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Looks Can Be Deceiving: the Deps Realiser
(continued)
  Action:
The Deps
Realiser has a
predictable
action which is
simply to wobble
or roll back and
forth in the
water as you
employ a steady
retrieve. It
really is a big
crankbait. Mix
in some jerks
and pauses and
the bait shows a
degree of
erratic behavior
but nothing
extraordinary.
It can also be
burned and stays
true under
speed.
This bait is great fun in and around weedy areas
The finish looks better in the water
What is surprising about this bait is the depth at which it runs. Fished on fluorocarbon, the bait can really get down to about five, maybe even six feet if you're retrieving really slowly. With such a shallow bill, I didn't expect the bait to get down to more than three or four feet max. It really has some bite in the water.
Each bait features a dressed rear treble
A look at the scale pattern on the Blue Back Shad color
Components: The stock hooks, though sharp, are sort of reminiscent of those on saltwater baits. We'd recommend switching the front hooks out to some of the stouter aftermarket hooks by Owner. The rear treble is dressed to match or compliment the color of the bait, so unless you're handy at tying these yourself, you might want to leave the back hook stock for presentation's sake.
The Realiser in Silver Shad
This unique bill together with the bait's slender profile give the Realiser its rolling action on a steady retrieve
Durability: The upside to the Realiser's almost unfinished finish is that it is more durable than that of a standard paint job. Countless purposeful and not so purposeful tosses of these baits up in to the rip rap shores of the California Delta produced only a few scratches and no chipped finishes or cracked baits.
Just how slender is this bait? Judge for yourself.
Availability: Optimum Baits has the North American distribution rights to Deps and this is a very good thing for it makes available pracitically all of Deps's impressive product line. As such, the Realiser is easily available in many local tackle shops and certainly online.
Ratings:
|
Deps Realiser Ratings (?/10)
|
| Construction/Quality |
A solidly built product |
7.5 |
| Performance |
Simple and effective |
7.5 |
| Price |
If thought of as a crankbait, quite pricey, if thought of as a "big bait", about average. |
6.5 |
| Features |
The photo-realistic finish is the baits primary, uniqueness |
7 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
Not quite what I expect from a +$30 lure made in Japan, but in this case, looks can be deceiving |
7.5 |
| Application |
Very good in and around weedlines but best on a steady retrieve with pauses mixed in |
8 |
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Total Score
|
7.33 |
Ratings Key: Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
(For a detailed explanation of the ratings go here) |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus Minus
|
| J A fun, no nonsense bait |
L Stock hooks are a little questionable |
| J A great bait to with which to build confidence in big baits |
L Just a hair pricey |
| J The photo-realistic finishes grow on you |
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It doesn't look like much, but this bait triggers some ferocious strikes!
Conclusion: While I'm not about to dump all of my high dollar, hand made big baits, the Deps Realiser has certainly won me over from that very first time I held it in my hands. It is a very easy, no-nonsense bait to throw and a great way to build confidence in tossing big baits without killing yourself acquiring not only the bait, but the gear with which to throw it! It can be fished on conventional, heavy powered cranking sticks and brought back in the water just like a big, shallow crank. Pause it right next to a patch of weeds and hold on! The strikes are unmistakable. The two baits shown here are going straight into my striper box and I can't wait to try these things out against some monster linesides!
Want to try the Deps Realiser? Tackle Warehouse has the lures in stock
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