Throughout the late fall and winter, I took a lot of time to experiment with different flipping and craw imitation soft plastics. I’ve been using the Megabass Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp for several months and it’s very different than most generic crawfish soft plastics. 4 characteristics make this bait an effective soft plastic bait:
• Dense
• Heavy
• Buoyant claws
• Color consistency
Thicker than most soft plastic baits
The Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp is much denser than almost any soft plastic bait I’ve ever thrown. It stays on the hook extremely well and its thickness also makes it very resistant to premature tears.
Most importantly, the thickness of the Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp makes it an outstanding bait for fishing deep brush piles. It’s definitely effective when flipping shallow cover, but once you bury a hook point into the bait, it’s not coming out until you set the hook. This has allowed me to stay 30 to 40 yards away from brush piles in the 20-foot range and make long casts without worry about hang-ups or snags. Not many crawfish soft plastics give you that ability.
Surprisingly heavy
When I first started tinkering with the Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp, I tried flipping it on a medium-heavy rod. Take it from me—this bait is definitely too heavy for lighter action rods. I recommend only throwing the Bottle Shrimp on a heavy-action rod at minimum.
Heavy soft plastics aren’t too common, but they’ve certainly got some advantages. The weight of the Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp allows it to penetrate very thick cover, whether you’re targeting blowdowns, grass or log jams.
The heaviness of the Bottle Shrimp is also another factor that makes it an outstanding selection for deep brush piles. The bait sinks fast, allowing you to get to your targeted depths quickly and without guesswork.
Realistic profile
The claws of the Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp are extremely buoyant. I’ve done a lot of testing in shallow, clear water to watch its reactions and movements, and I’ve been impressed.
The claws stand up when the bait is at rest—a lot of baits claim to do that, but they don’t. You can be sure when you let this bait sit on the bottom, it’s a perfect imitation of a defensive crawfish.
Measuring at 5 inches long, this is no small soft plastic bait. I have not caught a bass under 2 pounds with the Bottle Shrimp and keep in mind, my home lake is full of 12-inchers. This is a big bait meant for big bass.
Works great on a jig, too
The size of the Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp aides in its versatility. If you’re around ledges or deep rock piles, it’s a killer trailer on both football jigs and casting jigs. To transform it into a trailer, I simply bite the Bottle Shrimp behind its legs and hook it right through the middle. Combining the Bottle Shrimp’s long, buoyant claws with a big football jig is a phenomenal combination for targeting big, deep water bass.
Priced at $13.99 per 6-pack, the price point probably isn’t for everyone. If you decide to splurge a bit and try out a couple of packs, you definitely won’t be disappointed. This is a big, heavyweight soft plastic designed to target big bass.
The Megabass Honjikomi Bottle Shrimp is available at Tacklewarehouse.com.
