Gan Craft Jointed Claw 148 178 230 Glider Bait Two Piece Swimbait Product Review

Lure Review

Glide Week : Shhh... Don't Tell Anyone But Have You... (continued)

On more erratic retrieves, the nose of the bait moves up and down giving the bait a different action all together. The more erratic your retrieve the more unpredictable the bait becomes and this seems to be one of the secrets behind the bait's popularity and success.

This bait comes stock with Owner ST-36 hooks.

Let it sink to the bottom and it will rest perfectly upright on top of its hooks until you pull it off the bottom either with a crank of your reel or a snap of your rod tip. It doesn't take much to bet this bait moving.

Performance Ratings for GanCraft Jointed Claw
Fall Attitude (1-5)	Degree of Glide (1-5)	Quality of Movement (1-5)	Position at Rest (1-5)	Durability (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4.5	4	5	5	4	22.5	25	9

Here's how the 178 broke down in our lab.

Features: Like most baits in this class, the Jointed Claw comes with a spare tail. Optional tails in different colors (about 5 different hues) are also available though perhaps slightly difficult to source. Each size is available in two rates of fall either a floating or a slow sink, and there are several colors to choose from. In fact every size seems to have its own color palette. Couple that with an array of unannounced custom colors with varying degrees of availability and its no wonder this bait has such a loyal and almost cult like following.

... and here's the 230 MAG.

Features Ratings for GanCraft Jointed Claw
Spare Parts (1-5)	Rates of Fall (1-3)	No. Finishes (1-5)	Miscellaneous (1-3)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
3	2	5	1	11	16	6.87

Design/Ergonomics: This bait is very consistent performance wise from bait to bait - as long as you're comparing models of the same size. The Jointed Claw Magnum 230 does seem to have a slightly different action in the water than the 178. The 230 has a more pronounced nose down position and arcs in the water up and down as it swims more than the 178. I've not fished the smaller 148 enough to recall if it is different as well.

The Jointed Claw has a very distinctive face.

Otherwise, the baits size and weight are all easily managed with the right equipment and the realism, though not spot on to any baitfish we've seen, is very good with regards to profile, eyes, mouth and gill details. Having three sizes to choose from is an added bonus.

Design & Ergonomics Ratings for GanCraft Jointed Claw
Bait to Bait Consistency (1-5)	Weight (1-5)	Realism (1-5)	Available Sizes (1-3)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4.5	5	4	3	16.5	18	9.17

The detailing in this bait is typical of Japanese made baits.

Application: Because this bait is available in both slow sink and a floating model, as a whole, it's a bit more versatile than some of the competitors. Throw in the fact many anglers are "secretly" modifying these baits to be even more deadly and you have a bait that's just a little more versatile than your average glider.

Ratings:

GanCraft Jointed Claw Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	We looked for flaws, but failed to find a single chink in the quality armor	10
Performance	This bait can behave normal or crazy it's all in the hands of the fisherman	9
Price	Pretty standard fare for baits of this size and quality	6.5
Features	Tough to expect too much in terms of features from a bait like this, but it holds its own	6.87
Design (Ergonomics)	Floater, sinker, countless colors, and all in a package that's light enough to throw all day. This is a very nicely conceived and designed bait	9.17
Application	Fish it on top with the floater, fish it down below with the sinker, or customize them for your very own creation... apparently this bait is as versatile as you want it to be.	7.5
Total Score		8.17
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
+ Enough cannot be said about the quality of these baits	- The "secret" is out
+ Enticingly erratic action	- Nice standard colors, but what you really want are the custom colors and those can be difficult to source
+ Can be fished super slow or fast
+ Can be custom tuned

Conclusion: Our original intent was to publish this review two or three years ago back when this bait was still somewhat obscure. Trouble is, we had too much fun fishing it to share. Yes, apparently, we get caught up in all the secrecy as well.

With catches like this, it's not hard to understand why people wanted to try to keep this bait hush hush.

But now that it seems to be readily available, perhaps availability can withstand the storm that can sometimes be TackleTour's seal of approval. If you want to step up your game with a bait that can really spoil you for fishing anything smaller, check out the Jointed Claw 178. Then, once you get used to that size, pick up a couple of Magnum 230's and hold on because monster hits on glide baits are very addicting!

Looking for GanCraft Jointed Claws? Try one of these reputable sources!

TackleWarehouse : Hi's Tackle Box Shop