Bombshell Turtle Fishing Lure Review

 Perhaps you have seen the ads and banners online for Castaila Outdoor's newest creation, a soft-plastic turtle lure? Or maybe you have watched the impressive YouTube advertisement for the Bombshell Turtle, complete with a turtle in a glass, tempting hungry bass? I was skeptical but interested in this new lure and recently received a few, in two different colors.

It's recommended to fish the Bombshell Texas-Rigged and I did so as you can see in the abovevideo. You'll notice the lure doesn't have a whole lot of action, except perhaps on a quick retrieve or on a fast jerk. This is also an observation noted by Field and Stream, in their ICAST Pool video test. The lure looks great, feels very solid and durable to the touch, but seems to lack significant action in the water. Bombshell Turtle does have a nice hook slot in the bottom, allowing for easy rigging and hopefully easy hookups. I think the best application of this lure is in the spawning time, when anglers infuriate bass by dropping various predator-style lures on their beds. Artificial crayfish, frogs, bluegill, and now even turtle lures can be utilized thanks to Bombshell. I have no doubts that it should catch fish in this environment, but I tried it out over the summer, well past the spawn, without much luck for largemouth. Still, there are quite a few videos on YouTube showing anglers nailing the bass on the Bombshell Turtle, so I wouldn't rule it out too fast. 

This lure comes in a great selection of different colors, several in varied hues or mixed blends for better variation. There are 8 colors total, from Black/Silver to Softshell and Snapper. Each pack comes with 6 turtles, in a very nicely-designed bag (see above). The marketing behind this little lure is quite intense and I feel their website is worth a look, even if you aren't going to buy any lures. Castaila also makes an interesting saltwater crab lure, called the Bombshell Crab.

The Bombshell Turtle is not a terrible lure. In fact, I actually like it-I love seeing a new, unique and interesting lure design. It's quite durable, comes in nice array of colors, and has received some decent marketing online. However, I can't say I entirely recommend this lure to my readers. This is chiefly due to the limited action it has in the water. On a quick retrieve, the back fins get moving, but on a slow falls it really seems lifeless. It might work better had the paddles been more thin or angled differently. Overall, The Bombshell Turtle by Castaila Outdoors is a unique lure that may need a little more refining before I would feel very confident using it on a regular basis. Check it out today at Castaila Outdoors website!

Lure Review: Triggerfish Steerable Topwater Lure

Testing Ground

ThinkTankLure’s announcement of a “steerable lure” back in 2011 at iCast was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and press coverage. Tackle Tour, InFisherman, Field and Stream, plus several other websites covered this unique topwater bait. However, since then, I haven’t heard much about the Triggerfish. Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with the folks at ThinkTankLures and I have a brand new review on this exciting topwater lure.  

Design
ThinkTankLures has basically taken the Walk-the-Dog concept to a new level with the Triggerfish. The head swings from side to side, acting as a weight to change directions of the lure as needed. Line tie is on top of the lure, not by the lip, unlike many other hardbaits. The Triggerfish features two sets of treble hooks, like most poppers and topwaters, along with a prop at the rear for greater topwater action. Finally, the Triggerfish comes in a huge selection of excellent colors. One I prefer is the Ayu Shad color, but there are many others (20 total!) for anglers to choose from.

Action
Here’s where the real fun with the Triggerfish lies-in its unique, steerable action. I’m not going to go into super detail on how to best retrieve this lure (ThinkTankLures does a fine job on their website complete with instructional video), but I will assure you that it isn’t too hard to figure out. Don’t expect this to be a straight cast and crank lure. Rather, you’ll actually take near complete control of the various directions the lure heads, using short snaps of the line to change the weighted, swinging head direction. It may sound similar to the concept behind a Zara Spook and walking the dog, but it’s taking this to a whole new level. I thoroughly enjoyed the steerable aspect of the Triggerfish. As you can see in my YouTube video below, you can easily change directions and get the lure into some pretty tight spots, or just around various bits of interesting cover. There have been a few reviews online where people discussed having a hard time using the lure-this is simply not the case if you follow the instructions on the website! It’s important to note that this is definitely not a lure to fish in weedy, the duel treble hooks will make your life miserable fast! The lure doesn’t respond like a normal hardbait, instead, it lays on its side in the water, churning up a wake with its rear prop on retrieve.



Durability
With sharp VMC hooks a solid paint job, the Triggerfish is definitely not one lure that I was worried about in the durability department. Errant casts on my part occasionally sent the lure bouncing off hard cover, but with no noticeable effect on the lure’s performance or finish.

Price
At $12.99, it’s not the cheapest topwater bait on the market. However, the high quality components and unique design really make this price look like a bargain.

Summary
I can’t recall having as much control and fun while fishing a bass lure as with the Triggerfish. The ability to control a lures direction on a topwater bait is awesome. It may not be the best topwater bait for every condition, but when you need a topwater bait to work its way around cover, or in a style rarely seen by fish, the Triggerfish is a must-have. I hope other anglers out there will have as much fun as I’ve had with the Triggerfish. Next stop? Silverwood, for early morning striper boils with ThinkTankLure’s Triggerfish-photos to come soon hopefully!

Dynamic Lures HD Trout Jerkbait Review

Dynamic Lures Fishing in Action

Update: You can now purchase Dnyamic Lures on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2yhTT06

Dynamic Lures is a new company on the proverbial fishing lure block. They offer an impressive range of affordable jerkbaits and swimbaits. Based in Colorado, their products have been heavily advertised online and recently picked up by several large fishing tackle retailers, namely Bass Pro Shops, Sportsman's Wharehouse, and Cabelas. I was particularly interested in their HD Trout series of hardbait lures. After getting in touch with the company, I have several of these fine jerkbaits to show you along with them in action on video.

Topwater Cicada Lure Reviews: Megabass Grand Siglett, wLure T4, Jet Tackle Crazy Bug

 

So, what is a cicada? Chances are, you have heard them singing in the trees during the summer, yet not seen them up close. They are basically a large, buzzing insect with prominent wings. Upon falling in the water, they put up a tremendous disturbance, making them easy prey for largemouth bass and oversized bluegill. An obvious example of this may been here, in a YouTube clip depicting the cicada's action in the water and subsequent demise.

Real Fish Bait HardBait Shad Swimbait Review + Video

There's currently a vast array of swimbaits being produced in Asia. Some of these are sold through major brands like Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas, while others may be found through more specialized fishing tackle distributors, with some very unique and interesting lures available. Such is the case with Real Fish Bait, based out of Modesto, California. Tackle Tour has featured Real Fish Bait on their website several times, mostly for their large selection of affordable swimbaits, both hard and soft. Most recently, Tackle Tour showed off some of the new offerings from Real Fish Bait at this year's ISE.  I was fortunate enough to get to try some of the latest swimbait offerings from Real Fish Bait, including their impressive Hardbait Shad lures. (More after the jump with video)