Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, Your Lures Hook Me…

Total Score: 8.41 - GREAT

Introduction: River2Sea continues to expand their lineup with signature lures designed by their well known prostaffers which including Larry Dahlberg, John Murray, Scott Martin, and Ish Monroe. Earlier this season Ish unveiled two new lures, the “Bling” spinnerbait and the “Biggie” squarebill crankbait. It isn’t a surprise that Ish wanted to create a new squarebill, as the lures can be downright deadly here in the Delta where he grew up. But the real question is if there is enough room to further tweak the design of this established formula to create a “new” bait. Time to take a closer look at the Biggie Smalls and Biggie Poppa.

A new squarebill, the River2Sea Biggie Smalls

Impressions: River2Sea has always been known for their quality lure finishes and the Biggie does not disappoint. Ish personally selected a number of patterns that will be instantly familiar to both tournament anglers and everyday anglers alike, albeit they do come with the eccentric names. Examples of these pattern names include the Da Heater, Cold Blooded, and I Know It. 

This new crank is a Ish Monroe signature bait

All of the patterns are available in two sizes, the Biggie Poppa is 2-5/8” and the Biggie Smalls is 2 ¼” inches. Were not done yet, all of these patterns and sizes are also available in silent running and knocking rattle versions called the Creepin’ and “Bumpin’ models (you have to smile with names like that).

The Biggie is available in two size, the larger 2-5/8oz. is called the Biggie Poppa

The Poppa features River2Sea #2 trebles, and the Smalls comes equipped with #4 size River2Sea trebles. These hooks feature a dark finish and it didn’t take long for me to discover just how sharp these hooks were as I stabbed myself right in the finger during the very first inspection in the lab. It was finally time to see if fish would be as easily “hooked” as I was with the Biggie lures.

A look at the detailed finish on the "I Know It" pattern

Real World Tests: To test the new River2Sea Biggie crankbait we head out to three well known bass havens, Lake El Salto in Mexico, Clear Lake, and the Northern California Delta. We fished the lure series with a variety of rod and reel combos and primarily used Berkley Monofilament and Daiwa Samurai braided lines. We employed both rods designed specifically for crankbait fishing as well as heavier and faster action rods that are intended for a range of contact applications.

The lures are labeled underneath for easy identification

Casting: So which lure do you think would be heavier, the Biggie Bumpin’ models which come with a rattle or the Creepin’ silent versions? It is somewhat counter intuitive but the Creepin’ versions that do not have a rattle are actually heavier. For example the Poppa Bumpin’ model weighs 9/16oz. while the Creepin’ model weighs 5/8oz., and this weight difference is noticeable when casting.

Time to cast the Biggie Smalls

Why? The answer is the intended action. The Bumpin’ versions are all about drawing attention to the lure when the fish are more aggressive, thus the lure makes noise and is a fast floater that will rise up quickly on the pause. In contrast the Creepin’ models will rise slowly when paused for a more subtle presentation when anglers need more finesse to incite strikes.

The Abalone Shad pattern makes use of real abalone on the head and gills