Kinami Baits didn't waste any time coming out with hot new lures. Hot on the successful heels of the Yamamoto Senko, it produced the similar Kinami Flash. Then came the Norie's Bug, one of the country's hottest craw/creature-type flipping baits. And now it's the Palm Tree.

The Palm Tree has characteristics of a hula grub and a tube, and as a result works for all bass species.

One of the coolest ways to rig it is weedless, weightless and reversed (with the tentacles on top). This allows the bait to fall away from you, which works great on the edges of mats and laydowns. It's sweet for undercut banks, and docks can now be attacked in new ways too. The glide path of this bait isn't radical, but does mimic a dying shad or a swimming crawfish like a tube does.

Rigged conventionally it can be flipped, pitched and cast. The solid body, inherent bulk and living tentacles allow the angler to flip the bait in the tightest of cover without fear of hang-ups. The heavy amounts of salt in the Palm Tree (and the whole Kinami line) help the bait fall naturally and slowly, and the size of the bait – nearly 4 inches with the tentacles – give the bait a great profile in the water.

A few more observations:

> The salt is key. Our tests showed the bass holding onto easily long enough to set the hook, and the strikes were almost universally solid.

> Another thing we liked is that you can use a large 4/0 to 5/0 wide-gap hook when flipping. Because the body of the bait is solid, the hook stays put until the hookset.

> The Palm Tree is available in 10 colors (three solid and seven two-tone). Our favorites were oxblood purple, watermelon green pumpkin, Christmas pumpkin, and black red, which is a hot spring color.

> We didn't try finesse-fishing with it because we didn't have an opportunity to, but we're going to the first chance we get.

Everyone wants a bait that is manufactured well, performs well, and that has or can be given lifelike action, but is different than 90 percent of the baits a fish will see in a day. Kinami's Palm Tree fits that bill. Give it a shot.

Kinami Baits are available at major retailers across the country. Also check out the Kinami Baits web site for more info.