With so many soft plastic lures to choose from, it’s tough for a new model to break into the market. When one does, it means one of three things: It’s good at catching fish, it’s good at catching fishermen, or it’s good at catching both.

In the Lil John’s case, I can’t imagine that it was catching a lot of fishermen. It’s not much to look at — basically just an elongated cone, with a flat front tapering to a sharp tail. It’s lacking a tail, legs or fins and has no fish-imitating scales or other detailing. The first time I saw these baits at Jeff Kincaid’s Capt. Ted’s Tackle, I said to him, “I hope they catch fish, because nobody’s going to buy them for their good looks.” He smirked and handed me a pack. “Rig it on a jighead and see how it works,” he said. I think now that he may have already tested them himself.