DODGE

The DODGE is a large crawling topwater lure from RAID JAPAN and one of the brand's best-known "hane-mono" style baits.

At 114 mm and approximately 1 oz class, it has the presence of a substantial topwater lure, but its defining characteristic is not aggressive speed or excessive surface disturbance.

RAID JAPAN designed the body with a cross section closer to a circle than the flatter bodies commonly found on large crawler-style topwaters. Combined with a low center of gravity, this gives the lure strong posture recovery and allows it to maintain a smooth rolling action even during extremely slow retrieves.

At moderate retrieve speeds, the wings disturb the surface like a conventional crawler. At very low speeds, however, the DODGE produces the high-pitch rolling action that defines the lure.

This combination of a large silhouette, surface disturbance, and extremely slow presentation gives the DODGE an unusual balance of power and finesse.

The DODGE became notable in Japanese bass fishing by combining the visual presence of a large topwater lure with an unusually slow and controlled presentation.

Japanese anglers often refer to this category of winged crawling topwaters as "hane-mono." Rather than simply retrieving the lure quickly to create maximum surface disturbance, one important Japanese approach is to move the lure extremely slowly through a productive area.

The DODGE is particularly well suited to this style.

Its rounded body and low center of gravity allow it to maintain a stable, high-pitch rolling action at very low retrieve speeds. This lets anglers keep a large topwater presentation in the strike zone for an extended period.

The result is a lure that looks like a power-fishing bait but can be approached with an almost finesse-like mentality: make an accurate cast, slow the presentation down, and give a bass time to react to the lure moving across the surface.

The signature way to fish the DODGE is with an extremely slow and steady retrieve.

After the lure lands, the angler begins retrieving just fast enough to activate the wings and maintain the lure's rolling action.

Rather than trying to cover water quickly, the objective is often to keep the DODGE moving slowly through a high-percentage area for as long as possible.

At these very low speeds, the lure produces a smooth, high-pitch roll while its wings create repeated surface disturbance.

The DODGE can also be retrieved at a moderate speed, where it behaves more like a conventional crawling topwater and creates stronger disturbance across the surface.

Retrieve speed can therefore be adjusted according to fish activity, but the extremely slow presentation is what most clearly distinguishes the DODGE.

• Dead-slow topwater fishing
• Calm mornings and evenings
• Shallow water
• Shoreline cover
• Vegetation edges
• Around isolated cover
• Bass looking upward
• Pressured bass
• When a conventional topwater is moving too quickly
• Situations where the lure should remain in the strike zone
• Large-profile surface presentations
• Japanese "hane-mono" fishing

The DODGE is particularly interesting for US anglers because its large appearance can suggest an aggressive power-fishing topwater, while one of its defining presentations is almost the opposite.

Its design allows the lure to operate at extremely low retrieve speeds while continuing to produce a stable, high-pitch rolling action.

This creates a finesse-like approach with a large surface bait. Instead of using speed to search large areas of water, anglers can deliberately slow the lure down and keep its large silhouette and surface disturbance within a productive zone.

The DODGE therefore provides a useful introduction to the Japanese "hane-mono" approach to topwater fishing, where large winged crawler baits can be used not only as aggressive search lures but also as slow, deliberate presentations for pressured bass.