V&M Baits' Straight Shooter

When V & M Baits' Straight Shooter caught the eyes of a Finesse News Network member, who is incessantly in search for new finesse-size soft-plastic baits to affix to a small mushroom-style jig, he contacted me. And he adamantly exclaimed that we should publish a “Midwest Finesse” gear guide about it.

We agreed, and ultimately, we emailed Kevin Jeane of Natchitoches, Louisiana, who is president of V & M Baits.

Jeane responded by telling us that it was introduced to the finesse-fishing world at the 2019 International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show at Orlando, Florida. And he graciously sent us a package of Straight Shooters in a Prism-Shad hue for us to work with and write about.

Here is what we discovered about the Straight Shooter.

It is 4 5/8 inches long.

Jeane describes it as being a 4 ½-inch straight-tail worm that is manufactured by using an open-pour mold.

The tip or head of its anterior section is somewhat dome shaped. It has a height of one-quarter of an inch, a width of about three-sixteenths of an inch, and a circumference of about seven-eighths of an inch.

At 1 1/8 inches from the tip of the anterior section, its torso is endowed with a clitellum or egg sac. Slightly before the junction of the anterior section to the clitellum, the torso has a width of about one quarter of an inch, a height of about one quarter of an inch, and a circumference of about fifteen-sixteenths of an inch.

The clitellum is five eighths of an inch long. It has a circumference of about one inch, a height of about five-sixteenths of an inch, and width of about five-sixteenths of an inch.

The distance from the end of the clitellum to the anus or tip of the posterior section of the Straight Shooter is three inches. The dimensions of the torso become gradually smaller as it approaches the anus.

At one inch from its anus, the width of the torso is about three-sixteenths of an inch, a height of nearly a quarter of an inch, and a circumference of about three-quarters of an inch.

Until the final half inch of the posterior section, the entire torso has a convex dorsal and a flat ventral. The final half inch has a flat dorsal and flat ventral.

The tip or anus of the posterior section has a width of about one-eighth of an inch, a height of about one-eighth of an inch, and a circumference of about five-eighths of an inch.

It is manufactured in the following hues: Magic, Morning Magic, Prism Shad, Pro Blue, and SS 3.

The entire epidermis of the Straight Shooter is smooth.

It is buoyant and impregnated with salt and scent.

Most Midwest finesse anglers would describe the Straight Shooter as being a delicate and super-finesse worm, which they would affix to a mushroom-head jig with an exposed hook. Some of these anglers might use it with a jig as small as a Mule Fishing Supply Company’s 1/64-ounce jig. Others will affix it to a variety of 1/32-, 1/20-, and 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jigs. And these anglers will present the Straight Shooter to their largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass quarries by employing all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves.

Endnotes

1. Here is the link to V&M Baits' website: http://vmbaits.com/index.htm.
2. On Aug. 16, 2018, we published a gear guide about V & M Baits’ Drop Shad. Here is the link to that gear guide https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/v-m-baits-drop-shad/153438.
3. Here is a link to a Midwest Finesse column that describes how Midwest finesse anglers will rig and retrieve V & M Baits' Straight Shooter: https://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/.

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