You guys got to see these Koppers Live Target Bait Ball Crankbaits when Glenn posts them on the Forum.
Totally new concept.
I have no idea if they will produce strikes but they are really different.
You can try to find them on the Internet if you are really good with your searching expertise.
If you find them let us know what you think.
And post a pic or two for us to view.
On 7/10/2013 at 6:57 PM, Sam said:You guys got to see these Koppers Live Target Bait Ball Crankbaits when Glenn posts them on the Forum.
Totally new concept.
I have no idea if they will produce strikes but they are really different.
You can try to find them on the Internet if you are really good with your searching expertise.
If you find them let us know what you think.
And post a pic or two for us to view.
Not new at all and I will not be trying them. One of the big custom lure painters... cant think of his name right now... painted some exactly like that and showed them off last spring. Now koppers "designs" this revolutionary idea that is an absolute dead ringer to his. They of course gave no credit to the man they knocked off.
I saw them on tackle tour's Facebook page and they are definitely unique. I am sure they will sell and produce like pretty much any crankbait. I can't see the detail on there making much of a difference as a bait goes past a fish at speed and wobbling. Cranks to me are more about color on the top and bottom and not sure i have had any better success with baits with more detail on the paint scheme.
On 7/10/2013 at 7:02 PM, Kevin22 said:Not new at all and I will not be trying them. One of the big custom lure painters... cant think of his name right now... painted some exactly like that and showed them off last spring. Now koppers "designs" this revolutionary idea that is an absolute dead ringer to his. They of course gave no credit to the man they knocked off.
Unless they contracted the original creator to make it for them, or bought the patent/idea. That's legit. Strike King did that with their "Custom Shop" crankbaits. they hired a guy who made balsa and sold on ebay to make cranks for them under their label. You don't know (and neither do I).
Didnt say it wasnt legit. Its just not very ethical. The custom lure guy said it perfectly. He doesnt have the money to sue koppers and they were banking on that. It really is a straight up copy.
On 7/10/2013 at 8:08 PM, flyfisher said:I saw them on tackle tour's Facebook page and they are definitely unique. I am sure they will sell and produce like pretty much any crankbait. I can't see the detail on there making much of a difference as a bait goes past a fish at speed and wobbling. Cranks to me are more about color on the top and bottom and not sure i have had any better success with baits with more detail on the paint scheme.
It's very hard to tell if this is an ethical issue or not from where we stand. There was a ton of bashing of Skeet Reese and the Sick Fish for the longest time. It took the owner of the Trash Fish who actually came out and exposed that he sold the design to Berkley Havoc and Skeet to build the Sick Fish. Before that everyone thought it was flat out stolen from them.
Pictures of the lures ... interesting.
There are already comments of people saying LiveTarget stole this idea from so and so. Well if it is a stolen idea, why didn't the originator get it patented and licensed? It's the same locker room gossip every year. This new baitball is a neat concept, but nothing WOW's me about it. I love LiveTarget from cranks to frogs. I think they make amazing stuff. I'll be interested to see what else they have but this isn't a game changer in my eyes.
Great looking baits!
Felix, thanks for posting the pics.
They look to me that the crankbait has smaller crankbaits inside the shell and the crankbaits are not painted on the sides.
Can not really tell by the pics so waiting for Glenn's information.
I did think they were unique and had no idea this has alrady be tried.
Thanks to all for posting and bringing us up to date.
Should be interesting to see them in the stores.
On 7/10/2013 at 10:26 PM, Sam said:Felix, thanks for posting the pics.
They look to me that the crankbait has smaller crankbaits inside the shell and the crankbaits are not painted on the sides.
Can not really tell by the pics so waiting for Glenn's information.
I did think they were unique and had no idea this has alrady be tried.
Thanks to all for posting and bringing us up to date.
Should be interesting to see them in the stores.
From what I have read these lures are built with a new clearer plastic and the baitfish inside are not painted on but actually 2-3 shaped components somehow put within the clear lure. So the baitfish are shaped like baitfish. I cannot even imagine the amount of engineering that went into getting the weights and shapes of those little baitfish into these lures.
Interesting concept ... truly makes the technology geek in me jump for joy! Only time will tell if it will catch fish. It certainly caught this fishermen. LOL
On 7/10/2013 at 8:47 PM, MarkH024 said:There are already comments of people saying LiveTarget stole this idea from so and so. Well if it is a stolen idea, why didn't the originator get it patented and licensed? It's the same locker room gossip every year. This new baitball is a neat concept, but nothing WOW's me about it. I love LiveTarget from cranks to frogs. I think they make amazing stuff. I'll be interested to see what else they have but this isn't a game changer in my eyes.
I'm sure it would take a LOT of money to hire a patent lawyer to do the paperwork to patent it. Not even close to being worth it unless you have the mfg all lined up and several big distributors already on the hook. Then there is the part about defending it... a patent does not stop another company from making them, it just gives you legal grounds for a lawsuit. The money to hire a lawyer (a GOOD one) to take someone like koppers to court over it would bankrupt most people. I doubt 90% of the people on this board could afford to sue them.
That is why you don't see these normal guys like you and I out designing and patenting lures, its just not financially possible.
On 7/10/2013 at 10:26 PM, Sam said:Felix, thanks for posting the pics.
They look to me that the crankbait has smaller crankbaits inside the shell and the crankbaits are not painted on the sides.
Can not really tell by the pics so waiting for Glenn's information.
I did think they were unique and had no idea this has alrady be tried.
Thanks to all for posting and bringing us up to date.
Should be interesting to see them in the stores.
This is what it looks like to me as well. I haven't read much about them yet.
I'm gonna wait until they hit the market and people start getting some reviews out on how they do in the water before I jump all over them.
Live target has some good concepts and designs to make lifelike lures, but they are expensive and other than their frogs, Ive never caught a fish on their baits. My guess is they charge alot due to the detail and the fact you probably wont buy another. They were one of very few companies that made a wild golden shiner lure I was looking for as they are a common baitfish here. Never a bite! Every other crank ive used has caught something. Dont see alot of pros throwing the name out either now that I think of it. For $4 less id rather use kvd frogs with weight and rattles.
Pretty neat idea. If they don't catch fish they will deffinately look good sitting around the tackle table LOL.
I am pretty sure I read the same article you did Felix and yes that concept of small baits inside big bait and to run in the water with a action that will make fish eat it is a super engineering deal right there.
Has anyone heard a price?
actually you can't patent a paintjob on a lure...
the name and design of the bait yes. but not the paint job in and of itself
On 7/10/2013 at 10:43 PM, Kevin22 said:I'm sure it would take a LOT of money to hire a patent lawyer to do the paperwork to patent it. Not even close to being worth it unless you have the mfg all lined up and several big distributors already on the hook. Then there is the part about defending it... a patent does not stop another company from making them, it just gives you legal grounds for a lawsuit. The money to hire a lawyer (a GOOD one) to take someone like koppers to court over it would bankrupt most people. I doubt 90% of the people on this board could afford to sue them.
That is why you don't see these normal guys like you and I out designing and patenting lures, its just not financially possible.
Your post is completely inaccurate. Being a business owner, I'm aware of lawyer fees and everything else associated with running a business. With that said, your "assumptions" have zero credibility considering you started your post with "I'm sure...". That means you don't know....so don't assume.
Back to the topic, the Koppers bait is in a 3 dimensional mold. It's not painted. That is the major difference between the "original" designer and what Koppers has produced. They took it a step further than a paint job.
Look at the isles at Bass Pro or wherever you shop. EVERYTHING is some sort of copy or rendition of something else already done whether it was last years innovation or 50 years ago. There are literally 1000's of the same type of bait with different labels, colors, scents to make them "original" or "unique".
If you think you have a million dollar idea, you best get it patented and protected. Even if you don't have the funds to do it yourself, someone out there will BUY your idea.
On 7/10/2013 at 10:53 PM, MarkH024 said:you started your post with "I'm sure...". That means you don't know....so don't assume.
Seriously? "I'm sure" means I don't know? What backwards world do you live in?
On 7/10/2013 at 10:43 PM, Kevin22 said:I'm sure it would take a LOT of money to hire a patent lawyer to do the paperwork to patent it.
This means you don't know what the costs are. It's an assumption. Exactly what I stated before. I'm not hear to argue so I'll leave it at that.
Very cool concept, definitely not just a paint job. I think I read the Bait Balls will retail for $19.99.
This is the lure originally by Twisted Customz. Kenneth Rollston is the owner. He made this up in 2012 and has pics up on his FB page.
On 7/10/2013 at 11:01 PM, MarkH024 said:This means you don't know what the costs are. It's an assumption. Exactly what I stated before. I'm not hear to argue so I'll leave it at that.
No, it means I am sure of it. I designed a pike jerkbait two years ago and researched how to patent it. I talked to several people about it, even A PATENT LAWYER. He got back to me and said it would be roughly $20,000 to write up the paperwork and file the patent once its all set and done. He even advised me that if I did not have at least 4 times that much already banked there is no way I could defend it if need be.
Like I said, you need to have everything in order to go straight into production and big box retail to make your money back. For a small time guy it is not worth it, you are much better off going to a company with your design for sale and hope they don't say no and then knock it off.
There is a write up on ***
I just looked up the bait ball lures and they all look sick. The crank bait looks cool, but the jerk bait looks crazy!!
There is a youtube vide of dave mercer claiming that bass have always thought a single crankbait is a school of baitfish. You've got to be kidding me. A bass bites a crank because it goes running past it and it doesn't want it getting away. IMO, 99% of crankbait hits are reaction bites. Just another thing to catch fishermen.
The Kopper's product looks substantially different from the air brush guy's paint job and that alone should preclude any real lawsuit. The reason hiring a lawyer for such a case is expensive is that if the lawyer thinks the case is an easy, slam dunk win, their price would reflect that since they expect to take their payment out of the winnings. If it is an 'iffy' case that could go either way, many lawyers will still try to litigate, but will want every dime up front.
As for the patent costs, a simple thing such as a lure or a paintjob should run only about 5k. 20K is ridiculous.
http://www.***.com/icast-2013-koppers-livetarget-unveils-baitball-lures/
^^ Shows the Baitball is going to be $19.99
Well I am the creator of the original.I did make the lure in January of 2012 and the picture is time stamped on facebook. I have several of them out on the market that I sold to customers. I also will tell you that I have some of the Koppers pro staff on my friends list , this would also explain how Koppers got the pictures to use. This year alone I have had 4 ideas taken from me, this is the only one that I cannot directly prove. So as far as locker room gossip, I am the original maker of that lure. There is no gossip about that.. The only advantage they have is resources to make them with and if I had the resources, I would have done a much better job on theirs. I can produce a much more realistic looking lure from a 8 x 10 shed with only a portion of what they may have at the factory.
And you ask about patents? I am a little guy, small business. I am flattered by this but also slightly disturbed. I do everything by hand and do not mass produce my art.I do not have the resources for the patent then a lawsuit. Everything I make is done for the love of the sport and done so in the USA. There is no mass production with me.
In many ways, it is not that big of a deal, but in some ways it is. It goes to show you that large, multi billion dollar industries do not want to be a 'job creator' and spend the money to hire creative talent. Technology, with its ups and its downs has enabled corporation to basically do what they want while the laugh all the way to the bank. There is no ethics or honesty here...just basically a hinderance for small business to flourish...no matter how hard you work.
If you had both in your hands, you would say mine is the prototype..
Thank you,
Kenneth from Twisted Customz.
www.twistedcustomz.net
Dam that sucks. I feel for you Kenneth. Those giants have no ethics and this will not be the last time they steal ideas. I remember the story of Skeet/Berkley sick fish taking the design mold of those trash fish. I don't think they ever told the public they bought the mold and made it like they designed it, well at least that's what Skeet said. They at least paid those guys for the mold even though they could have just copied it and make a mold similar. Well here's one thing to look up on. I never heard of your buisness before and after hearing of this story I now know your buisness. If you can't take any legal action because of cost at least make it loud and clear you were the original inventor and make this negative into a positive for your business.
anyone put it on an Arig yet?
I appreciate the response Ken and you have a great concept there! There are many of you that I deal with of FB.I would rather give my money to a true artist over a Chinese rendition anyday. In todays world it is very difficult to bring something new into the market place and not have it knocked off or copied. Just keep pushing forward and learn next time people aren't your friend. I will be
looking you up!
Looks pretty dope to me, I like that. I would definitely work that slow, really slow.
Edit
just saw the price, lol, Ill pass
I use there lures exclusively besides using a few Strike King lures, for me they catch fish by the ton.
I know it's a different style lure, but I also do not have the resources they have. It's the idea that they took. The good thing is I can do any lure, any size, and any style fish you want on it. Mine would of course be different, but you would have what you wanted not what they are offering. Schools of minnows, bream, baby bass, Bunker, ect. And on any lure, just for the extra charge of me purchasing they're lure you want, and I get most of the lures used, so the price is usually much lower than a new store bought one.
As a scientific angler- I had a very hhmmmm might have gotten crazy -discussion about them at ICAST with a very well known writer about these. My main question to him was. Do you really think that predatory fish can see that concept under certain water clarities and light conditions??? MAAAAAAAAAYBEEEEEE in ultra clear water but on anything low light=stained /deep or muddy I just didnt see it.. Yes quite possibly on the jerkbait in clearer water but i dont know about the deeper dirtier water. they chase /attack movement/vibration /silouettes and profiles.Yes smell and flavor too--PLUG LOL
same thing with baits that great paint jobs --The other is frogs- It was pointed out to me at last two years ICAST- They said look at this lifelike frog-looks real -I told them -well your usually throwing it in heavy weeds or slop- the bass see movement and the silouette -how does the bass see the top of the frog from below the surface. Some of the best crankbaits I have had the most production with were beat to hell with half the finish gone. HMMMMM now no one take that idea and win next year LOL... congrats to Koppers though -they are great guys.
Unfortunately while I can say, ya Kenneth did have the original concept it can hardly be called anything more than a concept compared to the "bait ball". Kenneth's crank while a good idea appears to simply be a picture that is printed out on some of that decal paper and stuck on the crank. They actually went so far as to design 2-3 small baits to place within a three dimensional space to achieve their result. If it has been worked out to the extent that I would expect and it runs true is durable etc... It's honestly leaps and bounds ahead of Kenneth's original design. I believe, to enough of a degree that he would stand very little chance at winning any kind of legal battle regardless of his or Kopper's financial ability.
On 7/14/2013 at 12:50 PM, aqualkinbush said:Unfortunately while I can say, ya Kenneth did have the original concept it can hardly be called anything more than a concept compared to the "bait ball". Kenneth's crank while a good idea appears to simply be a picture that is printed out on some of that decal paper and stuck on the crank. They actually went so far as to design 2-3 small baits to place within a three dimensional space to achieve their result. If it has been worked out to the extent that I would expect and it runs true is durable etc... It's honestly leaps and bounds ahead of Kenneth's original design. I believe, to enough of a degree that he would stand very little chance at winning any kind of legal battle regardless of his or Kopper's financial ability.
No legal battle is even thought of from my end. What I was saying is it is very similar and after this year of major companies stealing ideas from us little guys, you could clearly see where my idea would be a concept lure for the Bait ball. I do have several of Koppers pro staff on my page so that could explain them getting the picture. This year alone, I have had Rapala take the Scatter rap lip idea after I suggested it to one of their reps, while he approached me to paint some Rapalas for him., Spro taking two of my paint jobs after emails containing pictures of the lures I painted for a customer getting sent to John Crews. Dwain Batey had the same thing going on with Spro until Russ Lane set things straight, even though Spro didn't. So this just seems to fall into place. Lol. I am not mad, but it seems many, many people definitely see the idea they used to make theirs off of my idea. If I had the factory they had to make these, mine would have been much, much better. Mine is clearly not the lure they made, mine would have been considered a concept lure at this point. I may pull the trigger and start up lure manufacturing, I definitely have a edge on them, but I will not ever show, or talk to another person of any idea I have again without a contract getting signed..
Thanks guys for letting me post about this..
Kenneth@ Twisted C.
On 7/14/2013 at 10:46 PM, Kenneth Rollston said:...This year alone, I have had Rapala take the Scatter rap lip idea after I suggested it to one of their reps, while he approached me to paint some Rapalas for him...
Sorry, but I doubt that. Salmo had the scatter lip a few years before Rapala came out with it (around 2011). Or are you admitting to ripping Salmo off?
http://www.salmo.com.pl/en/whacky/
Here's a vid we shot at iCast:
Still photos did not do that bait justice, thanks for the video. Definitely picking one up now.
On 7/15/2013 at 2:53 AM, Avalonjohn44 said:Sorry, but I doubt that. Salmo had the scatter lip a few years before Rapala came out with it (around 2011). Or are you admitting to ripping Salmo off?
http://www.salmo.com.pl/en/whacky/
On 7/17/2013 at 6:36 AM, Kenneth Rollston said:So yes, maybe there are ideas that are out there at the same time...
There you go, that is my point. Maybe Kopper's did tweak your idea, however, it is just as probably that they came up with it a while ago around/before/or just after you did... The case you've laid out of them stealing your idea is tenuous. It is not a stretch to believe that they saw the A-Rig craze of last year and decided to make their own multi minnow bait. This is why I think you should stop going around claiming so on youtube. That kind of talk can cost you. Especially if you don't already have the $$$ to defend your ideas in court.
My problem with this bait, is it another lure that is trying to catch fish or the fisherman? I don't use the A-Rig, do they work well in muddy and or deep water? I would image though that this baitball will work in muddy and deep water just like other crank baits do, except the fish wont be keying in on the "baitball" and its visuals so it goes back to is it the right tool for the job and when, for 20$ I wont be testing that scenario, but I would image it will work in clear water as expected meaning with visuals but in muddy/deep water there might be better tools to be used.
I wish I had time to perform tests like this, Megabass for example looks real, but does the realistic paint job make a difference and when, what justifies its 28$ price tag? I am hoping that the new hardbaits from GY team and there pricetag will allow me to answer some of those questions, is it the action, the color, the profile, the fall rate, the look of the paint, so many variables.
Sorry but there are very few new ideas with hard baits. As a few examples, go back and look at the Bomber baits that used the internal foils inside a clear plastic shell to create a similar effect. Curved lips have been used for many years, they were not just invented. Granted they were not plastic lips but metal, Heddon River Runt is one example. Most modern baits are simply upgraded ideas using better materials and techniques than were available to turn of the century bait makers. Bending Lexan and making curved lips has been done and discussed since at least 2004 on several of the tacklemaking sites.
I always wonder if a bass swims along with a crankbait and checks the scale count, fins, gills, eye position and color is correct before striking and do the hooks, split rings and line become invisible?
I am going to throw this out there..... I own only one Koppers crank ( a bunch of frogs and the mouse though) and in my experience while the paint job is awesome (not one of these new ones) the action left a lot to be desired..... did not seem to do much
While the detail impresses me, the action would seem far more important because a fish could not see that much detail with a lure moving by while it shakes around with it's action.....
I have not picked up more Koppers cranks because a norman, bomber, and bandit all have had better action for me and I can get two for the price of one koppers.
Does anyone think I am off about this? Maybe I got a bad lure?
On 7/27/2013 at 12:35 PM, Bigbarge50 said:I am going to throw this out there..... I own only one Koppers crank ( a bunch of frogs and the mouse though) and in my experience while the paint job is awesome (not one of these new ones) the action left a lot to be desired..... did not seem to do much
While the detail impresses me, the action would seem far more important because a fish could not see that much detail with a lure moving by while it shakes around with it's action.....
I have not picked up more Koppers cranks because a norman, bomber, and bandit all have had better action for me and I can get two for the price of one koppers.
Does anyone think I am off about this? Maybe I got a bad lure?
No, I don't think you got a bad lure, it's all about the wiggle and the color they see right before they hit..
Most crankbait fish hit out of a reaction, so if your not catching them on a specific lure, it doesn't have what it takes to get bit.. I have 2 Koppers and have caught nothing on them either, but I have won many tourny's on my painted knock off ones I make. So I know that it goes down to color and wiggle, not the realistic look of the lure..Now a jerkbait fished in the early spring is a completely different story. They do have a chance to look at it.
Thanks..
I've got three Koppers lures and have caught several fish on them when other crankbaits/topwaters weren't getting the job done. The wakebait usually gets hit when its paused after a couple of cranks so the fish are getting a good look at it, it's not whizzing by them. The pro extolling the virtues of the Wakebait in iCast '10 video said to burn it for best results, that certainly doesn't work for me all year.
I usually get bites on the Koppers crankbait lures within the first few casts. Now maybe the fish magically show up the second I tie them on, or maybe they have a quality that causes fish to bite that other lures don't. They have a more realistic paint job and a tighter "wiggle" than the action of my other crankbaits. I do not own any of Kenneth's lures so can't compare the two.
To the guy that wrote: "Now koppers "designs" this revolutionary idea that is an absolute dead ringer to his", get your eyes checked, these two baits aren't even close. If you have to use such ridiculously wrong statements to prove a point, you don't have any credibility. Koppers claims to have had this lure in development for four years, from what I've seen Kenneth write on other sites, he created his in 2012 more as a novelty than a serious concept.
Of course koppers would say they had the idea for years lol. This is nothing new in the world of small inventors vs giant manufacturers.
Still have to say this is one of the biggest gimmick lures ever. If it catches fish it'll be solely on the action and profile, not the three little fish in the bait ball LMAO. I would rather hop on the idea of an A-rig cranking setup lol.
thats what i was thinking lol i might have to grab a couple of these and umbrella rig them to make an even bigger school and see how snook like it lol...i like my other live target lures they catch lots for me so why not this one too
OK, I hope nobody steals this idea.....Now this is going to get crazy but I'm thinking about 3 cranks inside one crank and each of those 3 cranks has 3 cranks inside of it.....
But seriously, I am well aware that in most situations, these things catch more fisherman than fish. I agree with everyone that the crank bait bite is a reaction bite, why do you think everyone is trying to knock crank baits off of things? I think there are times that an ultra realistic look can help but I'm not sure about this one. I do own Koppers frogs and I love them but not because of the realism, let's face it, a bass sees the silhouette and maybe the color of the bottom and that's about it. Why I love them is my hook up ratio is great because they are made with great hooks and a soft yet durable body. If another cheaper frog had the same hook up ratio I would use it. I don't care about looks, I care about performance baby!
Ken message sent.
I fabricated the Reese receiver hitch for an ATV/QUAD to hold a moveable winch from front to rear and for side attachments a decade before it was offered. I came up with a mount to hold a dirtbike on a Reese receiver on the rear of my suburban. I never gave the patent a thought too. I think the guy who purchased my quad or someone who seen it on my trailer patented it. Someone had to see my dirtbike mount too there both manufactured today.
Stealing ideas goes all the way back to the VCR cassets, the editable arrangements, ect.
I have a lot of ideas being a lead engineering tech but I keep them under wraps now.
The BaitBall is now posted on a well-known tackle site, price is $14.99 and will be available mid November.
My only thought on this bait is this: Water.
A bass can "feel" the difference in one large object moving through the water as opposed to two or three little ones. Fill a tub with water and put in both hands. Move just the fingers of one hand, then make a fist and swish it around. They feel different to your other hand. They might work, but i wouldn't pay extra for a "pretty" crankbait.
Jim
Schooling bass hitting shad wont even look at an A rig. Doubt this would turn them on either.
Seems like a gimmick. I think a bass would rather target and chase one baitfish rather then multiple.
I was just wondering if anyone out there has had the same problem I've had with the bait balls. I've used them with some success, mostly reeling and then stopping for a second. My problem has been they seem to constantly fill up with water! They have no cracks or holes but I've had three of them leak. I'm on my 4th one now and hope Koppers will replace the ones I've had leak on me. Look forward to hearing from some with similar problems.