IMA / HELIPS GRANDE

For a substantial portion of the year shallow water bass have an antagonistic relationship with bluegills – they know that the pesky sunfish are a protein-packed meal, and they’re also an annoyance when the bass are guarding beds or newly-hatched fry. Into this situation comes the IMA HeliPs, a dual-propeller topwater lure that imitates the aggravating panfish better than anything else on the market. The flat sides of the HeliPs cause the lure to flare on its side as it is retrieved, but its true appeal lies in the fact that it creates a tremendous commotion with only the slightest twitch, staying in the strike zone longer and calling curious and hungry bass from long distances. The pudgy body makes it exceptionally buoyant, thus amplifying the "nails on a chalkboard” squeal of the props – and making the lure irresistible to marauding bass, not just in the spring and summer, but well into the fall.