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Paladin Series — 5.25"

Paladin 525

Fast. Flashy. Built to cover water.

At 5.25 inches, the Paladin 525 carries the same rolling action as the 425 but with more presence, more flash, and more authority in the water. When you want to move fish that have been ignoring everything else, this is the right tool.

5.25"Length
9Color options
RollAction type
100%Handmade in MA
Paladin 525 - lostartlures.com

Danny body. Pikie lip. Hand-tuned before it ships.

Big fish don't respond to subtlety. They respond to something they can't ignore.

The Paladin 525 is the answer to the situation you've been in more than once: fish are there, you know they're there, and everything you've tried has come back untouched. The problem is presentation size. A fish holding in eight feet of water, not actively feeding, will not move for a lure that doesn't demand its attention.

The 525 demands attention. The wider Pikie-style lip creates a pronounced rolling action that displaces significantly more water than the 425, and at this body length the flash pattern covers enough of the water column to be visible from a real distance. You are not showing the fish something subtle. You are showing it something they can't miss.

"Big fish are lazy. The 525 is large enough to be worth their time and interesting enough that they don't let it pass."

The Danny-style body carries its weight toward the tail, which means it loads on the cast and the roll on the retrieve is always consistent regardless of retrieve speed. Slow it down and the roll is wide and deliberate. Speed it up and the lure covers water efficiently while staying in action the entire retrieve. Both modes work. The 525 does not have an idle setting.

Every body is hand-shaped from northern white cedar, hand-painted, and sealed under multiple coats of lacquer. The Pikie lip is hand-bent and tuned to each individual lure. Nine color options. All of them built to be used hard, earn their marks, and outlast you.

Full Specifications

Everything in it.

Paladin 525 product specifications
Length5.25 inches
Body styleDanny-style — tapered, tail-weighted
LipPikie-style, hand-bent and individually tuned
Body materialNorthern white cedar, hand-shaped
HooksVMC #6, inline configuration
SwivelsSpro
Split ringsSpro stainless steel
FinishHand-applied paint, multi-coat high-gloss lacquer
ActionWide rolling flash — shallow to mid-column
Target speciesBass, pike, pickerel, musky, walleye, stripers
Color options9 finishes (see product page for current availability)
Made inRichmond, Massachusetts
Price$56.00
Where It Belongs

Three situations the 525 was built for.

The 525 is a covering lure with trophy-fish authority. These are the situations where nothing smaller will do.

Onota Lake — Deep Flats

Midsummer largemouth on deep structure

July on Onota puts the big largemouth down on structure in ten to fourteen feet of water. The 525 at medium retrieve speed runs right through that zone with a roll wide enough to be visible from a distance. Cast past the structure, let it reach depth on the way in, and bring it through the strike zone at a deliberate pace. The strike will not be subtle.

Technique: medium retrieve, run it through the depth zone, long pause near structure

Garfield Lake — Fall Run

September pike and pickerel

Cold water in September and October activates pike and pickerel that have been mostly dormant in the heat. They are aggressive and they are hungry. The Paladin 525 at this time of year covers water fast. Fan cast systematically. When you find an active fish, slow down and let the rolling action do the persuading. The strike from a fall pike on a 525 is the kind you remember.

Technique: systematic fan casting, fast to locate, slow to close

Pontoosuc Lake — Reaction Strikes

When the fish have stopped cooperating

Midday in summer, the bite shuts down and everyone goes home. A Paladin 525 at this moment is not trying to convince fish to feed. It's trying to trigger a reaction. Fish that have been sitting still for three hours will hit something big and flashy that crosses directly in front of them, even when they're not in feeding mode. The rolling action is what does it. Change the lure, change the result.

Technique: slow, deliberate retrieve directly past visible fish holding on structure

Paladin 425 vs. Paladin 525

Same action. Different authority.

Both lures roll. One covers more water with more presence. Here's how to choose.

Paladin 425

The workhorse.

4.25" — active fish, all-day coverage

  • Active bass and pike in the morning
  • Weed edges and shallow flats
  • Covering water efficiently all day
  • Smallmouth on current breaks
  • The lure you reach for first
See the Paladin 425
Paladin 525 — You're here

The authority.

5.25" — trophy fish, deep coverage

  • Big largemouth on deep midsummer structure
  • Fall pike and pickerel runs
  • Reaction strikes from non-feeding fish
  • When the 425 isn't moving anything
  • The lure you reach for when you're serious
Buy the Paladin 525

These lures will outlive you.

Handmade in Richmond, Massachusetts. Nine color options, all built by hand. If you have questions about which finish works on your water, reach out before you order.

$56.00 — choose your color