There is not much I can say about the new look Champion Extreme rods that Gary doesn't say himself in the above video (and he has that drawl that's hard to match to my Canadian "eh" accent).
What I do know is that the Champion Extreme series plays a big roll in my every day arsenal. Making up 75% of the rods I have on deck each and every outing. From spinner baits, and frog fishing all the way down to finesse drop-shot fishing the DX series of rods gives me the power, sensitively and reliably I need on the water.. If you'd asked me I wouldn't have thought Gary could top the classic Champion Extremes, but he has.. so watch out
Its been a crazy summer, and between breaking in a new boat and a tone of new products, I haven't had much time to set down and write. But as the fall hits and the boat gets wrapped (insert sad face) I can now catch up on many on the product reviews I have been working on this season.
Lets kick it off with the BombShell Turtle
PROs:
The BombShell Turtle is a fairly versatile plastic bait and can be fished with both power and finesse techniques. I had more success with the finesse techniques nose hooking the turtle and letting it flutter fall next to docks and various other structure. If you want to power rig this bait I recommend trying it Carolina rigged or Texas rigged without pegging your weight. The turtle performs better when given the ability to do it's thing. Using heavier weights speed up the fall making it more a reaction bait then it needs to be.
Your final hook option is belly weighted hook smaller swim bait hooks. This option gives the Turtle the same flutter/fall that the nose hook offers. This is another solid option that may help avoid short stoked you can experience with a nose hook.
Although the legs of these bait can be ripped from the body easily, the large profile body is fairly durable and will hold up for multiple fish.
All 13 colour options blend well with the baits design. 8 of the 13 are natural turtle variant colours and the others are fish catching colours that work well on almost any bait you can through.
CONs:
Availability and Price are common issues for baits not made by the big boys of the industry. The Bombshell Turtle suffers from both of these issues, and although they can be found at the Bass Pro Shop, most local shops will look at you sideways when you ask about them or share you a days wage to buy them.
As mentioned above the legs and arms are pretty flimsy, and although this is needed to give the bait its action, it also means it will quickly become and amputee once you get into a few fish. This isn't an issue if the front legs are the first to go, but once you start loosing the back legs its time to switch up baits.
If your looking to flip the BombShell into heavy cover you will need to play around with your weigh sizes. If you go to light the wide body will catch up on the matting or slop making it hard to slide through. Too heavy and your not utilizing the baits best features (those back legs are awesome).
Last point here.. I was not a huge fan of how a WG or EWG hook sits on the baits back when Texas rigged. It's awkward to properly rig and the hook point has no place to hide. A slight back slot or guard would make a huge difference in the Bombshells performance.
Where to Buy:
As mention this is a hard(ish) bait to find, but the below on-line retails should be able to hook you up if your looking to give the Bombshell your own test drive
