Real World Tests: The Pointer Minnow has seen action with us out on the California Delta, up at Clear Lake, and even down in the Amazon Basin in pursuit of Peacock Bass. We've thrown it on all different line types, but my preference is a good quality fluorocarbon with a little stretchiness to it like Seaguar's Tatsu FC or Sunline's Sniper FC.

It's a very effective rip bait for striped bass.

Castability: As Zander uncovered during his Autopsy report on this bait, the Pointer is weighted with moving brass weights that slide front to back during cast allowing you to really wing this bait under just about any wind conditions. Whether that wind is coming from the side or is right in your face, the Pointer Minnow can cut through that distraction and land on or beyond your target pretty easily. The 128, with its bigger mass, is especially effective in windy conditions.

Remember this guy? Yes, the Pointer 100 is a favorite of JIP's!

Dive Time: Click your reel over once the bait touches the water, wait for those ripples to dissipate, begin your retrieve and the Pointer Minnow dives down quite readily to is working depth. This bait is rated at four - five feet but there are times I feel it gets down to at least six feet. When you're working the bait at whatever depth, there's really good feedback in your line in the form of resistance as you twitch your rod tip.

Some CA Delta fun with the Pointer 100.

Suspending Action: Stop your retrieve and the Pointer Minnow suspends in perfectly neutral position parallel to the water's surface. Give it a couple of twitches with your rod and it continues moving in a sort of underwater, back and forth, walk the dog type action. Stop and again, the bait just hangs there in a very eerie way.

This bait is super easy to cast even in a driving rain storm.

Additional Observations: Along with the moving weights for casting, there are internal glass and plastic beads that together with the brass weights serve as noise makers giving the Pointer a unique rattling and knocking sound underwater. This makes it a great bait even when visibility is low because the fish can key in on the bait's sound.

Conclusion: Lucky Craft's Pointer Minnow is considered by many the gold standard by which all other jerk and rip baits are measured. I'd argue it's one of two or three standards by which the industry measures itself one of the others of course being the Vision OneTen by Megabass. Where Lucky Craft has the other baits beat though is in the fact the Pointer Minnow is available in four different sizes, all four of which behave the exact same way in the water. To deliver on that level of consistency is a testament to Lucky Craft and their engineering team. The only thing left here is to hand out editorial recognition and we all know what that means. Lucky Craft's Pointer Minnow wins this Editor's Choice Award.