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Can O.S.P.'s Blitz Sack the Competition?

Date: |
5/27/09 |
Tackle type: |
Lures |
Manufacturer: |
O.S.P. |
Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 6.75 -
FAIR
Introduction: Shallow crankin' is a mainstay here in California and especially on the California Delta where deep water is considered twelve to fifteen feet. The staple for shallow running cranks out here include Luhr Jensen's Speed Trap and Lucky Crafts BDS series of cranks. Relatively unknown to the North American market but no secret to TackleTour readers is a company out of Japan called O.S.P. They produce a shallow running crank that, in some circles, has been considered a great "secret" weapon for many years. We've been fishing this crank for over a year and a half now and are ready to bring to you, our review of O.S.P.'s Blitz.
O.S.P. Blitz
Specifications |
Type |
Crankbait |
Depth |
0-6 ft (rated) |
Class |
Floater |
Size |
53 mm (just over 2 inches) |
Weight |
9 grams (0.317 ounces) |
Colors/Patterns |
10 |
MSRP |
~$18 |
Impressions: O.S.P. is one of the many Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) lure companies branching out of their native country to bring to the US, their take on premium baits and their products show it. Our first experience with the O.S.P. product was with their large jerkbait, the Rudra. Quality exudes from this company's product and the Blitz is no exception. Attention to detail and exquisite finishes are the rule, not the exception which is why their baits command the premium they do - when you can find them!

Introducing the
O.S.P. Blitz and
Blitz MR
The Field Tests: But with the plethora of sub ten dollar ($10) product out there that can easily fill your livewell with fish, why bother to spend the $15 - $20 for just one of these baits? Are they all that they're cracked up to be? Do they produce just as well or better than a Speed Trap or BDS? Let's find out.

Our collection of Blitz baits all ran true out of the package.
Casting: The Blitz is actually available in a couple of different configurations. The original Blitz is a two inch bait weighing just over a quarter of an ounce with a rated running depth of six feet. Recently, O.S.P. introduced the "Blitz MR" which runs an extra two to four feet in depth and the "Blitz MAX" which looks like O.S.P.'s take on the big, shallow crank ala Lucky Craft's BDS and Specialty Tackle's Big Bite. Our tests centered primarily around the original Blitz crank.

But does
this tiny, shallow running crank have what it takes to compete with the Luhr
Jensen Speedtrap in the waters of the California Delta?
The original Blitz features an internal honeycombed body in an effort to produce a lighter, more rigid structure along the walls of the bait. To weight the lure, O.S.P. uses a single tungsten weight strategically placed half within the bait, and half exposed in the chest area of the lure lowering its center of gravity as much as possible to benefit both casting and running.

The
blitz comes equipped
with a circuit board
material lip.
The strategy works. The Blitz casts like a bait that's more in the area of three eighths to half an ounce rather than barely over a quarter of an ounce and is easily fired to any spot with accuracy.

Rigged and ready to go aboard the Megabass Shiryu paired with a Shimano Conquest 101DC.
Action: In the water and on the retrieve, the Blitz runs to a depth of about three feet when fished on a small diameter, ten pound test, fluorocarbon line (0.28mm diameter). That's pretty shallow. The Blitz MR runs about a foot or two deeper, but takes a pretty shallow diving angle in doing so which is fine as long as you are aware of this fact.

Other unique features of this bait include this tungsten weight strategically placed as low as possible on the bait to give it a unique center of gravity.
The action of the bait as it is being retrieved is a very fast, but medium width wobble - not quite as erratic as a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap. To be honest, I was hoping for a bit more disturbance out of this bait. It seems best suited for really ticking the top of submerged weeds rather than crashing through them.

Detailing on these baits is exquisite.

Barely a scratch after being cast into a dock piling.
Next
Section:
Durability
under
distress

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