March 15, 2014
By Ned Kehde
Pure Fishing, Inc. recently introduced their Berkley Havoc Pit Boss Jr.
It is three inches long. Some anglers call it a beaver-style bait, and others call it creature bait.
The staff at Pure Fishing describes it as a finesse rendition of their four-inch Havoc Pit Boss and five-inch Havoc Papa Pit Boss that Skeet Reese played a major role in designing. Reese, who is a professional bass angler from Auburn, California, and competes on the Bassmaster Elite circuit, said he designed it to replicate a baitfish, as well as a crayfish.
Reese and other power anglers like to wield it with a big flipping rod, and they either dress it on a skirted jig or Texas-rig it on a worm hook with a slip sinker. And when the power anglers employ what they call finesse fishing, they might opt to rig it on a Mojo rig.
Its torso is relatively thin and compact, and that feature, according to the flippers, pitchers, and punchers, allows it to wiggle alluringly through extremely dense and snag-filled lairs. What's more, some anglers describe portions of its torso as being tube-like or hollow.
Two pairs of appendages extend from its head.
One pair branches out from each side of its head. They are flat and look somewhat similar to a grass-cutting sickle, and when anglers employ a straight swimming retrieve with the Pitt Boss Jr, these two appendages kick constantly and rather dramatically.
The other two appendages radiate off the tip of its head. Some anglers might describe them as flat antennas, and they also exhibit the contours of a scissor blade. Compared to the vigorous movements of the two side appendages, the two that extend from the top of the head move with constant and subtle undulations and gyrations during a straight and steady swimming retrieve.
Midwest finesse anglers do not need to flip, pitch, and punch to catch largemouth bass. Instead, they dissect areas that the flippers, pitchers, and punchers don't tread. These areas are sometimes described as "nothing-looking lairs," and they are usually devoid of stickups, laydowns, flooded trees, brushpiles and similar objects. And if and when Midwest finesse anglers cross paths with the objects that power anglers adore, they usually bypass them or fish gingerly around them. Consequently, Midwest finesse anglers will rig the Pit Boss Jr on either a 1/16- or 3/32-ounce Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head Jig with an exposed hook. They will wield it on spinning tackle that is spooled with relatively light line. And they will present it to the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass by employing these six standard Midwest finesse retrieves: (1) swim, glide, and, shake ; (2) hop and bounce; (3) drag and deadstick; (4) straight swim; (5) drag and shake; (6) stroll.
It is available in 25 colors. A package of 10 can be purchased for $2.99.
