The Lateral Perch Review

I have been doing quite a few product reviews lately, but this next item has probably earned the right as my favorite new bait of the year.  It's called the Lateral Perch and is made by a company out of Texas called Power Tackle.  The bait itself is really unique and has been really brought to the bass fishing world's attention thanks to Pro-Staffers like Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie Keith Combs.  I first heard about the bait after Keith's PAA win at Lake Tawakoni where he used it along with a jig to blow away the field.  I did my research and couldn't wait to get some of my own.  I contacted Power Tackle to do a review and for the past few months I have been fishing it with good success.  I had the chance to talk with Keith and get his thoughts on the baits as well as a few tips, but I'll share my experience first.

On the package it says the Lateral Perch is the most versatile lure made.  That's a pretty big statement, but the bait was very unique and worked however I fished it.  If you have never seen the bait, it is basically a bluegill shaped swimbait on it's side ("lateral") and rigged on a jig head.  It comes in both casting and flipping models.  There are two sizes for the casting models and six for the flipping models.  The cool thing about the baits is they are all the same size no matter what weight it is; the unique head design is just weighted differently.

The color selection is also really good, especially when you take a look at the Tackle Warehouse exclusive "Natural" colors. Overall they have 11 colors for all of your conditions.  My favorites have been Green Pumpkin and Hard Candy as they look most like a bluegill in my opinion (haven't used the TW exclusive colors yet).  The bait comes with an extra soft plastic body and you can even purchase the SureHold Soft Plastic Surgery Glue to make sure the bait lasts even longer.

When fishing the bait, it was hard at first for me to decide exactly how I wanted to use it. When pitched into grass, reeds and around docks it glides side to side as it falls. This is where most of my fish have hit. I have also used it in deeper water around rocks and was fishing it almost like a jerkbait and allowing it to swing from side to side above the rocks. This is where I had some violent bites and a few nice fish.  I haven't found a bad way to fish it yet.

I can talk about the bait all day, but decided to get the input from Keith Combs.  My first question for him was "If you could only pick one Lateral Perch to cover the most situations, which one would you pick?"  He said he uses a 1/2oz Flipping model in Green Pumpkin the most, but also likes Blue Streak and the Tackle Warehouse exclusive colors.  As you can see, it's hard to pick just one.

I also asked him about what type of cover he looks for when using the Lateral Perch and he said it really excels around docks, grass and wood.  He also mentioned that he caught a seven pound fish at last weeks Elite Series event on the St. John's River.  The fish was on a bed and wouldn't touch anything else.  Yet another use for the Lateral Perch.  Keith also mentioned that he used it on Guntersville to fish deep ledges.  He was really proud of how well the bait has been doing for him and stressed that is a great way to catch that kicker fish and usually the fish that do bite will be at least three pounds.  

Scoring for the Lateral Perch by Power Tackle

Price/Value: 3

This is probably the biggest downfall to the bait.  If you compare it to a jig it's expensive, but compared to a swimbait it's not.  At $14.99 it is expensive..but worth it.

Durability: 4

I have had zero problems, but I have heard of buddy's bait that the paint started to peel after a few fish.

Performance: 5

It works as intended and maybe even a few extra ways.

Innovation: 5

Definitely not another bait like it on the market.

Availibity: 3

Online through TackleWarehouse, Powertackle.com and others.

Total Score: 20 - Must Have!