This past weekend I got the opportunity to test drive a few jigs from a company called BassTEK. Although you may not have heard of them (yet) they are an US company owned and operated by two long time anglers. Their vision for BassTEK was to provide quality baits at prices that all anglers can afford. So far I believe they have met that goal, on top of introducing come unique new products to the industry.
This test drive will be 2 fold, starting out with a review of their skirted Jig line-up and then followed by a product I'm very excited about called the Jig Sling.. here we go
Tungsten Jigs:
BassTEK currently offers up both a flipping and a football jig in their skirted line-up. I gave both styles a serious workout this past weekend while flipping docks, timber as well as dragging rock and gravel shoals.
Pros
Lets start off at the top shall we.. BassTEK jigs are made with Tungsten, a material that is getting used more and more in the fishing industry, and for good reason. Tungsten allows you to downsize the overall size of the jig head while still offering up the same weight. It is also a louder and more sensitive material making you feel every little bump, nick and thump.
The enamel painting used on these baits is quality, I spent a good deal of time dragging these jigs over rocks and gravel and by the end of the day the jig only shows minor signs of wear and tear
The shirts on all BassTEK jigs are 100% silicone and in my opinion are cut to the perfect length. I had no need to alter/trim either style and was able to fish them straight out of the package. I like a medium to short skirt (insert joke here) that allows my trailer to impart some additional action. Longer skirts can cover this up, and it makes me wonder why guys use a trailer at all?
BassTEK has a pretty nice colour selection available. I usually stick to one or two colours focusing on darker more natural choices, but I have to admit after seeing their Missouri craw colour, I just have to have one
Hooks on these baits are crazy sticky and I never once had a fish come un-stuck. I did from time to time bury one in a submerged piece of wood, but at the end of the weekend the hook point was still sharp. I actually passed one BassTEK jig to my partner to use, and thought it was pretty damn funny to listen to him say "ouch" over and over as he would stick his hand while prepping to flip. It was his first time using a Jig in 10 years! but seeing the success I was having he quickly tied one on.
Cons
There is not really anything that stands out as a con. I would like to see more colour and size options, but then again as mentioned above I only fish 1-2 sizes (3 max) and a usually throw a couple standard colours, so I'm not sure this would deter me from buying in any way, we just seem to be pampered with colour choices nowadays
Jig Slings:
The jig sling has to be one of the more simple but extremely useful pieces of fishing gear that I have come across in the past while. When I first looked at them I was confused, I though they were a jig rattle holder missing the rattles, but one quick google search later and I was saying.. "Why has nobody thought of this earlier!"Yes the Jig Sling is in a sense a simple bait keeper, but with that said it is the best bait keeper design I've seen and used. This past weekend I caught 10 fish on my first trailer without once having to adjust it after a cast.. the 10th fish ripped one of the trailer legs/arms off so I was forced to replace it, but all in all this little piece of rubber will take a lot of the frustration out of jig fishing with soft plastics.
(Photo from the BassTEK website)
There is not much I can say about how easy it is to apply a Bass Sling to your jigs. The above photo stolen from the BassTEK website shows you just how the Sling sits on your bait after being applied. As you can see the dense rubber slides over the hook point and up over the jigs natural bait keeper, once your trailer has been added you simply grab the tab end of the sling, pull it over your hook and your done.. the sling stays firmly in place applying pressure to your bait to ensure it stays just were you want it. These Slings are not a one time use either, chunks/trailers can be changed out simply by lifting the tab and sliding the back end of the sling back over the hook. I will be loading up on Jig Slings and applying them to my jigs prior to hitting the lake.
If you want to check out a short how to video, click on this Hyper link to see it in action: BassTek Jig Sling Demo Video
to learn more about BassTEK products check out their website (HERE) and swing on over to their Facebook page (HERE) and click "Like" to follow them and be notified when new products become available.
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