The use of titanium frames in spinnerbait manufacturing is all the rage today, as illustrated by Jeff Samsel's article in the Mid-January 2001 issue of Bassmaster Magazine. Proponents of titanium-frame spinnerbaits tout their toughness and durability, while at the same time many anglers report problems with them and contend they are not as reliable as stainless steel. The probability is that both types have had a problem here and there, and reliability is not a major concern with either. Nonetheless, in spite of its higher cost, it is generally agreed that titanium frames are superior on conventional spinnerbaits.
Secret Weapon spinnerbaits utilize only the finest components and require more labor than conventional spinnerbaits. If we did use titanium frames, they would offer no advantage to the lures and would only serve to raise prices to you. Please read on.
Dr. Ben Johnson, the dentist and fisherman who invented titanium frames, recognized a serious flaw in the design of conventional spinnerbaits: steel frame lures with bent frames do not run properly or track straight. The reason for this is that the front blade of multi-blade conventional spinnerbaits is mounted directly on the upper arm of the lure frame. If that arm is bent, the water pressure on the blade during the retrieve will force the lure to miss-track to a degree proportional to the frame distortion, sometimes to the point of being totally unusable. Dr. Johnson's use of a titanium alloy frame was a successful solution because it has an "almost complete memory," and resulted in the superbly constructed line of Terminator® Spinnerbaits, which has attracted a whole line of imitators.
Secret Weapon spinnerbaits are not subject to this problem, because blades are never mounted on the frame. They are always independently mounted behind the upper frame arm on dedicated, interchangeable shaft attachment(s).
The other big problem with the use of steel frames on conventional spinnerbaits is the fact that the upper arm blocks the hook and interferes with hooksets. Titanium alloy wire is far more flexible, thus it bends out of the way more easily than steel.
Secret Weapon spinnerbaits are not subject to this problem at all, because only the interchangeable blade attachments ride above the hook. They are held in place by water pressure during the retrieve, and graciously fold out of the way at the time of the strike, giving hooksets unsurpassed by any other spinnerbait.
An unplanned, but perhaps even more important benefit of titanium-framed conventional spinnerbaits is the difference in sound they emit to their prey. This difference is due to the combination of the extra vibration of the more flexible upper arm, in combination with the fact that during the retrieve the blade moves through the water closer to being truly perpendicular to the direction of travel.
During the retrieve of a Secret Weapon spinnerbait, the blades on the free-floating attachments offer the most flexibility possible, and run perfectly perpendicular to the direction of travel. They offer the unparalleled sound of an in-line spinning lure with the weedless capabilities of a spinnerbait, thus appealing to an unsurpassed number of species of fish.
Bob Rickard -----------------------<=- 0')))><
Jan. 11, 2001
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