Spintrix and Basstrix Review

I have never really done a product review so please, take it easy on me….. Everyone who has been hunting for big fish understands that the swimbait is the king of all kings and my first live look at a huddleston left me walking away scratching my head. Do bass really eat stuff this big? Well, simply put, yes. I’ve come to realize that bass are a lot like cichlids. When they are aggressive mode they will eat or attack just about anything that crosses their paths. If anyone has ever owned a fish tank you know exactly what I am talking about.

Let me take a brief stroll down memory lane for a long-winded analogy. As a kid I used to have a 125 gallon fish tank and I chose to raise South American cichlids. They were very aggressive and would eat anything I threw in the tank. They used to eat guppies, gold fish, night-crawlers, spiders, crickets, roaches, hot dogs, and if they were nesting you could forget about it. In fact, I would sometimes walk in to my room and turn on the light only to find an adult fish missing. We all know that bass can act like that sometimes but not all the time. Which is why it’s important to use life like lures at times and this is where the Spinrtrix Blade Runner and Basstrix Minnow Paddle Tail come into play.

I’ll be the first to admit that the first time I heard of this thing was while I was watching Bassmasters. Then a couple of weeks later my brother told me he was using it and caught some quality fish. We went out fishing one day and he even showed me the action on this thing. When it’s gliding through the water it says one thing, “Eat me.” The action is awesome and the tail moves back and forth in a very natural fluid motion enticing bass to strike.

The very first time I used it at one of our favorite South Bay hot spots I caught two really nice bass. They pounced on it and the set feels very much like a crank bait (at least to me). The other thing I like about this is the hook placement. Being that the hook is on top you are able to navigate it through vegetation fairly easily. When I was using it, the weeds were just starting to appear and it cruised right through with no problems. After catching those two nice fish I lost the lure when it snapped off my line. Maybe my fault, I should have used a palomar knot.

There are two components to this bait. The Spintrix Blade Runner (photo above) an the Basstrix Paddle Tail which comes in a variety of different patterns (photo right).

I’ve heard from several sources that you can also texas rig or drop-shot the tails but I haven’t tried it myself. My only gripe with this bait is its durability. It’s almost as though every fish you lose a tail – kind of a bummer. I guess it’s the small price you pay for perfection. I hear local shops are having a tough time stocking these guys so keep an eye out next time you are in your local bait and tackle shop.

Overall: Thumbs Up

Disclaimer: I am not a pro bass fisherman nor do I claim to be. I am simply stating my own opinion and this is one I think everyone should try out. If anyone out there is interested in writing articles for SJB please email me. I sure could use the help.

Marce

The Pontoon’s Maiden Voyage

The only time I have ever fished on the water was from a boat. It was either an aluminum boat, fishing boat, wakeboarding boat, houseboat – I think you get the picture. That was up until this past weekend when I had a chance to christen the pontoon I purchased on Craigslist last week. It’s an eight foot Bucks Bag pontoon and since I have never tubed before I can’t really compare the two but what I can do is share with you is my very first tooning experience … Continue Reading

2005 Crestliner 1700 Mirage

I guess you can say that my Dad received the best Father’s Day gift last year – A brand new Crestliner with some electronic goodies to go with it. My Mom approached my brother and I with the idea last year and being that he and I enjoy spending time on the water I feel we were both on the same page from the start. We wanted a boat that was versatile and could be used in a variety of different environments and could also act as a “family” boat when needed. We did tons of research – I looked at the Trackers, Lunds, Ranger, and couple of no-namers. I checked out the construction quality, warranties, and motors and in the end – I felt the Crestliner was right for us. We all did and luckily we located one at Salinas Valley Marine.

Since we’ve almost had the boat for a year, I thought it was time to give my

100% honest opinion on the Mirage. First off, I really like the design – the storage is great and the configurable bench seat is a must have in a smaller boat like the 1700. The only issue I have with the seat, is that it had a design flaw. When the bench seat was flipped over, it rubbed against the sidewall and tore the vinyl. Our dealer made some metal brackets to cover up the sides and protect the sidewall. This should have been addressed by Crestliner at the factory. The instrumentation is nice and we added a Lowrance fishfinder and GPS module at the driver’s console and bow. Since most boats come with nothing but the standard gauges you usually have to spring for the good stuff. Some manufacturers offer packages but you can usually negotiate the boat price down and buy the stuff yourself later and still save money. We also added a boat charger and Minn Kota trolling motor. We added the 55lb thrust model (per the dealer suggestion) and I wish we would have gone with something with more thrust and voltage. It does also have a livewell and rod locker. We rarely use the rod locker but I do like the fact that they made it accessible if the bench seat is up or down. This was well thought out so they get a plus on

that one. We also chose to go with the vinyl type flooring instead of the traditional astro-turf like material. It’s user friendly and cleans real easily. The seats are comfortable and they remove with the click of a button. You have the option to buy additional seats but with the bench seat already installed I don’t really see a need to purchase them. The boat did not come with a boat cover so I went online to boatcovers.com and they had our particular model on file. You just choose your engine model size (115 4-Stroke in our case) and location of your trolling motor and they take care of the rest. It’s fits like a glove and was delivered in roughly 10 business days. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the boat. It does have it’s quirks (see below) but it handles very well and the craftsmanship is some of the best out there.

Model: 2005 Crestliner 1700 mirage

Pros: The boat handles various types of water great. The workmanship on the aluminum hull is near perfection and the interior is nicely designed as well. Does not have that “cheap” feeling when you grab and shake the console or windshield. It’s a very sturdy nicely designed watercraft and could be one of the top in its class.

Cons: Bench seat tore the sidewall vinyl. Steering seems to be a little on the stiff side. Moving from neutral to forward sometimes seems like it’s grinds into gear. May need some adjustments from the dealer. Livewell pump went out on us while in the delta.

Dealer: Salinas Valley Marine – These guys are pretty good. They have been responsive to our needs but I do wish they would have recommended a larger trolling motor. Like I said, the 55lb gets us moving around but something with a little more power would be optimum.