GEAR
PRODUCT REVIEW
6TH SENSE SPLASHBACK POPPER 70
W
hen it comes to
poppers, there’s
no such thing as
having too many of these
lures. That’s because many
poppers often deliver unique
actions that might appeal to
bass in different scenarios.
Some spray or spit water,
while others provide a classic
“bloop-bloop” effect. A select
few can even be made to
walk like a stick bait with rel-
ative ease.
The SplashBack from 6th
Sense can do a little of each.
It’s a multi-talented per-
former that gives you the
ability to “test” the fish to
see if they want the bait
moving in a zigzag line
across the surface or
worked “in place,” without
having to change lures. I’ve
been throwing it on and off
since September, and it has
fooled schooling bass off-
shore and headhunting
lunkers up shallow.
First Impressions
36
One look at this bait and
it’s clear that it was built to
perform differently from
other poppers. It’s equipped
with a large V-shaped mouth
that features a deep cup and
a very serious overbite. Just
as intriguing are the flat,
wide sides, square back, and
keel-shaped belly.
The tall sides and nose
angle give the SplashBack a
noticeably large profile for a
2 3/4-inch bait, while the
factory finishes look almost
like custom jobs (a hallmark
of the 6th Sense brand). A
feather treble, 3-D eyes and
raised gill plates round out
the package.
On the Water
The most noticeable fea-
ture of the popper when it
hits the water is its near-verti-
cal stance. When paused, the
bait rocks slightly left-to-right
to simulate a baitfish that’s
been stunned or wounded,
with the feathered treble
dangling below.
One of the most impres-
sive action features of the
SplashBack is how well it
dog-walks across the surface
By Matt Williams
PHOTOS BY MATT PACE
too. Stop-and-go twitching
with the rod tip worked at a
downward angle causes the
nose to scoop and throw
water up to a few feet,
depending on how hard you
twitch it.
It makes much more
spray than it does noise,
though. To make the bait
“bloop” you have to hold
the rod tip high and use
more of a dragging motion
instead of a twitch.
Final Thoughts
with very little effort. It’s easy
enough to walk that a begin-
ner coul d perfect the tech-
nique in short order with a
little bit of instruction. The
knack for walking stems
from its keel-shaped belly
and flat sides, which help the
lure to slice through the
water easily – its gaping
mouth spitting water along
the way.
The bait performs well
with other presentations,
The wide mouth and
deep cup provide a consid-
erable amount of resistance
when the bait goes in
motion. I found that to be a
huge plus when working the
SplashBack around flooded
bushes, laydowns, clumps
of vegetation and other iso-
lated targets because it
makes the bait easy to walk
in place.
As castability goes, the
fixed-weight chamber in
the tail section really makes
this baby sail for a 3/8-
ounce bait.
FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2017