Lure of the Month: TTI Blakemore Crappie X Tractor
by Terry Madewell
If you’re searching for a lure that catches more and bigger crappie, but snags less on heavy cover, you’ve got to read this right now!
A crappie lure initially released in 2022 that proved to be a crappie-catching machine in pre-release testing, has become a ‘go-to’ lure for many crappie anglers throughout 2023 and into 2024. The TTI Blakemore Crappie X Tractor has continued to make outstanding crappie catches, while consistently catching bigger crappie.
A highly productive lure that targets slab crappie throughout the year, effectively employed via multiple techniques, is a must-have for crappie anglers from newbies to pros.
The TTI Blakemore Crappie X Tractor is the April 2024 CrappieNow Lure of the Month. The lure has the sickle hook Road Runner head, the first lure to employ sickle hooks, and is rigged with the Slab Hunt’R body by Bobby Garland lures. A perfect crappie-catching combo.
Ron Stallings with TTI Blakemore said the Crappie X Tractor was designed for year-round fishing scenarios, but with the slightly bigger grub body, it has excelled during the spring when slab crappies are on the move.
“The lure has a ribbed under-belly with a twin-button tail that creates sound, flash, and vibration in the water as it moves,” Stalling’s said. “These three factors are the key to attracting crappie in general, and slab crappie specifically.
“This lure was designed to target crappie, but it’s proven to simply be a versatile, fish-catching lure for multiple species,” he said. “It extracts slab crappie from most any cover crappies prefer, but it’s produced outstanding action on smallmouth bass, walleye, and other species. It seems everything wants to eat it.”
Stallings said the lure was designed to address multiple needs that professional crappie fishermen expressed, and the lure delivers.
Professional angler and Publisher of CrappieNow magazine, Dan Dannenmueller, said the new lure checks all the boxes to become a legendary crappie-catching lure.
“This is the lure professional fishermen have been seeking to take crappie-catching to the next level,” Dannenmueller said. “We wanted a lure of this basic design to have bigger and sharper wide-gap hooks and this lure fills that need perfectly. The lure comes in 1/16- and 1/8-ounce head sizes with hook sizes in 1/0 and 2/0. This sickle hook design is extremely sharp and designed to prevent snags as much as possible and my personal, and extensive, testing has proved it performs as designed.”
The Crappie X Tractor also has a scale profile, with a slimmer head, a plus-up for realism. A barbed shank, or ‘keeper,’ is a standard part of the design for securing plastic trailers.
Stallings said the lure sports an Indiana blade and runs very true, essential for consistent crappie success.
“The lure works well in deep or shallow water and we’ve found that in lower water temperatures, typically found in spring, a slow presentation with the flash and vibration often equals more crappie,” he said. “For spawning crappie, the lure excels for longline trolling, and the flash and vibration are two crucial attractors for big crappie.
The Crappie X tractor excels in most spring crappie fishing patterns, but it’s an all-around, all-year, lure. And I’m totally fine if other species want to jump on the X-Tractor while I’m running it. In addition to crappie, in my southern waters around South Carolina, I’ve had largemouth bass, striped bass and even blue catfish load up.
That works for me.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for more than 48 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.
