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A "Dink" for big fish, Osprey's
newest swimbait (continued)
 Retrieve
cont'd:
Casting towards the
rock wall I allowed the Dink to make contact with the bottom then brought it
back with a steady retrieve. I repeated this over ten times with not so much as
a follower. At that point I turned around and cast away from the shore and
before the bait could hit the bottom I was rewarded with a quality strike, and
as soon as the fish started running I knew I had a striper on the line.
One of my favorite for clear water
is the Ghost Rainbow pattern
Since I was
fishing with the Dobyns 795ML swimbait stick it was
pretty easy to muscle the fish upwards, but when the striper started running I
knew it had to be somewhat of a quality fish. When we finally landed and weighed
the fish it turned out to be a 13.7lb fish, not too bad, and a good test for the
Dink. The lure held up well to the strike and most importantly the hook did not
bend or break under the strain of the battle. Since that day I have caught other
stripers with the Dink, but none as large as that first fish. Other patterns
like the baitfish and shad pattern also proved to be good striper colors for
targeting stripers as well.
The Osprey brings fish back to the
nest
Durability:
By nature soft swimbaits are not as durable as hardbaits, and with swimbaits
targeting top of the food chain prey they are often put in harm’s way. The Dink
proved to be slightly more resilient than the average soft swimbait, and the
dense plastic used in the bait held up to multiple fish strikes and contact with
structure.
Every time I looked at the
Chartreuse Shad I kept thinking...Stripers
The biggest area of failure
for soft swimbaits is the tail, and we are happy to report that the Dink’s tail
held up extremely well. The tail section and density of the plastic by the tail
is thicker on the Dink than most swimbaits and the tail doesn’t fall over limply
like most other baits. Part of the reason the tail is also more durable is
because it is shorter than many other lures.
Good morning California Delta...
Price & Applications:
The Dink retails for 19.99 which is just about in line with other swimbaits of
the same quality and size. I actually caught the most fish with the Dink at
Stevens Creek Reservoir, a small lake that is often stocked with small trout.
The bass here routinely gorge themselves on stockers and the Dink proved to be
an effective bait at drawing strikes, and though I haven’t caught any bass over
3lbs on the Dink at Stevens Creek I am positive that if I put in the time with
this bait I will eventually be rewarded with a larger fish. Still the lure
proved very effective on lakes regularly stocked with trout, decent on lakes
that are not stocked, and also effective for enticing strikes from stripers.
...the trollers and bait fishermen
were working the deep channels
While I like the profile of
the Dink more than the other Osprey lures I have had greater success catching
quality fish with the Talon series, and that includes the new Tournament and
Winged versions. The benefit of the Dink is that it delivers subtle action in a
smaller easier to fish package but by the same token the missing ultra wide kick
draws less attention than the company’s other lures.
Striper will hit the Dink too
Ratings:
|
Osprey Dink Swimbait Ratings (?/10)
|
| Construction/Quality |
The overall construction on the Osprey Dink is considered good, there isn't anything especially outstanding about the bait's construction, it is what it is, but it does hold up to both structure and fish |
7 |
| Performance |
We considered the overall performance of this bait "great" because it delivers plenty of strikes, and seems to garner a lot of interest from both bass and stripers (depending on pattern). While the biggest fish we caught on the bait was a striper the lure did catch plenty of mid sized bass as well. Feature wise the Dink is Osprey's most realistic looking swimbait to date, but the Talon series has caught more fish for me |
8 |
| Price |
Overall a fair price for a quality swimbait, not overly expensive, and not cheap either |
6.5 |
| Features |
Features include a realistic profile complete with a open mouth design, double boot tail design, and true swimming action |
7 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
The Dink is a easy to fish swimbait, and because it is smaller it gets bites from mid sized fish. |
7 |
| Application |
This may not be the big bass hunter's first choice for trophies but its a great bait for many applications and multiple species |
8 |
|
Total Score
|
7.25 |
Ratings Key: Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
(For a detailed explanation of the ratings go here) |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus Minus
|
| J More realistic profile |
L Doesn't have a big "Kick" |
| J Subtle swimming action |
L Not as realistic as some competitors |
| J Reasonable price |
|
| J Light and easy to throw |
|
Conclusion: The Osprey Dink differs from the company’s other lures in a number of ways, starting with the top hook design versus the treble harness system found on the Talon, also unique is the more lifelike profile and open mouth design. The Dink is appropriately named as it imitates juvenile fish that exhibit a more restrained action in the water, rather than the spirited kick of larger fleeing prey. The Dink performed well in all our tests and held up to the abuse of even stripers, but it is that lack of a hard kick that makes me question whether or not the bait draws as many bites as it should. The lure has proven successful for me in clear water where the more understated action draws strikes from spooky fish, but in the stained water of the Delta I was only able to get bites from stripers. Overall there is a place for the Dink, and while I like the bait overall I still wish the new lifelike profile could be combined with a more attention rousing tail action for an even deadlier permutation.
Want to toss the Dink? Lures are available at
Tackle Warehouse
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