In a world of ever-fancier lures, sometimes it's good to get back to the basics -- in other words, what catches fish, not fishermen. That was the goal of pro Marty Stone when he designed the Pro Series spinnerbaits for Gambler.

"The spinnerbait industry today has gone too far with their holographic finishes and such," Stone says. "In the process, they've forgotten about the basic elements that make a spinnerbait such an effective lure."

Stone and Gambler concentrated on those elements in designing the Pro Series Spinnerbaits. "I wanted to design a spinnerbait that was a professional tool," Stone says. From head to hook:

> Head -- The round, bullet-shaped head is ideal for penetrating wood and other forms of cover without getting snagged.

> Blades -- The blades are made of a little heavier-gauge material than typical spinnerbait blades. This displaces more water, giving the bait more vibration.

> Wire -- The wire diameter matches the head size and weight of the bait. Stone says that the light-wire spinnerbait arms favored by some anglers make it difficult to set the hook properly with heavier spinnerbaits.

> Color -- "When it comes to head color and skirt color, we're going to stick with the colors that people know produce fish," Stone says. "We're not going to baffle people with a hundred different colors. We'll have four basic head colors, and skirts with a scale pattern and a translucent color to match each head. That gives you a clear-water color and a dirty-water color."

> Hook -- Finally, and maybe most importantly, Stone designed the Pro Series spinnerbaits with a short-shank hook. "I'm a big believer in short-shank hooks on spinnerbaits, which is something that the industry has gotten away from," he says. "As a spinnerbait fisherman, I want a compact bite." The hooks match the head sizes precisely: 2/0 on a 1/4-ounce bait, 3/0 on 3/8-ounce bait, and a 4/0 on a 1/2- and 3/4-ounce bait.

Bottom line: Get a good tool, and focus on the fish.

To order Gambler Pro Series spinnerbaits, click here.