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A Bait With Two Personalities: The Megabass Crank/Jerk Flap Slap
| Date: |
9/6/07 |
| Tackle type: |
Lures |
| Manufacturer: |
Megabass |
| Reviewer: |
Cal
& Zander |
Total Score: 8.00
Introduction: If you're constantly on the lookout for quality, new, and eccentric baits that look like they'll catch fish, companies like Megabass, Lucky Craft, Imakatsu and a few others really seem to excel at these types of offerings. Enter the subject of today's review, the Megabass Flap Slap. Hold one of these baits in your hand, rotate it around to study the details and it just screams of fish catching ability. But as we know all too well in the world of tackle, looks can be deceiving.
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Introducing the original Flap Slap
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Megabass Flap Slap Specifications
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| Type |
Crank/Jerkbait Hybrid |
| Depth |
0-4 ft (shallow) /6-8 ft (diving) |
| Class |
Floating |
| Size |
3" (3/8 oz or 11 grams) |
| Colors/Patterns |
17 (diving) - 20 (shallow) different colors |
| Hook Sizes |
#6 front & rear |
| MSRP |
~$23.00 |
Impressions: The Megabass Flap Slap features a shape, size, and profile resembling, very closely, that of a juvenile gizzard shad, an all too common bait fish for any number of freshwater predatory species. Is it any wonder then, our high expectations of this bait?
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Introducing the diving Flap Slap
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The Field Tests: Megabass markets the Flap Slap as a hybrid crank/jerkbait but its action in the water on a crankbait-like retrieve was hard to buy into, so we resolved to fish it mostly as a jerkbait. As such, the rods of choice for throwing the Flap Slap were some of my favorite jerkbait sticks: my custom G.Loomis MB843C GLX (built by Matt Davis of Otterods) and my Daiwa Steez STZ671MHFBA.
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Complete test rig for Megabass Flap Slap Field Tests
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Rig One |
Rig Two |
| Rod |
Custom MB843C GLX |
Daiwa STZ671MHFBA |
| Reel |
Daiwa TD-Ito 103HL |
Daiwa Steez 103HL |
| Line |
14 lb Sunline Shooter FC |
10 lb Yozuri Hybrid |
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The Flap Slap weights in at three-eighths of an ounce
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and features a slim body
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Casting: The fear with a bait such as this, with such a tall profile and relatively low weight, is that during a cast, wind resistance will just wreak havoc with it. To overcome this challenge, Megabass employs their patented Shaft Balancer which consists of a solid, non-moving weight along the length of the bait at the bottom. During a cast, the benefit is realized as the weighted portion of the bait cuts through the air with little to no redirection from the wind. Indeed, the Flap Slap is a very easy bait to cast.
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The shallow running Flap Slap (left) vs the diver (right)
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Another look at the rather significant bill of the diving Flap Slap
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Retrieve: The casting benefit of the Shaft Balancer is actually secondary. The real purpose of this weight system is to stabilize the bait in the water as it is being retrieved by creating a pendulum action from top to bottom. This helps the bait track true and really give off some flash as the broad sides swing back and forth quickly.
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The Flap Slap features the Katsuage outbarb hooks
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This very action is what made it hard for us to imagine the Flap Slap working on a steady retrieve. On the other hand, this flashing and dashing, when enacted with twitches and pauses looked absolutely fantastic! As a result, the only retrieve I had any confidence with in throwing this bait was the twitch-twitch-pause retrieve of a jerkbait.
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Typical of Megabass, details abound in this lure
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Next Section:
Effectiveness, & TT
Editors disagree
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