REACTION STRIKE VRS HUDDLESTON

[upriverLMB]

The old hound dog lure retriever got a work out yesterday but I still lost 2 Huds to the tune of $80. Thought I would try Reaction Strikes 8â€

[JT-Madera]

Stick with the Hudd..

JT

[Rmarxmiller]

Reaction Strike makes a great 20.00 paper weight. Although I am sure they will catch some fish, I even heard that is what won the ABA at Pedro yesterday, but we know how truthful guys are at the awards! Sorry to hear you lost two Huds, I know a guy that can help you out, give me a call on Monday.

[Jon]

Noboby says anything a ABA awards. They aren't given a chance to. Even if it is just a story.

[biteme]

I use the reaction for my smaller bait. Seems like it holds up better then the Huds. I like the way the bait swims. I throw it a lot more then I throw the Hud.

[onemorebass]

I second JT.

The 6" might have a place, but the 8" is no comparison to the Hudd...paint scheme, action, realism,etc...

Not trying to be rude, but I would suggest this lure retriever for the Hudds:

http://www.basstackledepot.com/mm5/merc ... gory_Code=

It's almost like it was made for the Hudd...I have never lost one in 3 years since I got this.

[Hitman]

My assessment of the Bassharraser vs the Hud. I have fished them both now....

Quality - the Hud wins in this catagory only from the paint job aspect. The paint job on my Hud are more realistic. My BH spots are blurred to some degree. Aside from that both seem to be made from the same material.

Action - the BH wins this one. The hybrid tail produces much more kick and a slight body wobble. Whereas the Hud I have noticed has a much more subtle tail kick and at slow speeds sometimes does not kick.

Value - again the BH wins - $19.99 vs $35/40. I cant justify the extra $15/20 for a slightly better paint job.

Both will catch fish...and BTW Benicia Bait & Tackle now carries the BH in 2 trout and hitch colors. Tell Todd I sent you.

Hitman

[Rmarxmiller]

I have used both of them as well and all I will say is you get what you pay for, the BH is a watered down cheap huddleston copy, in most cases more kick is not a good thing, unless you are fishing off colored water or at night. Also the BH sinks like a brick, even the slow fall model, sinks faster than an ROF 16. One other point is the frog hook on the bottom is total garbage and will bend out. If cost is the most important factor in choosing a swimbait then the Reaction Strike wins. Just remember you are fishing for the biggest smartest fish in any given environment and it is the subtle differences that will trigger them to eat. For me it is not about cost, it is about catching big fish consistently, and cutting corners with cost may end up costing you a chance at the fish of a lifetime.

[upriverLMB]

(For the 8â€

[Cooch]

I've never owned a Hudd, and after hearing the other day about this company threatening to pull their baits because some one made a simular bait, and it's in the same store, I never will. Think of all the poor spinnerbait guys? Look at the class of Yamamoto, when everyone copied the Senko. You never heard a complaint, much less any threats to dealers. So I did purchase me a 7" RS BassHarasser this morning. At 10:00am when that front hit Oakley, I couldn't git out back fast enough to try it out.

My first impression was it swam really nice, but that's one heavy dude of a swimbait, not so sure I like this for the River. Can't pitch and flip it into the shallows and tulles like I can with a Mission Fish. So I began chucking it on the outside edge of the weed line in about 10 foot of water. All my previous thoughts went fer not, when a fish about 13-14 pounds came crashing out of the water tryin to git it. It missed, but three cast later a 9 pounder just swallered it. 10-15 casts later, yet another 8 pounder eats it off the weed line.

I by no means am a swimbait expert, but I've been tossing these baits more and more out on this river. These River bass proved to me this morning that they WILL eat this bait. They don't care if'n it's a cheap imitation of a high dollar Hudd or SPRO swimbait. I, Joe Consumer do care, cause if I can catch fish on a $19 bait, why the hell would I spend $40?

[Vince Borges]

Damn Cooch was that as in right out on your back yard or did ya take the boat out. Lets see if i remeber which place is yours

Vince Borges

[Cooch]

"My backyard", is a relative term these days!
Yes, I was in my boat, yes I was in Sandmound, but no, there were no docks with in sight! You figure it out

[bassdude]

Hey cooch were did you buy it I cant find one everybody is sold out.

[upriverLMB]

Got mine at Delta Bait eeeeerrrrrrrrrr Fisherman’s Warehouse Manteca, no Huds there! I have been told Escalon Bait has them too.

That’s nice cooch but those big river fish eat anything. True story. While Duck Hunting with a buddy on the Delta, the coffee got to him and he suddenly had to take a $#!?. So he dropped a duce in the water. While happily watching it sink rather than float, he swears a 8+ largemouth dashed from under the cover and eat it in one swipe

Maybe that’s how Yamamoto got his senko idea.

[Rmarxmiller]

Cooch -

I agree on the preditory tactics, not good business, but the bottom line is the Huddleston is a better bait and when the bite is tough it will out produce most other swimbaits. Those other Senkos and Other spinnerbaits also will catch fish at times, but if you have money on the line, the bite is tough and you had a bag of Tiki Sticks and A bag of Senkos, which one would you use?[/quote]

[Triton Mike]

I have also fished with both the Hudd and the Harrasser. The harrasser has a more rigid plastic meaning it will last longer than the Hudd. Keep in mind Reaction Strike that mfgs the Harrasser is also a bait mfg for Musky fisherman so they are building the baits a little more rigid. Yes the Slow fall bait falls ALOT faster than a slow fall Hudd and the action is COMPLETELY different than the Hudd. They are working on a slower fall Harrasser and they are also working on a Bigger Harrasser (say 10 inches) and also working on smaller harrassers as well. Also got big worms and bream type baits in the works and some cool weedless swimbaits as well. Lots of new stuff for us swimbait enthusiasts.

I kinda think its odd that a guy will pull his baits because he has a little competition. Is that really true that Huddleston will pull his baits if there is a competitor?

Mike

[Hitman]

I would bet all my Huds and Harrassers that the threat to pull their product is a mere fish tale.....the Hud is selling like crazy. I can't imaging that Huddleston is worried about the competition.

my 2 senkos

Hitman

[Sean Graf]

Hey Triton Mike,

Are you affiliated with Bass Harrasser somehow? I thought I read somewhere that you were the owner. Just curious

Sean

[NoCAL]

Don't believe it's a fish tale. Take a look at Tackle Warehouse. No Hudds. I heard it was because TW sells Jerry Rago and Castaic baits and they supposedly "infringe" on the Hudd tail patent. So in effect Huddleston has decided to punish anyone who sells a bait he considers an infringement by not suppliing his bait. Since his is in high demand, he can pick and chose which dealers "get" to carry it. I don't know all the ins and outs. Just know that the Hudd falls slower, has a better paint job, and a different action. Both will catch fish in the right circumstance.

NoCAL

[Steve]

Hey Cooch:

The river is not the kind of place that has your classic California Bass/Trout connection. Nor is Clear Lake. I consider both of those places to be very different swimbait type places than those places where bass are honed in to trout. As such, IMO you have a much wider range of swimbaits that will work at places like the Delta and Clear Lake.

Now, Im much more selective on the swimbaits I use in lakes where bass are keyed on trout.

So, each bait IMO has its place. Im much less likely to use a high dollar, highly realistic bait on a place like Clear Lake or the Delta when I know I can catch just as many on a much cheaper, less realistic bait.

[StockOption]

I see a ton of these baits for sale on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Reaction-Strike-6-C ... dZViewItem

I will chime in and say that the lure retriever mentioned in this thread is AWESOME.

It's already paid for itself after one trip to Clear Lake a couple weekends ago. It nicely retrieved a Megabass and Lucky Craft crankbait.

BTW, the Megabass Deep-X 200T is an awesome crankbait, it flat out catches fish.

[Triton Mike]

Hey Sean, Nope not an owner. I am on their prostaff along with Brent Ehrler, Fred Roumbanis and Gabe Bolivar as stated on the front page of their website.

I also noticed that with TackleWarehouse as well. Seems like you can't get Hudds nor Ragos in a one stop shop??? Is there anyplace in California that you can get both in the same shop??

Mike

[Phil]

YOU CAN BUY A REACTION STRIKE, A HUDDLESTON, A RIVER2SEA, A MATT LURES, A CASTIAC, A OPTIMUM, A TITAN, A MEGABAIT IN OUR STORE AT ANYONE TIME..MORE, IF I HAD THE ROOM !!!!!!!!!!

THANKS
JIGS

[dockboy]

I can verify the whole Huddleston thing. At TW, Hudds got pulled the minute Rago came in. I believe there may've been a problem with Mattlures too... (Take my word with a grain of salt on that one though.... I THOUGHT something happened but it's likely I could be wrong...). Huddleston appears to be an extreme PIA on his patent rights. He know he has the power and sales to offer his baits at the shops of his choosing. Personally, I don't mind if Rago took over for him at TW. Rago's hard baits are almost perfect, only the Triple Trout really has the fame and quality Jerry puts in his baits. Sure, Hudds are great baits, but Rago and others have great baits too.

[markscolwell]

Hey jigs,
Do ya'll have a web site to order from???? What's your rate on Hudds?

[Ron C]

...Ken Huddleston is a very dear friend of mine. We went to high school together many (many) years ago. He did not, nor would he ever ask me to post anything in his behalf, nor come to his defense. Anybody who knows Ken, even a little bit, knows this about him. He is a very spiritual man and is grateful that God has blessed him and his family.

Ken is an artist and has been designing lures for over 30 years. Among his creations are the original Castaic Hard Bait and the Castaic Soft Trout.

Several years ago, Ken and Castaic Bait Company co-owner Jason Scott (who is also a good friend of mine) ended their business partnership and went their separate ways. Jason continues to develop excellent new products, just as Ken does.

When the Huddleston Deluxe swimbait first came out, Ken was producing them one at a time out of his small shop in Brookings, Oregon. Because of this, he did not take on many retailers, simply because he did not want to take orders that he could not fill in a timely manner. I'm sure that you all remember these times; it was when Huddlestons were extremely hard to come by.

To meet the increasing demand for his baits, Ken moved his company (and his family) to Mesquite, Nevada, where he opened a small factory and increased production to the point where he was now able to take on several new retail stores. Ken has always supported the small independent tackle retailers and has purposely avoided the “Big Boxâ€

[bassindon69]

Reaction Strike Vrs Huddleston? Your kidding right?

Don.

[Phil]

Hey jigs,
Do ya'll have a web site to order from???? What's your rate on Hudds?

SORRY NO WEBSITE, BUT YOU CAN ORDER BY EMAIL JIGSTACKLE@AOL.COM MY HUDS GO FOR $ 35.00 EVERYDAY ANYDAY IF I HAVE IN STOCK.............

JIGS

[Phil]

LET US ADD THIS ALSO; KEN IS A HELL OF A NICE MAN, HE OFFERED US DEALERSHIP A LONG TIME AGO, WE JUST CAN NOT AFFORD TO STOCK 60 HUDDLESTONS IN THIS LITLE SHOP, WOULD BE NO ROOM FOR JIGS , HAHA..


JIGS

[Cooch]

I agree with you. And this is something I teach and explain to all my clients when we fish the River. versus other lakes through out the state. The past two years, this "swimbait" topic comes up often between my clients and I.

First off, a bass is a bass, no matter where in California they live. We're fishing, in most cases as this discussion is not being applied to Smallies and Spots, fer hybred Florida strain bass. The only difference between Pedro, Berry, ClearLake, Castaic, Dixon and the Delta, is the neighborhood to which these bass live in. The Delta, over and above every other fishery in the state, offers a much wider array of forage, than every other lake combined. We also have a far greater array of cover and habitat here, current too, to where many of the various swimbaits have a place, if yer gonna use them here. Our big bass here in California, have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, they will attack a swimbait, no matter what neighborhood they live in.

The second thing is, for those who come here with the thinking that the trout thought process does not apply here, yer mistaken, BIG TIME! Granted, we don't have the population of rainbow trout that ya see in the lakes. What we do have is the largest migrational path in the state fer salmon and steelhead. There are quite possibly more salmon and steelhead smolt and yearlings, running this river, than the number of trout in most lakes. So these trout like swimbaits, do indeed work here just as well as anywhere else. And these giant River bass, do indeed take advantage of this forage.

The key here is, while fishing them on this river, is the selective areas when ya should be tossing a trout like swimbait, versus something that resembles a shiner, hitch or breem like forage. Understanding the migrational routes of these salmon and steelhead, versus the daily habitat of these other forage fish, opens the door to the areas where they are best uttilized and which ones ta use.

Another thing to keep in mind, fishing swimbaits here will be different than the lakes. In our lakes, we tend to be fishing very clear water and in some greater depths, than here on the River. We also tend to fish the swimbaits very slow on the lakes. This allows the bass ta git a good look at the prey they are chasing down. So the realistic looking swimbaits, really become much better fish catchers on the lakes.

That does not apply as much here on the River. We're fishing shallower, in and around much more cover, in water that is typically more stained than clear. Therefor, the lifelikeness of these baits, is not so important here. The River bass are much more oppurtunistic and reactive in striking, than those bass found on our lakes. It's not so much that they don't get a chance to study our baits, they just plain dont take the time ta do so. Their strike zones are much smaller than those fish we catch in the open clear lakes. River bass will make a much faster, instinctive decission to strike.

It's important on this River to be versatile. And in the "Joe Consumer" frame of mind I have, it only make more sense to me, to purchase 3 different swimbaits like a Mission Fish, RS and Matt Lure, that are capable of covering all my patterns here, versus a high dollar Hudd, that has limited effectiveness on the River. I have no doubts that the Hudd is a great swimbait, too many of my friends and anglers in this community use them all over the state. I think it's great we have plenty of options, because it's absolutely neccessary when fishing this River.

[Gary Dobyns]

I have only known him for about a year. He is an artist and a heck of a nice guy. Does he like his bait being knocked off?? I'm sure he doesn't. (I'm guessing) The Hud looks like a fish, swims like a fish, and damn near feels like a trout. Their is no comparison.

[Kelly Jeffers]

Gary"swims like a fish, and damn near feels like a trout. Their is no comparison. So you have felt a lot of Trout

As for knock-off baits one company comes to mind can't seem to river there name I can sea it almost every bait they have is a knock off all except the sinking frog bait but knock-off save you money but never are as good they always seem to lack something

[Gary Dobyns]

I knew I was going to get nailed!!! Actually, I have caught way more than my share of trout. I was a more avid fly fisherman than bass fisherman for about 20 years. Please don't pass that along.

[Kelly Jeffers]

that'S IT, FRIST SANTAS NOT REAL,THEN THAT BASKET CARRING BUNNY, NOW YOU GOING OUT FOR 20 YEARS TO HOOK CARP IN A CLOWN SUIT!!!!!and to think I just found out last year that trout are a really fish not just a swimbait color andI'm not sure but you with a fly rod that must of been like a snoopy pole

[Colebass]

We'll see fly rods in the new Dobyns Rods line-up?

[biteme]

What about the Rago bait?
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage ... -JRRT.html