Playing 'Possum with a Flipping Stick

Look closely. Yup, that's a lure. A 16-inch hand-poured hard plastic, soft plastic, and carbon fiber 'possum to be exact. I have seen everything from duck lures, to giant snake baits, to full-sized rubber sailfish teasers, but never a 'possum until lure maker Clayton Bryant recently added this monster marsupial wake bait to his line up at CL8 Baits. It's a work of art, no doubt, and though muskies might pop into your head, this mega-mammal was designed with largemouths in mind.

Bryant is currently producing two 'possums--a 6-incher and an 8-incher. Factor in the long rubber tails and you actually get a 12-incher and 16-incher. Over the weekend I grabbed the heaviest flippin' stick I owned and took the 16 to the pond around the corner from my house. I scared some ducks and had a bluegill nip the tail, but I didn't exactly expect to catch a 10-pound bass in a pond where they don't live. I was more interested in how this 7.5-ounce whopper swam.

Bryant reverse cuts the hinges on his 'possums, which he claimed would allow the tail section to catch more water. Well, it did. This lure looks like the Loch Ness Monster cruising across the top, and wide lip helps creates one heck of a wake that spread out almost across the entire pond. Given the weight, it's not a lure I'd want to throw all day, but between the "clack" of the hard body, the shimmy of the hind end, and whip of the tail, I can see this lure calling up something massive...somewhere.

Sadly, I don't know of a body of water withing 100 miles of home with largemouth big enough to take a swing, but how about you? Would you throw a 'possum for a bucketmouth bass? If so, would you pay $60 for the chance? That's what these hand-made lures are selling for.