Rebel LIVEflex Lures

Arguably the biggest change in my stream fishing lure arsenal over the past few years has been the incorporation of Rebel LIVEflex series soft plastic baits. Except in special-regs trout water where scented baits aren’t permitted, I virtual always have some LIVEflex baits with me if I’m wading a creek or walking a pond bank, and often one is tied on.

Like many lures, I began fishing LIVEflex baits before they were even released, initially to learn about them and gather photos. My first exposure was in August 2023, nearly a year before then series initially launched, at Crooked Creek in Arkansas. I realized almost immediately that these baits would be valuable for my stream fishing approach and would become a regular part of my game.

The LIVEflex material is one of those ultra-tough, buoyant plastics. The baits stay in place on the hook fish after fish, and buoyancy slows the fall on a jighead and makes them stand up on the bottom, which makes them look far more natural. Unlike other plastics that have similar characteristics, the LIVEflex baits are infused with a strong scent attractant.

As important as the characteristics of the material (at least), the LIVEflex series is sized right for multi-species fishing and comes half a dozen shapes that accurately match critters that creek fish very commonly eat. They also come with two of the baits in each package pre-rigged on jigheads they match up with perfectly and with one extra jighead in the package.

The rigged are a bonus that undeniably affects my lure choices when I’m out. Having soft-plastics rigged and ready to fish that I can simply tie on is very nice, and they are always rigged straight for the best presentations.

I most often fish the LIVEflex baits as they come pre-rigged, dragging or hopping them along the bottom, letting them tumble in current, or swimming them. I especially like to swim the Shore Shiner. I also really like to dropshot LIVEflex baits in order to keep them just off the bottom and soften the action. A light Texas rig or weedless jighead provides a good option for working the bottom in snaggy areas.

LIVEflex Series

• Creek Craw
• Hoper
• Creek Critter
• Cata Crawler
• Tadpole
• Hellgrammite