|
TackleTour Autopsy: Making Hudd
Fillets
| Date: |
10/27/10 |
| Tackle type: |
Lures |
| Manufacturer: |
Huddleston |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Introduction:
When it comes to soft bodied swimbaits the Huddleston Deluxe is high up on the
list of the most famous and widely used baits by both big bass hunters and
professional anglers, and with good reason… this bait is arguably not only the
most realistic but has accounted for some of the biggest trophy bass catches out
there. You asked for it, in the latest installment of the TT Autopsy we prepare
to fillet a Hudd to see just what makes this big bait so deadly.
Huddeleston Swimbaits are
available in a variety of different sizes and patterns
Huddleston Deluxe: The team at Huddleston have a "Big Bait Theory" that “mature
largemouth will consume the most calories per calorie expended. In other
words, the wiser, heavier Largemouth, consumes the largest, fattest,
high-calorie meal while burning the least amount of calories.” Knowing this they
designed a bait that targeted the bass’s local forage.
So which pattern will we cut open,
the popular Trout pattern of course
While some anglers contend that the 8” Huddleston is simply too big for bass to
eat before Huddleston designed the lure they examined studies which showed that largemouth can eat up to one
third of their own body weight in a single gulp. We now know that Huddleston was
right as those of us that have fished the Hudd have witnessed a complete range
of fish, even some not much bigger than the bait itself, will try and take on this lure.
First a dunk in the tank, notice
how the tail section floats up making it look like the bait is feeding
The biggest mistake most anglers make when fishing the 8” version is they sling
it out and start their retrieve cranking the Hudd in quickly to see the tail
wagging back and forth. Patience Daniel-san, as much as we all like seeing this ultra realistic bait
swimming through the water the Hudd is usually best fished slow…and I mean
slooooooooooow.
A look at the Phantom Trout and
you can see a substructure in the head
Why is that? Huddleston believes it is because these massive fish don’t want to
aggressively pursue a fast and agile one pound trout instead they will opt to
ambush a slow swimming or feeding trout. Huddleston states “this would get the
most calories for the least calories expended.”
Under bright lighting this
structure is more visible, also notice what looks like a pocket of air under the
dorsal fin (more on that later)
To call the Huddleston realistic looking would be an understatement, this bait
looks great right out of the package but in the water the bait looks even more
realistic from just about every angle.
Checking all the specifications
prior to operating
Huddleston did a great job on the paint finish on these baits and there are a
wide range of patterns to choose from. When deciding which pattern to cut open
the choice was an easy one, we had to go with the extremely popular Rainbow
Trout pattern which is responsible for so many lunkers caught here on the West
Coast.
The Hudd can collapse in the
fish's mouth
Next Section: One order of Filet-O-Hudd please |
