This nice crappie fell for a 1/16th ounce Pro Series Road Runner jig with a gold willow leaf blade,
longline trolled on the Tennessee River in March. (Photo: Richard Simms)
Lure of the Month: Road Runner
by Terry Madewell
A tried and true crappie-catcher
(Editor’s Note: Please welcome outdoor writing veteran, Terry Madewell, as a regular CrappieNOW columnist. In every issue Terry will be providing us with his “Lure of the Month” column, highlighting the best in crappie-catching lures, their history and how you can best put them to use to put more fish in your livewell.)
Researching for the first “CrappieNOW Lure of the Month” option, several highly effective lures immediately came to mind. But a legendary lure that has adorned my personal tackle box for decades, was the obvious choice.
The TTI Blakemore Road Runner, often paired with a Team Crappie grub, creates an ideal crappie-catching combination.
Ron Stallings with TTI Blakemore/Team Crappie said the Road Runner has been an angler favorite for more than six decades.
“Over 60-years ago the original Road Runner was created by Bert Hall and the conceptual design was genius,” Stallings said.
Hall was in the automotive parts business in Forsyth, Missouri at the time, according to the White River Valley Historical Society. Initially Road Runner jigs were all pretied only with marabou. Of course, marabou Road Runners are still popular and available. Years later, however, Road Runners transitioned to also using plastic bodies.
Hall was often quoted saying, “You can’t fish a Road Runner wrong as long as you fish it slow.”
In the spring of 1969 Joe Hall, Bert’s son, purchased Blakemore Lure Company and had several families that hand-tied the lures for years until he sold the company to new owners.
Stallings said many color variations are available with the Road Runner. One of his favorites is a Road Runner with contrasting colors such as a dark top but a light, or white, underside that mimics the white belly of many prey species.
“The white underbelly grub looks natural to crappie, adding an additional layer of appeal,” he said. “Plus, the lure is produced with either a willow leaf or Indiana style blade, giving anglers more options.
“One option is controlling the rate of fall, and the willow blade enables the lure to sink faster than the Indiana blade,” Stallings said. “Plus, different blades create diverse frequencies and vibrations attractive to crappie. The speed the lure can be worked is variable, it simply needs to be fast enough to get the blade turning and the cool water of March often dictates a slower retrieve is best.”
Stalling said the different types of grub body designs paired with the Road Runner head provides almost unlimited options. Team Crappie has multiple options, but this time of the year the Slab Dragger is an ideal choice.
The Road Runner is a highly versatile lure that is productive year-round,
but excels during the variable weather changes associated with spring fishing.
“Weather conditions such as post-front bluebird skies, cloudy days, high or low barometric pressure impact the most productive speed and depth combination,” Stallings said. “Experimenting helps determine the right combination of lure weight, flash and body style to produce a profile and frequency that crappie will bite on any given day.”
“It’s up to the angler to work out the pattern daily based on conditions,” he said. “The Road Runner is effective all year, but the lure’s versatility excels in March.”
Dan Dannenmueller, publisher of CrappieNOW magazine and a professional crappie angler, said he employs specific tactics for Road Runners during March.
“The Slab Dragger has a multi-ribbed body creating more sound and vibration attractive to crappie,” Dannenmueller said. “This combination has a great profile for deep-water fishing and during March, fish are often found near the bottom.”
With so many great jigs on the market it can be confusing for any crappie angler – veteran or a beginner – to choose. If you can’t decide which might be best for you on any given day, just remember, it is the Road Runner that’s been catching crappie since before most of you were born.
(Terry Madewell hails from Ridgeway, S.C., and has been an outdoor writer for more than 40 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager and is still passionate about sharing, and enjoying, the great outdoors with others.)
