December 17, 2017
By Ned Kehde
A veteran Midwest finesse angler, who is perpetually in search of new soft-plastic baits, says that he and the entire fraternity of Midwest finesse anglers have overlooked the Culprit Fast Vibe.
In his message to the Finesse News Network, he more than hinted that it was time for us to publish a gear guide about it, and we agreed.
Culprit Lures introduced their Fast Vibe to the angling world at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades show at Orlando, Florida, on July 12. Before ICAST, they posted a YouTube about it on May 17.
It is a six-inch worm. From the tip of its head to the junction of its J-shaped tail, its entire body is encircled with pronounced ribs. The J-shaped tail is smooth-skinned and possesses a radical bend.
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It was primarily created so that power anglers can either buzz it across the surface or swim it below the surface through, among, and around a quagmire of shallow and underwater obstacles. To accomplish that feat, it is rigged Texas-style onto either a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. For the buzzing presentation, either a 1/32- or 1/16-ounce bullet-shaped slip sinker can be used. Some anglers might buzz with it devoid of a weight, but a sinker will help anglers execute longer casts. For swimming it under the surface, either a 1/8- or 3/16-ounce slip sinker can be used.
The design of the tail and the ribs create what the folks at Culprit describe as "a deadly combination of tail action and body vibration."
When it is buzzed across the surface, Culprit recommends rigging with the J-shaped tail up.
Besides buzzing and swimming it, Culprit's field testers found that it is effective when it is rigged on a Carolina rig and a shaky-head jig. There are no reports about its field-testers using it for Midwest finesse applications by affixing it to a small mushroom-style jig and employing it with the six standard Midwest finesse retrieves, which are the swim, glide, and shake; the hop and bounce, the drag and shake, the drag and deadstick, the straight swim, and the stroll.
Midwest finesse anglers are veterans at customizing soft-plastic baits, and before they affix the Fast Vibe to a mushroom-style jig, they will customize it by removing an inch or two from the front portions of its body.
It is available in the following colors: Blue Fleck Shad, Green Pumpkin, Junebug, Red Shad, Watermelon Pepper, and Watermelon Red.
It is impregnated with a scent. And according to the folks at Culprit, it is relatively durable, and it possesses the wherewithal to endure violent strikes from largemouth bass, implying that it is not a one-strike and one-bass soft-plastic worm.
A package of 10 can be purchased for $3.79.
Endnotes
(1) Here is the link to Culprit's website: https://culprit.com/shop/6-fast-vibe/ . And it can be purchased at this site.
(2) Here is a link to the Midwest Finesse column about the six standard Midwest finesse retrieves to use with the Fast Vibe: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/ .
