Chasebaits is a relatively new brand and concept to hit the Australian market. It’s part of River2Sea Australia, a company that has always refreshingly had a stronger leaning towards innovation rather than imitation. Investing in lures that are copies of popular proven colours and shapes is easy; developing something new comes with risk and Chasebaits should be commended for it. One of the new baits Chasebaits has developed, and we’ve been sent for review is the Rip Snorter, a soft plastic vibe with some unique features. The Rip Snorter is available in two sizes of 90 and 120mm and we were sent the 90mm version to review.
A different vibe
At first glance there is a lot to get you excited about the Rip Snorter. It offers a unique interchangeable weedless hook system, which Chasebaits claims is a world-first for a vibe and as far as we could find that seems to be true. It’s equipped with a spinner blade, which could be removed and replaced with a stinger or a treble if you’re looking for a more secure hook-up. You even get a spare hook in the pack, which is handy. It’s also made from 10X material so you should blunt that hook and need the spare before you tear up the lure. The Rip Snorter offers some great new applications, allowing you to send a vibe into heavy structure such as weedy bottom, thick timber, trees and overhanging shrubs without getting snagged – something that a traditional vibe fitted with two trebles doesn’t allow you to do. It’s a great lure for any fish that responds to that profile and resides within weed and structure, so the list is pretty endless.
In the Field
The first test was my home base of the Patterson River targeting mulloway, a location where I’ve always struggled working a vibe due to the sludgy weedy bottom. While I didn’t catch a mulloway, the Rip Snorter can work its way across the bottom remaining in the strike zone without fouling up, so I believe it’s only a matter of time before I catch a jew on it. One thing I really liked about the Rip Snorter’s action was its subtle vibration. I have found that vibes that vibrate and pulse too heavily or acutely don’t catch many fish and I believe can scare fish off as the vibration is too intense. The Rip Snorter has a good subtle vibe yet the visible action is there, which works that spinner for some added flash.
It casts well and at 16g I had no issue punching out long casts with a 14lb set-up with a 4000 size reel – good to know for anyone targeting larger fish. My next test was at Mallacoota with flathead as the target species. I was able to work weedy sections of the bottom that would usually cause a vibe or crankbait to foul up. I was using an 8lb set-up with a 2500 size reel and it had no dramas casting the Rip Snorter. Where I would usually concentrate my efforts over more sandy sections of the bottom, I was casting over the thicker weedy areas and hopping the Rip Snorter back to the boat, leaving it to settle on the bottom momentarily and giving it small lifts and repeating.
On one lift I pulled up to some heavy weight and for a split second I thought it was a snag – until those tell-tale bounces of a big flathead had my rod tip almost touching the water and line peeled off the 2500. I instantly knew it was a big fish and I have to say panic set in a little. With 8lb leader I needed to play the big girl slowly and the knowledge there was only a single hook in its mouth added to the jitters. The first time I got it to the boat and sighted it I saw she was a big fish and there was quite a lot of back and forth before the net shot. The hook found its way into the far right side of the upper mouth into a solid hook set, almost textbook corner jaw. At 82cm and with some very healthy girth this was my PB flathead, so I quickly wet her down with the deck wash and supportively held her with a wet shirt for a few quick pics and released her to breed and maybe fight another day.
What A Rip Snorter!
I went on to catch a few more smaller flatties and a heap of tailor and was impressed with how well the 10x material withstood the sharp teeth of the tailor and the big girl. To say I think this is a great lure is an understatement: it’s versatile, has a great action and you can cast it in places you couldn’t with a vibe adorned in trebles. It’s a vibe that will have a permanent place in my tray. Now to get that mulloway!
