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What Do You Get When You Cross a Zara Spook and a Pop-R?
(continued)
  Recommended Line: I used braid exclusively with this bait but would not hesitate to use nylon monofilament or any other type of line that will stay on top of the water versus something like a fluorocarbon line or leader that has a tendency to sink and effect the action of the lure on top.
Toss this bait into the algae and it comes back with a mouthful.
Hooks: The hooks that come standard with the XPod are typical
Megabass light wire hooks but the bait can support heavier replacements. On our recent trip to the Amazon, I swapped out the stock hooks on a couple of my XPod baits using 1/0 Owner 3/0 hooks. The bait looked and felt odd, but once in the water and working it, everything was fine and I was able to entice several butterfly peacocks into striking.
The XPod's stock hooks are fine for black bass, but ...
Durability: Surprisingly, the finish on these XPod baits hold up better than expected, especially the more metallic finishes. I was prepared to have the bait pictured in the majority of these photos begin to lose its finish on the very first cast, but it held up through the entire first trip as well as some duty at El Novillo in Mexico several months later.
... if you're chasing after meaner species, we recommend upgrading. We found the bait works just fine with 1/0 Owner 3x hooks - so well in fact, that the XPod can be declared "Amazon
Certified".
The real test of this bait's durability was to take place in the Amazon, but the color that was most effective for me down there was a matt finish instead of metallic, and I've typically had less problems with the matt finishes staying on with my Megabass and even Lucky Craft baits than others. On this occasion, my experience was no different.
Ratings:
|
Megabass XPod
Ratings
(?/10) |
|
Construction/Quality |
Another winner from Megabass |
8.5 |
|
Performance |
Casts well, easy to work |
9 |
|
Price |
Quite expensive for a bait of this size and profile, but then again, it is a Megabass |
5 |
|
Features |
Sharp stock hooks, crazy adjustable jaw |
8 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Really nice color selection |
8 |
|
Application |
From top to subsurface |
9 |
|
Total
Score |
7.92 |
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 |
|
+ Casts well and easy to work |
- You gotta pay to play |
|
+ Nice array of
surprisingly durable finishes |
- If you're looking for a specific color, it might not be all that easy to find |
|
+ Accepts larger hooks without
impacting performance |
|
Conclusion:
All in all, the XPod is a very good, versatile bait whose finish holds up better than expected. Given its versatility, the XPod is probably a better tool in your tackle box than its predecessor, the PopMax, but for some reason, the XPod does not inspire the same mystique. Perhaps I've just grown too accustomed to the Megabass product.
From El Novillo, Mexico, to the Amazon in Brazil, to
Dream Lake, Alabama, the XPod has proven its worth and utility here at TackleTour.
Just the same, where I've grown a bit apprehensive to use my PopMax lures for fear of losing and/or damaging them, I throw caution to the wind with my XPods and will throw them under any condition and into any type of cover. The ability to tune the lure to tailor its sound and action as you need it is interesting, but probably a bit overblown. Realistically, I prefer it in a normal popper like profile or all the way closed so you can use it like a typical cigar bait. I've had little use for this bait as a subsurface wake bait but maybe I just haven't hit the right bite with it yet.
There's still time as this bait will certainly remain in my collection for years to come. It may not inspire the same magic to sit alongside my PopMax collection and that bait's Ultimate Enthusiast Award, but the XPod easily wins Editor's Choice Honors for its versatility and ultimate utility.
Looking for the Megabass XPod? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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