Jaximus, a man after my own heart  ;)

Only a die hard fisherman could be so excited about a new lure.
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I recently got my spring Cabelas master catalog. The cover is a canoe country classic. Some guys out in a canoe and a bear going through their camp. I too came across the new Rapala and much like Jaximus and Steve Martin felt the wonderment and pulse rising excitement of a new addition to the fine line of the Swedish offerings. (Steve Martin/MT comparisons will be taken in good humor and encouraged on these long lonely winter nights  ;D )

So what's so special? Balsa is what is so special my dear piscatorial companion. Especially in the spring! First off the lure lands with a very nice "splat" instead of a splash. A subtle splat which says "come and eat me". Remember, in the spring the water is cooler and quiet soft presentations are far superior which leads us to another positive.........no rattles! I detest rattles in spring and in fact generally refuse to use plastic cranks early in the year. Can you say "Big Momma"  8-)

So what else? How about the wobble? Usually a bit tighter than plastic........a bit more subtle and less exaggerated than plastic. Think spring!

Lastly.........want to get the most out of balsa? Think light line. Heavy line defeats them rather easily. And of course the connection is all important. (can you say broken record).........Yup, dispense with the split ring and get a "fas snap" in the large, not extra large.....medium works for small lures (us older guys might need glasses) and small is for flys. Fas snaps were originally designed for fly fisherman but I have found the application to cranks and light line superlative.......I have never had one fail despite their flimsy appearance. I will say it again, light line IMO ties poorly to the double wire of split rings.
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FWIW.......I generally don't suggest using one fas snap and just keep changing lures off it. They are small and tough to manage for that application unlike a larger normal snap. Besides, you might bend or otherwise damage the snap struggling with it. I have one on each crank and just re-tie when changing lures.........you are re-tying often anyways, aren't you? (A must with light line)

Shall we leave no stone unturned? What do I mean by light line? I am talking 6lb test mono and balsa wood lures. I will definitely drop to 4lb in heavily pressured urban waters on crystal clear lakes.........long casts, long forgiving rods, balsa and spring (often a few weeks after ice out) has put many 5lb+ bass in the boat for me as well as a few outsized walleyes. (one of my best ever fish fights was a 7lb walleye on 4lb test on a perch colored j-11 rapala a few weeks after ice out, who says walleyes can't strut their stuff)  

MT