If you are new to UL fishing, fishing these is actually easier than twitching a trout magnet. They are heavier and easier to cast, and also no special retrieve needed.
I agree 100 % with the 3 that you recommend, they flat out catch fish!!! I usually buy the Charlie Brewer ones in the 1.5 inch size and if I have to I will cut off a 1/2 inch to get more bites, they have worked the best for me as a search bait and I have had my best days in quantity of fish that I have caught with them. The Keitech's are great but their durability is terrible, and I have recently bought some of the Power Baits and have only used them once and they do produce bites. Thank you for this video, great information!!!
Still digging into your collection. Your opinions are quite convincing to me - because of the clear convictions you hold based on experience, and your desire for a deep understanding of each thing you do. This swim bait concept for "fishing" for where the fish are sounds like a fun new thing to try.
I'd love to see you talk about your color preferences for these swimbaits and your stance on how important color choice is for crappie in general. Some people will say "you need THIS color" others will say it doesn't matter at all. I'm somewhere in the middle I guess.
Another great video! 25 minutes flew by. I love your honesty. I can recommend the Mister Twister Sassy Shad in sizes 1.75" and 2.5", and in some situations the 3". When crappie are targeting small sunfish or threadfin shad, something about the deeper profile matching the hatch really has been helpful for me. They're affordable and the tail is thin enough that it still paddles at quite a slow retrieve, which has been important for me in cold water. Mister Twister is also another old American brand, and for whatever reason even though the plastic is average and the colors are nothing special they just catch fish. For the sane reasons their 2" and 3" twistertail grubs are almost the only ones I will use. In side by side tests they continue moving at slower speeds than any other twistertail I have tried so far. They're not particularly durable, but it's also not a big deal since you can buy a 100 pack.
What is special? Marketing! To catch the consumer eye and interest. And yes I know I like 5 minute fish talks Ethan. Fish anything, now. So I show support by fishing some of his Mule fishing products. His channel has great content and has kept me watching. Mind you along with other brands also! Thanks for the reviews
You need to actually fish the product before claiming there is nothing special about x, y, or z. You can say they don't appear special, but that is not the same as above statement.
I think more than most people you think like a fish. Your Zman example is perfect. Zman makes a lot of products that attract fishermen. Thats what all these companies are doing and it's pretty smart. Its not the fish spending their money on these products. These conpanies need to make money and they do so by attracting fishermen, not fish.
i know.. I make my own jigs now and i spent a lot of time making sure that they look beautiful too ! 😆 I spent time to make sure even the packaging is beautiful!!!
@@ifishcatfish lol you sent me some a few years back before you started selling them. They came in a plain and boring cardboard box, but they sure did work well.
hmm... not sure what i sent you but the BG-1 jigs on my website had the very first prototypes in November 2022... must have been something else. For the longest time i had a good design for a head but didn't have a good hook and didn't want to make them with chinese hooks like everyone else. In a freak accident one subscriber connected me with a japanese company that makes hooks and i found these absolutely amazing hooks. Maybe you are thinking of something else... if you haven't tried the BG-1 jigs u should try them. I know bank fishing u lose a lot of jigs so u need something economical, but you should still try them. I don't think there is anything like them here in US
@@ifishcatfish Might have to order me a pack. I've dabbled in the JDM rods and reels, but not the jigs yet. I want to try them, but like you said I lose a lot of them since I bank fish. I've been using the temorah jigs for a few years now and I like them a lot. Actually used them before you made a review on them. Your jigs might be a good entry point into the higher quality jig head market. Also, I went back and checked my email. You sent me them in November 2020 when I purchased a bunch of Crappie Magnets from you.
@@TheFishingNomad Yeah.. this is completely different product. The wire is only half the diameter of those temorah, and the tip is still harder and sharper! If you get some, I recommend using them with a float. You can go months with one jig if fished from a float...
Hello, nice review. Keitech is most probably n.1 and will remain on the podium in most countries in the world. The only thing Keitech does not produce lures smaller then 2 inches. I like also japanese Reins, they have a very good smell and rubber, but most important they have lures in different forms and small sizes that really work. They cost like Keitech for a single pack but there are more lures in comparison to Keitech.
@@ifishcatfish but I can’t find some their products I use on the site, maybe it’s different in each Country. Anyway my favorites are Reins agi ringer shad, and Reins saturn.
If you know some swimbaits that are worth trying and I didn't cover - please share, but let me know why do u think it is different and what separates it from the pack.
Victor, you need to check out the Mule Fishing Donkey Tail Jr. It’s a round body 1.6” paddle tail lure made out of the elaztech type material so it is super durable. I tried them out for the first time a few days ago and was very impressed. I caught ten smallmouth bass on one bait and it still looks good as new. Should be a great lure also for bluegill and crappies.
@@bugtussle7475I agree! They're affordable, durable, and have good colorways. I like their jig heads too. I mainly target bluegill, so I like that they can handle getting nibbled on. I can take one pack of donkey tail jr.s and be good for a whole day of fishing. I like to mix up the colorways into one pack that I take with me. I do use pro-cure to add scent. I need to try the Berkley baits in this video for the winter.
You should give Eurotackle a second chance. The 1" EPF Swim is a very nice looking bait that swims great even on a slow fall with a 1/32 jig. I think the gold is one of the best colors out there. For me, it out-fishes trout magnet in the summer, but maybe I'm just no good at fishing a TM. :) (And the B-Vibe 1.5" is much better than the 2" cut down because it has a much slimmer profile.)
@@bugtussle7475 it's too big for bluegill. U can catch one here and there but too big for targeting them specifically. And I have better swimbaits for crappie. I'm sure u will catch fish but for me its just another chinese lure with no real identity. This lure will work in the months when every other lure also works.
@@ReelFilmVideos 'Nice looking' is not enough any more... every other chinese lure is nice looking and works just as good. I know it will catch fish but it has no advantage of any kind and i would rather use the Charlie Brewer in that size
Ok victor now I know how you feel about eurotackle, BUT have you seen the EPF swim 1”? Similar to the Charlie brewer but with a somewhat realistic fish body shape like the keitech and larger sections. While it may be Chinese plastic the design is for American panfish angler as epf designed them himself. Maybe I’m bias because I am a fan of Extremephillyfishing, but I think it’s legit option for 1” paddle tail and worth checking out 👍
I have seen it but havent tried it. I know something that small will get bit, and i kmow this lure cstches fish. And i loke EPF too, he was the one who actually opened my eyes about trout magnet. I dont think his lure has any advantage over the charlie brewer tho. I think they are both pretty much the same thing. I just like charlie brewer because its the original lure and i am nostalgic at the old times.
@@ifishcatfish I definitely see what you mean. I grew up float fishing and jigging crappie tubes and that’s still what I catch the most fish on. I just started fishing UL swim baits a couple months ago, random 2” swim bait from cabelas, and so far I haven’t caught anything. Need to downsize I think. The CB’s are actually better value too, but im gonna get some epf swims as well to show some support for the guy! Lol
1 year on and I can say that his advice is totally accurate. Also his black 1.5 gram BG-1 jighead, coupled with a black 1.5" Charlie Brewer that is cut down (to give a more flush fit to the jighead compared to the 1") has been really really great for finding deep suspended post-spawn bluegill from the bank. Go buy some before I buy all of them again! The 2" Keitech Easy Shiner with a 3/32oz #2 black lazer hook Lil Gripper jighead from Bald Eagle Jigs (great little company for filling out your jighead selection), has also netted me a LOT of stocked trout, largemouth, and even channel catfish in the winter and early spring. I use a 7' light rod with 6lb braid to about 5 to 7 feet of 4lb fluorocarbon leader (attached with a double uni knot). I count it down and then reel it back just fast enough for the tail to wag. Use a natural color and try to match the most common prey there. The results have been absolutely killer. The only exception/addendum I would make to his advice is that..... The smelt and blue glimmer colored Z-man FryZ, despite being an admittedly ugly bait, in some small lakes/ponds has outfished everything besides 1.75" Mister Twister Sassy Shads (another old American company). It lasts a LOT longer than the Sassy Shads, but the black/pearl Sassy was probably just a little more productive. I think the reason those two swimbaits have consistently outproduced the Keitech and Power Swimmer in that situation is that those farm pond fish are used to eating bluegill fry, which are deeper bodied. The "shad" profile matches the hatch better. I just wish the Z-man and 1.75" Sassy Shads had more good colors, and that the Z-man didn't have those big ugly eyes on them. I hope this helps someone! Tight lines!
dude, you still dont know how things work in this market... i am telling you this plastic is nothing special today, and that this lure cannot be compared in any way to a keitech. I don't want to attack this guy's business but it takes more than that to impress me.
@Flushdraw I like that it’s environmentally friendly. I prefer not to replace my plastics every 3-6 fish. Just keep it away from other plastics it won’t melt.
Have you tried the Eurotackle EPF 1” paddle tail? I haven’t seen it in person but it looks very similar to the brewer one you recommended and just wondering if it is basically the same.
i havent tried it but i have seen it. And i have tried other eurotackle baits. I am sure it works fine but doesn't have any special material, or scent, or design. It will work though, if u can't find Charlie Brewer
@@julianstolz3987 every lure i had on the table also works. The point of the video was... is there anything special in the design of the lure that separates it from the pack.
Victor …great video …I started using zman tiny ticklerz after seeing you use a lot and in April here in Illinois it is catching crappie, perch, bluegill and bass….just wondering if you still like it or would you still favor the lures in this video more than the ticklerz micro 1 and 3/4 inch. …thanks again for all your great educational works here on TH-cam.
That is actually the One Zman lure that i like : ). But this video is about swimbaits. They have some kind of paddle tail that kicks when u continuously retrieve. TicklerZ is just a tube.. you have to give it action by twitching.. I like that lure but its in different category..
i dont know if this has been mentioned yet but charlie brewers website shows an American flag indicating that it is made in USA maybe someone knows for sure where it is made.
Hi Victor. I bank fish Florida so crappie are not really the target but bluegills are and good sized ones at that. Any chance of doing a vid regarding your selection for a bluegill focussed arsenal. Really enjoyed your review of the swimbaits. Thank you.
Been using zman for a long time, so can't agree with all that hate directed towards them. Everyone has their preferences. I get that, but the subjective take on the design choices of zman is pretty myopic. The elaztech plastic just offers so many advantages over basic plastics with regard to durability, action, the buoyancy factor. Another thing many people don't realize, is that you can very effectively infuse(not just coat) them with all manner of oil based scents, because the material will absorb it over time.(Like procure gel flavors for instance). Basic plastics can't do that. zman offerings in the ultralight category was pretty limited, until very recently, but their (micro)finesse stuff is all really effective. In fact the properties of the elaztech material are magnified when you downsize it to the micro size, making it even better choice in material for tiny jigs etc. I also really dig the mule fishing stuff because of this. And yes that stretchy, durable, and floaty plastic does indeed set them apart from all the others. Just glossing over zman/mule fishing baits is practically criminal. Rant over. That being said, I fish much more in the salt, so my proclivity falls towards that, I use a lot of my small baits for things like surf perch, smelt, mackerel, little jacks, and scad more often than for crappie, sunfish or bass, but I can tell you from experience that the various small to micro zman/mule stuff produces well for all of them.(On a side note...I got a real chuckle when I read in the comments that you can't specifically target bluegill with a 1.6" donkeytail jr. on something like a 1/32-1/16oz jighead. lol.)
I only said their design is idiotic.. the plastic is nice. But u talk over and over about the plastic, which i never attacked. In english this is called 'hanging a straw man' - attacking an argument that the other side never really made but superficially seems related. Now, if you want to tell me that their designs are not idiotic - please make another post, i would be curious to hear EVEN ONE of their micro finesse plastics thats not idiotic design. The mulefishing swimbait is a generic chinese catalogue swimbait. You are probably unaware but that stretchy plastic is absolutely common in china and europe and asia, i really don't know why they don't use it in United States. More than 50% of lures on the market are made from that plastic. Nothing to be impressed, unless you are not following with the developments in the industry. I would make my own but im not convinced that plastic is all that beneficial. It makes it very hard to put straight on a jig because its so soft and u can't hold it straight. A trout magnet is hard plastic, but its easy to put straight and will catch 50 bluegill before needing replacement too. And I WILL MEET YOU ANYWHERE AND CATCH MORE FISH ON TROUT MAGNET than you with your mulefishing swimbait. I know you are new, but i make no exceptions for new customers. If you spout bullsh#t, u will get rekt here. Welcome aboard!
@@ifishcatfish To each his own. You don't like most of zman designs. Haven't seen you try the fryz out with an appropriate jighead with the right keeper on it yet though. Would be interested in your thoughts on that particular one. I know that I can get it to look quite nice rigged, since this seems an important factor to you. Either way, I am not gonna get into a protracted comment debate over a category of fishing I am not nearly as passionate about as you. It won't go anywhere. The zman stuff works well for me, and that is enough. If you were to check out the entire line of fishing baits, you will find they have some of the most unique designs around. Some are hits, others don't appeal to me and seem funky. I will say one thing though. Once I tried that type of plastic 15 years ago, I progressively starting using more and more of it, until now most of my boxes are filled with zman stuff. The rest being berkley gulp/powerbait, and not surprisingly, the small proportion of old style pvc baits I still use are indeed keitech, since they are some of the best designs around with very good quality control from bag to bag.
i wanted to try the FRYZ but the design looks so bad that its just a waste of time. Just like the StingerZ, which i did try and caugh a lot of fish on, it is ALL BODY AND NO TAIL. If i buy the FRYZ i will still catch a lot of fish with it. Because i am good at fishing and because if you jig a small lure in front of crappie or bass - they will eat it no matter what shape! But i analyze things so i can chose between all the options, and when u analyze them, the FryZ is clearly a terrible design, with ALL BODY AND NO TAIL. The terrible designs are not an accident! These lures have to FIT on the terrible jigs they make or the jigs that are on the US market. All ultralight jigs on the US Market are JUNK. My jig head is the ONLY jig head of decent quality! If they had MY jig head, they would make different lure designs, because then you don't have to make the body so FAT to cover the huge jig! My jig head is perfectly covered even with a trout magnet! I don't need those fat lures! Until ZMAN create a decent jig, they are gona keep making HORRIBLE designs! That's not an accident! As for the stretchy plastic... i have contacts with several big factories in china and i can tell you for a fact that most lures today are done from stretchy plastic. Just companies in US are slow to adopt it. I have subscribers that send me hand made lures from the stretchy plastic. There is NOTHING SPECIAL about the stretchy plastic - get this out of your head! And ZMAN DID NOT CREATE THE STRETCHY PLASTIC! That plastic had industrial applications in other industries for a long time! ZMAN, to their credit, was the first US company to adopt it for lures, but not the first company in the world to do that. If you want to spend 20 000 dollars, you can call a chinese factory today, and they will give u a catalogue and u can order whatever lures u want, and they will make them from stretchy plastic. A lot of people do that (HINT). But the problem is SELLING them! You need a big following, or nobody will buy it, even if your product is good! That's why its very hard to displace the big players, who sell the old plastic and don't care.
@@ChiefToad i think googans just released some small baits that are with this plastic, if u think its something special. I think from now on everything on the market will be from this plastic. I see some youtube videos people now making their own baits from that plastic too.
@@ifishcatfish Good to hear googan is releasing something in tpe. It is a much better material to old pvc baits in many respects. The reason we will likely see it more and more is there is an increasing push to be more environmentally conscious and the tpe based plastic baits fit that bill for a number of reasons. It has been resisted by large brands in the past because it will melt or deform other plastics it comes in contact with, and the manufacturing process is more expensive. There is also the fact that traditional lead keepers and the like suck for elaztech type baits. So why switch. The big companies always hate adding new manufacturing lines. I have indeed ordered tpe worms and the like from China in the past and they were inferior products because they used bad formulations without the proper heat stabilizers, tacky to touch, or they were just fraudulently labeled pvc baits. So I just stuck with zman/strike king and more recently mule, which were effectively the only 3 easily accessible brands in western markets. Daiwa had a line of baits a couple or so years back, also, but they weren't as good of a mix either.
Daiwa Tungsten... i dont even know the name but i reviewed them a few months ago. Also have a playlist with the jig heads reviews. The charlie brewer jig head is something new and video is coming soon
@@ifishcatfish I took your advice and purchased a few of the Powerbait 2". I haven't used them yet but they look sweet. That's why I asked which jig heads you used.
I really like this Russian presentation. In the beginning the Keitech are the best soft plastics in the world, but a few minutes later they are so soft that even a bluegill can rip it apart. Mate come to Australia and I will show you the best soft plastics in the world named Munroes.
Are you Ukrainian? Why do u twist my words? I said when it comes to getting a bite. Nothing beats Keitech! Definitely nothing in Australia! Australia doesnt make anything! They just import junk from China, and when they can they buy some good stuff from Japan. But Australia has never manufactured anything in the history of that country. Kind of like Ukraine, if u don't count the Soviet factories..
Have you seen the bluegill and crappie baits from this is his YT channel fish anything he makes his baits I think Mule fishing supply but the name of the ones he fish with is donkey tail horse fly
guys, i tried to prevent these exact questions in the video.. There is too many chinese lures on the market... i don't buy all of them.. only if there is something special in the design. Is there anything special in this design?
@@xbnvdsx I bought the bigger ones for crappie but if your around bluegills they’ll nip off the tails. I normally use Bobby Garlands Itty bit for bluegill
@@xbnvdsx I’ve always wanted a itty bit in Elaztec. You could also fish it a little bit slower on a tiny jig head because of the buoyancy. I sent Z-Man a email years ago asking if they’d consider making them. I get tired of sliding them back up on the jig head. I’ve always thought superglue is a negative smell deterrent so I don’t use it. Maybe if they were glued days ahead to get the fumes out.
that is an EXCELLENT question! FINDABLE is KEY : ). You got me in a corner here... i sold my entire inventory when i opened my store and now i have two jigs for ultralight fishing - Daiwa Gekkabijin Tungsten, when i need to go deep, and my own jig head for fishing shallow. Daiwa Gekkabijin is available in Japan, if you travel there. But it is not available in any of the stores that ship to USA. Any my own BG-1 jig is sold out too.
Ha! No... but you can see my rod in every video! Watch my last video for example, it is uncut video. Also have plenty of float and twitch videos and my rod is always visible and you can watch what i do in the few seconds before the bite. That said, i don't think i have some special technique or anything... i just twitch it from time to time, to this day i still don't know what i'm doing..
I made my own jig head. It is called BG-1 and is designed soecifically for bluegill. If u want to check it out u can open the description of any of my last 3 videos and u will find the link there. Ot just go to : ifishtackle.com/
No need to try. Most japanese jigs come with that and it is very annoying when you try to slide the bait, and then i can see a bulge in my lure, and then it does nothing anyway!
contact me in email. I will send u 2 packs for free. Then you will send me a paypal for whatever u think they are worth to you. I'm just curious what they would be worth to you.
@@ifishcatfish I must say I prefer the Daiwa version that competes with the slim swim. Do you have the Daiwa "bait junkie" range of plastics in the US? Where can I sent you a pic? Instagram?
If you are new to UL fishing, fishing these is actually easier than twitching a trout magnet. They are heavier and easier to cast, and also no special retrieve needed.
I agree 100 % with the 3 that you recommend, they flat out catch fish!!! I usually buy the Charlie Brewer ones in the 1.5 inch size and if I have to I will cut off a 1/2 inch to get more bites, they have worked the best for me as a search bait and I have had my best days in quantity of fish that I have caught with them. The Keitech's are great but their durability is terrible, and I have recently bought some of the Power Baits and have only used them once and they do produce bites. Thank you for this video, great information!!!
thanks buddy
Still digging into your collection. Your opinions are quite convincing to me - because of the clear convictions you hold based on experience, and your desire for a deep understanding of each thing you do. This swim bait concept for "fishing" for where the fish are sounds like a fun new thing to try.
Agreed. And he's just as eager to change his mind if something proves to be wrong, or something has a quality or value change.
I'd love to see you talk about your color preferences for these swimbaits and your stance on how important color choice is for crappie in general.
Some people will say "you need THIS color" others will say it doesn't matter at all. I'm somewhere in the middle I guess.
natural color in 95% of cases, even medium stained water. Only in the lowest visibility or very late at night i go for high viz colors.
Another great video! 25 minutes flew by. I love your honesty.
I can recommend the Mister Twister Sassy Shad in sizes 1.75" and 2.5", and in some situations the 3". When crappie are targeting small sunfish or threadfin shad, something about the deeper profile matching the hatch really has been helpful for me. They're affordable and the tail is thin enough that it still paddles at quite a slow retrieve, which has been important for me in cold water.
Mister Twister is also another old American brand, and for whatever reason even though the plastic is average and the colors are nothing special they just catch fish.
For the sane reasons their 2" and 3" twistertail grubs are almost the only ones I will use. In side by side tests they continue moving at slower speeds than any other twistertail I have tried so far. They're not particularly durable, but it's also not a big deal since you can buy a 100 pack.
i like old american brands
@@ifishcatfish me too! Sometimes "old reliable" gear is still around for a reason.
What is special? Marketing! To catch the consumer eye and interest. And yes I know I like 5 minute fish talks Ethan. Fish anything, now. So I show support by fishing some of his Mule fishing products. His channel has great content and has kept me watching. Mind you along with other brands also! Thanks for the reviews
thanks Dave
You need to actually fish the product before claiming there is nothing special about x, y, or z.
You can say they don't appear special, but that is not the same as above statement.
Extremely honest,👏🏻👏🏻, bravo Viktor !
I've actually never tried those 1 inchers. Gonna have to give them a go. Thanks!
I think more than most people you think like a fish. Your Zman example is perfect. Zman makes a lot of products that attract fishermen. Thats what all these companies are doing and it's pretty smart. Its not the fish spending their money on these products. These conpanies need to make money and they do so by attracting fishermen, not fish.
i know.. I make my own jigs now and i spent a lot of time making sure that they look beautiful too ! 😆 I spent time to make sure even the packaging is beautiful!!!
@@ifishcatfish lol you sent me some a few years back before you started selling them. They came in a plain and boring cardboard box, but they sure did work well.
hmm... not sure what i sent you but the BG-1 jigs on my website had the very first prototypes in November 2022... must have been something else. For the longest time i had a good design for a head but didn't have a good hook and didn't want to make them with chinese hooks like everyone else. In a freak accident one subscriber connected me with a japanese company that makes hooks and i found these absolutely amazing hooks. Maybe you are thinking of something else... if you haven't tried the BG-1 jigs u should try them. I know bank fishing u lose a lot of jigs so u need something economical, but you should still try them. I don't think there is anything like them here in US
@@ifishcatfish Might have to order me a pack. I've dabbled in the JDM rods and reels, but not the jigs yet. I want to try them, but like you said I lose a lot of them since I bank fish. I've been using the temorah jigs for a few years now and I like them a lot. Actually used them before you made a review on them. Your jigs might be a good entry point into the higher quality jig head market. Also, I went back and checked my email. You sent me them in November 2020 when I purchased a bunch of Crappie Magnets from you.
@@TheFishingNomad Yeah.. this is completely different product. The wire is only half the diameter of those temorah, and the tip is still harder and sharper!
If you get some, I recommend using them with a float. You can go months with one jig if fished from a float...
Thanks for the information Victor, much appreciated. Nicely done, sir.
thanks Denis!
Hello, nice review. Keitech is most probably n.1 and will remain on the podium in most countries in the world. The only thing Keitech does not produce lures smaller then 2 inches. I like also japanese Reins, they have a very good smell and rubber, but most important they have lures in different forms and small sizes that really work. They cost like Keitech for a single pack but there are more lures in comparison to Keitech.
give me a company link if u have
@@ifishcatfish but I can’t find some their products I use on the site, maybe it’s different in each Country. Anyway my favorites are Reins agi ringer shad, and Reins saturn.
@@ifishcatfish youtube deleted the link I think, I posted it in a different comment, just search for “Reins fishing” or “Reins lures” in Google
@@ifishcatfish please search for it in web, my comment was deleted
@@ifishcatfish my comments with the site mentioning were deleted, please check it in google
If you know some swimbaits that are worth trying and I didn't cover - please share, but let me know why do u think it is different and what separates it from the pack.
Victor, you need to check out the Mule Fishing Donkey Tail Jr. It’s a round body 1.6” paddle tail lure made out of the elaztech type material so it is super durable. I tried them out for the first time a few days ago and was very impressed. I caught ten smallmouth bass on one bait and it still looks good as new. Should be a great lure also for bluegill and crappies.
@@bugtussle7475I agree! They're affordable, durable, and have good colorways. I like their jig heads too. I mainly target bluegill, so I like that they can handle getting nibbled on. I can take one pack of donkey tail jr.s and be good for a whole day of fishing. I like to mix up the colorways into one pack that I take with me. I do use pro-cure to add scent. I need to try the Berkley baits in this video for the winter.
You should give Eurotackle a second chance. The 1" EPF Swim is a very nice looking bait that swims great even on a slow fall with a 1/32 jig. I think the gold is one of the best colors out there. For me, it out-fishes trout magnet in the summer, but maybe I'm just no good at fishing a TM. :) (And the B-Vibe 1.5" is much better than the 2" cut down because it has a much slimmer profile.)
@@bugtussle7475 it's too big for bluegill. U can catch one here and there but too big for targeting them specifically. And I have better swimbaits for crappie. I'm sure u will catch fish but for me its just another chinese lure with no real identity. This lure will work in the months when every other lure also works.
@@ReelFilmVideos 'Nice looking' is not enough any more... every other chinese lure is nice looking and works just as good. I know it will catch fish but it has no advantage of any kind and i would rather use the Charlie Brewer in that size
Walmart's Ozark Trail brand has a decent 2-inch swimbait that are a suitable size for panfish.
Ok victor now I know how you feel about eurotackle, BUT have you seen the EPF swim 1”? Similar to the Charlie brewer but with a somewhat realistic fish body shape like the keitech and larger sections. While it may be Chinese plastic the design is for American panfish angler as epf designed them himself. Maybe I’m bias because I am a fan of Extremephillyfishing, but I think it’s legit option for 1” paddle tail and worth checking out 👍
I have seen it but havent tried it. I know something that small will get bit, and i kmow this lure cstches fish. And i loke EPF too, he was the one who actually opened my eyes about trout magnet. I dont think his lure has any advantage over the charlie brewer tho. I think they are both pretty much the same thing. I just like charlie brewer because its the original lure and i am nostalgic at the old times.
@@ifishcatfish I definitely see what you mean. I grew up float fishing and jigging crappie tubes and that’s still what I catch the most fish on. I just started fishing UL swim baits a couple months ago, random 2” swim bait from cabelas, and so far I haven’t caught anything. Need to downsize I think. The CB’s are actually better value too, but im gonna get some epf swims as well to show some support for the guy! Lol
I have tried some of the Eurotackle products and like Victor I was not impressed. Stiff plastic with very little action.
@@bugtussle7475 xactly..: )
1 year on and I can say that his advice is totally accurate.
Also his black 1.5 gram BG-1 jighead, coupled with a black 1.5" Charlie Brewer that is cut down (to give a more flush fit to the jighead compared to the 1") has been really really great for finding deep suspended post-spawn bluegill from the bank. Go buy some before I buy all of them again!
The 2" Keitech Easy Shiner with a 3/32oz #2 black lazer hook Lil Gripper jighead from Bald Eagle Jigs (great little company for filling out your jighead selection), has also netted me a LOT of stocked trout, largemouth, and even channel catfish in the winter and early spring. I use a 7' light rod with 6lb braid to about 5 to 7 feet of 4lb fluorocarbon leader (attached with a double uni knot). I count it down and then reel it back just fast enough for the tail to wag. Use a natural color and try to match the most common prey there. The results have been absolutely killer.
The only exception/addendum I would make to his advice is that.....
The smelt and blue glimmer colored Z-man FryZ, despite being an admittedly ugly bait, in some small lakes/ponds has outfished everything besides 1.75" Mister Twister Sassy Shads (another old American company). It lasts a LOT longer than the Sassy Shads, but the black/pearl Sassy was probably just a little more productive.
I think the reason those two swimbaits have consistently outproduced the Keitech and Power Swimmer in that situation is that those farm pond fish are used to eating bluegill fry, which are deeper bodied. The "shad" profile matches the hatch better.
I just wish the Z-man and 1.75" Sassy Shads had more good colors, and that the Z-man didn't have those big ugly eyes on them.
I hope this helps someone! Tight lines!
Good tips. This video is waking up and getting some views lately so i think this will be very helpful
I recommend mule fishing. Their plastic is simply the best. Highly durable like zman Eliza tech but has good action like keitech
dude, you still dont know how things work in this market... i am telling you this plastic is nothing special today, and that this lure cannot be compared in any way to a keitech. I don't want to attack this guy's business but it takes more than that to impress me.
@@ifishcatfish idk man I caught way more fish on mule fishing plastics than I did keitech. And it lasts 10x longer
@@mattnguyen1672 you know if that is really the case, then obviously that lure is a good fit for you.
@Flushdraw I like that it’s environmentally friendly. I prefer not to replace my plastics every 3-6 fish. Just keep it away from other plastics it won’t melt.
@Flushdraw well u sir are an honest man at least : )
Have you tried the Eurotackle EPF 1” paddle tail? I haven’t seen it in person but it looks very similar to the brewer one you recommended and just wondering if it is basically the same.
I like the EPF swim and the B-Vibe 1.5" from Eurotackle. They are pretty durable and come in colors other brands don't make.
i havent tried it but i have seen it. And i have tried other eurotackle baits. I am sure it works fine but doesn't have any special material, or scent, or design. It will work though, if u can't find Charlie Brewer
EPF swims work well for me. Perch seem to really like the B-Vibe
@@julianstolz3987 every lure i had on the table also works. The point of the video was... is there anything special in the design of the lure that separates it from the pack.
@@ifishcatfish understood. Was just sharing my experience with your commenter.
Victor …great video …I started using zman tiny ticklerz after seeing you use a lot and in April here in Illinois it is catching crappie, perch, bluegill and bass….just wondering if you still like it or would you still favor the lures in this video more than the ticklerz micro 1 and 3/4 inch. …thanks again for all your great educational works here on TH-cam.
That is actually the One Zman lure that i like : ). But this video is about swimbaits. They have some kind of paddle tail that kicks when u continuously retrieve. TicklerZ is just a tube.. you have to give it action by twitching.. I like that lure but its in different category..
i dont know if this has been mentioned yet but charlie brewers website shows an American flag indicating that it is made in USA maybe someone knows for sure where it is made.
Hi Victor. I bank fish Florida so crappie are not really the target but bluegills are and good sized ones at that. Any chance of doing a vid regarding your selection for a bluegill focussed arsenal.
Really enjoyed your review of the swimbaits. Thank you.
oh yeah... big time coming.. big time... soon
Ultralight swimbaits you just cant beat👌🏾🎣
I love your Zman rant.
Been using zman for a long time, so can't agree with all that hate directed towards them. Everyone has their preferences. I get that, but the subjective take on the design choices of zman is pretty myopic. The elaztech plastic just offers so many advantages over basic plastics with regard to durability, action, the buoyancy factor. Another thing many people don't realize, is that you can very effectively infuse(not just coat) them with all manner of oil based scents, because the material will absorb it over time.(Like procure gel flavors for instance). Basic plastics can't do that. zman offerings in the ultralight category was pretty limited, until very recently, but their (micro)finesse stuff is all really effective. In fact the properties of the elaztech material are magnified when you downsize it to the micro size, making it even better choice in material for tiny jigs etc. I also really dig the mule fishing stuff because of this. And yes that stretchy, durable, and floaty plastic does indeed set them apart from all the others. Just glossing over zman/mule fishing baits is practically criminal. Rant over. That being said, I fish much more in the salt, so my proclivity falls towards that, I use a lot of my small baits for things like surf perch, smelt, mackerel, little jacks, and scad more often than for crappie, sunfish or bass, but I can tell you from experience that the various small to micro zman/mule stuff produces well for all of them.(On a side note...I got a real chuckle when I read in the comments that you can't specifically target bluegill with a 1.6" donkeytail jr. on something like a 1/32-1/16oz jighead. lol.)
I only said their design is idiotic.. the plastic is nice. But u talk over and over about the plastic, which i never attacked. In english this is called 'hanging a straw man' - attacking an argument that the other side never really made but superficially seems related. Now, if you want to tell me that their designs are not idiotic - please make another post, i would be curious to hear EVEN ONE of their micro finesse plastics thats not idiotic design.
The mulefishing swimbait is a generic chinese catalogue swimbait. You are probably unaware but that stretchy plastic is absolutely common in china and europe and asia, i really don't know why they don't use it in United States. More than 50% of lures on the market are made from that plastic. Nothing to be impressed, unless you are not following with the developments in the industry. I would make my own but im not convinced that plastic is all that beneficial. It makes it very hard to put straight on a jig because its so soft and u can't hold it straight. A trout magnet is hard plastic, but its easy to put straight and will catch 50 bluegill before needing replacement too. And I WILL MEET YOU ANYWHERE AND CATCH MORE FISH ON TROUT MAGNET than you with your mulefishing swimbait. I know you are new, but i make no exceptions for new customers. If you spout bullsh#t, u will get rekt here. Welcome aboard!
@@ifishcatfish To each his own. You don't like most of zman designs. Haven't seen you try the fryz out with an appropriate jighead with the right keeper on it yet though. Would be interested in your thoughts on that particular one. I know that I can get it to look quite nice rigged, since this seems an important factor to you. Either way, I am not gonna get into a protracted comment debate over a category of fishing I am not nearly as passionate about as you. It won't go anywhere. The zman stuff works well for me, and that is enough. If you were to check out the entire line of fishing baits, you will find they have some of the most unique designs around. Some are hits, others don't appeal to me and seem funky. I will say one thing though. Once I tried that type of plastic 15 years ago, I progressively starting using more and more of it, until now most of my boxes are filled with zman stuff. The rest being berkley gulp/powerbait, and not surprisingly, the small proportion of old style pvc baits I still use are indeed keitech, since they are some of the best designs around with very good quality control from bag to bag.
i wanted to try the FRYZ but the design looks so bad that its just a waste of time. Just like the StingerZ, which i did try and caugh a lot of fish on, it is ALL BODY AND NO TAIL. If i buy the FRYZ i will still catch a lot of fish with it. Because i am good at fishing and because if you jig a small lure in front of crappie or bass - they will eat it no matter what shape! But i analyze things so i can chose between all the options, and when u analyze them, the FryZ is clearly a terrible design, with ALL BODY AND NO TAIL. The terrible designs are not an accident! These lures have to FIT on the terrible jigs they make or the jigs that are on the US market. All ultralight jigs on the US Market are JUNK. My jig head is the ONLY jig head of decent quality! If they had MY jig head, they would make different lure designs, because then you don't have to make the body so FAT to cover the huge jig! My jig head is perfectly covered even with a trout magnet! I don't need those fat lures! Until ZMAN create a decent jig, they are gona keep making HORRIBLE designs! That's not an accident!
As for the stretchy plastic... i have contacts with several big factories in china and i can tell you for a fact that most lures today are done from stretchy plastic. Just companies in US are slow to adopt it. I have subscribers that send me hand made lures from the stretchy plastic. There is NOTHING SPECIAL about the stretchy plastic - get this out of your head! And ZMAN DID NOT CREATE THE STRETCHY PLASTIC! That plastic had industrial applications in other industries for a long time! ZMAN, to their credit, was the first US company to adopt it for lures, but not the first company in the world to do that. If you want to spend 20 000 dollars, you can call a chinese factory today, and they will give u a catalogue and u can order whatever lures u want, and they will make them from stretchy plastic. A lot of people do that (HINT). But the problem is SELLING them! You need a big following, or nobody will buy it, even if your product is good! That's why its very hard to displace the big players, who sell the old plastic and don't care.
@@ChiefToad i think googans just released some small baits that are with this plastic, if u think its something special. I think from now on everything on the market will be from this plastic. I see some youtube videos people now making their own baits from that plastic too.
@@ifishcatfish Good to hear googan is releasing something in tpe. It is a much better material to old pvc baits in many respects. The reason we will likely see it more and more is there is an increasing push to be more environmentally conscious and the tpe based plastic baits fit that bill for a number of reasons. It has been resisted by large brands in the past because it will melt or deform other plastics it comes in contact with, and the manufacturing process is more expensive. There is also the fact that traditional lead keepers and the like suck for elaztech type baits. So why switch. The big companies always hate adding new manufacturing lines. I have indeed ordered tpe worms and the like from China in the past and they were inferior products because they used bad formulations without the proper heat stabilizers, tacky to touch, or they were just fraudulently labeled pvc baits. So I just stuck with zman/strike king and more recently mule, which were effectively the only 3 easily accessible brands in western markets. Daiwa had a line of baits a couple or so years back, also, but they weren't as good of a mix either.
Thanks for the review Victor.
What size hook pairs well with the 1" charlie Brewer?.
Thanks in advance.
ifishtackle.com/collections/jigs/products/bg-1-micro-jig-head
this is the only jig i know that looks nice with the 1" charlie brewer slider.
@i_fish Thanks Victor. Just ordered.
@@bradbeals1741 packed and ready to go. Please come back here and report after you fish them! Better yet, email a couple pics!
The ol smallmouth magic easy shiner.
i love that color
This is also the best way to find perch. Ii almost exclusively use UL swimbaits for all my fishing.
oh yeah..
Sometimes going back to basics with advanced skills can have huge results.
Also helps if you are nostalgic about the past. I want a trout magnet and a charlie brewer and thats what i want
Informative video Vic! What jigheads do you use with these? Can you specify? Thanks
Daiwa Tungsten... i dont even know the name but i reviewed them a few months ago. Also have a playlist with the jig heads reviews. The charlie brewer jig head is something new and video is coming soon
@@ifishcatfish Thank's Victor!
@@ifishcatfish I took your advice and purchased a few of the Powerbait 2". I haven't used them yet but they look sweet. That's why I asked which jig heads you used.
I really like this Russian presentation. In the beginning the Keitech are the best soft plastics in the world, but a few minutes later they are so soft that even a bluegill can rip it apart.
Mate come to Australia and I will show you the best soft plastics in the world named Munroes.
Are you Ukrainian? Why do u twist my words? I said when it comes to getting a bite. Nothing beats Keitech! Definitely nothing in Australia! Australia doesnt make anything! They just import junk from China, and when they can they buy some good stuff from Japan. But Australia has never manufactured anything in the history of that country. Kind of like Ukraine, if u don't count the Soviet factories..
Have you seen the bluegill and crappie baits from this is his YT channel fish anything he makes his baits I think Mule fishing supply but the name of the ones he fish with is donkey tail horse fly
guys, i tried to prevent these exact questions in the video.. There is too many chinese lures on the market... i don't buy all of them.. only if there is something special in the design. Is there anything special in this design?
They are special...they catch fish and they last.
sounds great
What are your thoughts on the new tatula mq fc lt
great. Maybe i get one
I have the new tatula mq 2500 spinning on a expride B 7’2 ML
Victor, what is the jig head you are using with the Kietech and Berkeley 2” baits?
Daiwa tungsten something.... dont know exact name... I reviewed it recently... u can find it in my videos..
Have you ever tried mule fishing lures ?
gosh.. i need to make my own lure. You people are such suckers..
I grew up fishing with the son of someone very high up in the Zman Company, they were extremely dull and unpleasant people.
they never replied to me... i wanted to develop something with them... but they didn't even say - no thank you
What line? And what about line twist?
I have the larger version of those Charlie Brewers. They swim good at low speed but the tails get bit off easily.
bluegills will bite the tails off anything : ). I have ZMAN LarvaZ and if they tell u the tails from ZMAN last forever they lyin to you!
I do consistently catch even 3” blue gills on the shad fryz…
@@xbnvdsx I bought the bigger ones for crappie but if your around bluegills they’ll nip off the tails. I normally use Bobby Garlands Itty bit for bluegill
To each there own but ive stopped using any bait that isnt an elaztech or duratech type material… got tired of putting on a new bait every other fish…
@@xbnvdsx I’ve always wanted a itty bit in Elaztec. You could also fish it a little bit slower on a tiny jig head because of the buoyancy. I sent Z-Man a email years ago asking if they’d consider making them. I get tired of sliding them back up on the jig head. I’ve always thought superglue is a negative smell deterrent so I don’t use it. Maybe if they were glued days ahead to get the fumes out.
it's 2am here, will be watching this later😊
where are u? now im curious
Most likely south east asia its almost 3am here 😅
There was fisihing before video game fishing?
i've never done video game fishing actually... is it worth anything?
How can I get a few packs of these brenious tadpole looking baits
i will send you some. Email me at the email in the description.
E-mail sent buddy
"VV23" thanks again. Vic🤙🏾
@@panfishin-fool8057 i got u buddy. I will send u some other stuff to try also as this is the only bag i have left of these..
I’m a Zieman and I’m highly offended 😉
Zieman, haha : ).. Nah, your a good sport
Another good 1 inch swim bait is 1" epf swim it's very good check them out
What is your favorite findable jig head?
that is an EXCELLENT question! FINDABLE is KEY : ). You got me in a corner here... i sold my entire inventory when i opened my store and now i have two jigs for ultralight fishing - Daiwa Gekkabijin Tungsten, when i need to go deep, and my own jig head for fishing shallow. Daiwa Gekkabijin is available in Japan, if you travel there. But it is not available in any of the stores that ship to USA. Any my own BG-1 jig is sold out too.
@@ifishcatfish that's my problem. Hopefully I catch your next drop, but until then I might have to try those cheap China ones you recommended once
Do you have any videos of how to twitch swim and float?
Ha! No... but you can see my rod in every video! Watch my last video for example, it is uncut video. Also have plenty of float and twitch videos and my rod is always visible and you can watch what i do in the few seconds before the bite. That said, i don't think i have some special technique or anything... i just twitch it from time to time, to this day i still don't know what i'm doing..
what brand are your jighead that u used for the 1in paddle tail?
I made my own jig head. It is called BG-1 and is designed soecifically for bluegill. If u want to check it out u can open the description of any of my last 3 videos and u will find the link there. Ot just go to : ifishtackle.com/
Try a rubber stopper. Push it over and into the body of the bait. Happy hookin' 😘👉
No need to try. Most japanese jigs come with that and it is very annoying when you try to slide the bait, and then i can see a bulge in my lure, and then it does nothing anyway!
A little bit exagerated 😅 (nothing will beat this easy shiner Keitech…) I have multiple proofs of the contrary (from Alibaba by the way)
you have proofs??? Alright, give me one 'proof' then : ) !
What jig head are you using on the Charlie brewer lures?
contact me in email. I will send u 2 packs for free. Then you will send me a paypal for whatever u think they are worth to you. I'm just curious what they would be worth to you.
@@ifishcatfish lmao
keitech easy shiner ar the best!
for 10 years straight
@Flushdraw easy shiner is similar material.. tears easy, but beats everything when u just need a bite
What are the smaller jig head you are using? Are any of them lead free?
these are my own jigs. I designed them. ifishtackle.com/
They are not lead free, but they are bullshit free! Hope that helps.
@@ifishcatfish very nice. Do you know where I can get some similar lead free ones?
What jig head on the Charlie brewer slider ?
video coming up soon
@@ifishcatfish thanks
22:18 ripping into zMan!
somebody had to say it. The company has great potential but if they would only do a normal classic design of anything
@@ifishcatfish I must say I prefer the Daiwa version that competes with the slim swim. Do you have the Daiwa "bait junkie" range of plastics in the US? Where can I sent you a pic? Instagram?
send me link - best. Also my email is in every video description. But link is best cos i might buy it
@@yep.fishing that looks good but is a little big for my fish… But if i fished for bass…
@@ifishcatfish yea it's the same size as the slim swimz with a slightly thinner profile. Has better action because the plastic is softer