Megabass Knuckle FX Square Bill Crankbait Product Review

Lure Review

A Squarebill with Special FX : The Megabass Knuckle (continued)

Dive Time: The Knuckle FX wastes little time diving once you click over the handle of your reel, but it doesn't go very deep. It's rated at up to five feet in depth and can easily reach this on a long enough cast and thin diameter fishing line. This of course, is with the bait's bill in the most forward position possible.

One downside is, the edge of the bait's bill on either side and at the back, closest to the bait's body has the tendency to catch weeds.

With a simple click of that bill into the back position, the bait becomes a shallow running diving to about one to two feet depending on the length of your cast and diameter of your fishing line. Click the bill back and the bait returns to its normal diving depth.

In both cases, whether retrieved fast or slow, the Knuckle FX wobbled its way back to the boat with no issues.

The bait comes with thin wire, Katsuage hooks. These are Gamakatsu replacements.

Speaking of the Knuckle FX's wobble, the bait has a very tight swimming motion that you can easily feel with fluorocarbon or braided line. It's a little more subtle when using nylon monofilament. Additionally, if you're using a super fast retrieve ratio reel like the 9.0:1 REVO Rocket and try to burn the bait back to your position, it does have the tendency to spin out. I fished it mostly with my Shimano Conquest 101 but also with my Metaniums, Daiwa Zillions, Quantum EXOs and more and rarely ran into this issue, but it's one that should be noted.

You can probably get a sense as to my favorite color in this bait.

Design/Ergonomics: The Knuckle FX comes with the traditional, thin wire Katsuage hooks that Megabass uses on the majority of their baits. These hooks have very good penetrating power, but can get straightened out if you're fishing line has a breaking strength over ten pound (10lbs) and your drag is locked down. These hooks can also bend out just trying to get them out of the fish's mouth as well, so be cautious when muscling them.

The Knuckle FX 60 is priced at $21.99 per bait.

Price & Application: Priced just over twenty dollars at twenty one ninety nine ($21.99) the Knuckle FX is a very good shallow water option and that adjustable bill really does work and is effective at changing the bait's running depth to suit any possible scenario you may run into requiring this bit of flexibility. We're a little surprised there are only thirteen (13) available colors, but it is difficult enough as it is deciding between these 13 and at $21.99 a pop, well.

I too, was skeptical of that adjustable bill. That is, until I landed a few of these.

Ratings:

Megabass Knuckle FX Squarebill Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	Nice little plug that's consistent bait to bait	9
Performance	Best at slow to medium-fast retrieves and that bill really does work	8
Price	Typical Megabass, what more is there to say?	6.5
Features	Adjustable bill and sharp hooks though the hooks are not very durable	7.5
Design (Ergonomics)	Sure there are only 13 available colors, but try deciding between them all	7.5
Application	A good option in shallow water applications where you need a compact little crank	7
Total Score		7.58
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
+ Nice compact design that's easy to cast	- Thin wire hooks that will eventually need to be replaced
+ Adjustable bill is like having two baits in one	- The bill has a tendency to catch grass if fished in this type of cover
+ Nice Megabass quality finishes

One body of water that has a lot of applications for a bait like this? The California Delta.

Conclusion: Megabass's Knuckle FX crankbait hasn't received a lot of fanfare and that's probably due to the fact people were skeptical of that adjustable bill. We were too, but after fishing it on and off for a couple of years since its introduction, it's proven to be an effective little bait and has certainly earned a spot in my overflowing tackle box. Good thing it doesn't take up much room! Looking for a unique little bait that you can fish from shallow to super shallow? The Knuckle FX is definitely worth checking out.

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