I’m a topwater guy. I look forward to two bites every year—the flipping bite in the spring and the topwater bite in the fall. Fall and spring are relative. What I’m looking for are those changing periods where bass switch gears and get predictable. Like in the late summer when bass start keying on the full-grown shad gathering at the mouth and backs of bays, pockets and creek arms on many reservoirs.
This late summer I’ve been throwing a fairly new topwater a lot, the Duo Realis Pencil 110.
Walking baits are nothing new to topwater fishing, but there is definitely a difference between a lot of the baits on the market. Some cast well. Some have a great sound. Some are easy to walk. Some spit and chug. We all have several in our boxes because some days we wan’t one or the other.
Personally, I look for a few key attributes to a good walking topwater, and I found the following in the Duo Realis Pencil 110:
- A loud knocker
- A good side to side action
- dipping, diving or splashing moves
- Starts walking quickly
- Long-distance casting
- Durable finishes
Profile and orientation give Pencil 110 action
The Pencil 110 measures 4 1/3 inches long and weighs 3/4 ounce. These attributes lend to the casting and profile of the bait. But it’s tail down orientation in the water gives it a dipping and diving action as it walks side to side in your standard walk-the-dog retrieve. This causes a good commotion and gets the big rattles echoing off the internal chamber. The bait is an attention getter when it comes to the bass.
Unique bubble gets bait walking immediately
You’ll notice on the face of the plug, a bubbled area on the chin of the bait. This bubble is not just to make the bait different but instead it’s meant to get the bait into a walking cadence from the first twitch. Sometimes you make a long cast up to a target. You don’t want the bait to slide a few feet before it gets into its side-to-side sashay. You need it to walk immediately to trigger a reaction on the fish hanging out or feeding on that flat. This bait was designed to get moving immediately in a triggering way.
Get out and wake up
In the fall, topwater fishing can be about covering large areas quickly with reactionary lures. You’re trying to entice feeding bass fattening up for winter to attack an easy meal. I prefer big plugs and the Pencil 110 fits that bill. It has a big profile even though it’s tapered ends and wider shoulders give the bait a larger appearance than what it really is. It walks wide and the knocker makes it seem a lot bigger than it is. And with 3/4 ounce weight and a weight transfer system this bait will launch out there on a whip cast.
The baits offer some great colors. I really like the Prism Gill, All Bait and Neo Pearl patterns. The baits have caught some nice largemouth and some big smallmouths already.
If you’re looking for a walking bait that’s easy to walk whether you’re a beginning angler a seasoned veteran, the Duo Realis Pencil 110 might be your new favorite. It’s definitely earned a place in our topwater walking bait box.
You can see eight of the most popular colors and order the lures at Tacklewarehouse.com here or at retailers that carry Duo Japanese baits.
