There’s a new bait that came out this past season that seemed to cause a little confusion, at least from a leader standpoint. It’s the Grenade from Musky Mayhem.
When you first look at the lure, you probably think it is a large, heavy bucktail. Then looking closer you see the blades are at the back and a jig configuration is at the front, and you wonder, is it a jerkbait or a jigging lure? The answer? Yes, to all. It is somewhat unique in the fact that it allows you to use it in a variety of ways. If you are using the Grenade like a bucktail with mainly a straight retrieve, you can use a standard leader like you would on any of your larger sized bucktails. The nice thing is with the 5oz weight on this lure you have a deep solid running bucktail, sure to trigger strikes.
If you want to use the Grenade for vertical jigging or as a jerk bait, where you are hopping or pulling and pausing the lure, a specialty leader might be necessary. The reason for this is that during the testing phase of this lure, Musky Mayhem decided a special leader was going to be beneficial to the success of this lure. It was not that the lure is leader sensitive at all. It’s not. The Grenade leader is specially made to pair with this lure to prevent bite offs. The Grenade lure is approximately 13 inches long. Because of the lure’s front-heavy weight, when the lure falls downward, the leader lays right up against the side of the lure. So, if a fish comes in to hit the lure while it is falling and you are using a standard 12-inch leader, there is a strong chance when they come down from above to hit it, they are going to cut your line off above the leader. This is the reason for the longer length and heavier weight Grenade leader.
Do you have to use that leader specifically? Absolutely not. However, you do want to make sure you are using a longer than standard length leader. Going with a heavier wire is just going to help you get more life out of your leader, especially in circumstances where it is hit in the middle. The heavier wire will also help to keep it from becoming kinked as easily as a standard sized wire leader. If you like to use fluorocarbon, I would recommend using a long length, minimum of 180# test leader. The heavier, thicker fluorocarbon will offer better abrasion resistance if the fish happen to grab the lure and leader at the same time.
The Grenade is definitely going to offer anglers another option for putting fish in the net. So it’s worth making sure you o-fish-ally cover all your bases!