The Little Big Bait

I have recently fallen in love with the 68 Special. I knew Ken had come out with this bait a few years ago, but until 5 months ago I had not had the opportunity to get my hands on one. Since most of our trophy lakes don’t stock trout any more and me being on the road all over the country more than ever, finding a good bite on the 8” hudd was a challenge.Sure I could muster up a few bites but there were too many days for nothing. I had started using the smaller 5-6” swimmers. They were getting bit well, but the size of the fish were not very impressive. I finally got my hands on a 68 special and from the first foot of swimming it, I knew it was a winner. This bait had all the elements I needed. It had a good edible 6” size but the big boot tail gave it a much bigger feel and the vortex (Thank Matt @ Southern Trout Eaters) it gave out was enormous. The tail wag will leave boils on the surface 5 feet back. The vibration it must give out is huge. The bites it got were definitely better than any 6” soft swimmer I have used. It attracts big fish but enables the 3-6 lbers to crush it with out caution, plus the gear used to throw it is so much smaller and easier to use. I paired it up with the Irod Jr. Swim and a 200 size reel. You can throw it all day and not even realize it. This bait gets bit when all the other traditional big baits don’t. I recently pre-fished a tournament with an 8” and never got a bite. The night before I decided to switch it out with the 68 special. I ended up with 31lbs and won the tournament. All the fish came on it.

They come in the best two models a 5 and 12 rate of fall. I have been doing most of my damage slow rolling a 12 down deep. As slow as you can wind it, the tail will thump away. The biggest hint I can tell anyone is to wind it slow. If I was to say spend 4-5 second per reel turn you would think Im nuts, but you will be surprised how fast that retrieve actually pulls it threw the water. The big tail will wobble away at any speed plus it gives off some resistance that helps you keep in contact with it as well. I can’t wait for spring to play with the 5 and slow roll it around the shallows. If you haven’t picked one up yet, give it a go, the action alone will give you butterflies.