Words : Colby Lesko Images: Colby Lesko and Stuart Pentin
While the Molix 178 Glide has been developed for big bass in the US, like many glide baits designed for largemouth bass it is the perfect lure for Aussie species such as flathead, barra, mulloway and cod. It’s no secret that glide baits have become a dynamite lure when targeting big dusky flathead and that 178 size seems to be the perfect representation of the healthy mullet, juvenile salmon or tailor that frequent estuaries and small trout in the freshwater dams and rivers. Glide baits have, however, been out of reach for some anglers due to the price tags up near the $100 mark, so it was refreshing to see an option in the sub-$50 range and I was keen to see how it performed.
Aesthetics and Features
After arriving on the south coast of NSW for a flattie fish, I was informed by many of the local anglers that the Molix 178 is the go-to bait for a big dusky flathead and I knew a few of the other Hooked Up writers had been using them on flatties and cod with great success. I had a one of the SS (slow sink) models in Ghost Ayu and I was instantly impressed by its design and features for a bait at this price. The glide sports a lifelike finish with imprinted scale and gill patterns, soft 3D fins and tail, realistic eyes and great colour patterns. These are all important factors on such a natural-looking bait as it needs to fool the big old smart fish that are often targeted with glide baits.
Another great feature is the 360-degree rotating swivel points for hook attachment, which minimises a fish’s ability to throw the hooks – a great feature for duskies and barra with their aggressive head shakes. There are seven colours in the range with a few designed by Carl Jocumsen and two by Queensland’s Mick Horn. The hooks that come standard on the lure are bass gauge and extremely sticky, so while perfect for smaller fish such as bass and flatties, I would upgrade to stronger hooks to chase big flatties, barra or cod.
Action
It has a great action that kicks from side to side as the tail swings with that classic wide S-shaped glide action. The S-shaped action is a little less wide than other glides I’ve used, with a slightly tighter, more natural swing. By stopping and starting your retrieve you can exaggerate the action and with a sweep of the rod you can get the glide to turn back on itself, which is a great strike trigger. In the water the lure looks just like a mullet or sand whiting moving along the flat and provides the confidence to keep casting. With the standard hooks it is a very slow, almost suspending, sink but once the hooks are beefed up (which I did) it sinks that bit faster in saltwater.
A high rod tip and a constant wind will keep the lure swimming just below the surface, while a big cast with rod tip down and the lure will work its way down to 2 or 3ft below the surface. After being impressed with the lure’s action and finish I decided it was going to be The lure got a solid couple of sessions on the south coast flatties and proved its worth. The dusky flatties 50cm and over were climbing all over the Molix Glide Bait 178 in 1 to 3ft of water on the flats. The glide fooled the biggest fish of the trip for me and was a fun, easy lure to fish. I can’t wait to try the bait on the barra as soon as I’m back up north. I’m betting it’s going to be a winner. Weighing 3oz and 178mm long, it’s an easy bait to throw on a heavy soft plastic combo or light swimbait combo and doesn’t really need the specialist heavy swimbait gear. Retailing at under 50 bucks, it’s a great bang for your buck glide in the often-expensive big bait market. The Molix 178 SS Glide Bait ticks a few boxes for me and will be getting another run sooner rather than later.