Lure of the Month: Grape Ape
by Terry Madewell
Have you ever pondered what your personal crappie fishing lure would look like?
Our crappie-fishing world is loaded with productive lures, but sometimes a passionate crappie angler feels they are “settling” for lures slightly less than what they dream of fishing.
Ryan Nix, a crappie-fishing guide on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula (also known as Walter F. George Lake) fits that mold. He had a minds-eye concept of the lure he wanted, but after a comprehensive search through the vast crappie lure market, nothing was close.
“I was discussing lures with Eric Hicks, owner of Brush Pile Baits, because he makes the lures I use,” Nix said. “I observed the baitfish in my aquarium and saw shades of colors and described them to Eric. I visualized a purple and black color pattern on the back, combined with some translucence below. I envisioned a need for purple and red glitter flakes ingrained into the bait.”
Hicks, from Summerville, SC, said he would build that bait and with considerable testing, tinkering, and tweaking, he and Nix produced a lure profile and color scheme capturing Nix’s ideal soft plastic bait, based on a small shad minnow, with perfectly blended colors.
“It was unique, my personal lure, and unlike any I’d seen,” he said. “But even at first sight, it was the one I’d always wanted.”
The result was the August 2024 CrappieNOW Lure of the Month.
“Despite my high confidence in the lure, I was shocked at its productivity,” he said. “When tested, it caught fish when other lures didn’t. It was the best crappie lure I’ve ever fished; and it still is. My confidence level is off-the-chart.”
Nix and his lures are lethal on Lake Eufaula crappie and his clients have been highly impressed with the lure’s productivity, looks and durability.
“It’s not unusual to for us to catch limits of crappie and finish the day with the same lure we started with, if we avoid brushy hangups,” he said.
Hicks said like many anglers, his crappie-fishing journey began with a minnow and bobber he used to extract crappie from local waters. From that simplistic beginning, his passion developed into the art of designing and making lures to catch more and larger crappie. And to help others do the same.
“Like Ryan, I couldn’t find the exact profile and combination of colors providing the look, action, fall-rate, and durability I wanted,” he said. “I began making my own lures, creating color combinations unavailable elsewhere. I’ve been producing lures commercially for three years and have developed multiple customized lures for crappie fishermen.”
Creating unique lures is a passion for Hicks and developing baits for unique fishing situations motivates him.
“Talking to a crappie fisherman like Ryan Nix, then blending their unique ideas with lure building creativity, has produced some winning combinations,” Hicks said. “Different lakes have various water color and depth scenarios but we can customize a lure that excels on a specific body of water.”
Hicks said durability is important and his unique plastic pour formula improves durability while retaining the soft feel and natural action. He and Nix estimate these custom-made lures catch many more crappie than most lures before wearing out.
“It’s a never-ending journey for me because I love taking something that works, and tinker with it to make it better,” he said.
Hicks said he makes custom lures for fishermen, but he also has production lures available through his website. His production lures were formulated via his personal concepts of what a crappie lure should be, thus making them unique.
Nix said the original ‘Grape Ape’ had a unique ‘reaper’ tail profile ensuring a slower fall rate than any lure he’d seen, thus keeping the lure in the strike zone longer.
“That made a huge difference,” he said. “I finally settled on two types of tails. The slower fall rate of the ‘reaper’ was ideal for fishing brush piles and it’s deadly for shooting docks. I realized I needed this color pattern for cast and retrieve situations, to target specific depths. We worked on a profile with a ‘stinger’ tail profile that works faster.”
This column is about the creation of a highly-individualized lure meeting Ryan Nix’s criteria for fishing his favorite lake. But it demonstrates that crappie fishing success is perhaps limited only by how far we push imagination and creativity.
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.
