I’ve spent the last couple months testing out a new little soft plastic bait from BassMooch called the Brawler Bug. I kept this bait rigged up on a Texas rig throughout the latter part of the bass spawn and then swapped it over to the back of a swim jig as the bluegill began their spawning process. I’ve caught good fish fishing it both ways. I really think I’ve just begun to scratch the surface on ways to rig this little nugget.
A DIFFERENT DESIGN
I’ve got to give it to BassMooch on this one, the Brawler Bug isn’t exactly like anything else. In the copy/paste world of lure manufacturing that we live in, originality is scarce. It’s understandable to some degree—as there are only so many ways to design a chunk of soft plastic for bass fishing.
However, BassMooch thought up something a little different despite the difficulty of doing so. If you were to liken it to anything, it looks like the love child of a Zoom Brush Hog and a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw. Even then, it’s a little more compact and the claws are a little larger and more spread out. Again, it’s not exactly like anything else out there. This is something I really appreciate.
BASSMOOCH BRAWLER BUG SCENT
If you’re a fan of scented baits, you’ll like the Brawler Bug. A good dose of garlic scent comes pre-impregnated in every bait. Though I’m not a huge fan of scent personally, I don’t think it could possibly hurt anything. There have been some pretty convincing studies done by Berkley (and I’m sure other companies) that prove that fish do hold onto scented baits longer.
The main thing I don’t like about a lot of scented baits is the oily residue that typically comes with them. I was pleased to find this was not the case with the Brawler Bug. You get the benefit of the scent without the oily mess. I think the way BassMooch does scent is better than most companies.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
This has been a good bait to keep rigged up and on deck the last few months. It came in handy one day in particular over on West Point. I was fishing a glide bait along a bank and had a solid fish follow my bait up to the boat and then turn and go back the way it came.
This is usually a good sign in the spring that a bass is on a bed. I put the glide down and flipped the Brawler Bug to where I thought the bed would be and the fish bit right away. Though this was the extent of my bed fishing experience with this lure (since I started testing it late in the spring), I do think its size, scent and shape will make it great for targeting spawners next spring.
I also caught a few fish on the Brawler Bug fishing a little pond in my in-laws backyard. It worked well as I swam it through lily pads on a light Texas rig. Perhaps my favorite way to fish the Brawler Bug is on the back of a swim jig. This technique allowed my dad and I to catch some big fish in our local night derby a couple weeks ago—a 4 and 1/2 pounder.
ADDITIONAL APPLICATIONS WITH THE BRAWLER BUG
Though I tested this bait on a Texas rig and swim jig, I think the Brawler Bug sets up well to be used on a Tokyo rig as well. It’s a pretty unique bait in that it can be modified to use with several different techniques. With just this one pack of baits, you could pluck the outer claws off and have a streamlined soft plastic for punching. Or you could pull the inner appendages off and have a pretty sweet football jig trailer.
You could also use this bait as a ChatterBait trailer and leave it as is to help your lure ride high in the water column, or pluck the outer or inner appendages off to allow the bait to sink down lower in the water column.
FINAL THOUGHTS
What I liked most about the Brawler Bug was the durability of the bait. I only had one pack of these baits for testing, which means I had 8 baits to work with. I kept one rigged up and fished with them a decent amount for over a month and I still have three baits left in the pack. The lure is soft too with a ton of action. For whatever reason, it’s still more durable than a lot of other soft plastics.
With 6 colors to choose from and 8 baits to a pack for $4.99, I think BassMooch has a hit on their hands with the Brawler Bug. This is a relatively new company—perhaps unknown to many of you—but I’ve been impressed by the products that I have tested so far. The Brawler Bug is a sweet bait, and their Level NGX Casting Rod I recently reviewed is a nice rod as well. Check out the Shooter Craw bait too. If you haven’t looked into BassMooch yet, I suggest checking them out.
