It's always a great day when you open the mailbox and see a Tackle Grab box. As soon as I opened the end, I was totally excited when I saw an AR Lures box neatly tucked in the corner. I have done a little balsa wood whittling, and have been curious about buying some of their baits. This is why Tackle Grab we need Tackle Grab!
The bait sent is the CRANK-D50, in 04 Smallmouth Bass. The D50 is a hand crafted, 6-8' medium diving wood (not specified, probably bass or balsa) crankbait with a tight wobble.
The stubby (50mm) bait sports a spot on paint job that no photo can do justice to, and hard 3d eyes you could gaze in to all day. The paint is expertly blended from dark brown along spine, orange-ish brown on the top quarter, golden in the middle, and pearly sliver belly. On top of that, the small scale pattern top to bottom is red to orange and a yellow lateral line in the middle and white over it's little pot belly. There are some translucent smokey black tiger stripes running vertical from head to tail. Absolutely gorgeous!
The bill is a clear firm plastic that has a bit of flex to it; off the top of my head, I cannot think of another bill shares the same qualities. Also unique to the bait is the line tie comes up through a small rounded rectangle shape cut into the bill, but it is actually screwed into the body.
The D50 comes with two super sticky sharp #6 hooks with a black finish bringing the weight to 1/3oz.
AR Lures (http://www.arlures.com/) is a Japan based company founded in 1996. Recently they have been fighting for their piece of the American market share. The D50, as most of AR baits, retails for $18.99 which is around the entry level price for Japanese imports, but I think the hand crafted quality is much superior to the other at the same price point.
The excitement didn't stop there! The next bait I pulled out were the 5" Split-tail (#20 Alewife). Previously to opening the box, I was not familiar with the baits or company fishbelly (http://www.fishbelly.com/).
I am not sure these are the same ones that are available on other sites (e.g.Tackle Warehouse). They seem to be a different, but in a good way. The look super realistic, and very clean! The colors are divided on the lateral line, and the top color extends through the tail. There is also a light slanted line pattern on divided by the lateral line, which seems to add just the right amount of texture to the bait. I am pretty impressed at this point!
Fish belly opted to use hard eyes, which usually is a deal breaker for me. However, They seem to be very well attached and will not fall out when a hook is put in, or after a cast or fish.
According to Tacklewarehouse.com, the baits are actually made from a silicone, different from your typical soft plastics which are made from plastisol. Using the silicone results in a ultra soft / flexible plastic that is almost too good to be true. I feel conflicted, because I don't know if I want to drop shot or wacky rig one first (maybe wacky drop shot?).
As an angler that usually has a fluke tied on, it isn't a question of if it will catch fish, but how many and how big! And we still aren't done...
Next out of the box were the 4" Kill Shot (152-Watermelon Grape) from Anglers Choice, a Canada based company (http://www.anglerschoice.ca/4-Kill-Shot_p_64.html),.
A ringed reaper style bait, made of a hand poured durable soft plastic and garlic scented. The color on the bait are on the lighter side than you'd usually expect based on the name. They actually appear more as a teal color with standard purple glitter; probably more of a clear water bait - not surprising being a Canadian company catering baits to their water conditions.
When ordering from the Anglers Choice website they have a variety of pack sizes: 8, 25, 50 and 100. I wish more companies offered bulk package sizes. Available in a variety of Killer drop shot colors.
Lastly, Were a pack of Cruncher Baits 4" tubes (#110 Erie Gold), a pumpkin colored plastic with gold and chartreuse flake.
The baits are a traditional tube bait. The head is durable, yet streamlined so it won't get fouled up on the hook. Also, the body:skirt is approx 1 to 1 which gives it a classic, sure catch presentation.
The place where Cruncher Baits really stands out is their colors, and color selections. Crunchers Baits come in every color you could want at a great price of $4.29 for a 10 pack.
Tackle Grab came through big this month! They confirmed for me that AR Lures are worth the investment, and should be in my everyday tool set. They introduced me to a great dropshot /wacky (probably Texas too) shad/fluke profile bait. And they gave me 2 new baits to try out, and might have been just what I was lacking before. Looking forward to spring coming this week to Chicagoland , and next month's box, but most importantly catching some fish!
Until next time Tight Lines and full limits!
BONUS - They also sent an unlabeled 3pack of 10" ribbon worms, in watermelon red.
The bill is a clear firm plastic that has a bit of flex to it; off the top of my head, I cannot think of another bill shares the same qualities. Also unique to the bait is the line tie comes up through a small rounded rectangle shape cut into the bill, but it is actually screwed into the body.
The D50 comes with two super sticky sharp #6 hooks with a black finish bringing the weight to 1/3oz.
AR Lures (http://www.arlures.com/) is a Japan based company founded in 1996. Recently they have been fighting for their piece of the American market share. The D50, as most of AR baits, retails for $18.99 which is around the entry level price for Japanese imports, but I think the hand crafted quality is much superior to the other at the same price point.
The excitement didn't stop there! The next bait I pulled out were the 5" Split-tail (#20 Alewife). Previously to opening the box, I was not familiar with the baits or company fishbelly (http://www.fishbelly.com/).
I am not sure these are the same ones that are available on other sites (e.g.Tackle Warehouse). They seem to be a different, but in a good way. The look super realistic, and very clean! The colors are divided on the lateral line, and the top color extends through the tail. There is also a light slanted line pattern on divided by the lateral line, which seems to add just the right amount of texture to the bait. I am pretty impressed at this point!
Fish belly opted to use hard eyes, which usually is a deal breaker for me. However, They seem to be very well attached and will not fall out when a hook is put in, or after a cast or fish.
According to Tacklewarehouse.com, the baits are actually made from a silicone, different from your typical soft plastics which are made from plastisol. Using the silicone results in a ultra soft / flexible plastic that is almost too good to be true. I feel conflicted, because I don't know if I want to drop shot or wacky rig one first (maybe wacky drop shot?).
As an angler that usually has a fluke tied on, it isn't a question of if it will catch fish, but how many and how big! And we still aren't done...
Next out of the box were the 4" Kill Shot (152-Watermelon Grape) from Anglers Choice, a Canada based company (http://www.anglerschoice.ca/4-Kill-Shot_p_64.html),.
A ringed reaper style bait, made of a hand poured durable soft plastic and garlic scented. The color on the bait are on the lighter side than you'd usually expect based on the name. They actually appear more as a teal color with standard purple glitter; probably more of a clear water bait - not surprising being a Canadian company catering baits to their water conditions.
When ordering from the Anglers Choice website they have a variety of pack sizes: 8, 25, 50 and 100. I wish more companies offered bulk package sizes. Available in a variety of Killer drop shot colors.
Lastly, Were a pack of Cruncher Baits 4" tubes (#110 Erie Gold), a pumpkin colored plastic with gold and chartreuse flake.
The baits are a traditional tube bait. The head is durable, yet streamlined so it won't get fouled up on the hook. Also, the body:skirt is approx 1 to 1 which gives it a classic, sure catch presentation.
The place where Cruncher Baits really stands out is their colors, and color selections. Crunchers Baits come in every color you could want at a great price of $4.29 for a 10 pack.
Tackle Grab came through big this month! They confirmed for me that AR Lures are worth the investment, and should be in my everyday tool set. They introduced me to a great dropshot /wacky (probably Texas too) shad/fluke profile bait. And they gave me 2 new baits to try out, and might have been just what I was lacking before. Looking forward to spring coming this week to Chicagoland , and next month's box, but most importantly catching some fish!
Until next time Tight Lines and full limits!
BONUS - They also sent an unlabeled 3pack of 10" ribbon worms, in watermelon red.
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