Let’s look at another summer time bait that has the potential to put a bunch of fish in the boat for you, Strike Kings 6XD crankbait. Yes, this is another collaboration between Strike King and Kevin VanDam and one that KVD used en route to another Angler of the Year title last year.
The 6XD is designed to go deep and elicit the reaction bite. For a long time, the big name in the deep diving crankbait world was the Norman DD22. Will this offering from Strike King supplant the Norman? Who knows. However, it’s another very good tool that is available to anglers for these hot summer months to get down where the fish are and tempt them into striking.
So let’s look at the Strike King 6XD and see what if anything makes this bait unique.
The size of the 6XD is a little smaller than most of the competitors in this genre. At 3 inches in length and weighing 3/4 of an ounce, it casts very well, which is tantamount for getting it down to its maximum running depth and staying in the strike zone longer. Furthermore it doesn’t wear you out like some of the other deep divers. The running angle of the XD also helps prevent hang-ups although, like any crankbait, won’t eliminate them.
Bait Construction
The Strike King comes stock with good components that don’t need to be replaces immediately which in my opinion, is a plus. There are a number of color patterns that are available to match the vast majority of bait fish across the country so finding one that will work in your local waters shouldn’t be a problem.
One of the characteristics of this bait that is immediately noticeable is that the rattles have a bit higher pitch to them than you might be used to. The reason for that is that two of the balls in the baits are ported- drilled through- which provides it’s distinctive sound. When it comes to heavily pressured fish, this can be the difference between catching them, and not.
Bait Action
In our testing, the 6XD did run at it’s advertised depth using 12 pound line. This is important because when you find fish relating to some kind of structure or you’re wanting to hit the top of grass at a specific depth, you want to know that you can get there. Another way to use this bait is to cast to shallower water and have the bait kicking up dirt and digging into the bottom when fish are in not quite as deep. This is really a useful technique for triggering otherwise sluggish fish.
The 6XD is priced right around 5 bucks which at worst is a great value, at best downright dirt cheap for the quality of lure you’re getting. Especially when you consider the overall package, consistency from one bait to the next and it’s fish catching ability.
Usually, using deep divers in the summer is a prerequisite for being able to catch some fish and in the past has been a lot like a visit to the dentist, necessary but unpleasant. However, in the case of the Strike King 6XD, fishing a deep diver is something that I no longer dread. On the contrary, it’s actually kind of fun.
| Strike King Pro Model 6XD | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |   |
| An excellent deep diving crankbait | |
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See ya’ on the water …