Found out about it from Mark Rose in 2021.. used it on Toho for the Womens icast tourney then, I like the smaller size better and the blue chrome works well in Fl too!
I just pulled in 3 days straight over 25lb bags one day was 32lb bag. Funny you posted this on the night I finished. I crush grass lakes with this but it's best on cloudy, windy, and rainy is the best.
Bought 2 last year never tied one on. After seeing Todd's videos this winter on them and seeing you use them I have a more positive outlook on them so giving them a try this year
Thanks Matt. Your really going to make fun of how it looks. I think it was you who bought a Hellrazer. I bought a couple last year and have yet to try but looking forward to it. Being different is what I like the most. Sometimes outside the box is the place to be. It took time for the chatterbait to become popular.
Grounded better. I do it as well and I feel I just have a better footing when I’m bare foot. Being More comfortable and relaxed gets me more bites. In my opinion.
@@douglasspickler4925 lmbo. That’s funny you say that specific lure. It happens to be the only hook I’ve had in my hand past the barb. 👌🏽 didn’t feel too great! Lol
"an alligator got a hold of it and 'might' have weakened it". ya think?😄 priceless! great channel Matt! I have a couple jrs. I haven't tried yet . Anxious to give it a go.
Great bait for the Big "O" when it's good of plush grass. Storm now Rapala came out with that lip aroun 2000ish. It's smaller with pointed rear hook section. Casts like a rock ! Under the radar for 20+ years. It will run 4 feet and it's much more esthetic than that ugly Strike King bait............Cover up brother we need you !
They are great baits. Don't sleep on them in other areas either. I used the Clearwater minnow off bluff walls on Cherokee lake last year during the Bassmaster open as a co-angler. caught several small mouth doing this. Also open water when fish are schooling it is great to throw through busting fish. Also after using the baits since they came out be it the original and the shallow I have yet to break a bill off of either size. The gold black back is my go to on off color water or clear water and cloudy rainy conditions. Then I go Clearwater minnow or the clear gizzard shad for clear water blue bird skis. In open water for busting fish I will throw either the Oyster or chrome color in the large size. This bait has pretty much replaced all my 1.5 and 2,5 square bills and I think the shallow will replace my wake baits. I throw the large size on 20 lbs fluro and Jr on 15 lbs fluro. It does great in all cover maybe not as snap proof as a sqyare bill in brush but not far off and works great on rip rap banks. Also like you I swap my hooks and use owner st-38 on the regular size and st-36 on the Jr and change my split rings to owner hyper wire size 3.
You might want to try the 6th Sense Swank 75 or 66. I've used both brands and I prefer the 6th Sense. In my opinion it came through the grass much better and definitely has better hooks. And 6th Sense paint schemes are so detailed.
This is an understatement. Of all the major companies, strike king is the last one to offer premium brand name hooks. I appreciate that they are affordable, but I’d gladly pay a dollar or two more. Especially since I have to buy hooks for every crank I buy.
I’m a fellow Wisconsinite and fish ultra clear lakes almost exclusively. I’m thinking the jr size might be best up here. What do you think? Also, any colors you’d recommend for our region?
Matt if you are interested in the history of the hybrid hunter check out Todd Castledine's video on it . the hydrid hunter was a mold purchased by strike king from strike pro in Japan if I'm remembering it right
How am I being a dick? I'm telling you everyone in the industry knows the stupid history. I'm not even a pro and I know. Who the hell cares about the history? What people want to know is the truth, does it catch fish consistently? Secondly, we want to know the pros and cons, which was addressed. If you listen to a dumb commercial about a lure, nothing good will come out of it. Learn to think.
Me being a dick to Randy? You don't think Randy is a dick? And I wasn't even attacking the dude, just snowflakes and Demonrats. It's hard for me to call people dicks unless I know. It's even harder for me to continue to bash someone. Everything I told Randy was good intention. How you idiots see it is your problem. I don't even have the time to teach him about the Demonrats and Ukraine, but he wanted to go there. I told him the truth which he didn't know. He should give me some respect and gratitude, you think? Like I was telling you that everyone knows the damn history of the Hybrid Hunter as it is the best selling at TW. Now, how can that be? Secrets gets passed around faster than you know in fishing.
@@MattStefanFishing 🍺Matt that’s not what I meant. Your videos have commercial interruptions during your videos now because you have reached a large enough subscriber base that companies want to invest. I used to watch your videos commercial free. 👍
Great video! I fish in new jersey (saldy fishing is horrible here a big one is like 3 pounds here usually avrage is 1 pounders.) I hear everything about this lure. I dont have much grass but i do have some rocks and wood. Is this lure good enough to replace lipless and squarebill crankbaits? I dont believe its that good of a lure but then again ive neve fished it. Keep up the awesome videos and I'll be sure to use your links in the description!
I've had good luck with the hybrid hunters in the finger lakes of NY. The hooks did have to be replaced, I wasn't impressed by them out of the package. So far my largest on the hybrid hunter is a 4.65 lber.
Thank you for actually giving the insight of a pro. Priceless! For my money I would pass on this bait and use instead a Megabass "S" crank which has an "s" shaped retrieve or a Rapala BX Brat which is a great square bill.
i purchased these when they came out and still not use them, except casted one and eye fell off...thought it was ridiculous bait...but seen todd castledine videos ...i been waiting to find grass in Az.
I love the hybrid Hunter! Quickly became my favorite crankbait when I started throwing it. I have it tied on one of my setups at all times now. It does come through the grass excellent. I also love it in Open Water. I use the smaller size. In Bully, chartreuse perch, and my favorite gizzard. It Dives 3- 5 ft. I would say it hovers more around three and a half to four" love it! I also thought it was the ugliest crankbait I've ever seen. But I am the truest believer now
I have literally won two of my tournaments on that bait. When for hours, nothing was working for me, and the day looked really bleak. Now, as soon as I see the bite has changed from my practice baits. I pick them up and go to work .
This is my go-to crankbait when I am around any grass. It really shines when i fish Guntersville. The rest of the Coosa chain, I will fish them near grass points. They are also good crankbaits on rocky points. You might not get a long-life span running them over a lot of rocks, but it will catch you a good many bass before you have torn it up beyond using it anymore.
I bought several of the Shallow Shad Rap balsa baits in Size 9 (3 1/2"), hoping the L shaped bill would yield the same results. I don't think it worked out, the bass have cared for the big Shallow Shad Rap.
Appreciate your comments on the hooks/consistency with sk. As I use more and more hard baits, I find I look for brands that feature out of the box solid hardware first (berkley, rapala, bill lewis). And always buy Mustad triple grips for all the other brands I find on deals. I only wish berkley would be more affordable year around! ;)
Serious question: why do so many guys who live “up north” when they come to Florida like to fish in bare feet? I spent over 20 years offshore fishing & one rule I would never allow to be violate is “bare feet in the cockpit”. I get it a bass boat is a little difference but there are still so many things to step on during the day which will end your fishing for the day in a hurry
@@MattStefanFishing of course not or i suspect you wouldn’t be doing this … however, if you ever do it I suspect you’ll wonder why you ever went barefooted in the first place. Isn’t this kinda like saying … I’ve never been in an accident so I don’t really see the need to wear a seatbelt? 😳
Ok let’s get away from bait and talk about the retrieve. Which I think is a very important aspect of cranking. Cranking the proper way. Don’t make the cast if you are not aligned and set up properly. I just think it’s a wasted cast. If you watch Matt rt at the beginning, he’s sort of in limbo with his cast and retrieve. A little all over the place. Then he dials in, turns to his rt a little while retrieving now he’s in the perfect position for the bite. Hook set! He’s going to land that fish. Prior to him adjusting, if he gets bit, he’s in trouble. Not as strong of a hook set. Body position is crucial! Just my 02cents. My observation. So what I’m saying is, when you make your cast, make sure you have everything aligned and set up to give you the highest percentage of making your hook set. If not, your heart will definitely be broken!!!!💔💔💔
i agree that being the the correct position increases your landing percentage. IN the video clip i believe you are referencing i was actually working the bait around a small bush. When i cleared it i brought the rod to the best position for me and then triggered the bite with a bait position change.
I’ve caught 100’s of bass on the JR. through grass. This year they came out with the Shallow series and plan to use them as I head south in a couple of weeks. I also picked up a knock off of this bait from 6th Sense in Black. It has a different sound and only comes in a 3/4 oz size. Will be interesting to see how the two compare.
I remember when those first hit the market I looked at them and my first thought was it has the same bill as the Shallow Shad Raps that I use to use all the time in the local creeks and ponds around the house as a kid. Obviously its a bigger profile than majority of the Shallow Shad Raps so it really only makes sense it would do well on bigger water like lakes and rivers. Never bought any because I am usually not a big Strike King fan when it comes to hard baits. I might pick one up and go Alligator fishing though. I gotta believe they fight more than a Bass. LOL!
Looks like it's a bait I'd like to try in the grass lakes in Southern WI. Since a lot of the forage here seems to be bluegill, I like to get a color that mimics one. Any suggestions?
Do yourself a favor and spend some time with some nishine lure works baits. Particularly erie 115tw a modern, refined but unique Rapala floating Minnow type bait. The abino 110f, configurable topwater. Baby abino 70s totally unique spybait. Chippawa bladed crankbaits. Simcoe 75hw lipless 7/8th Oz small body with multiple tie spots like a blade bait. His jerkbaits are incredible and his outer weights turn them In to a countdown bait. His namazu soft plastic catfish bait is a flat out producer and insanely versatile. His R&D and attention to detail are second to none, all come with ichikawa hooks and are some of the most durable baits on the market, good luck breaking a lip lol.
@MattStefanFishing one more question how do you go by picking which colors iam from fl and all of my tournaments as a co is in fl iam only trying to purchase 3 any recommendations preciate
I got these right as they came out about a year and a half ago. I was excited to use them because of where I fish. Gotta say, I was very disappointed in them. I was picking slop off the bill after every cast. It has good action, but the slightest bit of grass on it totally kills that action. I think that is because of how bulbous and bloated the bait is. I know guys just love these for isolated grass and vegetation, but for a fishery choked with veg...not so much. Good luck in Georgia!!!
Great review Matt, I have a couple of old Rapala baits with that same bill design and never had any success with them,so your review really opens up the possibilities,and I watched a video with Castledine and Hackney whaling onem in Texas, but, I don’t have a lot of grass in my area lakes (Raleigh NC). I guess I’m asking is it a bait that would/could be successful in other structures or cover🤷🏻♂️ I’ve used your link to buy a couple of orders from TW and I also ordered your Hover jigs 🙏🙏🙏 Thank you 🙏🍀🎣🍀
Matt great breakdown of the bait!!!! I noticed you were more sweeping the bait rather then reeling it.. can you explain what sweeping did Vs reeling .. Thanks Ralph
I was typing while I was listening. Yes, the bills are weak! I've pulled a couple straight out of the lure when it got snagged a little. Not hung up, just snagged a bit of grass. Again (see my first post), great bait, but not very well made. But, they're pretty cheap so I don't mind buying them and putting up with the short comings. I too like those fusion 19s!
Yes Matt I've had that same first first reaction on other baits and ended up tucking my tail and picking up these baits after the fact. We do what we gotta do.
Mr. Stefan enjoyed video on this lure thank you. I was trying to get thru the fish the moment website to get a personal lake map breakdown and the site was not letting me do so is there a issue. I will be fishing Clinton Lake in Illinois end of March for 1st tournament. I was hoping to get a breakdown done by you.
Have not tried these. Like you said, I was skeptical on the fin; it turns me off. The whole thing looks like a mini model of the Hindenburg blimp, painted in the likeness of a fish... very, very bizarre. I really appreciate your account of the bait, both pros and cons. It's very frustrating to try to hit targets with a bait that wants to plane off to one side or the other but hard to deny a fish-catcher! Thank you, Matt! Excellent work.
Omg! The fish catch where your rod fell in the water!! I saw that when u posted it the other day it had my anxiety through the roof and it wasn't even my fish! 🤣🤣🤣 Good job keeping calm!
I threw mine every time I fished Last Summer. Grinding it off the bottom and through cover. And I didn't have any of them break. Most of the paint is gone off of two of them, but still surviving very well. This is the Jr size I'm speaking of.
Wish this bait would stay a secret. It is not just a bait for grass. I have caught bass on riprap and wood on it consistently. This at the same time when my buddy fishing right next to me is not getting a bite on a regular crankbait. Its a swimbait and crankbait all in one and seems to catch big ones too. Have seen no durability issues even banging into rocks all day. Clearwater minnow is my go to and sweet shad when its cloudy.
The HH Jr has been my favorite crank lure ever since it came out. Also, forget about what it's "meant" to do. Fish this thing anywhere you'd fish a squarebill. I absolutely killed 'em last July using this lure on rock banks. The downside to it is it's not made very well. Buy 4 or 5 of the same color and you'll find the shade to be different on one or two of them. Also, you'll need to tune half of them, and definitely change the hooks. p.s. You're a brave soul Matt, fishing barefoot around all those treble hooks. lol
I been crushing them in laydowns and shallow cover with these in the Jr. size I was shocked that it goes through laydowns as good as if not better than a square bill ever thought about
The jr size has been better for me fishing in the Northeastern waters . The durability is like the Rapala DTs , awesome bait, but you have to baby the lip, or it will break .
I dont know how I missed this video before but I got a couple of these when i was looking for shallow squarebills and they are great. They work very well when wading the shallow bank areas and back in the coves
I need to get around to trying these bait's for sure... I picked up a few Berkeley sz9 hit sticks today on clearance and never used them before, what's your thoughts on them? Do they make a good jerk bait?
I have been using this in local waterways with heavy vegetation for a year. I do one more trick to make it even more weedless is swap out the hooks for 1/0 Owner Inline single hooks. And I can fish this through pretty good vegetation just as well as I can with a Chatterbait.
anything that Todd Castledine says works, works. This crank is based on the old Strike Pro Bubba. Todd has a great explanation of the bait on his channel.
