Bass Fishing Product Reviews

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Daiwa Sol Review

Dec 10th, 2009 by Jake





    The 2009 season marked the first year that I decided to pick up a baitcasting setup, fishing last years season with the e21 Boyd Duckett Classic Gold Carrot Stix, and loving every minute of it I decided to pick up the new e21 21 Carrot Gold Stix baitcasting rod. The next choice was to select the reel I would pair with it, I had heard great things about Daiwa and had great experiences fishing Daiwa products in the past... and of course my mind was made up when I found that they had an orange fishing reel that would match the Carrot Stix perfectly, the Daiwa Sol. "Sol" is the Spanish word for "Sun," thus the bright paint job...(Read Full Review)

Rapala Clackin' Rap Review

    The New lure from Rapala, the “Clackin’ Rap” Is a lipless crank bait, which is a new and improved version of the original “Rattlin’” Rapala. The Original design of the bait hasn’t changed as both versions still are lipless, and contain the single steel ball inside the bait, but the Clackin’ Rap has some modifications that make this bait truly special. The Clackin’ Rap differs from its predecessor in 2 ways. The External Rattle and Internal holographic foil. The External rattle chamber is a big improvement from the original steel ball inside of the bait. On the outside of the bait two metal discs take up space on the sides to transmit a distinctive Clackin’ sound with maximum vibration. The holographic foil produces a seductive flash which will grab the attention of fish from further distances. With both of these new additions the Clackin’ Rap is truly a “Go To Bait” anytime of the year. This bait is truly a Big Fish Lure...(Read Full Review)

e21 21 Carrot Gold Stix Review

    After fishing the first half of the '09 bassin' season with the e21 Boyd Duckett Classic Gold Carrot Stix and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it I came to the conclusion that I needed another stix to add to my lineup of lip ripping gear. The rod I settled on was the 6'10" Medium Heavy power Fast action 21 Carrot Gold Stix Trigger Rod. The rod ran $199.99 from Bass Pro Shops, but you can get this rod for the same price pretty much anywhere that sells it. The rod arrived two days later unscathed and ready to get out on the water and land some lunkers. I paired the rod with a Team Daiwa Sol baitcasting reel spooled with 15 pound Fluorocarbon and hit the water...(Read Full Review) 

Original Floating Rapala

Mar 25th, 2009 by Jake


    In 1936 a Finnish lure company, Rapala, created a fishing lure that would forever change the face of sport fishing, the Original Floating Rapala. Designed to mimick an injured baitfish when given a topwater presentation, and the wobble of a swimming minnow when presented subsurface, this lure has been known for the last 73 years for its ability to land lunker bass in an array of conditions. Now, almost a century later, fishing the Original Floating Rapala and similar lures is a staple tactic used by anglers all over the world, not to mention the fact that Rapala holds the world record for the most world record fish caught on any brand of lure...(Read Full Review)

Rapala Husky Jerk Minnow

Mar 18th, 2009 by Jake

    Nearly a hundred years ago Rapala changed the face of sport fishing forever when it released the Rapala Original Floating Minnow. Since this day in 1936 Rapala has not simply sat back and enjoyed the initial success of the original minnow lure, it has spent the time innovating and developing new lure technologies. One such development is the Rapala Husky Jerk Jerkbait. The Husky Jerk is nearly identical to the Original Floater, however it is fine tuned to suspend in the water column at a given depth (written on the box). Furthermore this lure has a rattle chamber built into it. If you click on the image above to enlarge it you can see a few small ball bearings within the bait that rattle as the lure is retrieved, this is incredibly important when fishing stained water, as well as night fishing. The Husky Jerk is available in two different lip styles, the original and the deep down. The different lip shapes effect the depth that the bait runs at as well as the action when the lure is jigged...(Read Full Review)

YUM Money Minnow

Jan 28th, 2009 by Jake

    In the last year or so there has been an explosion in the bass fishing lure market for swimbaits. I have had the chance to test out an array of new swimbaits that have emerged in 2008 from nearly every lure company out there. After extensive testing on the water there is one swimbait that I keep in my tackle bag, the YUM Money Minnow. YUM has been a company I have counted on from day one to provide me with quality plastics at an affordable price.

    Swimbaits are designed to mimic a minnow or baitfish and do so in the most realistic way possible. This is through the use of a rubber construction and a flattened tail which wiggles through the water much like the lip of a crankbait. Swim baits are known for catching few, but very large fish, which has made it a more prominent choice as of lately for professional tournament anglers aiming for a kicker...(Read Full Review)

Topwater Worms

Jan 25th, 2009 by Jake

    Bass love topwater, period. Topwater is a term that describes any bait that does not break the surface of the water. The most widely known topwater bait on the market today is the original floating Rapala Minnow. Since the original Rapala was invented there has been innumerable advances in bass fishing lure design and technology, one of which is the topwater plastic. There are two main subdivisions of soft plastic topwater baits widely used nowadays; worms and snakes. Both of these baits produce a similar effect, snakes tending to be larger. I find that, in using topwater plastics I can effectively extend the topwater bite, which is generally restricted to morning and dusk...(Read Full Review)

Berkley Fireline Review

Jan 19th, 2009 by Jake



  When I hear the words "Berkley Fireline" entering my ear drums, the first thought that comes to my mind is "Badass." This line is tough. Period. Fireline is neither braid nor monofilament. It is constructed from the strongest fiber on Earth, Micro Dyneema. This material allows Fireline to be as tough and durable as braided lines, as well as maintain the castability of a monofilament. I was weary to give it a shot at first, having bad experiences in the past with braided lines staying on my spool. This was not a problem with Fireline, due to its low memory design. You can purchase this line in 150 or 300 yard spools, in 10, 14, 20, and 30 pound test. Berkley also offers three colors to choose from: "Smoke," "Crystal," and "Flame Green."...(Read Full Review)

St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Rod Review

Jan 14th, 2009 by Jake



  The St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Rod is one of the highest quality rods that I have ever had the pleasure to fish with. This was the first rod that I bought when I got serious about bass fishing and my old "Ugly Stick". I have since caught hundreds of fish on this rod and can tell you first hand that this is a serious peice of machinery. I own the 6'3" spinning version and have for around 3 years. Due to my wreckless fishing nature I have shattered the bushing out of the top eye twice, but with the lifetime warranty that St. Croix offers with this rod I had a replacement part in days. No questions asked...(Read Full Review)

Yum Dinger vs. Gary Yamamoto Senko

Jan 9th, 2009 by Jake



   Senkos, dingers, ochos, whatever you want to call them, stick baits are an essential soft plastic to any and all bass anglers. Skip 'em, flip 'em, drop shot 'em, texas rig, wacky rig, do whatever the hell you want with it, and as long as theres a hook involved, the odds of landing a lunker bass are stacked greatly in your favor. The stick bait is undoubtedly the most versatile bait in my tackle box, as well as my number one "go-to" lure for almost any situation. When I think stick baits two companies come to mind; YUM (dinger), Gary Yamamoto (Senko), but which is the best? I will attempt to answer this question in this review. But first let's take a look at a few of the most prominent stick bait fishing techniques...(Read Full Review)

e21 Carrot Stix Review

    The Carrot Stix by e21 (element 21), is, well, bright orange. To be honest it wasn't quite as orange as I expected when I pulled it out of the box, yet still fulfilled my orange needs (I am a big fan of orange). Upon unboxing this masterpeice of worksmanship, the first aspect that tickled my senses was the featherlight weight of this rod, I could swing this thing for hours on end with little to no fatigue.   

    The e21 Classic Gold Carrot Stix boasts a velvet textured grip and a shiny gold end plug. The velvet feels nice in your hand and provides for a solid grip. Besides looking sleek and shiny, the golden end cap of the e21 Classic Gold Carrot stix unscrews revealing a weight chamber to adjust weight of the rod...(Read Full Review).