August 28, 2016
By Ned Kehde
We published a gear guide on May 8, 2014, about Rein Fishing Tackle's three-, four-, and five-inch Bubbling Shaker.
Reins is a noted Japanese tackle manufacturer, and its Bubbling Shaker has become a popular drop-shot bait with finesse anglers in Japan, Canada, and the United States. Midwest finesse anglers, however, prefer to affix it to a mushroom-style jig rather than a drop-shot rig.
This spring Reins introduced a 3.5-inch Bubbling Shaker to its repertoire. In some anglers' eyes, it resembles a leech. Others call it a unique ringworm. In the eyes of many Midwest finesse anglers, it is an ideal size and shape to affix to a 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig, and then present it to their quarries by employing the six basic Midwest finesse retrieves or subtle variations of those retrieves. (Here is a link to the Midwest finesse column that describes how to execute those six retrieves: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/. )
The 3.5-inch Bubbling Shad possesses a cone-shaped head. The tip of its tail is short, thin, and pointed, and some anglers say it resembles a sharpened piece of pencil lead. The folks at Reins call this tiny piece of soft-plastic "a unique bubble pin tail," (This tail style has recently become somewhat fashionable among some finesse anglers and tackle manufacturers in Japan.)
Its torso is endowed with three segments, and each segment is surrounded by ribs or rings. The front segment is the largest of the three. The second or middle segment is the thinnest and shortest. The third segment, which is adorned with the tail, is smaller than the front one and bigger than the middle one. In our May 8, 2014, gear-guide, we described the third segment as being part of the tail, and the second segment as being the joint or junction between its bulbous torso and its tail, and a reader told us that it was a faulty description.
The ribs or rings allow it to discharge bubbles as it plummets from the surface towards the bottom, which many anglers say catches the eyes of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass.
It is also a buoyant bait, and when it is affixed to a mushroom-style jig and retrieved along the bottom with a hop-and-bounce retrieve or a drag-and-deastick presentation, its tail will rise between 45 to 90 degrees above the bottom, which many anglers says allures largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass.
It is available in two two-tone colors: Margarita Mutilator and Mueller"s Madness. It is available in six one-tone colors: Bait Fish SP, Blue Gill, Green Pumpkin, Kito Kito Shad, Moebi, and Morning Dawn.
Anglers can purchase a package of 10 for $5.00 at http://store.optimumbaits.com/c/reins_3-5-bubbling-shaker .
Endnotes
(1) Here is a link to a YouTube that features Paul Mueller of Naugatuck, Connecticut, catching a smallmouth bass on a Reins' Bubbling Shaker affixed to a jig: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFuBGBXUUMI.
