Flicker Shad Hype?

What is the big deal with these things? I'm the first to admit that I'm no hard core troller but I have found these things to be out of tune out of the box and you simply can not troll these things fast or they blow out. I've tried a few times to troll these up river and absolutly no way will they go with out blowing out, you just can not get them tuned.

I'm not trying to discredit these guys because I have nothing but the utmost respect for them but is this a case of some really good pro staff hype or what? Whats really weird is that you dont hear any thing negative about them here on WC. Quite the opposite accually, it seems people are foaming at the mouth to get there hands on them again.

[lwfloors]

While I am no expert, I have had no problems with the flicker shads, quite the opposite. I have done very very well with them. I have not had a problem tuning them and they have worked really well in the right lakes. I guess all I can say is slow down and try tune them better. I hate having to tune new lures, but it is reality these days. I have been using them for a few years now, so I do not have any new ones and maybe that is the difference, but once you get on the fish with them and that is the only bait the will hit, it is something that you will want to have in the box.

Rick

[bob1]

You said you were trolling upriver. How fast was the current moving?

I think this would make a big difference on how the bait tracks. I have trolled the Flicker Shads on Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Norfork and have never had to tune when yet.

Bob

[MAJ1966]

Flicker Shad Hype?
They are a GREAT crankbait, less expensive than most and work just as good if not better!
I have trolled them as fast as 3.0 mph and never had one come out of the water. Tuning them is part of the game as mentioned. I have had tremendous success with them and can't wait for open water to start "cranking" again!

[Fife]

They catch fish!

I've got a couple that I really struggle to keep running straight otherwise I have had very good luck with them. At $2 its tough to complain about doing any tuning.

[CRB]

I do a lot of trolling on the Missouri River and Lake Oahe area. I have reef runners, rapalas, walleye divers, a few thunder cranks and now quite a few flicker shads after last year. They are good baits like all the rest mentioned. At times they do need some tuning. They are just another tool in this fishing game. I will add though there are times when trolling under the bluffs in high current areas where the only lure that will stay in the water and not spin out is the almightly shad rap. It is difficult getting the reefs, divers, and flickers to tune well enough to run at these speeds. Its just easier to grab a rap and fish. With that being said I have had instances where the flickers were out fishing all other lures 2 to 1 and for me that is reason enough to have them in box. Sometimes the fish just want a different wiggle as we all know.

The price is another appealing attribute of these lures. It is for me anyhow. To sum it up for me I think they are a good bait, no miracle bait, but good none the less. I believe they are every bit as good as the reefs runners and walleye divers but not quite as good as the Rapala brands though. I'm not sure quite what it is about Rapala, I'm sure its design, but every new lure they come out with flat out catches fish. And on top of that they track true at amazing speeds. Then again you are paying for it.

As far as the pro staffers hyping them up? You have to give them some slack thats their job. And the reason everyone is hyping them up is either cause they really are that good are we have a lot of ego strokers around which seems to happen when you have the actual Pros interacting with the Joes. I apologize for being so brutally honest.

I plan on running these lures alot more in lake situations this year to see for my self what the hype is all about.

[MAJ1966]

When a crank bait cost $2.79 (last year on sale) and really works well, there is no need to stoke ones ego. At $2.79, I can be somewhat "ok" at losing one compared to the ones that are significantly higher in price. Most of the guys I fish with all run flicker shads, they plain work well and are at an AFFORDABLE price.
Sure the raps, reefs, and wally divers work too, don't get me wrong, I have several of them, BUT day in and day out I find myself tying on a flicker shad. JMHO

[raynestorm]

I carry flicker shads when I fish areas with lots of snags and the walleye are hanging in tight. If I lose a few, not much damage to the pocketbook! I have well over 500 cranks, and I find it just comes to fish preference on any given day. Some days, flickers work better, other days... Shad Raps, or reef runners.

At the $2 a pop, it's not a bad thing to fill a couple boxes full of them!

Ben

[Robert M]

I bought a pile of these when Cabelas had them for 1.49 a piece one time.And they do catch fish.Couple things I like about them other than the price is they will run a little shallower than a Rapala the same size and have good quality hooks on them.Did I also mention they do catch fish to.

[Tim_Kelly]

What sort of depth do they run at cast and trolled?