I find myself in a familiar conundrum when it comes to fishing tackle. I’m always enjoy experimenting and tinkering with tackle, but I’m also very slow to switch from my staples. I do a lot of testing of tackle here at Wired2fish but when I have just a few hours after work to try to just catch some bass for fun, I usually just grab my staple craws and jigs and go. But because I like to experiment and because I get locked into good staple baits, I’m always excited when I find a new staple to add to my stable of lures. That’s the case with the new Strike King Rage Scounbug.
Strike King introduced the Scounbug at the Classic in March of 2023, and by the time ICAST came around in July, they already created an additional size that was to be released towards the end of 2023. The Scounbug to me is a merging and perfecting of several Strike King plastics rolled into one to create the perfect streamlined soft plastic craw bait that can be used in the most different ways.
It’s like they took all the best things about a Rage Craw, a Menace Grub, and a Rodent and spun it into a craw profile bait that works as a pitching plastic, a punching plastic, a trailer for a football jig, for a swim jig, for a Thunder Cricket. Heck I think it would be dynamite on a Carolina Rig and on a Ned head. It really is going to be one of those go to plastics for a lot of anglers, especially those already in favor the of the Strike King formulation and scent in their plastics. I’ve had a lot of fishing trips with the Rage Scounbug now on a variety of lakes so I can share why I think it’s going to be one you want to add to your stable of lures.
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PERFECT PROFILE ON SCOUNBUG
The profile on the Rage Scounbug is slicked back and streamlined. The flapping claws flutter perfectly on the back of a jig as well as punching through grass on a Texas rig. It has a very streamlined flow to it that helps it slide in and out of cover easily and efficiently. While still giving you good action. I’ve fished it mostly on a Texas rig and on the back of the new Strike King Compact Tungsten Casting Jig. I believe this plastic was meant to go on that specific jig as well as the Thunder Cricket and newer Tungsten Thunder Cricket. But trust me it works great all by itself on a flipping hook and big weight. My pictures should prove that.
COLORS AND SIZES OF RAGE SCOUNBUG
I also think they streamlined their color selection with this new craw bait. My favorites already have been Falcon Lake Craw, Blue Bug and even Junebug. And they pair perfectly with the colors on the Tungsten Compact Casting jig. The original Scounbug was 3 1/2 inches and the newest version is 4 inches. You can see the size differences above. This again will help the craw fit better on larger profile jigs and punch weights as the 3 1/2 inch has been dynamite on Strike King’s Tungsten Jig offerings.
ACTION GETS ACTION
The scent probably helps once they grab hold of the Scounbug, but the action is where it’s at. It kicks perfectly on a jig whether you are swimming it, lifting and dropping it over branches in a brush pile or hopping it up off the bottom on a deep ledge. Even with a small weight like 5/16 ounce bullet weight or a 3/8 ounce compact jig, the bait kicks beautifully and really does look alive like something swimming around in the water. I’ve had most of my success on the Rage Scounbug fishing it through brush. Pitching it into bushes and brushpiles, or casting a jig out to deeper brush and stumps. I’ve had most of my strikes when I lift my jig or Texas Rig up over something and let the tails kick all the way back to the bottom.
HOLD UP WELL TO FISH
The Rage Scounbug not only gets bit but it gets bit a bunch on one bait. I’ve had a tail or two get nipped off, but most of the time I’ve been able to catch several bass before having to replace the craw. On a jig, I’ve gone whole fishing days with one trailer. On a Texas Rig, it seems like they get torn up a little faster. But one of my biggest bass this season has come on a Rage Scounbug pitched into a brush pile in the mid-depth range. So I’ll take and buy a bunch of packs. In fact I already have after exhausting my samples in quick order this spring after travelling and catching bass in three different states.
The Strike King Rage Scounbug is a great new profile in the Strike King line-up of plastics. A combination of the tails on a Rage bug, spaced more and paddling alternately like a Rage Craw but with a more streamlined profile like a Menace Grub. So you sort of get the best of 3 worlds in one super versatile soft plastic craw.
You can find the Rage Scounbug at these online fishing tackle retailers:
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