A Mix of Swimming and Gliding Actions – The Jackall Dowzswimmer
(continued)
To impart the right
darting action on
this lure a swimbait
or multi-purpose
casting rod with
1-4oz. lure rating
and a med-fast
action is ideal, and
though I did find
that beefier rods
rated 4oz. and up
worked fine as well,
as long as they had
a med-fast action
necessary to impart
the proper rod
twitches and create
the Dowzswimmer’s
erratic darting
action. At the end
of the day with the
right setup the
Dowzswimmer really
is not a difficult,
or intimidating,
bait to fish all
day. There are a lot
of bait’s that
really do a number
on your gear, and
your arms, but the
Dowzswimmer is
simply not one of
them.
The Dowzswimmer
casts easily and is
light enough to be
fished all day
without straining
your arms and
shoulders
If you really want
to get creative with
your depths the
Dowzswimmer also has
a second eye,
similar to the
Gantarel, which can
be used to add a
drop weight and
target fish deeper
in the water column.
While most anglers
will probably not
utilize this feature
it is nice to have
the option. I’ve
caught a few fish
basically drop-shotting
Gantarels, but
haven’t got any bass
to jump on the
Dowzswimmer when
rigged the same way.
What this second eye
is good for is
simply clipping on
some additional
weight if your goal
is to simply alter
your rate of fall
during retrieves.
The Ghost Wakasagi
pattern is probably
the most subtle
finish and looked
great in clear water
Price &
Applications:
Talk to a non-angler
and tell them that
this bait retails
for $49.99 and they
will think that you
are out of your
mind. Discuss the
same bait and price
with another
swimbait angler and
you are likely to
get a very different
response. These days
spending 50 dollars
for a swimbait is
considered par for
the course, and even
“affordable” as far
as premium swimbaits
go, and JDM handmade
baits often retail
for many times more.
When it comes to
swimbaits Jackall is
definitely known
best for their
popular Gantarel
Series, but new
baits like the
Gantia and
Dowzswimmer are
enticing for anglers
looking for trout
imitators, or simply
baits with longer
and larger profiles.
This big-bait can be
effective for bass
and stripers, and I
found that it really
performed best in
bodies of water
where the fish
routinely prey on
trout or kokanee,
and will quickly key
in on the
Dowzswimmer’s
familiar looking
profile.
There is a second
eyelet positioned
discretely below the
bait's chin to add
weight and increase
sink rate during
retrieves
The only thing that
is a bit of a pain
with the Dowzswimmer
is the extra care
necessary to
preserve the lure’s
elastomeric tail.
While this material
is very resistant to
strike damage, the
polymers used in
this tail can react
with other
traditional
plastics. Keeping
the Dowzswimmer away
from your other
swimbaits and
plastics can be
problematic with a
bait of this size
and ultimately what
I ended up doing was
simply keeping the
plastic protective
clamshell, which
shipped with the
bait, and clamping
it back onto the
lure’s tail before
placing it into a
box with other
baits.
To protect the tail
you can use the
plastic cover that
the bait shipped
with, and as a
backup the bait
comes with one extra
tail
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Jackall
Dowzswimmer
220SF
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
The kind
of
quality
and
construction
that we
have
come to
expect
from
Jackall.
Well
built
with
finishes
that
hold up
and the
stock
hardware
is
actually
decent.
The bait
does
look and
feel
more
mass
produced
than
custom,
but the
consistency
across
baits is
excellent |
8.5 |
|
Performance |
Overall
great
performance
in lakes
and
river
systems
where
the bass
and
stripers
prey on
trout.
It wills
till
work on
other
bodies
of water
but just
not as
well.
This
bait
does
benefit
from
more rod
tip
movement
to
create
the
darting
action
and is
more
work
than the
Gantarel |
8 |
|
Price |
Though
not
cheap
the
$49.99
dollar
price
tag is
pretty
much
what we
expect
for a
bait of
this
size and
quality
these
days |
8 |
|
Features |
Plenty
of
features
including
quality
finishes,
interesting
joint
design,
extra
eyelet
for
weight
modification,
and the
elastomeric
tail |
9 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Though
relatively
large in
size the
Dowzswimmer
casts
surprisingly
well and
will not
do a
number
on your
arms and
shoulders
like
many
other
larger
baits.
When it
comes to
retrieves
mixing
it up
tends to
yield
the best
results |
8.5 |
|
Application |
Great
for Bass
and
Stripers
but
basically
any
predatory
fish
that
feeds on
trout or
similarly
shaped
fish.
When it
comes to
strikes
and
landed
fish the
Gantarel
still
has my
vote as
the most
versatile
swimbait
in
Jackall's
lineup |
8 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.33 |
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
|
|
+
Well
built
lure
that
brings a
lot of
what we
like
about
other
Jackall
baits to
a
longer,
more
slender,
profile |
-
Not
quite as
easy to
effectively
fish as
the
Gantarels |
|
+
Interesting
hybrid
swimming
action
that
mixes
traditional
swimbait
and
glidebait
action |
-
Has that
"mass
produced"
quality
versus
custom swimbait
look and
feel |
|
+ Can be
fished
at all
speeds.
Does not
lose
action
at high
speeds |
|
|
+
Great
for
lakes
and
rivers
where
bass and
striper
crush
the
trout |
|
|
+ A
reasonable
price
for this
size/quality
big-bait |
|
Conclusion:
Personally I feel
that the best
swimbait that
Jackall makes is
their Gantarel
Series, and I’ve
caught more fish
with the traditional
Gantarel, and
Gantarel Jr., baits
than probably any
other swimbait
series on the
market. When I fish
the Gigantarel I
feel like I am
swinging for the
fences, and while
the Dowzswimmer is
just a little longer
it doesn’t have the
same mass or weight
of the Giganteral,
making it easier to
commit to all day.
That being said I do
feel like you have
to invest more time
into learning how to
incite the right
action into the
Dowzswimmer than all
the Gantarels, which
are deadly fish
catching machines,
even during straight
retrieves.
While I can get a
lot of fish to get
interested enough to
follow the
Dowzswimmer, it is
usually an
aggressive rod
sweep, or twitch,
that imparts that
extra darting action
that
ultimately triggers
followers to commit.
Fishing the Jackall
Dowzswimmer takes a
little more work
than the Gantarel,
but get creative and
mix it up on
retrieves to entice
quality fish to
strike
This is a bait that
you need to spend a
little time with,
and requires that
you adapt your rod
action to find what
the fish are really
interested in on
your particular body
of water, and
depending on the
daily conditions.
The Dowzswimmer's
long slender profile
makes it a good
trout imitator, and
is a great option
for any lake where
you know Rainbow
stockers or Kokanee
are on the menu.
Don’t be afraid to
be creative, and the
more you mix it up,
the more likely you
are to get a lunker
with the Dowzswimmer.
Looking for the Dowzswimmer? Try
Tackle Warehouse
