Talk about taking the bass fishing world by storm. Mann's Bait Company just introduced a technologically advanced series of single-piece plastic baits called the HardNose series, and sales have been through the ceiling.

Just last week at the Bassmaster Classic, Mann's opened retail sales through Cabela's and sold thousands of bags. "We're elated," said Hunter Cole, director of marketing at Mann's. "We knew that this is a product anglers have needed for a long time. The simple idea will save lots of aggravation and money, and no longer will anglers have to worry about a bait slipping down the hook. The direct result will be more fish in the boat."

That's the company line, but does it work? You bet. HardNose baits have revolutionized the plastics industry because of the more dense, or "harder," plastic in the nose of the bait. It's virtually impossible to have the bait slip down the hook or ball up. The rest of the body is super-soft, injection-molded plastic and the baits come in a variety of colors suited to different water clarities.

Here at BassFan, we really like the lineup that Mann's hit the streets with. Baits include the Swim Toad, the Flippin' Craw, the Worm, the Lizard and the Jerkbait. Mann's also included the Mullet that works equally well on bass and redfish.

There's several qualities to the baits that we like. Because of its resiliency, one bait can be used on multiple fish and it's nearly impossible for it to get torn up. We Carolina-rigged the lizard and have caught up to eight fish on a single bait. We've also fished the new HardNose Swim Toad that's 5 inches long and can easily handle a 5/0 EWG hook.

We especially like the techniques this bait can handle. It can be skimmed across the water like a buzzbait as the long legs and "froggy" feet wake very effectively. It can be fished over heavy vegetation and pads, and the Toad can be fished in timber as well. We experienced great strikes when the bait dropped either in a hole in the vegetation, or at the end of a bush or blowdown. This bait will slide on the fall, and falls much more quickly than other baits in its class, even when rigged weightless.

Mann's has renewed its already strong presence in the bass fishing market and has put increased emphasis on lures that catch more fish. There is no question they've hit the target dead-center with this latest offering. We also like the fact that all Mann's baits and hard lures are made in the USA.

Mann's president Frank Oelerich put it best: "Our mantra is 'HardNose is revolutionary in its simplicity.'

For more information on the HardNose products, or to order, click here to visit the Mann’s website.