jkarol24 Posted August 15, 2021 Report Share Posted August 15, 2021 Swimbait Review: Baldy Baits 9.5" Glide Baldy Baits is a newer company to the scene, and after hearing some good things, figured I'd pick one up to take for a spin. I picked up this 9.5" via his website, and the bait showed up super quick! The 9.5" glide comes in at 5.2 ounces, more than double the weight of their 7" version (2.1 oz), and is a traditional resin Glide design with a large firm rubber tail. I bought the SS version, and I'd classify it between ss and xss in 85 degree water. The moderate straight retrieve is quite wide, with an aggressive back and forth action that gets even wider as speed is increased. A bit of roll on the corners allows for fluid transitions, and gives a natural but flashy appearance. As mentioned above, the swim gets wider, and accepts a burn with no issues. There is a decent bit of drag/pull due to the wide swim and hard thump, so I'd probably stick to a lower gear ratio reel as the torque will be needed. Either way, the bait stays very level and true, with no blowout etc. Long and slow bumps with the reel gets the Baldy sliding and gliding super wider with ease. Slower is better, as overworking the reel handle will cause the head of the bait to turn back around prematurely. Nevertheless, it didn't take long to get a feel for the bait, and could get it wide and smooth within a few casts. The bait stays horizontal/level, and will also hang out on the end of the glide due to its slow sink rate... A straight retrieve with a pause will also allow for the long drifts at the end of the swim. On the contrary, the Baldy also really likes firm, fast, and choppy inputs, allowing for quick sharp turns and fast back and forth action. A little body roll on the corners smooths out the transition, with the turns being somewhere in the middle of a cut vs a loop... Again, nice and level posture as well as a ton of stability. Every once in a while the bait turns almost too far, and can catch a front hook if not paying attention, so keep this in mind... The choppy retrieve can also be made shorter and more of a turn in place with the rod tip, with short and firm downward snaps as opposed to the reel chops... I threw the Baldy 9.5 on a Dobyns 867 and Tranx 400, spooled up with 25 Copoly. Any copoly/mono/fluro would be just fine, although braid may overwork the bait. I think this bait really benefits from a little stretch in the line to really get it shooting. Sorry it's been a while since the last review, summer has been a wild ride. I'm getting super close to being able to get back to the normal routine, so thanks for sticking with me. Jim137a, ikaika and SoCalBassBum 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhookset Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Great review for a great under the radar bait company. Both sizes of this bait perform amazing. jkarol24 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browniez Posted August 17, 2021 Report Share Posted August 17, 2021 This bait gets slaughtered. Proven in our group for big eats. jkarol24 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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