It’ s no secret that big glide baits will catch some of the biggest bass in the lake when the conditions are right. sort of like it’ s well known that you can unload some serious bucks on a handmade, hand-tuned beauty built with top-shelf components and finished with a paint job so pretty you might be reluctant to throw it for fear of scarring it up. No need to worry with the Duel Hardcore Ninja Twitch’ n Glider, which delivers many of the same qualities as a premium glide bait for a fraction of the price.
First Impression
The Twitch’ n Glider has a large-profile 7-inch baitfish body and features a single joint that pivots on a pair of stainless rings and pins to form a heavyduty double hinge. First
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impression: This bait is built to take a serious beating.
While the flashy finishes appear above average in quality, there isn’ t much detail to speak of other than a broken scale pattern that runs along the edge of the back and belly, raised gill plates and 3-D eyes.
Duel mounts a pair of sticky black nickel Japanese trebles and split rings to the belly. a rigid line tie protrudes just beneath the nose, while a replaceable tail section made from pliable rubber brings up the rear. a spare tail is included in case the original gets damaged.
In Action some glide baits are so big and heavy that they can be daunting to throw for long periods. Yet to me the Twitch’ n Glider’ s medium
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size made it a true pleasure to fish with. In fact, when I tried it I found it to be somewhat addictive because it can be made to perform a variety of enticing actions by altering the retrieve speed or changing the rod position and rod cadence. In clear water, I could actually see how it reacted to even the subtlest cue.
The bait sinks very slowly with a near-horizontal posture and swims with an s-shaped gliding action, which causes it to swing methodically 12 to 14 inches side-to-side on a slow, steady retrieve. Varying the retrieve by pausing, sweeping the rod or“ walking” the lure with a jerkbait-like cadence will cause the bait to dart or drift outside its original path and will sometimes trigger followers that might not commit otherwise. If you
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really want to get nasty, snap the rod tip sharply and stop reeling. The bait will spin 180 degrees and look a potential attacker in the eye.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are new to glide bait fishing or an accomplished big-bait angler, the Twitch’ n Glider is certainly worth a look. The bait is well made, and its slow-sinking nature makes it a great choice for clear, shallow-water applications around docks, laydowns, grass flats, grass edges and other ambush points where big bass will sometimes set up camp and wait for unsuspecting forage to swim by. It’ s not a numbers bait by any means, but it will draw the attention of medium and large fish and trigger some violent strikes along the way.
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