Impressions: Ko-Man-Chi is not a brand many here in the U.S have heard about but this Canadian based company has been in the tackle business since 2005. We first met Robert William Osler, the President and lead designer at Ko-Man-Chi, at last year’s ICAST show in Las Vegas where he showed us his newest spinnerbait creations under the “Doctor Spinnerbait” series.

Ko-Man-Chi introduces a new spinnerbait, but what makes it different than what is already out there?

These baits take pliable-wire design to the next level by using a braided cable instead of titanium to create an even more collapsible yet unbreakable spinnerbait. To give the blade the right structure Ko-Man-Chi uses a combination of a hard metal tube gasket on the front of the bait and a flexible wire housed inside this blade will move and compress depending on speed. The faster the spinnerbait is retrieved the more compact it becomes and it is designed to track straight without rolling side to side. Ko-Man-Chi took unique approach on their baits and in addition to the unique wire design also decided to create a distinctive head design, taking even the mixture of metal into account for just the right look and feel. This head design features a mix of 63% tin and 37% lead and employs 3D blood red eyes. Unlike many heads that are painted these heads are designed to generate increased flash in the water.

For starters this blade features a flexible wire...ummm I mean cable design

There are a few different models ranging from the Classic, Pro Tournament model, and Platinum Edition. The difference between these models is the level and quality of the components like the swivels and hooks. The Classic model features VMC 4/0 Barbarian hooks and a VMC 3/0 6250 needle cone trailer hook, while the Pro Tournament model makes use of Lazer Sharp 608M 4/0 hooks and a Lazer Sharp L261M 3/0 trailer hook while the Platinum versions are armed to the teeth with Lazer TroKar ”Surgically Sharpened Technology” 4/0 hooks and even come with a Lazer Sharp L261M 3/0 trailer hook. The Ko-Man-Chi blade skirts are 80 strand and as you might expect there are plenty of options with over 70 colors/patterns to choose from.

The blades are available in a dizzying array of patterns and configurations, but all make use of the flexible wire design

Real World Tests: To test the new spinnerbaits from Ko-Man-Chi we head to our favorite testing grounds which included the California Delta and Clear Lake. We fished the spinnerbaits in both warm and cold weather and targeted fish both when they were shallow or holding in the middle of the water column. We used a variety of rigs during testing but did all of our fishing with monofilament line from Berkley.

A shaped tube holds the cable in the right alignment

Casting: Casting spinnerbaits is relatively straightforward and Ko-Man-Chi currently makes blades that are 3/8-1/2oz. in weight. The flexible wire design doesn’t affect casting in the slightest and we found we could fling these lures just as well as traditional blades or pitch them accurately into tight pockets. The value proposition for the Ko-Man-Chi offering really begins the second the blades hit the water.

Ko-Man-Chi created their own head design for this bait...

Retrieve: Once in the water the Ko-Man-Chi spinnerbaits can be worked just like any other blade. Let it drop to the desired depth and work it slow over structure or burn it back to the boat. When slow rolling the spinnerbait the arms stay more open and exhibit more vibration than you would normally see in a traditional wire blade. The soft wire allows this blade to put out more vibration because both the top and bottom are flexible and are tugged in various directions as the blades rotate. This vibration is also designed to make the bait more detectable in low light, dirty water and night conditions. For these slower presentations Ko-Man-Chi pairs the spinnerbaits with a Colorado and Tear Drop "Wide Willowleaf."

...as well as their own blades

As we expected when burning the blades the added drag causes the blade to further compress but the metal tube that holds the wire serves as a backbone making sure that the blade stays open just enough to maintain the right profile in the water. When it comes to feel the spinnerbait does feel a little different than normal wire spinnerbaits and though its nothing like the aggressive tremor generated by a chatterbait the subtle vibration can definitely be detected.

Skirting is silicon and attached via a rubber band

Next: What happens when fish strike?