Bull shad vs BBZ 1

[Maskedfisherdude]

Looking to get a floating version of a shad bodied bait no bigger then 5 inches. Bull shad has two following lovers and haters but will the 5" floating wake and 180? I've fished BBZ and It's a good bait but I want something different. Also are there any other shad body type baits I should be looking at?

[Nitroman77]

I've got a couple versions of the BS and its been a great bait so far..
Sharp hooks and great movement as I can burn it and walk it..

[primus]

I don't have a floating version of a BullShad but the Fast sink model has performed very well for me. I get them painted in a Golden Shiner pattern through Baitwerks.

[zodiak311]

Bullshad for the win, action, durability, and effectiveness is awesome.

[Maskedfisherdude]

I ended up ordering one yesterday. It should be here today for a pool test. Thanks for the imput.

[holden234]

I also like the Bull Shad. I consider the BBZ more of an entry bait into swimbait fishing but it will catch fish also.

[spookybaits]

Hopefully you get a good one. Look at it head on and make sure the eyes are even.
The last few bullshads I got from TW were terribly built. I mean really bad. The 2 sides were put together crooked so much so that one side overhung by 1/8th inch The line tie was all the way over on one side of its face and on one side of it the entire head was painted green(rather than just the faint green running down the back). It looked like he let some kindergartners build it. I called TW and the guy said something to the effect of "sigh... yeah, im familiar with the issue". I had him go look at the stock and pick me out a good one and he said they all were that bad. I Returned it.
I went to the 2 local stores and all of them were the same.

I posted about it on one of the swimbait forums(the one Tmike hangs out in) in a bullshad thread and the mods removed my post and said i was talking smack about one of their sponsors. I was just trying to draw attention to it in hopes that the problem would get corrected. Like I told the mod- $50 might not be a big deal for you or me but some 14year old kid in Arkansas might cut grass for month to buy his first 'nice' swimbait and never even know its out of whack. And given that every 6" bullshad at 3 different locations on both the east & west coast had the issue means its not a one-off issue.

To be fair- This was the 6" model, not the 5" one. The 5" I got was fine, but I hate the action on it. Looks clunky and unrealistic. Hell if you want my 5" you can have it, say $20 + shipping. Only casted a few times. Pm me if you want it.

Tbh, after I found out all those pics of big bass on his website were from him following the DNR shock boat and grabbing shocked bass out of the water and putting his bait in their mouths for photo ops, I lost all respect for him. That's just wrong
And besides- a 6" hudd will out fish it 2 to 1.

This will probably rub some the wrong way but its the truth. (And no, I'm not affiliated with any other bait companies, nor have I fished that other shad hardbait by that guy who's always beefing with Tmike).

[Carlos Carrapiço]

Hopefully you get a good one. Look at it head on and make sure the eyes are even.
The last few bullshads I got from TW were terribly built. I mean really bad. The 2 sides were put together crooked so much so that one side overhung by 1/8th inch The line tie was all the way over on one side of its face and on one side of it the entire head was painted green(rather than just the faint green running down the back). It looked like he let some kindergartners build it. I called TW and the guy said something to the effect of "sigh... yeah, im familiar with the issue". I had him go look at the stock and pick me out a good one and he said they all were that bad. I Returned it.
I went to the 2 local stores and all of them were the same.

I posted about it on one of the swimbait forums(the one Tmike hangs out in) in a bullshad thread and the mods removed my post and said i was talking smack about one of their sponsors. I was just trying to draw attention to it in hopes that the problem would get corrected. Like I told the mod- $50 might not be a big deal for you or me but some 14year old kid in Arkansas might cut grass for month to buy his first 'nice' swimbait and never even know its out of whack. And given that every 6" bullshad at 3 different locations on both the east & west coast had the issue means its not a one-off issue.

To be fair- This was the 6" model, not the 5" one. The 5" I got was fine, but I hate the action on it. Looks clunky and unrealistic. Hell if you want my 5" you can have it, say $20 + shipping. Only casted a few times. Pm me if you want it.

Tbh, after I found out all those pics of big bass on his website were from him following the DNR shock boat and grabbing shocked bass out of the water and putting his bait in their mouths for photo ops, I lost all respect for him. That's just wrong
And besides- a 6" hudd will out fish it 2 to 1.

This will probably rub some the wrong way but its the truth. (And no, I'm not affiliated with any other bait companies, nor have I fished that other shad hardbait by that guy who's always beefing with Tmike).

I have 3 6" and 1 9" all generation 2.

I guess that only 2 6" can be considered well build. Despite that, they all swim fine and the action doesn't seem affect by the imperfections.

Nevertheless, I was also disappointed with the overall finish of the lures and was hard to swallow specially if one is used to the JDM kind of finish.

Concerning fishing performance, I'm not sure. I had situations where they worked very well and other moments where they were ignored by the fish. I guess that's why is called fishing and not catching.

[Maskedfisherdude]

Ya spooky that's why I was hesitant to buy one. I also think I found one of your posts on SU about the bull shad. When I got mine I looked at it and said wow these things really do look like a kid made it but after a pool test I was happy with how it look so decided to keep it. Then it caught fish on Sunday and its still in one piece so I'm happy. I'm still looking for the bait that I really wanted high power...

[emjay]

I have only one purpose for the Bullshad and that's to catch monster stripers. Although its a great bait, a BIG striper will rip the Bullshad in 2, no lie. And if you get a Bullshad from a bad batch, the resin will also start to break apart between the joints and the eyes will fall out.

[spookybaits]

As long as it catches fish- i guess that's all that matters. Hope they land ya some monsters!

[chris c]

I mostly use the 5" version, LOVE IT! Helped me win a BFL super tx. I personally could care less if they are "perfect", as long as they run straight. I think a lot of people get hung up on a bait looking perfect... do you think a fish is studying the bait for perfect symmetry before it bites? Anyway, all I can suggest is that you give the bait a fair try before knocking it, I think you will be impressed with the results. And just for the record, I am not on Mike's pro staff or anything, just love the baits and have been using them for a few years. I would suggest anyone with concerns email Mike, he has always been quick in emailing me back with answers to my questions about the baits.

Chris

[jjpatton]

I have 5" and 6" bullshads and they blow every other production model swimbait ive ever seen out of the water. construction, customer service, durability and action are top shelf. Im not sure where the other guys are coming from but id be interested in seeing pics of these baits as the picture painted does not match anything i have seen

I am not on bull shad staff either, but for hard swimbaits at a reasonable price they are the best ive found

[civicrr]

I purchased my first 5" (sinking) Bullshad after the review on Tackletour. I wanted something to throw sub surface for stripers. First trip out made me a believer. Tied it on when the Lunker Punker bite died shortly after sunrise The amount of fish I was catching was crazy. I even ended up having to keep a fish....because it tried to inhale the bait. Only about 1/2" of the bait was sticking out of its mouth with the rest literally buried in it's mouth/gullet. Still have a couple of the original (3 section) 5" baits as well as a couple of newer (4 section) ones in 5". Also have a floater - yes it does wake. All have caught fish for me. I've let friends borrow baits & I know they've since purchased their own.

I bought my first Bullshad from a store in Georgia because nobody else had them. IIRC, I bought the others from TW.

As to the other baits.....I've bought a couple on sale. They're not in my regular lineup.

[dturnersr]

Hopefully you get a good one. Look at it head on and make sure the eyes are even.
The last few bullshads I got from TW were terribly built. I mean really bad. The 2 sides were put together crooked so much so that one side overhung by 1/8th inch The line tie was all the way over on one side of its face and on one side of it the entire head was painted green(rather than just the faint green running down the back). It looked like he let some kindergartners build it. I called TW and the guy said something to the effect of "sigh... yeah, im familiar with the issue". I had him go look at the stock and pick me out a good one and he said they all were that bad. I Returned it.
I went to the 2 local stores and all of them were the same.

I posted about it on one of the swimbait forums(the one Tmike hangs out in) in a bullshad thread and the mods removed my post and said i was talking smack about one of their sponsors. I was just trying to draw attention to it in hopes that the problem would get corrected. Like I told the mod- $50 might not be a big deal for you or me but some 14year old kid in Arkansas might cut grass for month to buy his first 'nice' swimbait and never even know its out of whack. And given that every 6" bullshad at 3 different locations on both the east & west coast had the issue means its not a one-off issue.

To be fair- This was the 6" model, not the 5" one. The 5" I got was fine, but I hate the action on it. Looks clunky and unrealistic. Hell if you want my 5" you can have it, say $20 + shipping. Only casted a few times. Pm me if you want it.

Tbh, after I found out all those pics of big bass on his website were from him following the DNR shock boat and grabbing shocked bass out of the water and putting his bait in their mouths for photo ops, I lost all respect for him. That's just wrong
And besides- a 6" hudd will out fish it 2 to 1.

This will probably rub some the wrong way but its the truth. (And no, I'm not affiliated with any other bait companies, nor have I fished that other shad hardbait by that guy who's always beefing with Tmike).

I have 3 6" and 1 9" all generation 2.

I guess that only 2 6" can be considered well build. Despite that, they all swim fine and the action doesn't seem affect by the imperfections.

Nevertheless, I was also disappointed with the overall finish of the lures and was hard to swallow specially if one is used to the JDM kind of finish.

Concerning fishing performance, I'm not sure. I had situations where they worked very well and other moments where they were ignored by the fish. I guess that's why is called fishing and not catching.

Momma said if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all-

with that said- I have several BullShad's and a new BullHerring...all of them catch fish... as far a cosmetics on a bait like this (I) feel the action is paramount- looks not so much - based on the vicious strikes I get - it must look good to them. Really, what the fish see is the siloutte against the sky and the actions. What they feel is you reeling them to to boat on the super sharp Owner hooks.