Rapala Report

Rapala CrushCity Mayor Swimbait

Jacob Wheeler set out to develop a new swimbait with the product engineers at Rapala, but he didn’t want a situational tool – he wanted a soft swimbait that would catch fish from coast to coast, 12 months out of the year.

Hence, the development of The Mayor. It’s one of five new soft baits in the new CrushCity soft bait line by Rapala, developed by a world-class pro angler for other tournament anglers.

“The biggest thing, more than anything, is subtlety,” Wheeler said. “When you look at a shad swim, or a perch, or a baitfish, when they swim the tail does not move that much.”

Accordingly, The Mayor’s tail does not kick super-hard, but instead steadily and naturally swings from side-to-side. But that’s not where the differences from the competition stop. Rapala’s engineers also integrated a level of body roll that is noticeable but not too aggressive. It tracks true through and across cover.

The salt- and scent-infused body moves realistically and triggers bites all year long, from one season to the next, in every part of North America. Rapala’s exclusive Smart Injection Technology™ allows for custom combinations of color, flake, salt and scent that are added precisely where needed for the perfect presentation.

Cast it out and slow-roll it back at a crawling speed or burn it through the water column. The Mayor can be fished on a weedless hook, on a swimbait jig head, or on a castable umbrella rig, among other techniques, and convinces bass to bite in all of those scenarios. It excels equally with largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.

“The density of the plastic is critical to that kick,” Wheeler said. It provides the perfect combination of durability and action, which saves you money and produces more bites.”

CrushCity’s The Mayor comes in both 3- and 4-inch sizes and is available in 16 custom colors specifically developed to match any forage base you might encounter. The Mayor swimbait is available eight in a pack (3 inch) and six in a pack (4 inch), and has a suggested retail price of US $6.49 (3-inch) and US $6.99 (4-inch).