Daiwa bait junkie review

Daiwa bait junkie review. It’s great to see a fishing powerhouse like Daiwa branch out into new areas. Daiwa has an established reputation for making an amazing range of fishing rods, reels and lures and we welcome the venture into soft plastics which they have labelled as Bait junkie.

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Watch our full detailed video review of the Daiwa Bait Junkie soft plastic range below

The soft plastic market is a very competitive landscape with massive consumer demand and when you enter a saturated market with well-established products you need to have some point of difference. Now Daiwa is not reinventing the soft plastic product line, many of the bait junkie soft plastics resemble offerings already in the market. But when you stop and look at some of the finer details you will notice that Daiwa have some very welcome point differences that may sway some anglers away from existing brands.

Dawia has spent the last few years working on the bait junkie line-up. Continually tweaking the design, the shapes, the colours, the scent and the action. And finally, in 2020 have hit the market with 6 new products the 2.5 inch grub, The 4 inch grub, The 2.5 inch paddle tail minnow, the 3.2 inch paddle tail minnow, the 5 inch jerk shad and the 7 inch jerk shad. All with Daiwa’s Elastomax technology and AminoX scent.

I suspect these soft plastics will be popular particularly for anglers who are already Daiwa gear enthusiast. These will keep existing soft plastic manufacturers on their toes with a new kid in town that packs a punch. Is it a coincidence that soft plastic powerhouse Berkley happened to released their new product range for 2020 labelled Berkley reveal 2020.

Buy the Daiwa Bait Junkie Range using the links below

• Buy Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5-inch grub
• Buy Daiwa Bait Junkie 4-inch grub
• Buy Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5-inch minnow
• Buy Daiwa Bait Junkie 3.2 inch minnow
• Buy Daiwa Bait Junke 5-inch jerk shad
• Buy Daiwa Bait Junkie 7-inch jerk shad

Elastomax is a soft and stretchy plastic, a jelly like substance that feels softer than any other plastic on the market. That’s what gives these plastics such a strong swimming action. Its soft and stretchy but very durable. This elastomax material is also buoyant meaning the tail will naturally float when not being worked. And that will work really well on pauses when working the plastic slowly and in high current areas. ElastoMax is a non toxic substances such as PVC which you do find in some other brands on the market.

Amino X is a shrimp based scent which these plastics are infused with. The scent is added into the material before the moulds are poured and resencted after coming out of the mould.

Each soft plastic comes in double clam shell plastic container which is good for keeping the plastic straight and stopping the plastic from going stiff. A bit like the Berkley gulps its highly recommended that you store them in the original packets.

Let’s have a closer look at each product in a details Daiwa bait junkie review starting with the grubs.

Daiwa bait junkie 2.5 inch grub

One of the most popular soft plastic designs currently in the Australian market. The first thing you’ll notice on the BaitJunkie 2.5” Grub is the orientation of the tail. By positioning the tip of the tail parallel with the body of the grub, there is no opposing forces from the water acting on the tail. The result is all of the water pressure hits the inside curl of the tail, forcing it to open up and produce that irresistible swimming action.

One of the biggest benefits to the tail design of the 2.5” Grub is that it swims at much slower speeds, including on the drop using much lighter weight jigheads than the competition. The swimming action of the 2.5” BaitJunkie is simply outstanding and is sure to be one of the most popular shapes in the BaitJunkie line-up.

The 2.5” Grub features rigging lines top and bottom for those who prefer to rig tail up or down and also features a handy DVEC logo printing on the side indicating a recommended trimming if you wish to use a slightly smaller profile bait in highly pressured situations.

Available in 15 colours including two-tone laminate options, the 2.5” Grub is suited to chasing all sorts of species in both fresh & saltwater. The BaitJunkie 2.5” Grub comes in 8 pieces per pack. Daiwa bait junkie review.

Daiwa bait junkie 4 inch grub

The bigger size grub tail which can be deadly on snapper and other saltwater predatory fish. You will notice is the tail design of the 4” Grub differs to the parallel tail of the smaller 2.5” size. This is because a 4” Grub is more often fished with heavier weight heads and doesn’t have the same requirement of incredibly slow swim speeds on the fall, as the 2.5”.  As larger sized baits tend to be used in deeper water or dirtier water chasing more estuarine sportfish species, the rolled over tail design of the 4” Grub creates more disturbance in the water, allowing predators to key in on the bait even when the water is not clear.

Once again, a rigging line is prominent on both the top and bottom sides of the body for those who prefer a tail up or down rigging method. Available in 15 great colours the BaitJunkie 4” Grub is an ideal choice for shallow water snapper, estuarine flathead and many more species throughout Australia. The BaitJunkie 4” Grub comes in 5 pieces per pack.

Daiwa bait junkie 2.5 inch minnow

The fastest-growing bait profile in the finesse angling community right now, the bite-sized boot tail swimbait is fast becoming a go-to for many anglers chasing bream, bass, flathead & more. The BaitJunkie 2.5” Minnow is the first design that incorporates BaitJunkie’s signature ‘slim waist’ design principle. This waist section segments the body into two parts, allowing the tail to move freely and thanks to the Elastomax construction. The durability of the bait is a non-concern. A broad boot tail is connected to a thin tail wrist which delivers an insanely high-pitch vibration, capable of calling in predatory fish from long distances. The soft nature of Elastomax also means the 2.5” Minnow is capable of fishing on very light jigheads, still maintaining an enticing swimming action whilst sinking even when rigged on lightweight heads around 1/16oz.

Featuring rigging lines on the top for easy straight rigging, the BaitJunkie 2.5” Minnow comes in 18 different colours to suit both fresh & saltwater. With an assortment of solid and two-tone laminate colours there is sure to be one that suits any situation you may encounter. The BaitJunkie 2.5” Minnow comes in 8 pieces per pack. Daiwa bait junkie review.

bait junkie 3.2 inch minnow

The upsize offering from the 2.5” minnow, the 3.2” version is a juiced-up swimbait ready to catch anything that swims in either salt or freshwater. A slightly thicker body can accept larger hooks and larger bait keepers, and the slightly bigger boot tail produces an almighty thump to attract predators in deep or dirty water. The same signature ‘slim waist’ design is prominent in this bait and delivers a swimming action that is unmatched by more traditional swimbait profiles.

Available in 18 fantastic colours in a mix of solid and two-tone laminate injections, the 3.2” Minnow is the ‘all-rounder’ of the BaitJunkie range. Featuring rigging lines on the top for easy rigging, this is the bait to reach for when chasing flathead in the estuaries or Australian bass in the rivers of coastal NSW. The BaitJunkie 3.2” Minnow comes in 6 pieces per pack.

Daiwa bait junkie 5 inch jerk shad

One of the more difficult bait styles from which to stand out from the crowd. The BaitJunkie Jerkshads’ exhibit some of the most incredible swimming action ever witnessed from a ‘fluke’ style bait. The BaitJunkie ‘slim waist’ design principle is in full flight in the 5” Jerkshad, with the prominent waist section segmenting the bait into two separate parts. The vertical fluke tail exaggerates the action and the hinge-like effect of the body makes the tail section of the BaitJunkie 5” Jerkshad swim like no other. A belly slit enables weedless rigging with an EWG style weighted hook and is the rigging method of choice when you want to keep the bait up high in the water column.

Once again, the colour range is extensive, with 15 colours incorporating both UV & Glow, there is sure to be a colour which catches your eye! The BaitJunkie 5” Jerkshad comes in 5 pieces per pack. Daiwa bait junkie review

Daiwa bait junkie 7 inch jerk shad

The largest offering in the initial BaitJunkie line-up, the 7” Jerkshad is like no other. With the longer body and more mass, the incredible ‘S’ wave swimming motion which is so prevalent in the 5” version is only increased in the 7” model. The combination of the segmented body design and the vertical fluke tail makes this lure swim like you couldn’t imagine. Rigged with a traditional jighead design, the 7” jerkshad will swim on the drop, accounting for an incredible amount of strikes. On the straight retrieve the tail section moves like a snake through the water, allowing the bait to track straight & true, a great feature when chasing fast-moving pelagic species.

The incorporated belly slit makes weedless rigging an easy possibility and presents almost endless possible uses for such a versatile bait design. The BaitJunkie 7” Jerkshad comes in 4 pieces per pack.

Additions, corrections and acknowledgements

Thanks for reading this Daiwa bait junkie review. You can learn more about these soft plastics on Daiwa website. These are great soft plastics which you can purchase from all good fishing tackle stores from September 2020. You can also see many fishing videos around Melbourne and Victoria. If you have any questions, corrections or additions then please direct them to enquiries@fishingmad.com.au and we will get back to you as soon as we can.