So it is with lipless crankbaits in general and fishermen of all kinds in many parts of the country. Not only will this family of lures catch fresh, salt and cold water hulks like largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, crappie, speckled trout, red drum, salmon, muskie, etc., but they'll catch them during all seasons of the year and under a variety of conditions.

Truth be known, those are only a few of the reasons lipless cranks have been such a big hit with the angling public over the years.

Ken Chaumont, marketing director for Louisiana-based Bill Lewis Lures, makers of the infamous Rat-L-Trap, thinks the bait's user-friendly nature has played a big role in making it one of the hottest selling lures in history.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the Rat-L-Trap is so easy to fish," says Chaumont. "Anybody who can cast a rod and reel can catch fish on a Rat-L-Trap. That's the real beauty of the bait. It's also the reason it is sometimes called an "idiot bait."

Opinions vary as to why fish find the lipless crankbait so tough to resist, sort of like viewpoints differ on which make shines the brightest.

Some anglers like the Cordell Super Spot, while others lean toward Strike King's Diamond Shad, Berkley's Frenzy, Rapala's Rattlin' Rapala, Bagley's Shad-A-Lac, Yo-Zuri's Rattl'N Vibe or Top Brass' new X-Shad.

Onalaska bass pro Randy Dearman is a Diamond Shad man and thinks a big part of the lipless crankbait's success can be attributed to its shape.

"The shape is indigenous to a wide variety of the forage that bass feed on, namely shad and perch," he says. "Its shape, combined with all the vibration it puts off, makes it very difficult for bass to resist, even when they aren't in a feeding mode."

Ah, but we mustn't forget the sound factor, either.

When Bill Lewis incorporated the first sound chamber into the Rat-L-Trap back in the early 1970s, he started a trend that has since spilled over into just about every family of bass lure in existence. Savvy anglers will tell you there is nothing gimmicky about it.

"We think the rattles have everything to do with why our baits are so deadly," Chaumont says. "All predators listen. They are very tuned to sound because their underwater vision is impaired. They use sound to feed at night and in muddy water. In many instances, they'll actually come out and track the bait."

As is the case with other styles of lures, lipless crankbaits tend to be more productive at certain times of the year than others.

Pruitt's prowess has already hammered home its winter/early spring appeal. But is that the only time when going lipless is a good idea?

Hardly. Lipless crankbaits will catch bass during all seasons, provided the proper adjustments are made to coincide with changing times.

From late spring through summer, it's often a good idea to downsize in lure and line size, and change lure colors to better simulate the size and type of forage on which the bass are feeding.

During this period, bass will be more prone to eat a 1/4- or 1/2-ounce bait that's colored like a shad, baby bass or perch than a heavyweight 3/4- or 1-ounce plug wearing a crawdad finish. This can be especially true of mainlake schoolies.

"A lot of anglers make the mistake of throwing too big a bait this time of year," notes Nacogdoches bass pro Lendell Martin, Jr. "They'll go through a good area with a big 3/4-ounce lure and lose all their confidence when they don't get bit. Oftentimes, the fish are still there. You've just got to downsize your bait in order to get them to bite."

Chaumont advises lipless crankbait shoppers to take that advice to heart when they head to their favorite tackle store.

"Some anglers want to buy one size of lure in a lot of different colors," he explains. "That's fine and good. But you'll be a lot better off having the same color in a variety of sizes (1/8-, 1/4-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce). That way you can adapt. There are times when your chances of catching fish on a small bait are 10:1 greater than on a big bait."

Fall is another season when it's sometimes best to think mini over magnum. Just ask Martin. He finished second in the October 1994 Angler's Choice Classic at Lake Tyler. His primary weapon was a 1/4-ounce chrome/black back lipless crankbait.

"I'll never forget it," recalls Martin. "The weather had been real nice right up to tournament time, then a bad front came through and dropped the surface temperatures by 10 to 12 degrees. The bass stayed shallow, but they were hesitant to eat other lures. I caught bass behind other anglers who weren't even getting bit."

To take things a step further, consider the incident Pruitt witnessed on Alabama's Lake Wheeler last March.

Approximately 20 boats were sharing a large bay with fields of 3-foot deep water and scattered vegetation. All of the anglers, Pruitt included, were throwing 1/4-ounce 'Traps, but nobody was catching fish until pro angler Marty Stone showed up and taught them all lesson.

"He came through there with a 1/4-ounce Cordell Spot and literally blew us all away," recalls Pruitt. "I've never seen anything like it. He was fishing around boats and in between boats and catching fish the whole time. He beat us 10:1 in that bay."

Pruitt attributes Stone's showing to the lighter weight and distinctive sound of a Spot.

"A 1/4-ounce Spot is a tad lighter than a 1/4-ounce Rat-L-Trap," he explains. "That allowed him work his bait a little bit slower than the rest of us and still keep it out of the grass. I've never seen so much difference from two similar lures than I did in that tournament. It sure taught me a lesson."