MuskyGary Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 What do you guys think about Rapala's BX Swimmer. It is a balsa wood bait coated in hard plastic. I would like to see the machine that holds the balsa bait while it is being coated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I don't know what they used, but it looks great! Rapala really knows how to make balsa baits, for sure. The Rapala site shows it swimming: http://www.rapala.com/BX-Swimmer/BX%20Swimmer,default,pd.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 Do my eyes deceive me or does it look like the swimming action has more roll than an actual side to side swimming action? Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) Nice looking lures but I have to ask myself... if the exterior is a tough unbreakable polycarbonate shell, why the balsa? Why not something even lighter, like AIR? It does look like it has a moderate amount of roll - which I like in a bait. Edited November 4, 2013 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 Nice looking lures but I have to ask myself... if the exterior is a tough unbreakable polycarbonate shell, why the balsa? Why not something even lighter, like AIR? It does look like it has a moderate amount of roll - which I like in a bait. I agree. Why even use the balsa? Even more-so, why expose the balsa grain. I think this is more artistic than anything. I think the same thing with having the exposed metal rattle chamber. It kind of defeats the point of making a natural looking lure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 I like Rapalas more than most brands because quite a few of their models fish really well. To me, that doesn't mean Rapala "can do no wrong". Pressure to put out new models every year wears on most companies. I don't care for the "Clackin Rap" series for the same reason A-Mac cites, don't see anything special in the Crankin Rap series, and have my doubts about the Scatter Raps too, based on briefly fishing a couple of them. My question of "Why balsa in a BX Swimmer?" is that I just don't see what function the balsa has. But I'm not so confident of my limited expertise that I would state: "There can be none". Whatever the design, the only thing that counts in the end is how well and how often it catches fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 4, 2013 Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) My guess it that it is a quieter bait than it would be if it were hollow plastic. And, with the balsa inside, it would have a higher center of gravity, so it would roll more. With their internal paint scheme that would increase flash, especially when it's trolled. Other than that, I don't see any advantage over hollow plastic. Edited November 4, 2013 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 essentially isn't this the same as balsa covered in a thick coat of epoxy or polyurethane? Though, I'm not sure if these have the same weight as the plastic. Seems like a gimmick to catch fisherman rather than fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Yeah, but it's all in the way you look at it. It might have to do with a manufacturing process that we know nothing about, or maybe a balsa body was the way the bait was originally developed and the end product just reflects that. Who knows? The important thing is how it it swims and how the fish like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdentAngler Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Yeah that's true, but it still seems overpriced and flamboyant. l was just at my local Cabela's to check these out $10!!! WOW, I'll stick with my Rebel Crawdads for that price. If they were compared to the existing models and proved to show some improvement maybe? Does anyone own one of these? I would like to see the static angle of these in water compared to the X Rap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
