfound confidence actually prompted me to purchase another package for future pursuits. Simply put, these are fish-catching baits at a fair price.

Thanks for playing. The Mayor was very effective targeting fish at all depths

As of this writing, The Mayor is offered in four sizes and a large selection of colors for a range of water clarities and conditions. Perfect in all sizes for fishing on a variety of jigheads, the larger baits are also ideal for rigging on weedless swimbait hooks when casting around shallow cover. Additionally, I see potential use on Alabama rigs or as spinnerbait trailers, though I didn’t test either. The Mayor will also undoubtedly be a huge producer in saltwater for species like snook, redfish, trout, jacks, tarpon, and stripers.

Conclusion: As fishing pressure rises and bass get more wary and educated, there has been an increased emphasis on subtle, lifelike baits. Distancing itself from the pronounced wagging action of many traditional paddletail swimbaits, The Mayor’s tight action results in a more subdued presence that likely helps it appeal more to highly seasoned bass.

The Mayor inhaled by a solid fish

This was my first experience fishing any Crush City offering, and I must say that I’m impressed. I’ve been a huge paddletail user for years and have definitely fished a handful that fell short in terms of performance or simply just left something to be desired. The Mayor exceeded my expectations and helped me put a bunch of quality bass in the boat. While it may not be the most intricately designed or flashiest-looking paddletail in existence, The Mayor undoubtedly has what it takes to get the job done.