Primus

I know this is an old thread but I thought I might chime in. The Bullshads are absolutely worth it and get chewed. If you have a swimbait rod and have a combo that can comfortably throw a 2 ounce plus bait get the 6" . My recommendation for a good rod to throw this on would be a Dobyns 795 . That said the 5" will work better if you don't have a rod/ reel combo for the bigger baits. The Bull shad works well at times with slow steady retrieve however this video featuring Mike Bucca the designer of the bait will show he recommends it to be fished. All I can say is that this bait is considered a must have amongst many hard core swimbait anglers because it's accessible and produces year after year

Nice looking Glidebait.

Looks like a cool bait, I will have to add one to my next order.

I have not used the smaller size Pocket Rocket but with the larger size I have a feeling it might be a little difficult with that type of wacky tool.

Totally agree as it's always been my most consistent walk the dog bait. I have some of the originals and have no plans on selling them. This is my other favorite soft stick bait besides the Senko, I have only used the 5.5 ". I use the G7 wacky tool to install the O rings. Here is a link to the G7 tool https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/G7_Worm_Tube_Pliers/descpage-G7WTP.html My preferred O ring is this one made by Mustad. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustad_Wacky_O-Ring_Replacement_Pack_25pk/descpage-MWO.html

Catt is right , the focus besides profile of the bait should be rate of fall. For example you can take an average size 1/2 oz jig and the rate of fall will change considerably depending on the trailer selected. If I take that jig and throw a Beaver style trailer the bait will fall faster than using a Strike King Rage craw as a trailer which will flap as it descends resulting in a slower rate of fall. There are also times when a fast rate of fall with Texas rigged baits pegged with 1 to 1-1/2 sinkers will catch more as it results in reaction strikes. Watch a few Ish Monroe vids about " dropping bombs " as he calls it. Even with the the heavy weights trailer selection can alter the rate of fall and make the difference in the number of bites so it pays to experiment. Obviously there are times when the opposite is true as a slower rate will catch more fish especially when the water is colder. Versatility is the key.

I've still have a couple of sub warts, it definitely puts them in the boat. My favorite small ultra shallow crank would be the Jackall Cherry 0 footer. It looks more lively when swimming it over the others that I have tried and seems to get the most bites. Worth hunting down as they are as not as readily available as they once were.

I thought I would chime in on the 25 size, my understanding is that Bill Siemental designed this to be fished like a crank bait which is why it almost impossible to wake it.

1. 10" Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail- Tilapia color is my favorite color 2. 10" Berkely Power Worm I usually throw them with a 3/8 oz Tunsten slip sinker

My favorite stickbait that's not named a Senko would be a Reaction Innovations 5.5" Pocket Rocket . Because it's narrow in the middle I use the small size Mustad O ring that has a hook slot that keeps the hook more perpendicular to the bait. The G7 worm tube pliers is what I install it with.

I don't know if you watch the Tucker Carlson show but he profiled this story, it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

Wake baits like an Evergreen ND 180, Buzzbaits & Whopper Ploppers would be my consistent however just about any topwater could work when the timing is right. That said wind , water clarity & the water temperature need to be considered. I remember tearing them up at a lake last year during the post spawn with a weedless frog. Keep an open mind.

It's been a few years since I fished a Mojo rig but it excelled in catching numbers of fish. I remember 4" lizards, small tubes & 4" rib worms working very well, that said I'm sure many other soft plastics would get the job done including those listed by the preceding comments.

I will pay the extra for the Senkos as I don't fish stick worms as often as most other fisherman in my area though I tend to use them the most around the spawn. The other one I really like is the 5.5" Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket. I found the Mustad Wacky O-ring works better than the standard O RINGS and helps the Senko's to last longer as well .

In addition to what's been said keep in mind drop speed can be a big factor in provoking strikes, sometimes a quick falling craw, tube or creature bait behind a heavy sinker can get the Bass to react when a slow falling bait at times like a Senko will fail to get a strike. Of course the opposite can be true as well which is what makes Bass fishing with lures a rewarding but at times challenging avocation.

Dug up this picture from last October, this was my best one using the Bellows Gill

Having trouble uploading some of my pictures, will add later as I got to go to work.

I've had a good spring so far, these are from April

I admit I have overlooked it for a few years as other trendier baits came along, however in the last couple of years I've rediscovered the Buzzbait and I'm fond of using it in weedier places where getting a treble hook lure is difficult. I almost always remove the skirt and add a Zoom Horney Toad. This adds bulk, which makes it easier for when I need to make long cast into the wind and also makes easy to pitch the bait as well for when I need to make tight cast into or alongside heavy cover. In addition to that the toad bait makes it easier to plane the bait at a slower speed if needed.

Good stuff A-jay, thanks for sharing

I fished a very weedy lake last fall and started catching them on a Caffienne Shad, fishing it with a typical Fluke style retrieve and caught a few solid 1-3 lbers. Back track a few days prior to that I had received an order from a well known on line tackle shop and one of the items in the package was the 5.8 " Bellows Gill, I ordered 1 bag because the promotional video had me intrigued by this bait in my on going quest to show the fish something different. So after sticking a few on the Caffenne Shad I decided to make a few cast with my new bait, I rigged it up on a traditional Texas rig with an EWG hook weighted by a slip sinker. Fished it about 1/2 hour that way with no strikes. I had another rod on the deck of my boat with an 8/0 Owner Beast hook with a little lead tape wrapped around the shank, my guess is their was about 3/32 oz of lead wrapped on the hook , this was attached to 20 lb Florocarbon on a Daiwa flipping stick and a Shimano reel that I was using for fishing swimbaits over the grass. I felt the sinker rig I was using made the bait fall too fast so noticing that this seemed to match up well on the 8/0 beast hook I decided to try it on that set-up. So the thought finally occurred to me to start retrieving it like a fluke which was successful earlier on that rainy day. Well needless to say I started catching fish on it , and almost all of them were over 3 lbs with the biggest being a nice 5 lber. If I remember right my 5 best fish would have been in the low 20's had I been fishing a tournament that day which is a real good day where I'm from. Needless to stay I was very impressed and now have a few extra packs available. I have not fished it yet this season but anticipate that I will soon be breaking it out as our fish are in the late prespawn/ spawn / postspawn mode and soft plastics are now taking on more prominence. The 5.8 " Bellows Gill will remind you somewhat like an oversized beaver style bait, it also has a very distinctive shrimp like smell to it.

I personally like the Magnum Caffeine Shad over the Magnum Super Fluke based on my experience with these baits. That said I'm always never to proud to learn from others, if I may ask Hower08 how are you rigging them in terms of line & hook selection ? Regarding the Mag Fluke are you dead sticking more than the regular size Super Fluke ? Curious about your approach if you don't mind sharing .

I prefer the 130 and 75 size, not a fan of the 90. The 110 & 130 get about the same number of bites and when fishing for largemouth I will usually choose the larger bait. I have a 130 in the Perch color that's been annihilated several times.

Thanks for sharing your review .