Bassin with the Rage shad

[Mattlures]

I realy like this bait and I was heading out into the thickest nastiest stuff imaginable. There is an area probably over a mile long just coverd in these weeds and they are full of bass. This is a real test for any weedless bait and I knew The Rage shad would get through it. Bit I had to find out if it would get bit. Well it did check out this nice bass

This bass just blasted the shad on a slow-medium retrieve buzzing along the top. The stuff is soo thick you cant get you boat over to the fish. You just have to trim up you moter and let the wind eventualy drift you through it. It can take hours if its not very windy. Anyways It took me a while to get the fish through this stuff and to the boat. Now that is a weedless bait.

[paul.]

dude!  is that a saltwater bass of some kind?  very cool fish.

[Big-O]

Good Job Matt and glad you like those aggressive little dudes. Great photo and can see the slop behind you. I'm kinda partial to your stuff as well.  

Big O

[deepsessions]

that's a toad Matt! you ever try punchin through those weeds out there?

[Speed Worm]

Nice fish man! I purchased a bag of these shads and have not had any success with them. The tail is extremely fragile and only lasts a few casts before it breaks off.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey Speed,

You probably got a bad package. It happens. Couple of pointers:

-Don't take these baits out of the packaging until you are ready to use them. The protective shell over the baits helps keep them in excellent condition until you use them.

-Make sure you do not unhook the tail from the body until you are ready to use the bait as the tail can become damaged if not packed away in your tackle properly. They keep that tab on them for a reason.

-Three, the tails on these things have the best topwater action out of any existing topwater bait out there. They come over the thickest of stuff without ANY problems or hangups.

Keep chuckin' em' and don't give up. I'm sure the fact that you have those big ole Florida bass slammin' the baits doesn't help haha.  I wish I was fishing your waters.  I'd be chuckin' the Rage Tails ALL DAY!!!Check out all the testimonials on these things here in the bait section of the forum or at websitetoolbox.com/mb/ragetail

I think the others will agree it was a bum package or improper bait storage. Not to grill you. Just some advice.

Matt is that a sea bass? I thought they were darker than that. I'm not a salt water fishermen except for fun fishing once or twice a year at Ocean City or Chincoteague, Va. Looks like fun. Are you on intracoastal waters???

Looks like the Rage Tail baits work for multi-species Big-O. Talk about an effective plastic!!!

[Speed Worm]

Hey Speed,

You probably got a bad package. It happens. Couple of pointers:

-Don't take these baits out of the packaging until you are ready to use them. The protective shell over the baits helps keep them in excellent condition until you use them.

-Make sure you do not unhook the tail from the body until you are ready to use the bait as the tail can become damaged if not packed away in your tackle properly. They keep that tab on them for a reason.

-Three, the tails on these things have the best topwater action out of any existing topwater bait out there. They come over the thickest of stuff without ANY problems or hangups.

Keep chuckin' em' and don't give up. I'm sure the fact that you have those big ole Florida bass slammin' the baits doesn't help haha. I wish I was fishing your waters. I'd be chuckin' the Rage Tails ALL DAY!!!Check out all the testimonials on these things here in the bait section of the forum or at websitetoolbox.com/mb/ragetail

I think the others will agree it was a bum package or improper bait storage. Not to grill you. Just some advice.

Matt is that a sea bass? I thought they were darker than that. I'm not a salt water fishermen except for fun fishing once or twice a year at Ocean City or Chincoteague, Va. Looks like fun. Are you on intracoastal waters???

Looks like the Rage Tail baits work for multi-species Big-O. Talk about an effective plastic!!!

The package was good. The only problem with the design is the fact that the slit in the tail is not reinforced. The corner of the slit tends to rip, much like zoom's U-vibe design. I love uvibe and I do go through an entire pack of worms every trip, but they are not $5 a package.

[Mattlures]

Yes this is a calico bass. It should have been closer tp 6lbs but only went 4. It was long and skinny. They are just like largemouth except they live in the kelp. The Rage shads have held up gret for me. I have not had one tear at the tail. I have worn holes in them from hooking fish but a drop of Mend it makes them new again. I have been searching for a weedless buzzbait for a while and these are it. I have tried weedless grubs and toads and frogs but these are the best. My hook up percentage is MUCH higher then the toad baits(I dont even know why)and they get me more bites then any others I have tried. Buzzbaits are one of my goto baits and I will still use them but if there are weeds at all I now use the shad.

[tyrius.]

Nice fish man! I purchased a bag of these shads and have not had any success with them. The tail is extremely fragile and only lasts a few casts before it breaks off.

You're doing something wrong then.  The entire Rage Tail line is made up of very durable plastic.  I've had Rage Shads last through 10 fish, but there are times that I set the hook on a fish and he just got the tail.  That usually results in the retrieval of a tail less shad, but not that doesn't happen often.  I've NEVER lost a tail on a cast.

[cart7t]

Yes this is a calico bass. It should have been closer tp 6lbs but only went 4. It was long and skinny. They are just like largemouth except they live in the kelp. The Rage shads have held up gret for me. I have not had one tear at the tail. I have worn holes in them from hooking fish but a drop of Mend it makes them new again. I have been searching for a weedless buzzbait for a while and these are it. I have tried weedless grubs and toads and frogs but these are the best. My hook up percentage is MUCH higher then the toad baits(I dont even know why)and they get me more bites then any others I have tried. Buzzbaits are one of my goto baits and I will still use them but if there are weeds at all I now use the shad.

I've never heard of a calico bass.

So what's the story on these fish?

Are these a salt water species?  How do they fight?  How big do they get?  Are they indigenous to the west coast?

[Mrs. Matstone]

Great report and nice fish Matt. That is one mean looking bass. I have not seen one like that yet. Very cool. It sounds like you are having as much fun with the shad as I have had with them. I have heard alot of people say they remind them of a buzzbait. I have never fished a buzzbait but I do love the shad. Congrats on the outing and the fish. Thanks for sharing.  ;D