Today we’re going to be reviewing the Xcite Baits Sucka Punch, one of the latest flipping baits to hit the market. This soft plastic lure falls into the creature bait category, along side the likes of the MISSILE Baits D Bomb and the Reaction Innovations Beaver.
With these heavy hitters sitting atop an already overpopulated bait genre, a company has to offer something pretty unique to elbow its way into this section of an angler’s tackle box. And it looks like Xcite Baits may have just done that with the Sucka Punch.
Sucka Punch Unique Attributes
At first glance, the Sucka Punch looks like a lot of the other flipping baits out there. But upon further inspection, it has one unique feature. It sports a hook pocket, similar to what you’d see in the belly of a soft plastic jerkbait. This design feature allows an angler to rig the Sucka Punch a different way entirely, where the hook is all but hidden.
The idea, create an extremely clean profile so that this bait can punch through the thickest cover with ease. When punching with a traditional soft plastic, the hook shaft sticks out perpendicular to the body of the bait. This creates a lot of opportunity for the hook or the bait to catch on vegetation as the combo tries to enter a mat.
This shifting of the hook into the body of the bait may not seem like it would make that much of a difference. But if you’ve ever punched in practice for a tournament using only a hitchhiker to hold your bait, you know how much easier it is to get through thick mats. And not only are you able to punch through thicker mats, less weight is also needed to break through the thinner mats, since there’s no exposed hook.
This is the idea behind the Sucka Punch, create the most streamline presentation ever for punching, so anglers can penetrate thicker mats using lighter weights and in turn catch even more fish. Full transparency, though I love to punch and thus love the idea of this bait, I haven’t had the opportunity yet to put it in super thick vegetation myself. The only concern that crossed my mind would be the hookup ratio, as the bait might bunch up in the bend of the hook. But a 4/0 straight shank flipping hook should have plenty of room to accommodate the material. And knowing what I know from practicing without a hook, I’m confident that this design will help get a bait get into thicker cover more easily.
Not a one trick pony
Despite its unique design feature, this isn’t only a punching bait. The Sucka Punch can also be rigged with a lighter weight and an EWG hook in the slit when fishing around looser cover. It can be rigged as a traditional Texas rig if you like, or it can be used as a trailer on a lot of other baits. Though the Sucka Punch is a solid choice for use on flipping jigs, football jigs and swing heads, it’s likely best suited for baits that benefit from its lift.
The Sucka Punch is a thin, wide bait. This makes it perfect for lures that you want to keep high in the water column. Swim jigs are a good example of this. Sliding the Sucka Punch up on the back of your favorite swim jig will help your jig ride higher in the water column, and also allow it to be reeled more slowly if you’d like. The same is the case if you use this soft plastic on a buzzbait. The wide and thin body along with the claws will help the buzzbait stay on top better, as opposed to using a slender small swimbait for instance.
A few more observations
At 4 inches in length, the Sucka Punch is a good size to mimic a wide range of forage bass feed on. Available in 14 colors ranging from June Bug to Pearl White, there’s a color to match any hatch and an option for any water clarity. The material used to make the Sucka Punch is flexible but also durable, and fairly buoyant. The thin claws float up in a defensive posture when the bait sits on the bottom, and they sway back and forth with the slightest movement of the water.
Whether you decide to rig this bait on a conventional Texas rig, spin the hook to the side to take advantage of this lure’s unique design or throw it on the back of your favorite bait as a trailer, the Sucka Punch is a solid choice. Being a little more buoyant than some other baits, this would also be a great lure to fish on a Tokyo rig, Carolina rig or swing head.
Other specs on Sucka Punch
At $5.99 for a 6 pack, Xcite Baits found a little niche all their own to fill with the uniquely designed Sucka Punch. The hook hiding slot of this bait gives anglers a new way to setup a punch rig that’s more weedless than ever before. This should help the bait slide into thicker cover using lighter weights than any other bait can.
Available in a plentiful array of color choices and suitable for use with a dozen techniques, the Xcite Baits Sucka Punch is worth testing out for yourself. It’s a fine soft plastic as compared to other comparable creature baits, but it’s unique design could make it your new go-to bait for punching.
Find the Xcite Baits Sucka Punch at these online retailers:
