|
Creature Fever:
Wave Worms Tiki Stick Goes Pro and Gets Heavier and Softer
| Date: |
4/15/12 |
| Tackle type: |
Lure |
| Manufacturer: |
Wave Worms |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.25 -
GREAT
Introduction:
When it comes to soft
plastic stick baits the first lure that usually comes to mind is the good old
Yamamoto Senko. This lure is so popular that some anglers even refer to all
stickbaits as “Senkos.” There is no question that the Senko is a flat out fish
catching machine, in fact it is what many anglers that are just starting out
with lures build their confidence on. Yet it is the one lure that bass fishermen
seem to never outgrow and many professional anglers continue to turn to the
Senko when there is money on the line.
|
Wave Worms Tiki Stick
Specifications |
| Type |
Soft
stickbait worm |
| Material |
Plastic |
| Colors/Patterns |
5+
available |
| Size |
5 inch
|
| Scent |
Yes
(MOLOPO) |
| MSRP |
$4.99 (pack of 10 lures) |
A familiar
"creature," the Wave Worms Tiki Stick is now Super Soft
As with so many fishing lures
when a formula works it spawns an entire category and today there are well over
50 different stick bait options from a wide array of manufacturers. Most look
very similar in profile to the Senko but some have a slightly different take on
the formula which may consist of different materials, fall rates, actions,
increased durability and reduced price. Wave Worms has been selling their Tiki
Sticks for years and these lures exhibit a slow fall rate a very constant
horizontal fall but are designed to deliver plenty of action when rigged wacky
style.
The Tiki Stick
SSP (blue) side by side with a traditional Yamamoto Senko
The newest bait in the Wave
Worms Tiki Stick lineup is the new “Super Soft Pro.” As the name of the bait
implies the new “SSP” is now a lot softer which generates more action during the
fall and is designed to be more collapsible and feel more natural to fish.
Though the bait looks very similar in profile it uses a heavier plastic which
allows it to hold twice as much salt and deliver a faster rate of fall.
Both worms are
infused with copious amounts of salt
Impressions:
Visually the Tiki Stick Super Soft Pro is near identical to the Senko and
features a fat profile that tapers down much like a genuine crawler. The only
real cosmetic difference is the signature flat area in the upper half of the
Senko, which resembles a citellum on a worm, but also helps anglers gauge the
hook position on the bait.
The new Tiki
Stick is soft enough to tie in a knot
From just a few feet away it
would be easy to mistake the SSP for the Senko but another thing that sets them
apart is Wave’s signature scent. The MOLOPO scent is infused into the bait
itself so the lures are not slippery or sticky. The actual scent is somewhat
hard to describe and really doesn’t smell overpowering, more than anything else
it seems to mask the scent of the plastic.
The worms are
5" in length
Real World Tests:
To test the Tiki Stick SSP we hit some of our favorite Northern California bodies
of water for fishing soft stick baits, this included the Delta, Clear Lake and
Lake Berryessa. Tests included fishing these baits with a variety of rigging
methods and side by side with other popular stick baits including the venerable
Yamamoto Senko.
The soft
plastic makes this a great bait for wacky rigs
Casting:
One of the best things about stickbaits is their versatility and the Tiki Stick
Pro is extremely flexible allowing it to be used for everything from Carolina
and Texas Rigs to dropshot, weighted hook, weightless and wacky rigs. Weighing
just over 3oz. in weight the Tiki Stick is easy to cast even when it is rigged
weightless, which actually proved to be one of the most effective ways to fish
this lure.
Rigged Texas
for a weedless presentation
Next Section: The SSP vs. the Senko fall rate in
video |
