Nories
Laydown Minnow Mid 110 Suspend

This is possibly my favourite hard bait out there at the moment!

I like lures that are built with 'purpose' and have some real thought that goes in to their design, and this is a fine example of that. The Laydown Minnow Mid does away (rightly) with any kind of internal weight shifting system and instead aims to maximise movement in the water - where the fish live - duh! What distance it sacrifices, it more than makes up for in action and balance where it matters. Saying that, it's by no means a bad casting lure. Far from it! I'm impressed with the distance it does go without the use of shifting weights (which would and does restrict movement in the water on lots of other lures).

The lack of a central weight shifting system gives the lure less internal inertia when you start your retrieve. As a result of this, it begins to roll at a very slow speed - something you won't find on lures with internal, shifting weights which usually require much more speed to get them going. Instead, the Laydown Minnow Mid has a series of carefully placed weights built high and low in to the back and belly to maximise roll. Less inertia and more momentum is the result - and you can feel it down your line!

Having lures that work at very low speeds can be essential in some situations - either when the fish are cold and lethargic or after dark for example. It's equally good during daylilght though!

For the ground I fish around here where we have regular swell and water ranging from 4-12 feet deep it is absolutely perfect. Stable in rougher water, it dives to around 3 or 4 feet and with it's high amount of roll gives off penty of vibration waves to make itself an easy target. The bass really do love it! I caught on it from the first day I used it.

I tend to fish it either with a varying speed straight retrieve, or with regular jerks and pauses. It's a nice suspending lure that really does sit in position on the pauses. I give it a couple of really quick jerks (moving slack line more than the lure itself to get the lure to dart side to side) followed by the pause.... 

This one has a bright, bright future ahead of it in 2011. It's beautifly finished with that evil eye, saltwater ready hooks and quality paint job. I bash mine all over the place and they rarely chip.

Here's what Nories say about the internal placement of their weights:

Back Roll Weight
This has been used in LAYDOWN MINNOW MID since 2008 and involves placing a unique weight along the back of the lure body. Normally, this would destabilize the lure and make it difficult to swim straight. However combining it with a low centre of gravity design causes the lures weight to be split between the top and bottom of the lure. This weight system makes incredibly quick action, fluttering stop and also irregular dart action possible.