This Rumble Bug crankbait is a bite-sized balsa wood diving plug teams a delicate wiggle with a perfect profile to tempt finicky gamefish of every type.
BEMIDJI, Minn. (July 20, 2021) – When walleye, bass, and jumbo panfish put on their finicky act, it often takes a special treat to turn them on. Enter Northland’s new Rumble Bug, a 4-cm (1.57-inch) bite-sized balsa body diving plug with a small profile, tight wiggle, and the ability to take advantage of multi-species opportunities when cast or trolled around weed lines, hard structure, and other cover. While diving at 4-7 feet when cast or trolled, it also excels at tempting walleye in deep water when presented on a lead-core line.
“This little puppy will catch just about anything that swims,” says Northland’s visual marketing coordinator, Sam Larsen. “You name it, walleyes, largemouth bass, bronzebacks, humpbacked yellow perch, big bluegill, and crappie – they’ll all hammer this little appetizer. It really is amazing how many fish you can work up with this bite-sized balsa body.”
Renown Minnesota multi-species fishing guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl spends his days with clients chasing walleye, bass, and a variety of other species from dawn until dusk and he couldn’t agree more. “There are times,” he says, “when getting small is the surest route to scoring big. That’s where the Rumble Bug really shines. Sure, it catches fish after fish under normal circumstances, but the tougher the conditions, the more this lure shines. We cast it around vegetation and visible structure to tempt a wide variety of species, and troll it on both lead-core and flat lines to put the hurt on tasty walleye.”
All of Northland’s Rumble Series lures – which also includes their shiner, shad, and stickbait offerings – are hand-crafted using a unique Heat Compression Molding process (HCM), as opposed to a one-piece lathing procedure. With this method, two full-length halves of the lure body are created and sealed together, allowing precision positioning of weights for optimal center of gravity, superior flotation at rest, better overall balance, longer casts, and a nice, tight action with just the right amount of roll to drive predator fish crazy. The HCM process also allows each lure to be through-wired before being finished with a light coating of lacquer that’s strong enough to protect the body while adding almost no additional weight.
Additionally, HCM manufacturing enables all Northland Rumble Series lures to track true right out of the box and emerge from the molding process to meet exacting specifications; there is no variation from one lure to another in the same size and profile. With traditional balsa wood lathing methods, slight inconsistencies between one lure body and the next are fairly common. HCM production virtually eliminates this, and Northland is one of only a couple manufacturers worldwide with the technical know-how to put this technology to use on a large-scale basis.
“I really appreciate how true Northland’s Rumble Series baits swim,” continues Brosdahl. “The Rumble Bug, specifically, has a tight yet gentle wobble that can really make a difference when walleye and bass are sulking. That fat, round shape also bulges a lot of water to draw attention from a distance. This lure is super tough, casts really well on light spinning gear, and sports extremely sharp size 8 VMC treble hooks that will stick any fish coming close enough to even think about having a snack.”
Made from premium balsa wood, the new Rumble Bug comes in 15 original fish-catching artisan patterns, allowing anglers to adjust for watercolor and clarity, match the hatch, or make their offering really stand out from local fodder. Individually hand-tuned and tank-tested, Rumble Bugs retail for just $9.99 apiece.