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Double Trouble: River2Sea Twin Vibe 65
(continued)
  Retrieve:
Upon
retrieve, these baits feel pretty consistent with most other lipless cranks out
there. The vibration is easily detectable, and just an average cranking effort
is needed to retrieve them back to you. Whether cranking slow or fast, the test
baits tracked straight and true.
Utilizing the different line ties does have an effect
on running depth as advertised. The front tie keeps the nose of the bait up and
therefore allows it to stay shallower. The rear tie keeps the crank at a
nose-down attitude and allows you to keep the bait down a bit easier. The
cranking torque while reeling is also increased with the rear tie, though it is
not physically demanding by any means.
Hey, that's not a Bass!
The bait sinks fairly quickly, but unfortunately does
so by spiraling to the bottom. Many other lipless rattle baits sink vertically
with a “Senko-like” wobble. Bass will often smash them during this pause as the
bait suddenly stops and shimmies vertically downward. Some of these other baits
will also sit totally upright on the bottom, another trait the Twin Vibe 65
lacks. While the Twin Vibe 65 is indeed a fish catching bait, it lacks some of
the all around performance of other lipless offerings.
This bait became blind after only a few fish.
Durability & Cost:
Like most other hard baits the Twin Vibe 65
showed normal, light battle scarring from average use around hard cover and
structure. The most noticeable durability issue arose with the eyes, which came
off after catching just a few 12-14” Bass.
I found the Twin
Vibe 65 ranging in price from $6.49-$9.99 at different stores. For the overall
quality and performance combined this represents a fair price value range.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
River2Sea
Twin
Vibe
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Beautiful
finishes,
but the
eyes are
a weak
point. |
7.5 |
|
Performance |
The
baits
perform
as
advertised
but lack
some of
the
added
appeal
of other
lipless
crankbaits
on the
market. |
7 |
|
Price |
Hard to
judge
this one
since a
surprising
price
range
was
found
for
these
baits.
Based
solely
on the
$9.99
price we
paid,
it's a
"fair"
value. |
6 |
|
Features |
Solid
features,
but the
rear
hook is
too
small. |
7.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Nicely
shaped
and
detailed. |
8.5 |
|
Application |
Good for
shallow
to
medium
depth
presentations. |
7 |
|
Total
Score
|
7.25 |
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
|
|
+
Lifelike
design
and
finish |
-
Too
small of
a rear
hook |
|
+
Dual
line
ties |
-
Doesn't
sit
upright
or fall
like
other
baits |
|
+
Runs
true at
all
speeds |
-
Eyes are
a weak
point |
|
+
Convenient
packaging |
|
Conclusion:
Despite a few shortcomings, overall the Twin Vibe
65 is a good bait. With a quality build and lifelike features, it not only
looks pretty on the shelf but catches the attention of fish as well. While not
my favorite bait in the box, I found myself reaching for it if I needed a
smaller offering, or wanted to slow roll the bait through deeper territory.
Slow reeling the Twin Vibe tight to shoreline rip rap yielded this chunk.
River2Sea's product lineup
continues to expand with help from world renowned anglers like John Murray,
Scott Martin, Ish Monroe, and Larry Dahlberg. Lipless crankbaits are one of the
most productive hard baits out there and have been a long time favorite of mine
since I started using them on San Francisco Bay for Striped Bass as a teenager.
I'd like to see a few of the shortcomings worked out of the Twin Vibe to make it
even more competitive. With the strong design and finish, a tweak in
performance would make it an outstanding bait and one I'd be more apt to reach
for every time.
Looking for
the River2Sea Twin Vibe? Try
Tackle Warehouse
|
