I had three questions about the mission fish. first off, i was wondering if there was a way to alter the weights on the mission fish. My second question was regarding the durability and how long each bait lasts you. the last one i used, for instance, caught me 5 fish before the top was split to such a degree where the hook would just fall back down into the belly. and lastly, i was wondering if there are any alternatives to the mission fish. it's about time someone else makes a weedless swimbait.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4539/sigcopy1sz.jpg

Reducing the weight would be hard, just because the weight is so securely molded in with the bait. You could add weight by sliding a teardrop type sinker over the hook shank before pushing it through the back of the bait.

5 fish per bait sounds about right as far as how long they last. I've seen them last longer and I've seen them get torn nearly in half on one fish. Kind of a crapshoot on the durability, but if you got a dozen fish on one you'd be doing good.

The only other weedless swimbait that comes to mind is the SR Plastics SR7

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/swimbaits/sr_plastics_sr7/index.html

If you put a G-Mag hook in that bait, it fishes like a mission fish pretty much.

Other option is to take a standard Big Hammer tail and rig it on a weedless jighead. It doesn't look that great presentation wise but it works well at night. I caught this 9.3 last year on a rig like that. It was just something that came to mind when I was getting stuck in the weeds a lot with the regular hammerhead. The jighead in the pic is a yamamoto jig head, 5/8oz

http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/d/316-2/aag.jpg

4-5 fish per bait without repairs seems normal. Changing the wieght would be tough because it is molded a special way to fit the bait. Buy a wormizer from Iovino and melt the plastic back to make them last a little longer. You have to remember its a weedless rig and soft plastic they will rip up.