Cute and Deadly,
the BBZ-1 Baby Shad Imitates Baitfish
Retrieve:
Once the lure has dropped down to the desired depth anglers can fish the Baby
Shad a variety of ways ranging from a straight retrieve, to a jerk motion, or
even a pop and stop. When retrieved the Baby Shad accurately mimics the side by
side slinking tail action of the larger versions. When retrieved quickly the
lure comes up to the surface quickly and it is during shallow water retrieves
when we observed the most followers and strikes. At Clear Lake when we saw a lot
of Silversides in the water the Silver Fish pattern was absolutely money. In
stained water we found patterns like the Blue Back Herring or Citrus Shad that
make use of foil exhibited greater amount of flash and drew more strikes.
Most mid sized
bass will engulf the Baby Shad but this lure also does catch plenty of small
fish as well
Durability:
As with many other smaller baits we did catch our share of dinks but this lure
is absolutely capable of catching big fish. In situations where there were
schools of baitfish I found running the Baby Shad either through or alongside
the bait was enough to incite strikes from larger fish looking for easy prey.
When a big fish hits this lure it feels more like a “thump” then a “tick” and
this is immediately followed by pressure on the line. In most cases the lure is
completely engulfed by largemouth and the treble hook is buried in the inner jaw
of the fish. This small lure may look fragile giving pause to wonder just how
well the hardware can hold up to big fish, but the reality is that the rear
three segments really don’t need to be all that robust. The only hook on this
lure is attached to the head of the lure which is directly tied to the main
line. The finish on the Baby Shad also hold up very well and even the
holographic elements, which the company first had trouble with, stays on the
lures strike after strike.
The lures not
only feature a realistic finish but textured scale, gill, and fin profiles
Price & Applications:
The Baby Shad is very easy to fish at multiple depths and when it comes to hard
bodied “swimbaits” this little lure offers a great “finesse” option. Bill also
fishes the Baby BBZ1 in a double rig configuration using swivels to separate the
two baits, with the longest leader attached to the sliding swivel. I tried this
technique and caught fish on the Baby Shad that was positioned the furthest
behind, on the longer leader. The technique works but does require a little bit
of work as the lines can tangle up and it does take longer just to rig up.
Personally I prefer fishing the Baby Shad solo with light line with a baitcaster
or a spinning setup.
You might need
pliers to unhook these completely engulfed tiny swimbaits
The BBZ-1 Baby Shad is
good for targeting bass when there are a lot of baitfish in the water and with
so many patterns available it is pretty easy to match the hatch. This bait is
effective for largemouth, smallmouth, and striped bass and can also be employed
for targeting rainbow trout with either a straight retrieve or trolled. The Baby
Shad may seem expensive at $13.49 each but considering the build quality and
attention to detail the price is considered reasonable. The big challenge with
miniaturizing lures is preserving action, durability, and detail. In the case of
the Baby Shad the company hits the mark in all three of these categories.
