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Shallow
Crankin' With the ABT X-2 Square Bill
(continued)
  Retrieving:
When
it came time to see how these cranks performed on the retrieve, I was pleasantly
surprised. They give a very pronounced wobble that is easily felt all the way
back to the rod with mono or braid. Even a very slow retrieve produces an
enticing action. The square bill and fat body deflect off cover sharply, a
great attribute to trigger a reaction strike. While you shouldn't be afraid to
throw square bill cranks around cover, just always keep in mind that no
crankbait is truly snag resistant, these included!
The small, square
bill deflects off cover well.
Tracking during
the retrieval was straight and true. Since the models I tested were floaters,
stopping the retrieve allows the bait to slowly float up. When the retrieve
continues, they the X-2 goes right back to it's straight path. Even when
absolutely burning the bait on a 6.4:1 ratio reel, it stays totally true and
never rolls over or planes to the surface. Though I rarely fish these baits in
that fashion, it's good to know if you are accustomed to fishing KVD fast!
I found myself
reaching for the Sexy Shad color most often for this very reason....it catches
lots of fish!
Durability:
A
particular shallow diving crankbait that was extremely popular years ago (and
still is today) used to catch me a good number of fish, but the durability was a
serious problem. I recall one day while fishing the California Delta breaking 3
of them in a single day. 2 when they struck against rocks on a cast, and once
while slapping weeds off the bait! While that day 12 or so years ago is still
pretty fresh in my mind, I'm happy to report that history didn't repeat itself
with the X-2 square bill. Despite slapping weeds off, cracking against rocks,
and even being purposefully stepped on, no abnormal durability issues were noted
with the eyes, body, hooks, or bill.
The “line tie”
that the split ring attaches to is a nice
stoutness and seldom needed tuning.
Price &
Applications:
At a price of
$7.69 on
TackleWarehouse.com, this is a pretty good price for such a
quality square bill. Sure there are some cheaper shallow crankbaits, but
there's also quite a few that are priced much higher than the X-2. You should
not be left unsatisfied after shelling out the money for one of these, and you
may even wonder why you spent so much on those “other” cranks in the past.
The belly of the
baits are finished without sloppiness.
This is a
shallow crankbait, so versatility isn't it's strong suit. This is obviously not
a bait you can go out to 30 feet of water with and fish very effectively. It's
true environment is around shoreline cover and structure, and it fishes these
areas with great productivity. Around docks, piers, stickups, brush piles, and
weed lines are just a few spots where this bait will really kick some Bass.
A nice solid fish
came to hand while cranking rip rap.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
ABT
X-2
Square
Bill
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
These
baits
don't
have the
ultra
high end
finish
of a jdm
crank,
but they
do
possess
appealing,
quality
coloration.
All
around
the bait
has a
quality
look and
feel
with no
“rough
around
the
edges”
issues. |
8 |
|
Performance |
I found
the
performance
to be
excellent.
They
tracked
true at
all
speeds,
and
deflected
off
cover
with a
minimum
of
hangups.
Oh yeah,
they
caught
Bass
too! |
9 |
|
Price |
A
quality
bait for
a very
fair
price.
I think
they
could
even
charge
another
dollar
for
these.......but
let's
hope
they
don't
follow
this
advice
:) |
8 |
|
Features |
Some
nice
features
but
nothing
extraordinary.
I really
appreciate
the
proper
hook
size the
most! |
7.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Nice
shape,
and the
size
should
appeal
to both
small
and
large
fish.
The
weight
makes it
easy to
cast
even in
the
wind. |
8 |
|
Application |
A square
bill
crankbait
is not
an
extremely
versatile
bait,
but for
shallow
or
suspended
Bass
it's a
solid
pick. |
7 |
|
Total
Score
|
7.91 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
+
Quality
bait |
- Not a
real
versatile
type of
lure |
|
+
Attractive
colors |
|
|
+ Very
fair
price |
|
|
+ Tracks
very
well |
|
|
+ Nice
stock
hook
size |
|
Conclusion:
Growing up in
northern California, I consider some of my top “confidence techniques” to be
deep water fishing with jigs and plastics. With that said, if there is a
shallow reaction bite going, I'm all over it! Nothing beats running down a bank
target casting and getting slammed by a nice Bass. The ABT X-2 square bill is
indeed a smart choice for this style of fishing. With it's quality build,
colors, and great tracking qualities, it will undoubtedly put fish in the boat
for you. It fishes very well around rock, wood, grass....you name it. The ABT
X-2 square bill most definitely fits the bill for your shallow cranking needs!
Looking for the ABT X-2 Crankbait? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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