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Hunting
for a Big Bite with the Lunkerhunt Swim Bento
(continued)
  Features:
All Swim Bentos feature a solid body, vivid coloration, eyes, and a holographic
insert. This insert is made of a shiny foil-type material. It looks good through
the plastic without being too flashy or intrusive, but the one issue I have most
with it was when rigging or unrigging. When rigging a bait this holographic core
gets in the way a bit, but the real nuisance comes when unrigging as the hook
barb tends to catch on the insert and pull it out of the bait. A little trick
here is to turn the barb away from the insert before backing the hook out so it
avoid catching.
The flashy insert loves to catch on a hook barb when unrigging
Design and
Ergonomics:
Lunkerhunt offers Swim Bentos in five colors and three sizes. While the color
quality is first rate, it would be nice to see a few more added to the lineup.
The body
is not designed with a belly slit like other paddle tails, so despite its narrow
profile you'll want to make sure you have enough hook gap to be effective. I
find a 3/0 hook to be a good choice.
Check out that outstanding coloration and detail!
Design & Ergonomics Ratings for
Lunkerhunt
Swim Bento
|
Bait to Bait Consistency (1-5) |
Weight (1-5) |
Realism (1-5) |
Available Sizes (1-3) |
Total |
Possible |
Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10) |
5 |
|
|
|
11 |
13 |
|
Application:
The narrow
profile is an asset when fishing through sparse shoreline tulles and grass. The
Swim Bento winds through vegetation and stays down easier than bulkier baits
while offering very little resistance to reel against. When fishing clear ponds
a finesse approach often works best and these are my go-to swimbaits when a more
subtle presentation is in order.
Toss these on an Alabama rig, as a trailer, or fish them alone
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):
|
Lunkerhunt
Swim
Bento
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
These
are put
together
very
nicely
and are
quite
detailed
for
what's
usually
a pretty
basic
bait |
10 |
|
Performance |
These
are
sweet
performers
that
wind
through
vegetation
easily |
8.5 |
|
Price |
No
matter
what
size you
choose
these
are over
a buck a
piece—pricey
compared
to
similar
(yet
more
basic)
offerings
from
Keitech,
Berkley,
and
others |
6 |
|
Features |
The
material
inside
the bait
can be
annoying
during
rigging/unrigging |
7 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
A narrow
profile
makes it
an
interesting
alternative
to
fatter
baits,
but a
few
extra
colors
would be
welcome |
8.46 |
|
Application |
A
versatile
small
bait
that can
be
effectively
rigged
several
ways.
The slim
profile
makes it
a savvy
choice
when a
non-intrusive
presentation
is
necessary |
7 |
|
Total
Score
|
7.82 |
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
|
|
+ Great
looking
baits |
- Pricey |
|
+
Nervous
action
that
gets bit
easily |
-
Holographic
insert
can get
in the
way when
rigging |
|
+ Comes
through
vegetation
better
than
fatterbaits |
|
One of many largemouth I was able to catch on the Lunkerhunt Swim Bento during
testing
Conclusion:
I love throwing soft weedless swimbaits down here in Florida. They are extremely
effective for covering water and drawing a lot of strikes when the conditions
aren't right or optimal for hard baits. So far, the Lunkerhunt Swim Bento hasn't
disappointed me with its productivity. Whether throwing one alone, as a trailer,
or along with several others on an Alabama Rig, there's no doubt they'll deliver
when predatory fish are looking to snack on baitfish.
Looking for the Lunkerhunt Swim Bentos? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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