3B Crank Subdog – First impressions

Normally I am not a fan of stick baits, mostly because I can’t catch fish on them. Having said that when you get a new lure you’re always curious as to how it will swim and whether it will become your new trick in your tackle box.

When I tie on a new lure I like to see how it reacts in the water. I tested the Subdog by first watching it sink and then by lifting, flicking and twitching the rod to see how it moved. I was surprised to see that it had no action on the drop. I expected to see it flutter or shimmer however I realised why after reading the Subdog description (http://www.purefishing.com.au/baits/3b-crank-baits/subdog/) which outlines that it was specifically made to fall without movement, because that’s what an injured or sick baitfish does. This made very good sense to me and more importantly the fish seem to agree as well.

 
The Subdog casts like a bullet and it flies nice and straight through the air which makes casting to structure like floating pontoons and moored boats a lot easier. It is designed to slowly sink in a horizontal position and darts around when you flick the rod tip.  Therefore it can be fished very much like a plastic and watching the line for the gentle takes is extremely important. I found that the fish would generally hit the Subdog as it falls and they will even pick it up off the bottom.

One technique I have found to be very effective is to cast on a 45 degree angle to the boat and then work the Subdog back into the current, this will allow the lure to be kept amongst the fish for as long as possible and if a hit is missed you can release the bail and feed the lure back to the fish.

The Subdog is an extremely versatile lure; it can be worked in and around every type of structure you can think of, from manmade bridges to natural rock walls and everything in between. It can be worked shallow or hopped down a deeper drop off. The effectiveness of the Subdog has definitely changed my thoughts about using stick baits and it has become a new favourite lure that I can’t wait to use in the systems throughout Victoria.
Hodgey