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TackleTour
Autopsy: Don’t Mess with
the Ima Big Stik (continued)
  Even
though our test subject had survived the Amazon it was now the end of the line
for this bait. Strapped in we next begun our destruction tests with abrasion
resistance filing and as expected the lure’s finish held up extremely well to
both fine and coarse grain files. The finish on the Big Stik is very robust and
in real world applications will hold up well to even toothy species.
...and cutting this lure open is
no easy task
When you shake
the Big Stick it puts out quite a bit of vibration and you can hear a chorus of
rattles from within the lure. Listen carefully and you can perceive both small
beads bouncing around chambers as well as the knocking of larger weights. It was
time to get a firsthand look at what was going on inside this lure, fire up the
rotating blade!
Inside we find eight separate
chambers
With safety
glasses on I proceeded to cut through the belly of the lure and it was tough!
Not only is the lure relatively thick the center of the lure started to spark as
I came in contact with metal. Only after cracking the lure totally open did I
fully understand just why this lure was able to so easily withstand those brutal
Peacock strikes in the Amazon.
These chambers hold the steel
beads. Notice the extra weighting in the rear of the lure
The same wire
that is used as the line tie and hook holders is a single piece of steel wire
that extends from the front of the lure all the way to the back, much like
spine. This wire not only helps give the lure additional structure but
distributes the strike pressure and prevents fish from pulling out the hook
hangers or line tie.
The through wire design integrates
a single wire across all connection points
To give the
lure even greater structure the center of the bait is not hollow like most
pencil poppers, instead the lure has eight individual chambers which hold those
noise creating beads. Also sandwiched throughout the bait are larger steel beads
that are used for balancing out the lure. Notice that on the back of the lure
there are two of these beads to help add that extra weight. These beads are
either isolated like in the back or in an open chamber, like in the front, to
create that lower frequency knocking sound.
The chambers vary in size
It is all this
metal inside the lure that helps give the Big Stik such a substantial weight but
because it is distributed properly it is both easy to cast and retrieve. Whether
you call the Big Stik a swimbait or simply define it as a “Big Bait,” this is
one lure that can actually be fished with a traditional heavy powered fast
action rod.
A final look at the very well
constructed Big Stik. This rugged bait is built to handle top of the food chain
species
Conclusion:
If you ever have the opportunity to talk to Randy Pringle or spend time with him
on the water you immediately know that he has a passion for pursuing big fish.
Randy is out there on the water day in and day out looking for trophy fish and
his knowledge of what is required to make a bait that is able to attract these
monsters to strike and then hold up to these lunkers has effectively translated
into the Big Stik.
Randy told us
that there are many lures that will simply not hold up to the rigors of Amazon
peacock bass fishing, but was completely confident that we could not break one
of his lures on our trip. We caught Peacocks right under 20lbs. with the Big
Stik and could not get a single lure to fail. Back in the lab the Big Stik even
fought our abrasive files and only finally succumbed under a diamond tipped
blade. This is one lure that can definitely hold up to big fish and without a
doubt has the “balls” to stick up to Largemouth, Stripers, Pike, Musky, and
Peacocks.
Looking for the Ima Big Stik? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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