The School of Bass

Welcome to the School of Bass product reviews section, where we offer reviews and first impressions of products written by School of Bass staff and selected members.

While most reviews in this section are targeted at the School of Bass sponsored products, other products will also be covered.  We are using the blog format for these reviews so we can get the word out quickly about products.  Enjoy!

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loydbaumann  - Pro swimbaits |Registered |03-03-2010 09:29:41 While out prefishing for the ABA tournament on Folsom in Feb, decided to tie on the prowake hologram herring swimbait hoping for a big fish. On my 4th cast, BAM!!!!! A nice 4 pound spotted bass. You can fish the bait with the rod tip up and wake the bait or reel it slow and let it sink.The tail action and the wiggle on the pro swimbaits baits are fantastic and look very real in the water.

damon  - AC Plug Minnow |02-02-2010 02:03:57 Posted by: Damon Witt - Director of "The School of Bass" You ever have one of those baits that you just cant seem to put down. It just produces time after time and some days it just gets crazy good. Well for the last 3 or 4 years I have had one rod that always has that special bait on it. I always have it on the deck, ready to go, and it always gets used. The bait for me is the AC plug minnow 7" Rainbow color. I have fished alot of swimbaits and topwater baits over the years but none have produced as well at the AC plug. I record all my catches of largemouth over 5 lbs and spots over 3 lbs each year. Once I started usig the AC Plug minnow on a consistant basis my bigger catches almost tripled in numbers. I was shocked to say the least. (This was after 5 years of fishin Pro-Ams and thinking I had dialed in all the best baits and techniques for our lakes. ) I also have recorded my three best 5 fish limits on this bait. All over 30lbs. Two on the Delta and One on Clear lake. Also two 20lb limits of just spotted bass. One on Folsom and the other on Shasta. This bait is highly effective about 10 months out of the year but does even work still in the winter in the right conditions. In spring is gets "crazy good" all the way through the summer into fall. If you have not thrown this bait you are missing out. And dont even get me started on the 9" model for the really big toads. lol For more info on how to fish the Minnow catch me at the next School of Bass.

philclark  - Dobyns Champion 734C SH |02-02-2010 01:35:25 Dobyns Champion 734C SH cork-split 734C SH 7'3" 1pc. 10-20lb, 1/4-1oz, Hvy Fast Action Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits, Senkos, Horny Toads, Jigs, Small Swimbaits $239.99 I had the opportunity to fish with Dobyns Rods Pro-Staffer Craig Gottwals on Folsom Lake this January. I used this time on the water to test one of his rods for the day. I choose to use the Dobyns 734 Extreme series. The rod is seven foot three inch casting rod and is a four power. This model is a split grip which is designated by the SH in the model number, this rod is also available in a full cork model as well. I remember when the first series of Dobyns rods came onto the market: the rods were good, but did not stand out from the pack. Soon the next generation of Dobyns rods came out claiming that they were better than the first. These next generation rods boasted better components and building materials. At first glance I thought that the new rods were much like the old with only a higher price tag; that was until today. I pulled the right-hand retrieve Diawa Zillion off of the real seat and replaced the reel with a better suited (only in my mind) Curado 101 spooled with 12# Sunline 100% Fluorocarbon. I was going to test the rod using my favorite technique, fishing a jig. As I attached my reel I noticed a Fuji Reel Seat and a great looking cork handle; these guys have made some improvements. I then started looking at the rest of the rod. The guides and tip are nothing I have seen, very precision and matched to the rod perfectly. I was very impressed with the overall look of the rod and the weight was great as well, light weight with enough power to land some big fish. I then proceeded to put the rod to the test and it performed flawlessly. I wish that my fishing performance could have been so good. The rod is everything that I look for in a fishing rod: lightweight; sensitive; versatile; and it looks good too. I can think of quite a few techniques that lend themselves to the rod. Now, these rods do stand out from the pack. The improvements Dobyns has made to the new rods are outstanding. The rods are totally different from the first generation and are definitely worth the price difference.

philclark  - Jackall MC/60MR |11-24-2009 11:11:45 Shallow Running Crankbait Jackall’s MC60 comes in two diving depths, the MC/60MR medium runner and the MC/60 SR shallow runner. I have over the past two and a half years fished the medium runner in the Ghost Minnow color. This floating bait weighs 3/8 oz., is 2.5 inches long and dives to a depth of 7 feet. Usually when crankbait manufacturers states that it dives a certain depth you can usually subtract 15-25% off of that, but in this case you can get the bait down to 7 feet. I have thrown the bait on 10-12# fluorocarbon line and 7 feet is very reachable with this bait. Jackall designed this bait to fish much like a wood bait, it has two rattle chambers with one ball bearing in each. For a small bait it casts like a dream . Upon first glance the bait was a little awkward to me as the thin plastic bill is shaped different that most other cranks of its size. This was a purposeful design by Jackall to improve the performance as well as diving depth. The next thing I noticed was the great paint job and the attention to detail the bait has, this is a premium bait and it shows. The hardware the MC/60MR comes with is more than adequate, the split rings are small and strong and the line tie is oblong which I really like. Oblong line ties make it much easier to keep the knot away from the split in the split ring, I also believe that it imparts a different action to baits. The stock hooks are larger than you would see on most baits this size. The hooks are more than strong enough for this bait, but do no effect the action. I have fished it straight out of the package and have only sharpened the hooks. Now for the Good stuff, how does the bait perform? Great!!! A true test of a lure or bait is its effectiveness. We all have boxes full of pipedreams, magic baits that look great in the package and in our tackle boxes but after they were put to the test they disappoint. I have to report that this bait catches fish. I have fished the bait from Shasta, on suspended fish next to bluff walls, to Clementine with less than willing Smallies and largemouth on weed flats. This bait catches fish and puts them in the boat. I have fished the bait in a variety of situations and the bait has preformed great in each. If you are looking for a small crankbait, definitely give Jackall’s MC/60MC a shot.

glennunderwood  - Kamakazee Deep Stix |Registered |11-22-2009 01:47:37 Over the summer, I won a bag of Kamakazee 5.5" Deep Stix worms at the School of Bass raffle. On a trip to the Delta in late summer, I decided to give them a try and have fished them several times since then. I fish sinking worms quite a bit and I like them to be dense and have a good action (shimmy) as they sink. Many baits will have one quality or the other, but few have both. I found that the Kamakazee Deep Stix had both traits. Another benefit was that the plastic was a little more durable than many sinking worms and I generally caught multiple fish on them before they were tore up. I've used them T-rigged weightless at the Delta and in farm ponds and have good results everywhere I've tried them. They are a quality sinking worm that catches fish. I recommend the guacamole color for the Delta. Give the Deep Stix a try and you will not be disappointed! Glenn Underwood

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