Lucky Craft Gunfish 115NF No-Feather Topwater — 4.5 in, 3/5 oz

NF means no feather. Lucky Craft dresses the rear treble on the standard Gunfish 115; this version leaves it bare. Small change, real consequence — without the feather the tail sits differently at rest and the bait walks a touch freer, and you're not fishing a dressing that mats down and holds water after a few fish.

Short version: 4-1/2" walking topwater, 3/5 oz, floating, two trebles (#4, #5). Everything the 95 does, exaggerated — more water thrown, wider action, longer reach.

What the 115 Does That the 95 Doesn't

Lucky Craft pro Brent Ehrler puts it plainly: everything on the 115 is exaggerated compared to the 95. It sprays more water, it walks wider, and it calls fish from further. Worked fast, it throws water twelve to fifteen inches to each side.

That's the whole argument. This isn't a bigger bait for bigger fish — it's a louder bait for reaching fish that a 95 never told about it. It's still a reasonable size for tournament keepers while being big enough to interest a giant.

Where It Earns Its Keep

• Covering water fast. The heavy metal composite weighting system casts a long way, and this bait is built to be fished quickly.
• Calling fish from depth. The cupped mouth and the sound chamber together pull fish up off structure that never see a quieter bait.
• Schooling and surface-feeding fish, where the spray reads as a feeding opportunity to everything nearby.
• Wind and chop — the casting system handles it, and a loud bait is the right call when the surface is broken up.

How to Work It

Fish it fast. This is the bait's design intent, not a stylistic preference. Rhythmic twitches into slack line get the walk and the spit going together — a tight line drives it straight and you lose both.

Use the pause anyway. It floats, so it holds position when you stop it. After a blow-up and a miss, letting it sit is more productive than snatching it away.

115NF or 117? The Real Question

These two are the same length and the same weight. The difference is hooks.

See the Gunfish 117 →

Every Color Here Is a Limited Run

Lucky Craft lists the entire 115NF lineup under limited-run colors. When a colorway sells through, it isn't automatically reproduced. If you've found one that works on your water, buying a spare is not paranoia.

Fishing It Around Santa Clarita

A loud, long-casting topwater earns its keep on the days fish are boiling out of reach. We publish Castaic Lake fishing reports with current conditions — worth reading before you commit a morning to the surface.

Recommended Gear

• Rod: medium to medium-heavy, moderate action, 7' or longer. Length helps the cast; a forgiving tip keeps trebles in the fish.
• Line: braid to a fluorocarbon or mono leader. Braid moves the bait; the leader handles cover.
• Avoid heavy fluorocarbon straight through — it sinks and pulls the nose down, fighting the float and the walk.

Pro Tips from the Tackle Express Crew

• Twitch into slack, not into tension. The single thing that separates people who can walk this bait from people who can't.
• Fish it faster than feels right. The spit and the wide walk only show up at speed. Slow retrieves waste what this bait is for.
• Wait to feel weight before setting. Setting on the splash pulls it out of the fish's mouth — the most common way topwater fish are lost.
• Buy the spare. These are limited-run colors. The one you love is the one you'll lose in a tree.

Common Mistakes

• Fishing it slow. Wrong tool for a slow presentation — drop to a 95 or fish a subtler bait.
• Working it on a tight line. The bait needs slack to turn.
• Too stiff a rod. Costs you fish on every strike.
• Assuming it's the same as the 117. Same size, one fewer hook. Pick deliberately.

Specifications

Specs confirmed against Lucky Craft's published Gunfish 115NF chart. Colors offered vary by production run — the selector above is the live list.

What's Included

One Lucky Craft Gunfish 115NF in the color selected, factory rigged with two trebles and no rear feather. No spare hooks or split rings included.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does NF stand for?
No feather. The standard Gunfish 115 has a dressed rear treble; this version leaves it bare.

How big is it?
4-1/2 inches (115mm) and 3/5 oz (19 grams).

How many hooks?
Two trebles — one #4 and one #5.

115NF or 117?
Same length and weight. The 117 carries a third treble for more hooking surface on short strikes; the 115NF has two, which is cleaner around cover.

How fast should I fish it?
Fast. Worked quickly it sprays water twelve to fifteen inches to each side — that spray is what calls fish from a distance.

Does it float?
Yes. It holds position on the pause, which is where a lot of the bites come from.

Will these colors come back?
Lucky Craft lists the whole 115NF lineup as limited run, so not necessarily. Call the shop and we'll tell you what's inbound.

What rod and line?
Medium to medium-heavy, moderate action, 7' or longer. Braid to a fluorocarbon or mono leader; avoid heavy fluorocarbon straight through.

Related Gear

• Lucky Craft Gunfish 117 — same size, three trebles.
• Lucky Craft Gunfish 95NF — the 4" no-feather version.
• Lucky Craft Gunfish 95 H3 — three-hook 95.
• Topwater Fishing Lures — poppers, walking baits, and stickbaits.

Buy It From People Who Fish It

We're on Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, twenty minutes from Castaic, and we fish these lakes ourselves. Not sure whether you want two hooks or three, or whether today calls for the 95 instead? Call the shop or come in — short conversation, saves you buying the wrong one first.