Lure of the Month: Crappie Magnet “Roo”
by Terry Madewell
Sometimes greatness, even in small packages, takes a while for all the components to ‘marry’ and blend into a compatible profile.
But when the plan comes together, you’ve got a fishing partner for life.
That’s the script Crappie Angler, TV Show Host, and Crappie Magnet Prostaff member Russ Bailey – along with the folks at Crappie Magnet – employed to produce this new lure.
It was an offshoot of a proven crappie-catching lure, and the lengthy proving process enabled them to study, tweak, test, tweak again, test nationally, and have it all gel perfectly into place with a new and improved way to fool some sac-a-lait.
The “Roo” is the May 2025 CrappieNOW Lure of the Month.
Russ Bailey, from St. Mary’s, Ohio, is also host of the Brushpile Fishing TV show. He played an instrumental role in developing the Roo, along with Crappie Magnet owner Jeff Smith and Jeff’s son, Lane.
“One of my longtime favorite lures is the Crappie Magnet Slab Magnet,” Bailey said. “But it’s a bigger bait – and that trait often enhances the lure’s performance – but during cold weather conditions, it sometimes presented a larger profile than I wanted.”
Bailey said he discussed the possibility of a smaller version of the lure with Crappie Magnet owner Jeff Smith, and they agreed that a smaller lure would be a positive for anglers. While planning, they discussed the possibility of making other profile changes, not simply making a mini-Slab Magnet.
They came up with the smaller lure with twin tails.
“I like a double-tail bait, especially when finesse fishing, but the problem I’d had with other twin tails on the market is they’d stick together, defeating the purpose,” said Bailey. “We designed the lure where the tail action is superb, and they don’t stick together.”
But perhaps the greatest innovation was the addition of a scent-holding pouch. The pouch is much like a kangaroo’s pouch, hence the name “The Roo.”
The pouch protects the scent-making nugget, adding longevity to the scent while pooching the sides of the body profile and adding color. Bailey said the bait’s pattern on the descent changed, producing more of a wobble. Based on more than a year of testing from Crappie Magnet prostaff members across the country, crappie found the new concept extremely appetizing.
Bailey said, “We got lucky, but we did immediately recognize what we had. The profile looked like a fat shad minnow, enhanced by color from the Slab Bites, and was a hit with everyone testing the bait.”
Bailey said the extensive testing proved the lure is effective for dock shooting (one of his personal favorite techniques) or for fishing the lure vertically with forward-facing sonar, fished under a float, casting to specific targets, spider-rigging or long-lining – in other words, it worked well for everything.
Check out this great video about the The Roo.
The combination of non-stick twin tails, a fat-bellied shad pattern, with the addition of scent in a protected pouch, is certainly a unique concept to me – The Roo has definitely made its way to the top drawer in my tackle box.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoor communicator for nearly 50 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.
