Urchin Baits Dos and Don'ts

Fishing with an urchin-style soft plastic bait (often called "the ball" or "koike" style) triggers aggressive reaction strikes from bass because of its unique profile, pulsing water displacement, and unfamiliar look. Just Lures carries three sizes 2.5 inch, 4 inch and 4.3inch all three sizes are perfect for most types of fishing and competitively priced at $7.00 compared to other brands at a much higher price.

Why Urchin Baits Work

Urchin baits work because their unique spiky shape, pulsing tentacles, and silent water displacement trigger strong curiosity and reaction strikes from bass.

Why Urchin Baits Are Effective

• Unfamiliar Profile: Bass in heavily fished waters are used to standard worms or craws, making an unfamiliar spiky ball too curious to ignore.
• Pulsing Tentacle Action: Dozens of radial appendages flare out when twitched and pulse subtly as the bait pauses or falls, mimicking a scattering school of tiny organisms.
• Silent Water Displacement: Unlike crankbaits or jerkbaits that rely on loud rattles, urchins move a large amount of water silently, avoiding negative conditioning in pressured fish.
• The "Stay-in-Face" Factor: Their buoyancy and slow fall rate allow anglers to keep the lure suspended right in a fish's strike zone much longer than traditional bottom-crawling baits.

How to Rig and Fish Them

• Treble or Double Hooks: Thread a #1 to #3 treble hook or a specialty double hook straight through the solid core of the bait to maximize your hookup ratio.
• Drop Shot Rig: Pin the bait 12 to 24 inches above a 1/8 to 3/8 oz weight to let the appendages quiver as it hovers.
• Jika / Free Rig: Attach a sliding weight directly below the hook via a split ring so the soft plastic falls and dances independently. 

Effective Presentation Techniques

• Jerkbait Retrieve: Snap or pop the rod tip sharply, then allow the bait to pause and slowly sink while the tentacles quiver.
• Targeted Cover: Skip the lure under docks, cast over brush piles, or work it slowly along rocky edges and weedlines.

Taking care of Urchins made with TPE

Whack Em Urchins are made with TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) so to take care of your Urchins by preventing the tentacles from deforming and stopping the material from melting.

• Warning Never Mix Materials: Many urchin baits are made of TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer). If TPE touches traditional plastisol soft plastics, they will chemically react and melt into a gooey mess. Store them completely separate. [
• Suspend the Baits: If you throw these baits flat into a standard tackle box, the weight of the bait will permanently crush and flatten the tentacles. They must be suspended in the air.
• Use Specialized Storage: Use a deep utility box outfitted with specialized organizers or with the Whack Em Brand keep in the box with your purchase.
• DIY Solution: Run a stiff stainless steel wire or straightened paper clip through the center axis of your urchins. Suspend the wire across the divider slots of a deep tackle tray so the baits hang suspended.