Lunker Plunker

[N.A.R]

I saw a lunker Plunker knockoff at the Bass-A-Thon with a bleeding trout paint scheme, that bait was slick.

Lunker Plunker if you can hear this, can you paint up a bait like that one?

(whispering) I know you saw the bait cause you had it removed from the table.

PM me with details....

Thanks in advance....

[mvanguilder]

Companies better be careful making knock offs of the Lunker Punker. It has a patent on it.

Black Dog pro staff - Mike Van Guilder Jr.

www.fishwrangler.net

[bass_turd]

Punker not Plunker

[hawgk9]

are you guys serious....??? EVERYTHING we use right now is pretty much a knock off of something... its called evolution.... Jeremy has a great product.. YES jeremy I finally gave you some props... you guys act like LP's are gunna dissapear if someone else makes a bait that looks like it... we all know how many senko knock offs there are but I still see them EVERY where.... besides when there is more than ONE game in town it keeps EVERY one HONEST.. pricing.. quality etc...

[mvanguilder]

Just giving guys a heads up on the patent thing. Jeremy is not the only owner, Grant is the other as well. If you pay for a patent then there is a law laid down, plain and simple. Come up with another idea.

[N.A.R]

Sounds good. Now can I get a Lunker Punker with the paint scheme of one of their knock off competitors?

Please PM me....

If not, can someone clue me in on someone who paints baits?

Thanks In advance....

[Mike]

http://blackdogbaits.com/store/lunker-punker/



Use the contact link and Jeremy will hook you up with a custom paint job.

[hawgk9]

i am aware of how a patent works but thanks for the civics lesson anyway....

just buggs me to no end how NARRROW minded and jaded you guys are.... but then again I have nothing to gain on the subject...

[JustinD]

Neither do I and copying something that close is B.S......Come up with your own ideas please.

[Dom]

I was at jeremy's last week and he hooked me up with about 10 Punkers in different colors (now I have like 20 with my proto types! Thanks Bro) I have threw everyone and the action is awsome trust me I was fishing teams with Jeremy when he was designing the Punker we used it ,tested it and tested it more back to the BASS Cave(jere's work shop) worked it and tested more point is there is more to this bait then just the shape trust me, things you knock-off artist will nev er pick up on. Sure people will try to cash in on a knock off but remember a knock off never works like the original inventer invisioned.

So if you have ever bought a knock off then you know what I am talking about the old saying goes you get what you pay for. Yes Jer and Grant have a pat. and these aint cheap to get so I aplaud the others for trying to protect a mans hard work and investment.

Just wait till yall see what Jer's coming out with in the future this guy is a Thinker I seen some proto types the other night that are just amazing and Ho theres nothing like em. NOW will they catch fish? Oh YEA!!!!!!!!
Tight Lines Dom

[crawdaddy]

As a person who has looked into patents in the past I would have to wonder exactly what Jeremy has a patent for. I see no technology that did not exist prior to the Punker. Start to finish these are my observations (speaking as a person who has looked carefully into a patent in the past);

Materials-I don't see any new composites that were developed either in the production of the lure (body, rings, hooks etc), paints (no new chemical variations here either).

Action-Bait is a walking type bait (Heddon has been doing this for many years)

Style-Long and shaped like a fish taller in the front and tapered to the rear. Nothing new there. Many examples very similar to a large Rapala.

Colors-some unique color designs but no new colors invented and paint variations can be done custom.

Accessories-All standard and available to anyone on the free market (feathered tail, treble hooks, nose ring and hook rings)

As a fisherman who has bought and used many lures I see no new advances that would stand the litmus test in a court of law as a breakthough design or standard. The lure itself copies many of the traits and qualities of baits that came before it. It is a topwater bait, designed to look like a fish, painted to look like a fish, equiped in a manner to snag a fish and retrieve a fish to the boat, its action is a back and forth type and it is made of readily available materials.

All that being said I have one and I love the action. I hope to catch a fish on one soon. It is a unique bait but one that borrows from so many other ideas that I have trouble calling it original. Just a different take on known lure technology. Just like most lures.

[Dom]

Craw (sorry I dont call no man Daddy LOL ) Thats exaclty how it should be, like I said things are in this bait no one would think about. You go throw a spook and walk the dog starting and stopping then throw the punker if you cant see the difference then dude you aint looking hard enough.

Bass key in on the most subtle differences in looks and action remember that. I can remember a Tournament up on Oroville I was throwin my "go to" spook and Jeremy was throwing his proto Punker he was killin em they wanted no part of my Spook and if you know Oroville then you know when that wind kicks up head to the dam and whip that spook but the punker was kicking my butt.

Again On Folsom Pre-fishing for the FPT TOC I throw my spook into this nice shaded pocket no bigger then a car tire I just knew a bass was holding there I made repeat cast then Jeremy fires the punker in there and BAM largmouth 10lbs 2 oz.!!!! Man just wish we would have saved her for game day LOL LOL point is we all know the punker catch bass and big bass and theres a reason for it.

I may be speaking out of line here becuase Jeremy would prefer me not to get in this but it just kills me to read some one knocking a bait that I have had a first hand experience with while in development, I know the long hours and blood sweat and tears that went into this bait, so its hard to keep my mouth shut.

Its a great bait and its a proven bait leave it alone and come up with somthing else somthing of your own creation and only then will you see how the little subtlleties effect a bait. Anyone can copy a shape dont mean it works. Ok I'm done

Dom

[Guy Williams]

The Punker will be copied in time (already I seen at least one) just like any other bait. It will happen sooner than later just like bass trix in the recent past. It will be up to the anglers to judge the best one or be loyal of the Punker. Evolution is a Bitch, I hate the person that invented money because I have to work my *** off to get it!!!!!
Guy Williams

[NoCAL]

I don't think Crawdaddy is knocking the bait and I certainly wouldn't either but his point is valid. What exactly is patented on that bait. Now the name may be copyrighted but I see nothing new or particularly patentable on this bait. To get a patent you have to invent something completely new that a reasonable person familiar with the sport could not have come up with based on previous products. So what is patentable about a topwater walking bait? People have used wood or injection molded plastic for years, topwater baits have been around for years, walking baits existed before the Zara Spook. I use and truly appreciate this bait and would not buy the knock-offs. I really would like to know what the patent is though? Could it be part of the process to produce the bait?

NoCAL

[kopper_bass]

if there is a patent, anyone can look it up themselves, and do the research to see what is "patented".

You can do all the patent searching at these links:
http://www.patents.ibm.com/ibm.html
http://www.searchgov.com/
http://www.uspto.gov/

have fun!

Kopper_Bass

[crawdaddy]

Dom,

No doubt about the fish catching ability of the Punker. It is a good topwater bait. It does have a slight hitch in the action. It will be part of my bait selection in the future and I will not buy an imitation.

I was only questioning the idea that there is some sort of patent on this bait. I was merely trying to point out that all the aspects of the bait are not new and that a patent for this bait seemed unlikely.

[blkdog812]

someone already has a shellcracker knock off on e-bay.

[JustinD]

Glad to see we have so many patent attorneys around.

[kopper_bass]

Crawdaddy,
I think to your point, the patent on most fishing lures these days is "look and feel" which are easily overcome and bypassed, but still an effort worth supporting. Great job and kudos to Black Dog for following thru with getting one.

Unless there is some key mechanical feature though (like a weight transfer system or something) most all lure patents are "design" patents that are for cosmetic appearance only.

i looked up the patent, and Jeremy's patent claim is quote "the ornamental design for top water trout design fishing lure, as shown and described."

I for one wouldnt want anything but the original and already own 4, but i dont think there it would be too hard to bypass this type patent if you wanted to. Knockoffs will come with any successful bait, but i still think the originals are the best.

Kopper_Bass

[CBoat]

Frankly, I have no time to experiment. The Punker is a very solid performer and a kick in the pants to use! I have no intention of trying something different unless it is completely different. It has caught my largest fish year to date and will probably catch my largest next year too. Who cares if they copy ( unless it is a duplicate ), I would consider it a compliment. I purchased some bass pro knock offs of the Senko once and what a mistake that was. Useless!

ON top of it's performance, the Punker has to be one of the most durable baits. You may pay a high price for it, but it lasts forever (so far). Just make sure you're using some heavy line and have a good knot.

Black Dog, I don't think you have too much to worry about. What is important though is to continue to invent and to add to your arsenal of baits.

Keep up the good work and don't forget to throw the customer a bone once in a while.

[sTony]

The custom Lunker Punkers are pricey but the new injection LP's are priced at a more consumer friendly $29.99 from what I saw at the show. And they ere selling like hotcakes!

Patents are enforceable, that's why people apply for them and generally don't get them if there's already a bunch of similar baits on the market. Sure folks can go ahead and make a bait and ignore the patent but they're taking a pretty substantial monetary risk in doing so.

And you'd be surprised at how many baits out there are patent protected and those patents are defended with regularity. It's certainly not a knock on Jeremy and Grant that they actually have a patent for the appearance of the LP. It gives them some protection from knockoffs and that's exactly why a manufacturer goes after a patent.

Jeremy makes customs all the time so getting one built for you in any pattern is always a possibility. Just have to contact them at www.blackdogbaits.com and they'll take care of you.

sTony

[PHENSON]

Wow here we go! Its seems like when someone gets ahead or does really good with somthing there is always someone who wants to stir the pot. Its sad that in todays world we even go to this build your own design why copy. Its like when a guy is on a good bite and there are those guys out there that follow him around because they dont want to put the time and hard work in that it takes to find those fish. Lets just go fishing and get back to the basics, Loving to fish and share our stories.

[jaime7819]

Crawdaddy is right legally! "Ornamental?" Too general. Similar copycats will come.......