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A new Swimbait entry, the
Flex Phantom from Strike Pro

Date: |
4/03/08 |
Tackle type: |
Lures |
Manufacturer: |
Strike Pro |
Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score:
7.00 -
GOOD
Introduction:
Strike Pro America has
reinvented itself with a
flood of new lure
styles, and the Flex
Phantom is their
new-fangled swimbait
offering. Does the
company have what takes
to break into the red
hot swimbait market? The
Flex Phantom looks like
a cross between a
swimbait and a crankbait,
and makes use of an
exclusive multi-jointed
tail section to generate
a slinking side to side
tail action quite unlike
any other.
Strike Pro Flex Phantom Specifications
|
Type |
Swimbait |
Depth |
3-5 feet (all sizes) |
Size |
3 1/2" Phantom 90
4 3/4" Phantom 130
6 3/4" Phantom 170 |
weight |
21g Phantom 90
31.6g Phantom 130
85.5g Phantom 170 |
Colors/Patterns |
6+ patterns/colors |
Hook Sizes |
#1 |
MSRP |
12.99 Phantom 90
14.99 Phantom 130
16.99 Phantom 170 |
Impressions: Strike
Pro was
among the
first baits
we reviewed
when we
first
started
TackleTour
seven years
ago. At the
time Strike
Pro in the
US was an
extension of
the
company’s
main Taiwan
operation
which was
opened in
1973. While
a lot of the
R&D and
manufacturing
still takes
place in the
company’s
Taiwan
facility
Strike Pro
America has
undergone a
complete
makeover in
terms of
management
and product
offering.
Strike Pro
America is a
lure
manufacturer
and importer
now located
in
Galveston,
Texas. In
recent years
their focus
has been
saltwater
products,
with their
expansion
they plan to
develop the
freshwater
market
domestically.
The Flex
Phantom is
one of the
first
products to
come from
the new
company.

Strike Pro's
new swimbait
the Flex
Phantom
There is no market quite
like the Swimbaits. The anglers that employ these baits fall into two
categories, the “experimenting” angler that throws a swimbait once in while as a
complement to their tried and true tackle, hoping that next toss will result in
a big fish. Then there are the truly dedicated, addicted, hard core big bass
hunters that throw almost nothing but big baits in their pursuit of trophy sized
fish. Luckily for both types of anglers there are a lot of swimbaits out there,
and they come in all shapes, sizes, and price points. We have seen many
manufacturers try and put out a swimbait only to fall short. There is no doubt
that manufacturers like Huddleston, 3:16, Mattlures, Black Dog, and Spro just to
name a few have their own unique formula for a quality swimbait but there are
many others that leave us scratching our heads and wondering how that lure ever
made it past the drawing board, like the Lucky Craft Real California Supreme for
example. We hoped that Strike Pro wouldn’t make the same mistakes, especially
when it came to durability.

The Flex Phantom is available in
three sizes, this is the Phantom 130 (middle size)
When we
first started examining the Flex Phantom the first thing that caught our
attention was the multi segmented tail. The lure is available in three sizes
ranging from 3 ½ to 6 ¾ inches in length, and the number of segments in the tail
increases with the lure size. (The lures are labeled the Phantom 90, 130, and
170 respectively) The Phantom also has a peerless profile and a rather
distinctive head that is among the most aggressive and mean looking swimbaits we
have seen to date. We are not quite sure what type of baitfish the lure mimics
best, but it certainly isn’t your run of the mill trout.

The key feature of this lure is
the multi-jointed tail
The
Ghost patterns do look pretty exceptional, and though they make copious use of
plastic they still are among the more unique looking swimbaits. The lure is only
armed with one treble hook, positioned on the main body of the lure above the
segmented tail. The Phantom also has a lip that causes the lure to dive much
like a traditional crankbait. If I had to categorize the lure it would be a
swimbait crankbait hybrid. The question is what would big fish think of the new
lure? Time to put the Phantom to the test.

The lure comes in many patterns,
and the Ghost patterns look great
Real World Test:
We tested the Flex
Phantom in all three sizes and at three different bodies of water which included
the California Delta, Clear Lake, and Lake Pardee. We targeted both largemouth
and smallmouth bass during the period.

A look underneath the Phantom
reveals a solid white underbelly
Next
Section: Casting for big fish

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