Livingston’s Crank is a Real “Howeller”
| Date: |
9/30/15 |
| Tackle type: |
Lures |
| Manufacturer: |
Livingston |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Introduction: There are a lot lures that dive and wobble aggressively
but how many have embedded electronics that emulate the sound of baitfish in the
water? That is exactly what Livingston lures are able to do, and we decided it
was high time to put one of their unique baits under the knife to see just what
makes them “howl.” We decided to cut open the Livingston Lures Howeller, the
crankbait that Pro Angler Randy Howell credited with helping him win the 2014
Bassmaster Classic title.
The Livingston Howeller is a mid
diving crankbait
The Livingston Lures Howeller Dream Master Classic is a medium diving crankbait
that is 2-1/2” in length, weighs in at 5/8oz. and has a reinforced lip that
enables the bait to dive down to ten feet. When you first look at the bait it
looks straightforward enough and is can easily be mistaken for just another run
of the mill hard bodied crank.
At rest the bait floats to the
surface and sits evenly
Shake the bait and you can hear an internal rattle within the bait, but that is
far from the only sound that this lure is capable of emitting. This bait
features the company’s EBS (Electronic Baitfish Sound) technology which is an
internal electronic acoustic system that emulates the natural sound of a
panicked baitfish.
The Howeller resists abrasion
reasonably well
This system is activated once the bait hits the water and consists of a sounder,
a “smart chip,” which is designed to work in unison with the physical rattle to
create sounds that are designed to attract and entice predatory fish to strike.
Once the bait is out of the water and dry, the EBS technology automatically
powers down to preserve battery life.
Time to see what makes the
Livingston Howeller so special
In the test tank the bait floats to the surface and holds in a nice even keel
position. The bait is armed with two treble hooks and on the Tennessee Shad and
Spring Craw versions we had in the lab the forward hook is armed with an
anodized red hook.
Inside we find electronic guts
