|
MegaBait
Charlie
Specifications |
| Type |
Suspending swimbait |
| Material |
Soft
plastic shell |
| Colors/Patterns |
5
available |
| Sizes(weight) |
4(0.6oz), 5(1.25oz),
6(2oz) inches |
| MSRP |
$6.49 - $9.99 |
Impressions: The MegaBait Charlie comes with a few design features that make this suspending swimbait
quite unique. So unique that it has already won it's share of awards including
the ICAST New Product Showcase Best of Category winner in 2002.
The Charlie has a realistic
appearance in and out of the water
The head section of the Charlie is
designed with a soft plastic shell over a hard hollow core, which holds a tungsten
ball within the hollow sound chamber. It also contains a lip such as one you
would find on a crankbait. The overall texture along with the two eyes
are designed to make the front portion of the body mimic a live bait fish. The hollow core is also wrapped with a shiny holographic material
for some additional flash. By using a soft plastic material for the tail it is possible to cut slits
that create additional side to side tail action to entice strikes. Aside
from these features the entire body profile is made as lifelike as possible with
protruding fins and
a textured surface.
The hollow chamber and tungsten
balls play a few rolls in the action of the Charlie such as in casting and also
producing sounds to attract attention during retrieves
|
Complete Rig
for Charlie Tests |
| Rod |
GLoomis MUR844C-MB |
| Reel |
TICA
Caiman CA150 |
| Line |
20
lb. Big Game Supreme |
Field Tests: Swimbaits are always fun to heave on the water, due to their
extreme castability and distinguished motions. With either the smaller or larger size, the realistic appearance of the Charlie
made the field test very entertaining while targeting different species of fish
in both local lakes and the California Delta.
The lip on the MegaBait Charlie
allows the swimbait to dive to as deep as 3 feet in long casts
Casting: When geared with the right tackle, casting the MegaBait
Charlie comes easy. The GLoomis MUR844C-MB casting rod is great for
casting the 6" size. When casting the two smaller ones it's better to use
a lighter rod that will match the weight. The overall design of the
Charlie is quite aerodynamic, and the lure flies well through the air. The
addition of
tungsten balls inside the hollow core assist you in casting further as they provide additional weight transferred in the
direction of travel, and offer additional stability while in flight.
Thanks to the slits in the tail
portion of the swimbait, the Charlie produces great tail action
Retrieving: Once the Charlie begins to move it truly comes to life. The Charlie's notched tail
provides superior tail whipping action as the lure is being retrieved. The hollow core inside the body allows the lure to suspend while the lip
forces
it to dive down about 3 feet. The tungsten balls inside the sound
chamber provide rattling, adding yet another attracting factor to this lure. It's up to you
how fast you would like to retrieve. Slow, fast, or jerk
and stop, the MegaBait Charlie does well to accommodate your technique. The lip
on the Charlie is perhaps the single most important innovation in this swimbait,
as it allows you to work the bait in many of the same ways you would normally
fish a crank.
Around the hollow chamber is a
layer of holographic material to give it more shine
Durability: When it comes to plastics we always make sure to test how
durable they are. Putting the Charlie through abusive stretching and
making sure we tested it on many species of fish we found that the Charlie was
actually quite durable. Largemouth usually tried to engulf the
entire swimbait, but did miss sometimes, and only succeeded in grabbing only the tail. Even though the tail portion is cut with slits, it stood up
to the largemouth tugs. Stripers were quite different, instead of inhaling the lure, they tended
to hit and run from either the rear or the side. But the result was the same, the
Charlie's tail didn't take any damage from even the fiercest strikes from these fish.
After the bass engulfed the
swimbait, the single treble hook still did a good job at holding onto the fish
as it tried to spit the lure out during the fight
The soft plastic withstood the mouths of these
game fish, but after weeks of testing they did cause some wear to the color
coating, most noticeable on the rainbow trout pattern. The other patterns
were not as affected because the colors are
impregnated into the plastic during the molding process. Even though some
coloration and glitter has flaked off, there didn't seem to be any decline in
performance.
