Viper Snipers
Avid offshore anglers know the value of teasers in their trolling spreads, especially in regards to dolphin, tuna, and billfish. Appropriately positioned creations such as dredges, daisy chains, spreader bars, and large lure/natural bait combinations increase the presence of a boat’s spread, thus increasing the amount of fish a crew will see and ultimately catch.
The Viper Sniper, by Daddy Mac Lures, has found its way to this offshore teaser market by marrying the fish-drawing capabilities of natural teaser baits with a newfound ease of use and durability.
Originally a striper lure designed to be cast and retrieved, the Viper Sniper is an altered and beefed-up version of the 9” Viper swimbait. The goal was to develop a teaser that most importantly works, but also is easy to rig, maintenance free, and durable enough to hold up to the abuse of several blue water trips.
The Viper Sniper features a heavier weighted body, internal rattle, and two layers of Kevlar throughout the segmented body, resulting in a durable bait that is super realistic and swims at speeds from 2-10 knots. The first run of colors was pink, black/silver, and blue/silver, successfully mimicking popular pelagic baits of squid, mullet, and flying fish respectively. New to the arsenal are a black/purple and tinker mackerel, designed for dredges for blue and white marlin.
Instead of rigging expensive mullets, mackerel, or horse ballyhoo and replacing them as they are washed out or destroyed, the Viper Sniper can take any of these offerings’ places and can be fished over many trips and after many strikes.
Viper Snipers are also popular dredge baits, replacing expensive and hard-to-rig mullets. The result is a lifelike “mullet” dredge that is durable, reusable, and other than clearing grass, maintenance free.
Several anglers have also found applications as hooked baits, both on the surface for mahi and tuna, as well as on the planer rod for wahoo.
Whether hunting “meat fish” like wahoo and dolphin or searching for the adrenaline rush only a grey hounding blue marlin can provide, add a few Viper Snipers to your spread this season. You’ll see more fish and rig less bait.
Viper Snipers are available at a local tackle shop near you, and for how to and demo videos, see www.facebook.com/daddymaclures.
Article Featuring Arlen Ash
Arlen Ash is an avid angler from Wilmington, NC, and manager of Intracoastal Angler. From tackle shops to manufacturer sales reps, he’s been in the tackle business since 2006, and his resume includes assisting several manufacturers with new product developments over the years.
