December 27, 2018
By Ned Kehde
In the endnotes of our July 15 Midwest Finesse column about Mattingly Custom Baits, we wrote that “Mattingly has created a new drop-shot worm, which will be available for anglers to purchase in the near future. When it is available, we hope to publish a gear guide about it.”
On Aug 24, Josh Mattingly of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, who is the proprietor of Mattingly Custom Baits, sent us an email announcing that anglers can purchase their drop-shot worm.
He calls it the Alpha Pup Worm. He said that its ribbed body gives it a “bulkier profile without the actual bulk. The ribs also make it easier to skin hook without shredding the bait. The tail's tip has a split chamber cup. This, along with the buoyancy of our plastic, gives the bait erratic action with the slightest movement of the rod tip or when the bait is on the fall.”
He sent us some to examine and describe.
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According to our measurements, it is 5 3/8 inches long.
Its bullet-shaped head is a half of an inch long and three-sixteenths of an inch wide at its widest spot with a circumference of 1 1/16 inches. The tip of the head is flat with a diameter of three-sixteenths of an inch. The skin of the head is smooth.
It possesses a two-part torso, which is round. The front section is 1 5/8 inches long. It is seven-sixteenths of an inch wide at its widest spot with a circumference of 1 5/8 inches. This area possesses 14 significant ribs.
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The rear portion of its torso is 1 7/8 inches long. It is smooth-skinned and devoid of ribs. Its circumference is dramatically smaller than the front portion of its torso. Its circumference at the junction of the front section is three-quarters of an inch, and it is three-sixteenths of an inch wide. The circumference at the junction of its tail is half of an inch, and it is a quarter of an inch wide.
The tail of the Alpha Pup Worm. Its tail possesses a marquise shape. One side is convexed and imprinted with the MCB logo. The other side is concaved or cupped, and both sides of this cup are rimmed with a ridge that is scored with a series of minuscule ribs. In the middle of the cup, there is another ribbed ridge that runs from the tail’s junction to its tip. The tail is 1 1/4 inches long, and it is a half of an inch at its widest spot.
The Alpha Pup Worm is manufactured in the following colors: Alligator Chomp, Bama Bug, Black & Blue Beatdown, Crawdad Orange, Ecto Pumpkin, Falcon Lake Craw, Full Synthetic, GP Purple Passion, Midnight GP, Molting Craw, PB&J Magic, Psycho Tangerine, Sha-Zam, Summer Craw, Vader Red, and Watermelon Glimmer. For an additional cost, colored tips on the tails can be made for most of these colors. Anglers can order customized colors, but it takes one to two weeks to manufacture and ship them.
They are not salt impregnated, but they are impregnated with a special blend of garlic and crayfish that is made by Kick’n Bass Fish Attractant.
A package of 16 single-colored Alpha Pups costs $6.00. A package of 16 two-colored Alpha Pups costs $7.00. To acquire a package with the tips of the tails colored will cost another dollar.
Endnotes Here is the link to the July 15 Midwest Finesse column about Mattingly Custom Baits: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/mattingly-custom-baits/#ixzz5PO0WSSQL. The Alpha Pup Worm at the top of this photograph represents how Midwest finesse anglers will shorten the Alpha Pup Worm, and it is affixed to a mushroom-style jig with an exposed hook. The one in the middle is not shortened, and it is affixed to a mushroom-style jig with an exposed hook. In the days, weeks, or months to come, Josh hopes to manufacture a smaller Alpha Pup Worm, which he hopes will catch the eyes of scores of Midwest finesse anglers and their black bass quarries.
