Lure of the Month: TTI Blakemore Slab Spanker
by Terry Madewell
To succeed immediately in the competitive crappie lure fishing market, a lure should meet two specific criteria. First, it must produce crappie, preferably under various fishing situations and via different techniques during the year. It is a challenging task, but it’s a required quality to acquire the crappie fishing public’s approval.
The second is a name ensuring crappie fishermen pick it up and check out. This month’s selection knocks it out of the park with both criteria. The TTI-Blakemore Slab Spanker is the October 2024 CrappieNOW Lure of the Month.
I was on board when I first heard the name, and the fish-catching productivity backs it up.
Ron Stallings with TTI Blakemore said the Slab Spanker concept originated from Dan Dannenmueller, professional angler and Publisher of CrappieNOW magazine. Dannenmueller was tinkering with components to build a lure to meet criteria he specifically needed to fill a niche in his crappie fishing arsenal.
“Dan was using a Roadrunner head, with the wide gap sickle hook, and had paired it with a Bobby Garland Stroll’R plastic body,” Stallings said. “We talked about it, tinkered with some ideas, and decided the best route was to build the lure and have it ready-made for crappie fishermen to use.”
Stallings said the body is the Bobby Garland Stroll’R, sporting a unique tail that delivers crappie-attracting action from a tight curly button at the end of the tail. The head is the Road Runner Sickle hook head featuring oversized hooks. The head has a scaled finish, with a nickel over brass Indiana blade and a barbed shank.
Dannenmueller said the Slab Spanker has lived up to the hype of the name.
“The Slab Spanker has quickly become one of my favorite lures, and I’m using it in tournaments, media events, and when I’m just fishing for fun,” Dannenmueller said. “The basic sizes are 1/16- and 1/8-ounce Roadrunner heads, providing versatility in how and where I can fish it.”
“The Slab Spanker has quickly become one of my favorite lures, and I’m using it in tournaments, media events, and when I’m just fishing for fun.” ~ Dan Dannenmueller, Professional Crappie Angler & CrappieNOW Publisher
Dannenmueller said multiple lure features work in unison to attract big crappie. One of his favorite things about the lure is the wide sickle hook and the incredibly sharp hooks on this lure by TTI-Blakemore.
“I love the wide-gap sickle hook on this lure, and it does a great job of hooking crappie,” Dannenmueller said.” The points of these hooks are so ultra-sharp that they make a difference in hooking fish. Sharp hooks are a crucial part of the legacy of TTI-Blakemore lures; they strive to have the sharpest hooks in the industry on all their lures, not just crappie fishing lures. And that makes a positive difference for fishermen.
“I’m a big fan of the Bobby Garland Stroll’R, and in addition to the action, it’s very supple and resilient,” he said. “I’ll catch multiple slabs on the same body without changing grubs.”
Dannenmueller said this lure is highly versatile and productive using multiple techniques.
“I particularly like it for cast and retrieve and for trolling,'” he said. “And trolling includes the power-pushing, fishing out of the front of the boat, not just longlining.
“I also like it for vertical jigging, but I suggest to not overdo the vertical motion with any crappie lure,” he said. “With forward-facing sonar, we’ve found that crappie don’t react well to extended vertical movement of lures, but the slower vertical movements, akin to a dying shad, are deadly.”
The Slab Spanker has multiple parts that work in unison, including blade flash, ultra-sharp and wide gap sickle hooks, and a diversity of colors. When married to a great plastic body profile that produces crappie-appealing action, it’s the slab spanking crappie lure I’ve needed.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for 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.
