Bandito Bug Review

[Heron]

Meh...

 

yawwn

[Heron]

Ok honestly...

 

overall it seems a decent enough bait that I’m sure it will catch fish.  It just doesn’t stand apart from other baits that will equally catch all of the same fish as it will.  

 

The design is an underwhelming attempt to sell us on adding more action.  

 

But enough about opinions...

 

the points i do like about it..

- Rage tail like action on a beaver bait.  

- comes on two sizes.  I always like that

- the colors are nicely done and consistent

 

The points I don’t like about it

- the body is too thin, almost like a wafer.  They could stand to add some bulk to it.

- lack of buoyancy, appendages droop and don’t stand up. Mostly because of the high salt content, which I’m not a fan of for this type of bait

- despite the clamshell packaging, the baits are still packed in there poorly with the appendages still coming out being kinked and mashed.

 

But as I said, it’s still a decent bait, and it will catch fish. 

 

If I found one in the boat, would I rig it up and fish it? Of course, and would do so with confidence 

 

Would I feel the urge to buy more and stock up on them like a prepper before doomsday?  Nope, Not at all.

 

[Bald Knobber]

I have so far resisted purchasing this bait and after your insights, I think I'll pass. And that's why this is a great review. 

[DitchPanda]

I've looked at them a few times and thought about what I want out of that beaver/creature profile which is subtle action...so the rage style flappers don't add much for me. So because of this I refuse to pay $6 for a 7pk when I can get a 25pk of missile D bombs for $13.

[Shimano_1]

It says googan on it so I'll pass. Absolutely no hate towards any of them, congrats that they've been successful.  I just refuse to support it by paying double what the baits are worth. Ill stick to my zoom and missile baits.

[TriStateBassin106]

IMO there's better alternatives on the market instead. No hate to the Googan Squad but their entire lineup is dedicated to their teenager audience who are just getting into the sport, I'm young myself (early 20s) and I don't even use their baits unlike my fellow age peers who seem to be obsessed with their products. 

 

One style I do like though from the googan line up is the Trench Hog, it gives that long worm style body and some added action. Pretty cool design IMO. 

4 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

It says googan on it so I'll pass. Absolutely no hate towards any of them, congrats that they've been successful.  I just refuse to support it by paying double what the baits are worth. Ill stick to my zoom and missile baits.

Missile baits D bomb >>>>> What ever Googan baits has to offer. 

[Luke Barnes]

The only thing I would ever consider is their rattling ned baits. But I would go SK Ned Ocho or something if I wanted a small stick other than Zman. But so far all i want is Zman for the TRD style. 

[NYWayfarer]

33 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

The only thing I would ever consider is their rattling ned baits. But I would go SK Ned Ocho or something if I wanted a small stick other than Zman. But so far all i want is Zman for the TRD style. 

The rattling Ned is decent. Besides a Googan bone colored Blooper (popper) it is the only Googan baits I have purchased. The rattle made it stand apart from other Ned offerings for me enough to try them. They are fragile and don’t stand up to many catches but they work fine. 

[Luke Barnes]

I would rather buy a pack of glass rattles and shove one in a TRD and get 10 fish per lure than 2 fish per lure. Do they stand up on the bottom pretty good? Do they float?

 

[NYWayfarer]

2 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

I would rather buy a pack of glass rattles and shove one in a TRD and get 10 fish per lure than 2 fish per lure. Do they stand up on the bottom pretty good? Do they float?

 

I never took notice with the pack I had. I did the slow bottom crawl retrieve with them. Seeing as they have a rattle I didn’t want them sitting stationary on the bottom.

[Sphynx]

Yeah, hard pass on Googan branded gear from me, I am sure it works just fine, but I can't see anything they do that a comparable offering from a more reasonably priced competitor can't do just as well or better, can't get mad that they are living their best version of the American dream and from the looks of things making money hand over fist doing it, but I won't be spending my money with them.

[Spankey]

A couple of Googan Pop- R’s caught my eye and have been effective. The pattern and size caught me, not that name brand. There was a big to do post on here about them compared to another manufacturer or vice versa. All hype. 

[Brett's_daddy]

This thread seems in danger of turning into another Googan hate thread...lol. I honestly don't understand or buy into all the hate, if one of their baits works for me great, if not so be it but it won't influence my purchasing of their products. I actually do have some Bandito Bugs myself and I think they work fine. I haven't caught anything yet but have definitely had bites, just haven't landed the fish yet. They come in good colors and Walmart has them for $5.46 per pack which is right in line with Strike King etc. I haven't tried anything else Googan yet but they have decent looking baits...nothing extraordinary that sets them apart from other companies so far but good enough to keep them competitive IMO.

[Shimano_1]

Everyone has given them credit and simply said they'd rather use other baits. Doesnt sound like hate to me. I think they're brilliant...I'm welding every day and they're fishing and having fun making money doing it. They found a niche and have taken advantage of it. Just nothing I have any desire to help fund. If their stuff works for you and you like it fish it all you want. 

[12poundbass]

My son (10) is a Googan fan and has learned quite a bit from them. He’s received a couple baits he got for Christmas from a grandparent, and he recently bought more Googan baits with birthday money.

 

Here’s my opinion on what I’ve seen so far.

 

The frog: It’s nicely done, flashy, and eye catching. I do like how the belly is painted and has flash to it unlike most frogs that seem to forget that’s what the fish see (even though it’s usually only a silhouette).

 

The jigs: The jigs my son has (2) seem to be decent. I do like how they put the weight on the head. We’re just getting in to jig fishing so I don’t know if this is common, I’ve yet to see it on 20+ jigs I currently have. 
 

Soft plastics: they're soft plastics nothing groundbreaking has happened in the soft plastics in what seems like forever. 
 

All in all, they’re not bad, they’re just like everyone else. Everyone copies everyone and like I had previously said it doesn’t seem like anything groundbreaking has come out in the lure world in forever with the exception of a few here and there. My kid likes them as does my son's best friend. They learn from them, as well as other YouTubers, and it gets them talking about fishing, so I say it’s a good thing. 

[J._Bricker]

Regarding the Bandito Bug @Heron, I bought a few of these baits to see for myself if they were any good. I think the plastic is similar to that of a GYCB, appendages impart subtle action and there were a couple of colors I thought might work. My only complaint is the nose of the bait will tear when used with a punch/flipping hook due to the salt content of the bait. 
As for Googan Baits politics, the fewer bass that see a Bandito Bug the better luck those who do throw them may have.