It’s always fun to get a batch of new baits from Strike King. Not only are they always in development mode but they also build affordable products that catch fish. If it’s sexy, it has to be Strike King.
One of my favorite trips each year is the Strike King writer’s event at Paris Landing on Kentucky Lake. Great people, great accommodations, great fishing, but the real highlight is it’s also a chance to see the new prototypes that could be forthcoming in the months ahead from Strike King. Angling greats like Kevin VanDam, Denny Brauer, Shaw Grigsby, Mark Davis, Greg Hackney, Mark Menendez, George Cochran, and Mark Rose are complimented with great young anglers like Andy Montgomery, Luke Estill, Jonathon VanDam, Debra Hengst, and James Niggemeyer.
We are usually sworn to secrecy, but it’s sometimes hard to not talk about products like we have seen in the past like the 1.5 and 2.5 KVD square bills, 3XD, 5XD and 6XD crankbaits. Add to that the entire line up of Rage Products, and it’s easy to see why I love this event.
Last year we again got to see some new products, and the new Sexy Dawg topwater walking bait was especially neat as we got to see it in the hands of Kevin VanDam. It was a rough prototype we saw in action but right away we knew they had something really special.
We kept our promise but the cat can now be let out of the bag as it is now generally available in two sizes, the 3.75 and the larger 4.5. It comes in 10 great colors including Blue Gill, Blue Gizzard Shad, Chartreuse Sexy Shad, Chartreuse Shad, Chrome Sexy Shad, Clear Sexy Shad, Green Gizzard Shad, Sexy Blue Back Herring, Sexy Ghost Minnow and Sexy Shad. It retails for $7.59 at Tackle Warehouse.
We have been testing them for a couple of weeks now, and we see some subtle differences between it and other like walkers. The Sexy Dawg casts like a bullet and the side to side action can be easily imparted on the bait by even the most novice angler. You don’t have to be KVD to make it work. We really like the action, and it can be worked super fast. Some of the best hits I have had came after a twitch, twitch and pull where the bait slides forward instead of side to side mimicking an escaping baitfish. Our last test was on a bluebird calm day and the bass still killed it. In our testing, it seems the bait was especially effective with a bit of chop on the water.
We fished it on a 7-foot St.Croix Legend Xtreme rod with a Lews Tournament 6.4:1 reel and used Sunline Natural Mono line. Fish were mainly in the shallows, but several fish were pulled from 15-18 feet of water over points and wood. We actually saw bass wake to get to the bait near the surface before they smashed the bait. We made super long casts, let the bait sit and quickly twitched the bait back to the boat only stopping it to pull it across the top for a foot or two then restarting the twitching. The action of the Sexy Dawg is tighter than models like it worked fast, and it causes a commotion not only by the twitching but also by a deep rattle chamber located inside the bait.
The Sexy Dawg is durable and even after multiple fish it looked new. The hooks out of the package are super sharp and most time both trebles on the 3.75 had the fish. The 4.5 has three treble hooks which many anglers prefer.
Timing is perfect for this style of topwater fishing for most of the country, and it’s time to get some of the Strike King Sexy Dawgs as the topwater bite will be coming on strong with the quick warming trends we’ve had this spring.
Buy the Strike King Sexy Dawg at one of these online retail partners:
