ABT Lures Shad

This was the first "swimbait" i got and it was given to me by the person who runs abt's website. the bait does have ok action. you can reel it really slow on the surface or crank it down a few feet. it casts a mile(for me). no complaints except no fish on it yet. wouldnt mind picken up a couple more some day:sbn- bassmasterzack

ABT Shad is one of the most marketed swimbaits by the pros mainly KVD and has won some money such as the FLW on Tellico. Looks-The stregth of this bait is its profile. It is a dead on shad profile. The colors are good for a crankbait not great for a swimbait. Really it looks more like a high end american made crankbait color selection than a swimbait. The details really arent special looking either but I think the details are usually overatted anyway and the bait will work fine on that end. Durability-My biggest concern. I broke 2 ABT baits in less than an hour of fishing. One I hit on hard object the other broke in open water. The baits had an all plastic joint which is where the break occured both times. I heard the fixed the problem and ABT added a metal pin unfortunately you cant tell looking at the lures. The good news is I heard ABT will replace a bait if it breaks. Action-The lure really shines as a rip bait which is what ABT calls it. It runs true and has an erratic action when jerked which is why KVD says he loves the lure. I have caught most of my fish twiching the bait on top like a wounded bluegill and the reeling it in when out of the strike zone. No doubt the bait catches fish but I am afraid there may be better options out there that are more durable. Availability-The biggest reason this lure has been popular it was the first hard swimbait I saw in a store like it was for most people. What makes this bait special is its abliity to be fished like a jerkbait/swimbait hybrid. While it works other ways its this action that made this lure famous. But dont limit the ABT Lure Shd to ripping. Actually dont limit it to a shad either its a good bluegill imitator. The only real concern I have is durability but hopefully the metal pin fixed this problem. The components are solid but not great but its hard not to buy this lure with its unique action. I cant say its a must have but if want a swimbait you can rip and jerk then check it out. mrbassky1

This is the ideal swimbait for those power fisherman out there. This bait has always worked better when I cranked it down hard, pause, rip, crank,etc. The erratic nature of this lure makes it almost like a jointed oversized jerkbait. It has a really good profile in the water. The color selection gives you many different patterns to choose from. This bait and the Strike King King Shad are the exact same lure. If you don't find the colors you like with ABT, Strike King's colors are just a little different. Some people have reported construction problems with this lure, but I have never had an issue. I have had the best luck ripping this lure through schools of shad, 6 lbs. being my biggest so far. This is also an excellent lure for smallies and spots. The size of only 4" will not deter these aggressive natured fish from striking. This is an amazing bait because it allows you to target larger fish, and still move at a very quick pace. SN name: bd pettit