Monday, September 3, 2018

Jackall Grinch Review



The Grinch:   Colors: 6     Length: 5.3    Weight: 11/16oz   Pack Count: 1

Intro:

Jackall has been banging out an abundance of new baits over the past couple seasons, and more importantly they have been banging out new ideas. Both the Kaera and Grinch are new frogs to their line-up each in its own way bucking tradition. While the Kaera came in small and compact the Grinch is a long stick-bait style frog designed to kick and pull across cover.


Manufactures Description :

UPSIDE-DOWN PADDLE TAIL The upside-down paddle tail design allows the Grinch to keep kicking hard underwater during faster retrieves, also allowing it to keep kicking even when fishing in heavy cover.SLENDER FROG-LIKE BODYImitating a small batfish, the body shape attracts bass and triggers their instinct to eat! The Grinch creates a splashing sound to attract fish from long distance.


Overall Rating: 7.6/10

Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price







Quality & Durability: 3.55

Jackall makes quality baits that hold up well fish after fish. With that said anytime a component of a Hollow body frog is made of soft plastic my score for durability has to drop a little. The Grinch is made of up two parts, and nearly 50% of the bait is the soft plastic tail that is attached the the body with a single staple.. a big one, but still a staple.  So far, it has held up well, but the fact that Jackall quickly released replacement tails (smart) tells me guys have been needing to replace them.

The other 50% of the frog, (the hollow body portion) is extremely well built, the body is durable (boarding on tough) the hooks are stout and sharp. This really is the tale (tail) of two frogs.


Castability: 4.5/5

Long, lean and it has some weight to it, this frog casts like a bullet and will get you some serious distance when needed. The body shape allows it to skip thought the soft tail can and will trip it up on you. So watch your angle and maybe look for short skips.

The round body and weighted tail ensure the Grinch always lands in fighting position and I cant remember ever having it land on its back.


Presentation: 4.0/5

I love the sound this bait makes coming across the water, its gurgle and plop is seriously impressive and must drive fish crazy. My co-angler fished this bait before I did, and on his very first cast I snapped my head around to see what he was throwing because of how awesome the sound was.

The Grinch could be compared to the Teckle Sprinker Frog and the Booyah Toad Runner, it provides the same sound and commotion though fished at a slower retrieve or even better with short pulls. The tail churns the water while the pencil bait shape skips along the water and grass.

Although not quit as fun as the other two frogs mentioned above, I did have a blast fishing this bait and managed a few fish (my co-angler had more success and bigger fish) Im not sure the spot it hold in my overall arsenal, but Im trying to find a home for it as it has earn a place on the water.




Hook-Up Ratio: 3.0/5

The Grinch is a big bait with lots of body and tail to get in the way of your hookset. It fishes best when the bite is aggressive as you will really need to fish to eat this frog in order to get hooks on him. With that said Ive caught a mix of large and small fish that had no issues swallowing the Grinch whole.

The Grinch's body was designed with two walls on either side of the bait that that hooks really hug up against. The hooks themselves are stout and sharp, but the body wall they hug up against is firmer than it needs to be and as you can see from the images it can make it hard to really mash down the body to expose those great hooks.

Innovation & Design: 4.0/5

The Grinch is a Frankenstein bait of sorts, combining the body of the hollow bodied frog with an upside down rigged paddle tale. This innovative combo gives you a very active retrieve that goes where most other baits cant... the grass and slop. Believe me, this bait works, and although you may need to spend some time getting your retrieve down the tail action will catch you fish when fishing open water and sparse pads.

The design does have some down sides and one is that the tail is held onto the frog with a Giant staple and like with all soft plastic baits it will need to be replaced, so you may want to order up a couple extra when you place your order for the Grinch. With that said Im multiple fish into to my bait and have not yet had any issues with the tail being ripped or coming loose.


Availability, Options & Price: 4.0/5

Jackall baits are pretty widely available, and most of the ones I have checked out are stocking the Grinch. It is also widely available on-line making it easy for every angler to get their hands on.

The color options is limited with only six options available at this time. Jackall seemed to opt for bright colors that could be considered bait fish patterns but I just dont know what part of the world these bait fish would come from.

Pricing is set at what has become the bar for north america frog prices - $9.99 - for the quality and the fun you will gave fishing it, its well worth the price.




Situations for Success:

The Grinch is a medium to sparse cover frog that excels when you need a bait that will be heard coming across the water. It fishes well both at slow and medium retrieves and can also be pulled spastically causing a unique commotion. Due to its long profile you really want to make sure the fish has a chance to really take this frog in prior to setting the hook.


Looking Back:

Back in May, 2018 we filmed an unboxing of the Grinch and gave a short review of our first impressions. If you haven't already give the video a watch and see how many of those initial thoughts still ring true  HERE



Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.


Bama Frogs ($9.99)



Equipment:

I fished the Grinch Frog on a Dobyns 736c which is my go to power rod when frog fishing heavy cover. I Paired it with a Daiwa Tatula 150 reel with a 7.3:1 gear ratio, these new reels are powerful, lightweight and look awesome. (like the Boom Boom frog)



Field Test Report Card:

Open Water (Sparse Pads): B
Pads (Medium Cover): B+
Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C+

Walk the Dog: C+
Popping Action: NA
Sit/Pause: C+







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