Rapala’s relatively new soft plastics brand, CrushCity, continues to pump out gem after gem. The Pigstick is one of the more recent additions to the CrushCity line, released at the 2024 iCast show.
Although this soft plastic stickbait does have some things in common with the slough of other Senko-like baits out there, there are a few things about this bait that make it stand out, too. Let’s talk through all of that now.
CrushCity Pigstick First Impressions
Soft plastic stick baits are a dime a dozen these days, at least when it comes to the number of different brands there are. For example, Tackle Warehouse has more than a hundred soft plastic stick bait options on its site. So, it’s a little hard to geek out over yet another bait being added to this overpopulated market. But…
I must say I was pretty impressed by the Rapala CrushCity Pigstick immediately. My initial reaction had more to do with the packaging of the bait than the bait itself, though. More on that in a minute. When I pulled the first worm from the pack, I could see clearly that this bait had the same basic profile and length as all the other 5-inch Senko-style baits, but it also had four knots scattered down it and a narrow spot right in the middle.
This was a little different. These baits also carry a pretty pungent smell, and they have a density and softness similar to the Yamamoto Senko.
I rigged one up and set out on the water to see what I could do with it. On my second trip, I had a good fish blow up on a hollow body frog and miss it. I picked the Pigstick up, flicked it back to where the bass had bit, and began to work the bait back.
I had missed the fish under the shade of a tree in about 2 feet of crystal clear water. As I neared the boat with the Pigstick, I burned it in for the last 20 feet, and noticed a wake out of the corner of my eye. I flipped the bait right back in and let it sink, then noticed my line swimming off to the left.
A fantastic fight ensued, and I got to watch through the clear water as the 4-pounder put my spinning gear to the test. In the end, my gear and I prevailed. We boated the bass, took a few pics, released her, and carried on about our business. The Pigstick performed flawlessly and didn’t even get flung off during the fight. I believe that was by design.
O-Ring Slot
There’s one feature of the Pigstick that I haven’t seen on any other bait. Right in the middle of the worm, there’s a narrow spot where you can secure your O-ring between two higher portions of the bait.
This was designed specifically to be used with Rapala’s Crossover Pliers — a tool the company designed that uses wider Crossover Rings as opposed to narrow O-rings. Still, it works great with O-rings like I was using, too.
Either way, this small design element will help you keep more baits on the hook during the cast and the catch, the same way it did with my 4-pounder.
Pigstick Packaging
I alluded to the packaging earlier — it’s awesome. Rapala went with a plastic tray inside of a tight ziplock bag. Even if you flip the package over on its face, the baits stay pinned in the tray by the bag. Sure, you could shake them hard and get them to slide around a little.
But, in a normal storage situation, you could either stack these packs flat on their back or stand them up in a row, and the worms will stay right where they are, straight and in good shape, until you get ready to use them.
Scent and Color
The Pigstick has a pretty good kick to it, olfactory-wise; it has a good kick to it action-wise, too. Put one to your nose and you can tell right quick there’s a stout scent in it. Using Smart Injection Technology, Rapala pumped these baits full of salt, scent, color, and flake to create 19 different options.
Final Thoughts
In the bass fishing industry, it’s hard to make anything that doesn’t look like something else these days. At first glance, the Pigstick is evidence of that. But when you look closer, you start to see some differences; the most obvious is the packaging. Rapala did a really good job here.
The most significant feature is the slot that’s incorporated into the bait for an O-Ring or Crossover Ring. This simple tweak in design translated to baits staying on my hook much longer.
When I’ve used some slick stickbaits in the past, they tended to slide right out of the O-ring, either on the cast or the fight. Then, I would find myself reaching the bottom of a pack of baits halfway through the day. During the testing of this bait, I’m pretty sure I kept the same Pigstick on my rod for a couple of days at one point, through that 4-pound fish catch and all.
In addition to the packaging and the ring slot, this bait has a great scent and a pretty shimmy. With 19 color options and 8 baits to a pack for $6.99, the Pigsticks are about the same price per bait as other leading soft plastic stick baits. I’d put them right up there with those baits in terms of quality and production. It’s a bit hard to get fired up about a stickbait, but I may have gone and done it. I like this one pretty good.
