MOUTH
A large, deep mouth cup
catches and throws gobs
of water while helping to
prevent blowouts on hard
twitches. It also helps for
walking the bait in place.
DESIGN
The keel-shaped bottom
and flat sides make
achieving a walk-the-dog
action a breeze.
Performance Advice
Like most topwaters, the SplashBack
performs best with a floating fishing
line of medium test strength. I tied it to
12-pound-test Berkley Trilene XT
monofilament. It also works well with
straight braid or a braid/mono leader
combo. I experimented with a loop
knot and tying directly to its eyelet and
couldn’t tell much difference in the
action either way.
Equally important is rod choice for
long-range casting and accuracy. The
HITS & MISSES
guys at 6th Sense recommend a 7-
foot, 6-inch to 7-foot, 10-inch, medi-
um-action rod with a fast tip for
launching long casts in open water
and a shorter 6-foot, 6-inch model for
better accuracy around shallow tar-
gets. I used a 6-foot, 6-inch All Star
Rods Zell Rowland Signature Series
topwater special that I’ve owned for
years for shallow applications and a 7-
foot JB Custom Rods Trap n Rap
model away from the bank and saw
excellent results on both counts.
+ Works with multiple retrieves
+ Walks easily
+ Comes with premium treble hooks and
excellent finishes
+ Casts well
– It’s a little pricey compared to some of the old
staples (yet moderately priced compared to
many Japanese and custom models)
APPLICATIONS
The multi-purpose design of the SplashBack allows it to perform in a variety
of scenarios. In shallow water, throw it tight to cover to coax bass from bushes,
grass patches, laydowns, shade or stumps.
It’s also killer on offshore schools or for running and gunning along banks
where wolf packs of bass are hunting bream.
APRIL 2017 I FLWFISHING.COM
Silent Works
Originally, the SplashBack
was designed with a weight-
transfer ball in the tail end
that doubled as a rattle, but
6th Sense owner Casey
Sobczak says that extensive
field-testing proved that the
bait drew significantly more
strikes when the weight was
fixed so it didn’t rattle.
The difference was so
profound that he altered
the design and fixed the tail
weight in place.
DETAILS
Size Reviewed: 70 – 2 3/4
inches, 3/8 ounce
Other Sizes: 90 – 3 1/2 inches,
3/4 ounce
Colors: 12
MSRP: $9.99 for the model
reviewed; $12.99 for the larger
model
Contact: 6thsenselures.com
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