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New Bait Company, JSJ Baits Introduces Their Take on Big Baits, the Snack Sized Trout
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Date: |
7/1/08 |
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Tackle type: |
Lures |
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Manufacturer: |
JSJ Baits |
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Reviewer: |
Cal |
Introduction: New big baits are hitting the market faster than we here at TackleTour can toss them into the water! The latest new bait promising to make a splash in your local waterways has been in the works for over a year. It's creator, Josh St. John, comes to us from the world of custom crankbaits
and stepped up to
swimbaits after
getting his first
taste of the craze
fishing existing big
baits. Today, we introduce his take on the big bait craze and share with you his new Snack Sized Trout (SST) - a swimbait designed for the faster paced world of tournament angling.
Introducing the JSJ Baits' Snack Sized Shad,Trout, and Hitch
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JSJ Baits Snack Sized Trout Specifications
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| Type |
BigBait |
| Depth |
Float (F), Moderate Sink (MS) |
| Length |
7 inches |
| Weight (ounces) |
F = 2.2 : MS = 2.4 - 2.6 (MS still in development) |
| Colors/Patterns |
3 colors (Trout, Chartreuse Shad, Hitch) |
| MSRP |
$79.99 |
Background: Josh St. John has built, painted, and fished his own custom created crankbaits since he can remember, so when he started experimenting with the big baits, wood was the natural choice in materials. Trouble is, it took too long to build, prototype, and test big baits in this material let alone make enough to pass around to his trusted friends for their input and suggestions.
The SST in Hitch
The baits pictured in this article are now built of resin where Josh has better control over consistency and overall production times. Each bait is hand made by Josh himself and rest assured, the Snack Sized Trout is only the first of many he has planned to design and produce for the insatiable big bait thrower.
The SST in Chartreuse Shad
The Bait: The Snack Sized Trout comes in three colors and is a very manageable size of seven inches. There will be two models, a floater and a sinker. Only the floating baits are available now as Josh is still fine tuning his sinking model. Both versions will retail for $79.99.
The SST in Trout
Each bait is individually numbered and cataloged back at JSJ Baits so Josh can keep track of the baits for customer service purposes tracing each bait to the original buyer and the batch in which it was made. The numbering also adds a bit of nostalgia to each bait and its hand crafted in the USA mystique.
All three colors together
Floater: Josh fishes the floater, a 2.2 ounce bait, with twenty pound P-Line Floroclear or CXX. His primary rods are either a Dobyns Rods 795ML or a custom built Rogue SB796C Jr. swimbait stick a good friend of his unknowingly donated to Josh's arsenal.
The SST is a very slender bait designed to be fished like a jerkbait.
The action of this bait, as Josh describes it, is a darting one and he recommends twitching the bait like a jerkbait.
The Snack
Sized Trout
will turn a
180 on top
of the water, can be pulled beneath the surface, waked, dead sticked, and made to jump off of small wakes. It's pretty much up to the angler to experiment and make this bait do its dance.
A closeup of some of the detailing on the SST
Sinking: The sinking version of this bait is still in the works and is forecast to weigh in around 2.4 to 2.6 ounces. Josh is shooting for a fall rate of approximately one foot per second, or just under that rate.
Each bait is
individually numbered
Components: The Snack Sized Trout features all stainless steel hardware with carbon fiber hinges. The hooks are Owner Stinger 2x nickel hooks that Josh does not recommend switching out as it will affect the balance of the bait and its action.
The tail is soft plastic and integral to the unique darting action of the bait
The tail on these baits is soft plastic and integral to the tight, darty action of the bait. They are glued on and each bait comes with a spare tail in case the original gets beaten up.
A look at the open joints of the SST
Early Success: Already the Snack Sized Trout can be credited with a win in a local night tourney where anglers Steve Reed and Tom Leogrande used the Chartreuse Shad color of this bait to bring in a 23.96 pound bag of fish including their big fish of 9.88 pounds! The Snack Sized Trout has also been used to good success in salty environments chasing striped bass in San Francisco Bay!
Josh with a recent Clear Lake bass caught on his very own Snack Sized Trout
Conclusion: With such early success already attributed to this bait, we can't wait to get out on the water with it. You can be certain we'll be fishing this bait over the course of the next few months and hope to bring you our full review on the Snack Sized Trout within the next year. In the meantime, the floating Snack Sized Trout is available and making its way into local tackle shops. It is also available online at OutdoorProShop.com.
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