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So Unrefined It's Art : Triton Mike's Bull Shad
(continued)
  Components: Each Bull Shad comes complete with Owner 2x hooks (five inch baits come with Owner 1x) and Owner Hyperwire split rings. Triton Mike is a veteran of tossing big baits and knows the first thing every dedicated big baiter does with a new bait is to swap out the split rings and hooks to these very models. So he’s enduring the extra wait time for components and absorbing the added costs in an effort to deliver a bait that is fishable right out of the package.
Tie direct of fish it on a clip, the action doesn't change all that much ...
Durability: Between Zander and myself, we must have gone through close to two dozen of these baits so far. We’ve yet to break one on a rock, piling, or even a fish, but not for a lack of accidental trials. We know this, or any other bait for that matter, is far from indestructible, but our baits have held up surprisingly well to a fair amount of abuse over the last year and a half. The most common reason for needing to replace a bait? Everytime we fish with someone new, baits just seem to somehow swim off and disappear. Go figure.
... as we caught fish both ways
Availability: Ever since our very first mention of this bait on TackleTog in June of 2009, Mike, and his assistant, Kohl Lester, have been busy playing catch up. The big bait business is brutal with a delicate balancing act between producing enough baits to meet demand while maintaining standards of quality. Hire more people to help, and suffer the potential for a drop in quality. Stay small and forever be behind in fulfilling orders.
Even crazier... fishing the seven inch Bull Shad on the Megabass F4-72GTZ Biwako Guide Special paired with a Ito Monoblock Bespoke Topaz reel
Bottom line? As a consumer, if you’ve been thinking about purchasing one of these baits, don’t hesitate when the opportunity presents itself because it may be a while before you see one again. Consider yourself forewarned.
Ratings:
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Triton Mike Bull Shad Swimbait
Ratings
(?/10) |
|
Construction/Quality |
What this bait lacks in refinement it makes up for in character |
8 |
|
Performance |
The 6 - 8 inch baits worked well for us at all speeds except hyperdrive |
8.5 |
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Price |
Very good for a hand made bait |
7 |
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Features |
Top end components - no need to swap hooks and split rings here |
9 |
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Design
(Ergonomics) |
Made to mimic a shad's profile and does so very well |
9 |
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Application |
We didn't manage the quadruple crown, but it's only a matter of time... |
8 |
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Total
Score |
8.25 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus |
Minus |
| J Finally a shad profile bait made for bigger fish |
L Like all small manufacturer products, you have to be patient in finding this bait |
| J Comes stock with top end components so no need to swap hooks and split rings |
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| J The pre-distressed look is unintentional but really what drew us to this product |
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Conclusion: More often than not, as member of the TT Crew, finding the inspiration to fish a particular product enroute to a thorough review can be challenging. Face it, we see A LOT of tackle, and getting enough time with each product before we sit down and write about them can prove to be quite the undertaking, requiring a good deal of patience and perseverance. Fortunately, we run into a handful of products each year that we cannot wait to use and/or of which we simply cannot get enough. It’s not hard to tell which products these are as they often show up in several reviews both before and after we’re done writing about them. Triton Mike’s Bull Shad has had this distinction since the first ones landed here at TT HQ.
Zander's very first largemouth on the Bull Shad ... after this trip, we got home and ordered out the stock in two stores!
We liked this bait so much, after our first day on the water with them, we bought out the entire inventory at two different tackle shops to make sure we’d have enough for ourselves before word got out. Well guess what? Word just got out.
This Falcon Lake Bass might think twice the next time it sees a shad!
Triton Mike’s Bull Shad may not be the most refined bait we’ve ever seen on a tackle store shelf. It certainly is not the prettiest. In fact, this bait is so unrefined and borderline ugly that it's artful. It's fun to fish, effective, relatively affordable, and versatile. It is everything one might expect from a cheeseburger, but deserves to be savored like a porterhouse, and it has easily won this Editor’s Choice Award. Sorry Triton Mike, time to stop fishing and cook us all up some more steak!
Looking for Triton Mike Bull Shads? Try
TackleWarehouse.com or
Hi's TackleBox
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