OK, stupid question coming in 3 …. 2 … 1. Will the new Live Target Bait Ball be legal for use under the Bassmaster Elite Series ban on multi-lure rigs?

Unveiled at ICAST last week, the Bait Ball is a concept that features either a crankbait, jerkbait or topwater plug which contains the image of multiple baitfish.

Sounds legal enough. The B.A.S.S. rule simply holds that multiple lures may not be used.

But consider the new Three-For-All by Mann’s bait company, also released at ICAST. It includes one soft plastic swimbait – to be rigged on one hook – to which are connected, via a soft plastic strip, another hookless swimbait on either side. The illusion is that of three baitfish swimming along together.

B.A.S.S. ruled the Three-For-All illegal for Elite Series competition prior to the start of the current season.

The Bait Ball and the Three-For-All operate on the same basic concept but use different designs. In fact, Mann’s lure is designed for use with a single hook while the Bait Ball incorporates a pair of trebbles. So, with the advent of Live Target’s latest ICAST Best of Show-winning design, have they finally produced an Elite Series-legal bait school-imitating lure?