Possibly one of the most overlooked cold water baits is the spinnerbait.
It’s likely due to the popularity and efficacy of slower, smaller baits that can hang in front of a fish for some extended period of time. However, drawing reaction strikes from bass is always worth a shot.
Molix introduced the Water Slash Double Willow Spinnerbait a few seasons back with colors designed by Ike to help match a wide range of forage.
The Water Slash features a compact frame with blade sizes specifically set so that they won’t overload the bait at any retrieve speed, hand-tied silicone skirts that are on the sparse side compared to many others on the market, a head design that gives the bait a little bit of wobble as it’s being retrieved, a sticky sharp Japanese hook and a wire that increases the vibration of the bait.
Sizes And Colors
There are two different sizes, 3/8 and 1/2, with the colors available in both sizes save for a couple that are unique in each weight. We tested each weight so that we could see whether or not the characteristics are consistent from one to the next as well as how they would fare when fishing them at different depths.
For testing, we rigged up casting reels with a gear ratio of 6.3:1 or better, spooled with #10 mono, fluoro or co-polymer on a 7’ med rod. This tends to really hit the sweet spot for this kind of fishing. You need some forgiveness in your rod to allow a spinnerbait to run into underwater obstructions and to work slowly along the bottom of the lake searching for those bites.
The Water Slash Double Willow stays down very well for such a compact, light weight spinnerbait. You can crawl it along without worrying that the blades won’t turn. They also are excellent at helicoptering if you’re more inclined to use a yo-yo or jigging retrieve.
On the other side of the spectrum is burning the bait at a consistent depth. While the 1/2 ounce is better at staying down in the water column on a fast retrieve, the 3/8 is no slouch either particularly in relatively shallow water. You can allow either to reach bottom and keep both there with a brisk retrieve if you choose.
Getting The Most Out of The Water Slash
Where the Molix really shines is as a moderate to slow search bait. Using it with or without a trailer, you can explore various depths to find those active fish who are willing to chase.
It deflects off of cover very well so you can use it in other than open water. We’ve caught so many fish by placing this bait where we would a squarebill that it’s now second nature when using the Water Slash to look for things to bang it into just to take advantage of its deflection capabilities.
The Molix casts extremely well for a spinnerbait. We’ve thrown this directly into the wind just to observe how much distance we can get. It has proven to provide better distance than a standard size spinnerbait while being less prone to being blown off target. When you’re out there in the wind, you have to still be able to control where your bait is going to maximize your chances of catching fish.
Durability
We obtained four baits and we’ve used the hell out of all of them.
Of these, only one has had any issue at all. That being that the skirt finally came off. However, it did last far longer than we would have expected it too compared to other spinnerbaits. A quick change with another skirt was all that was needed to get it back into the water where it continues to be just as effective as it always has been.
We haven’t had one break, lose the head, roll a hook point, lose a blade or any other component all while catching enormous numbers of fish. The Water Slash has become a starter for us whenever the conditions are right for a spinnerbait and even when they aren’t.
The Molix will set you back about $10 per bait. While this isn’t cheap, it certainly isn’t expensive for the quality of bait that ten spot gets you.
The Water Slash will draw strikes when other spinnerbaits don’t. It is put together very well, has decent color selections, is able to easily be fished effectivley, catches bunches of fish.
On the MVF rating scale, the Molix Water Slash Double Willow spinnerbait earns 4.25 stars.
See ya’ on the water …
