S.W.A.T. No Flash Minnow Required! 7-24-14

[Jaysuuun]

I went out last Thursday armed with some new weapons: A Mega Bass Vision Magnum 110 and a Lucky Craft Surf Pointer 115. The Flash Minnow is a proven fish catching machine, but often times I find myself wanting a heavier bait to sling into the wind or to hit that hole just out of range. Also my biggest nuisance with the Flash Minnow is that any bit of salad really affects its action. So here’s what I thought of the two.

The Mega Bass Vision Magnum 110 is pretty! So pretty, I’ve been hesitant to cast it out and lose it to structure. Definitely one of the nicest looking hardbaits out there. Castability is excellent. I was able to zip it out there with minimal effort. The action of the bait was very subtle compared to a Flash Minnow. It had more of a tight wiggle than a wobble. I had a hard time feeling the action through the surf and felt I had to crank a little faster to get good action. Any hint of salad on the hooks stopped the action dead in its tracks. These are pricey! Around 25-30 bucks a pop!

The Lucky Craft Surf Pointer 115 casts just as effortless as the Mega Bass. However, this lure has much more action than the Mega Bass and Flash Minnow. The only way I can describe it is a “thumping” action. There was no question that the lure was working during a retrieve and it took a good amount of salad to make it stop dancing. There were a few times I could feel the salad building up and all I had to do was crank a little faster to get the action back. Although the Surf Pointer has a larger profile than the Flash Minnow, they cost less? I don’t get this but at 12-13 bucks I’m not complaining.

So who cares about all that. The biggest question is “Do they catch fish?” The answer is YES. I started off with the Vision Magnum and scored a 24” Hali, a YFC and a Leo. I later switched to the Surf Pointer and caught a 27” Hali, 2 Short Halis, a YFC and a Leo. Between the two the Surf Pointer is much more “adaptable” to fishing conditions at half the cost. I’ll definitely be picking up a few more Surf Pointers soon.

Now that I’ve bored you with my lure review…On to the fish porn! I made another short video for your enjoyment. Before anyone starts pointing out “discrepancies”, the video was not put together in the specific order that the fish were caught. Please excuse the quality in some of the clips. It turned out grainy in low light conditions and I had a tough time fighting the salt spray. Despite pulling in salad on 90% of my retrieves, I was able to find some fish. The 27” Hali was KIA and everything else was released. Enjoy!



http://vimeo.com/101846104



http://vimeo.com/101846104

[murrieta angler]

Nice job out there Jason!!
I was surprised to see the post time on your report...:Surprised:
Keep up the good work with your GoPro Bro,
Robert
<><

[Stumpknocker]

Great action shots! I love the halibut trying to chomp your hand as you reach for it...they're nasty like that...

[Nipple Twister]

AAAAAWWWWWWWESOME VIDEO!!!!!!!!! Well Done Jason, nice fish count as well........thx for sharing and again, well done...

[yakfish51]

Great job Jason! Good info! I really enjoyed that video!

Tim

[hugo c]

Very nice video, Jaysuuun.

Could you post a little about how you've mounted it (hat or chest)? What you've used to secure it? Maybe a pic or two of how it's mounted.

You are a Renaissance Man.

hugo c

[TUNAVIC]

Cool vid,enjoyed that,nice halibut too,you SWAT guys got it wired!

Cya Tuna Vic

[hollywoodbass]

Wow! cool video. Love the slow motion of the halibut thrashing in the end. Think I will try out the surf pointer

[frankjz]

supercool vid and story. Great job. fun to read and watch.

[frankjz]

What's the goop you're rubbing on the lure?

[bachiboy]

VERY cool video J! Great field test report too. Congrats on the legals and the rest of the mixed bag of victims. Looks like that GoPro jinx is pretty much a thing of the past!:Wink:

Don

[basshole1]

Nice vid man. That beach looks real "fishy."

[Tesserz]

Nice job hunny, not bad for your 2nd video! :High Five: You've already come a long way from your first one, and I'm sure your next one will be even cooler. :Cool: Sorry I can't be there to help you out with camera angles or to get footage of you fishing, but some ppl work on the weekdays. :Rolls Eyes: :LOL: Anyways, nice to see a variety of fish come outta that spot. Now all you need is some great footage of you catching a giant WSB. Go get it! :Wink:

[Raneman]

Awesome video Jason! Keep em coming brotha!

[benichi]

sweet video... great job out there... thanks for a great report

[iLLest]

What's up Jason,
Sweet job on the fish count brotha!
That's some pretty good editing you got going on there, everything seemed fine, I didnt see much of a grain at all.
How is the battery/memory life on those suckers btw? I've been looking into purchasing one but I cant imagine me being able to have it on for 5-6 hours at a time during my skunk sessions. :LOL:

[badnews]

im also interested as to what you were rubbing on the lure? specific scent?

[fishfinder]

what a great video

[Wingnut]

Your videos are getting better Jason, love it! :Thumbs Up:
Congrats on the legal Flatties. :Envious:
Gotta give that 115 LC a try... :Wink:

[Jaysuuun]

Nice job out there Jason!!
I was surprised to see the post time on your report...:Surprised:
Keep up the good work with your GoPro Bro,
Robert
<><

Thanks Roberto! I've got a lot of free time on the graveyard shift so sometimes you'll see me posting at odd hours. LOL


Great action shots! I love the halibut trying to chomp your hand as you reach for it...they're nasty like that...

Thanks. Sometimes it's tough just trying to pry their mouths open so I can get them unhooked.


AAAAAWWWWWWWESOME VIDEO!!!!!!!!! Well Done Jason, nice fish count as well........thx for sharing and again, well done...

Thanks John. I'm hoping my film editing skills will be refined by the time HG comes around.


Great job Jason! Good info! I really enjoyed that video!

Tim

Thanks Tim!


Very nice video, Jaysuuun.

Could you post a little about how you've mounted it (hat or chest)? What you've used to secure it? Maybe a pic or two of how it's mounted.

You are a Renaissance Man.

hugo c

Thanks Hugo. So far I've only used the chest mount that's made by GoPro. The only problem that I have is that the reel and my hands sit right in front of it so I have to make a conscious effort to keep my hands a little lower so it doesn't block the camera. I've also knocked it a few times setting the hook on fish. Head cams are cool too, but the picture tends to be a little shakier. I think a shoulder mount would be ideal.


Cool vid,enjoyed that,nice halibut too,you SWAT guys got it wired!

Cya Tuna Vic

Thanks Vic!


Wow! cool video. Love the slow motion of the halibut thrashing in the end. Think I will try out the surf pointer

Thanks Hollywood. I like the Surf Pointer a lot, but just a quick tip.. It tends to dig a little deeper than the Flash Minnow, so if you fish it over "snaggy" structure you might get stuck. Great action though!


supercool vid and story. Great job. fun to read and watch.


What's the goop you're rubbing on the lure?


im also interested as to what you were rubbing on the lure? specific scent?

It's called The Wand by BioEdge products. The specific scent I use in the video is the Anchovy Wand. Look it up they make a bunch of different ones for salt and fresh. Last season I used the Sardine Wand. I use to use Smelly Jelly, but this stuff is much easier and cleaner to put on my baits.


VERY cool video J! Great field test report too. Congrats on the legals and the rest of the mixed bag of victims. Looks like that GoPro jinx is pretty much a thing of the past!:Wink:

Don

Thanks Don. I'm glad to have found some new weapons to add to my arsenal. I'm soooo glad the jinx is over! LOL


Nice vid man. That beach looks real "fishy."

Thanks. Just like any beach, it has it's "fishy" times and "not so fish" times.


Nice job hunny, not bad for your 2nd video! :High Five: You've already come a long way from your first one, and I'm sure your next one will be even cooler. :Cool: Sorry I can't be there to help you out with camera angles or to get footage of you fishing, but some ppl work on the weekdays. :Rolls Eyes: :LOL: Anyways, nice to see a variety of fish come outta that spot. Now all you need is some great footage of you catching a giant WSB. Go get it! :Wink:

Thanks Honey. Still looking for a WSB. Not even a juvi yet!


Awesome video Jason! Keep em coming brotha!


sweet video... great job out there... thanks for a great report

Thanks guys!


What's up Jason,
Sweet job on the fish count brotha!
That's some pretty good editing you got going on there, everything seemed fine, I didnt see much of a grain at all.
How is the battery/memory life on those suckers btw? I've been looking into purchasing one but I cant imagine me being able to have it on for 5-6 hours at a time during my skunk sessions. :LOL:

Thanks Frank! I've been enjoying my GoPro lately. Still messing with settings to see what works best for fishing in the early morning. When I made that video I had it recording for 2hrs straight before it quit. Not quite long enough for a whole session, so I just picked up a BacPac Battery. Snaps on to the back of the GoPro in addition to the existing battery. Only drawback is it makes it heavier.


what a great video

Thanks. Glad you liked it!


Your videos are getting better Jason, love it! :Thumbs Up:
Congrats on the legal Flatties. :Envious:
Gotta give that 115 LC a try... :Wink:

Thanks Commander. Hopefully my videos get even better by the time HG comes around. :Wink:

[remington]

Great job Jason, that video was really cool. Thank you for sharing it with all of us!

Kelly

[jerryG]

Nice trip clip J... I like the fact that you changed it up on the lures trying something different.. New lures are like new tools if you find one that works the more you use them the better you become at knowing when and where to apply them. It goes without saying in fishing having the right tools is important but knowing when, where, and how to use them is everything.. Well done J.. Looking forward to the next video...

[bones]

And here I thought you were becoming a white collar kayak sorta guy..... Great job out there Jason! You have really stepped up your game that's for sure. I'm like you in a way...recently I have been experimenting with other lures especially swimbaits using the low and slow approach to target a different zone so to speak and also to avoid that ever so frustrating weed induced anger that comes along with three treble hooks. It has been going remarkably well and I've even transitioned into buying leadheads in bulk and powder coating them myself. It's been a lot of fun and a very good way of saving money.
Not to mention it's kinda cool creating your own color schemes and experimenting with different eyes and then having success when you toss them.

Keep up the great work out there my friend! You'll be working for National Geographic pretty soon :ROFL:

[Jaysuuun]

Great job Jason, that video was really cool. Thank you for sharing it with all of us!

Kelly

Thanks Kelly!


Nice trip clip J... I like the fact that you changed it up on the lures trying something different.. New lures are like new tools if you find one that works the more you use them the better you become at knowing when and where to apply them. It goes without saying in fishing having the right tools is important but knowing when, where, and how to use them is everything.. Well done J.. Looking forward to the next video...

Thanks Jerry. I know what you mean about having the right tools especially in the garage LOL. Too many times I've been out and all I've had with me was a boxful of flash minnows and I tell myself "If I only had a swimbait..kroc..larger hardbait..." I'm just glad the new stuff catches fish.


And here I thought you were becoming a white collar kayak sorta guy..... Great job out there Jason! You have really stepped up your game that's for sure. I'm like you in a way...recently I have been experimenting with other lures especially swimbaits using the low and slow approach to target a different zone so to speak and also to avoid that ever so frustrating weed induced anger that comes along with three treble hooks. It has been going remarkably well and I've even transitioned into buying leadheads in bulk and powder coating them myself. It's been a lot of fun and a very good way of saving money.
Not to mention it's kinda cool creating your own color schemes and experimenting with different eyes and then having success when you toss them.

Keep up the great work out there my friend! You'll be working for National Geographic pretty soon :ROFL:

Thanks Mike! I can't break out the kayak fast enough for just a few hours of fishing. That's what I love about surf fishing. I can go out on a whim whenever I feel like it.

I used to carry a few swimbaits with me but never used them so I stopped stocking them. I might have to carry a few with me again and begin experimenting. Maybe you can bring a few of your creations to HG. I'd like to see some of your favorite color schemes.

National Geographic? Those guys sit for days on end waiting for the perfect shot. My GoPro only lasts a couple of hours. LOL

[gcopple]

love me some bestie boys! great vid!

[blackwater]

Dig the video Jason, hopefully, I'll see you at HG6 this year. :Big Grin: