Giving Bass "The Bird" - A New Crawler From Defiant
Date: |
9/5/23 |
Tackle type: |
Swimbait |
Manufacturer: |
Defiant |
Reviewer: |
Zander |
Introduction: Defiant is best known for their soft bodied 210 and 247
trout profiled swimbaits which feature a line-through rigging system. The
company has been expanding their product range and last season introduced
a range of braided and fluorocarbon lines designed for big bait anglers. This
Summer the company launches their first hard-bodied swimbait, a full sized
topwater crawler called "The Bird."
Defiant
"The
Bird" Specifications |
Type |
Swimbait
- Crawler |
Class |
Float |
Depth |
Surface -
Topwater |
Length |
6 inches
|
Weight
(measured) |
4
ounces |
Material |
ABS - Steel
wire through
construction |
Sections |
One |
Patterns |
4
confirmed
(Baby Goose,
Black Bird,
Brown,
White) |
Features |
Wire through
construction,
BKK Spear-21
hooks,
replaceable
wings, extra
set of
wings, hand
painted
patterns |
MSRP |
$99.99 |
Defiant's first hard bodied
swimbait is a topwater crawler called "The Bird"
A Big Bird:
The Bird is a full sized swimbait crawler measuring 6 inches in length but
looks larger than many other crawlers due to the lure's one-piece design which
showcases a profile of a bird from all angles. Unlike many other crawlers that
feature random shaped bodies and use wings to generate action and water
displacement the metal blades on The Bird are positioned, and profiled, to look
like a bird's actual wings.
The Bird features a ABS body with
a wire through construction
I first learned about The
Bird from Oliver Ngy of Big Bass Dreams fame who was personally involved in the
bait's design. Oliver explained that The Bird was first conceived seven years
ago when the team was looking at food sources of predatory fish that were
underrepresented by various types of lures. Over the span of the last seven
years The Bird went through many iterations to create a lure that
exhibited the action that the team was going for, as well as generate a strong
response from predatory fish. Oliver and the team tested these prototypes on a
variety of fish all over the world, including targeting largemouth bass coast to
coast in the United States and even seeing how well it could stand up to the
viscous strikes of Murray Cod in Australia.
The Bird features beefed up
hardware and wings that can be tuned and replaced
The Defiant team took everything they
learned from this testing to beef up the lure so it would hold up to abuse of
the biggest freshwater predatory fish. This included an internal wired-through
construction similar to many saltwater plugs, use of super sharp and durable BKK
Spear-21 treble hooks, and rotating hook hangers to reduce leverage and keep
fish pinned while reducing hook bends.
A look at the sculpted back of The
Bird
Defiant also knows that the
number one point of failure for crawlers is the metal wing hardware so they
strengthened the connection points on hinges and made the pin design simple to
repair or replace. In the event that the wings are bent beyond repair, or lost, each Bird
comes with an extra set right in the retail box.
Each lure comes with high quality
BKK hooks and two sets of wings
My first casts with the Bird
and I was immediately intrigued. I fish crawlers a good amount, and my go to
crawler has been both the one and two-piece Monka. The Bird has a much large
profile and overall volume than the Monka but it doesn't generate the obnoxious sound or
splash that I expected. The Monka puts out a strong clacking squeaking sound in
addition to splashes and I describe it as an exaggerated action, basically the
bait creates a larger amount of sound and displacement than you might expect in
a bait of this size, and this is especially true of the two piece version.
The Bird is 6 inches in length and
a full sized swimbait. Compare the size of The Bird with a two piece Monka
crawler
In comparison The Bird
generates an aggressive body roll and splashing action that
isn't as loud as you might expect from a lure this large. It actually looks and
sounds more like what you would expect a bird to sound like in the water if it
were struggling, or even injured. I asked Oliver about this more subtle action
for a lure this size and he explained that this was exactly what the team was
going for.
"With
'The Bird' we wanted to
create a genuine profile and action and one of the aspects we targeted was
making a lure that was both big and subtle at the same time. This is one of the
reasons why the lure is a single piece design," Oliver explained.
Overall The Bird looks and
feels like a high quality crawler, and the ABS could easily be mistaken for
resin. With the custom painted finishes and somewhat whimsical designs these
bait's have a custom garage built feel, and I mean that as a compliment.
The Bird is available in a range
of colors that are hand painted
Our Quick Take: After
talking to Oliver I started experimenting some more with the various retrieves
and have been finding The Bird to draw on both straight retrieves and as a
twitch bait. Unlike other crawlers that seem to perform best when retrieved at a
certain speed The Bird's large profile, floating design, and more subtle action
seems very well suited for both high speed burns or just twitching in place.
The bottom of the lure looks both
like a bird and fish belly profile to me. Hook hangers rotate to help keep fish
pinned
I like the four patterns that
Defiant is launching with, and while I'll probably fish the White most the Baby
Goose just makes me smile. The Black Bird looks perfect for fishing in low
light, and though the Brown Bird may look the most subtle I trust Oliver when he
says "don't sleep on it," as we all know that what fish see is very different than
what anglers perceive. This is especially true of topwater baits where the perception
of the bait from below is both limited and different. I feel the shape of the
bird is instantly recognizable as a bird, but can also mimic the belly of a fish
when brought to life with various retrieves.
Stay tuned for a complete review
of The Bird this season (Black Bird shown)
Like many of the other anglers that
call the California Delta region home I have witnessed bass blowing up on ducklings,
demonstrating just how voracious and opportunistic eaters bass are. After just a
few casts and observing this new bait in the water I'm looking forward to putting Defiant's "The Bird" on the menu
this Fall.
Looking for
Defiant Fishing's "The Bird" Crawler?
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Tackle Warehouse
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