Now back to that gill tunnel. At rest the tunnel may be out of the water but when the bait is fished the head of the bait sinks below the surface and with each twitch water is forced through the side of the tunnel, alternating as the lure is walked. As water and air is pushed through the tunnel it generates additional sound and bubbles, both of which are extra elements that add to the surface baitfish effect.

It was finally time to take a closer look inside the bait. The first thing we saw when we cracked open the Bowstick was the large weight/rattle system in the rear of the bait. The system is completely isolated in the tail section which helps weigh the Bowstick in the back to not only establish that rear angle when the bait is in the water but also help make this bait easy to cast both straight and long. 

The center cavity of the bait is completely hollow but in the front of the bait we found a secondary rattle system which brings together both brass and glass beads. The bait's design isolates the rattle systems at opposite ends of the Bowstick which gives the bait the perfect angle in the water. The tunnel featured thick plastic walls, which were extremely difficult to cut through. The thick plastic ensures that there is no leakage into the body of bait. No point of failure here.
 

If there is a weak area in the bait it is the wires that connect to the hardware. The wires are molded right into the plastic body but each connection is independent, there is no through wire here. While this implementation is perfectly fine for the largemouth bass the bait is intended for it is possible that some stalwart species like Peacock Bass or trophy class Stripers could possibly exploit this.

The Bowstick's painted finish is not only top notch in quality but also proved to be surprisingly durable. The combination of opaque paint on the side and top and the translucent sections on the underbelly make for a bait that exhibits plenty of depth and flash. The 3D eyes finish the bait nicely and because they are placed in recessed areas they are protected and do not pop off easily.
 

The Bowstick is a quality topwater option for targeting largemouth bass and it is impressive how well thought out the features are on this bait. The implementation of the rattles doubles as a weighting system that gives anglers a head start as they walk the bait side to side. The gill tunnel system adds the elements of additional water splash and bubbling, all without any additional effort. This is also one of the easiest baits to walk across the surface effectively. So what is the catch? All this attention to detail comes with a price and each Bowstick retails for $15.99 which is on the high side when compared with many other mass produced topwater walking and twitch baits, but how many of those other baits comes complete with a "tunnel" feature?