The Larva, from Fanatik Lures
The review today is for the 3.5″ Larva plastic, from Fanatik Baits. This came to me in a box from Simple Fishing, a Canadian focused fishing tackle subscription box. I had received a few packs of Fanatik plastics in previous RLM Elite boxes, and was always impressed by the quality. The Larva immediately reminded me of the mayfly hatch that we see here in early summer. That hatch usually shuts fishing down for a couple weeks in a row as the fish gorge themselves on nothing else. This Larva plastic made me think that I might be able to fit right in with the other bugs and entice some fish to bite. I was eager to test it out.
Taking it Out
I had an opportunity to use this during my back country trip up the Bird River system this summer. The water in the Bird River system is clear but with a tea stain color as it gets deeper. The bottom is mostly rock and there is plenty of fallen trees and weed beds. This mix of vegetation and timber among the rocks makes for some ugly areas that you don’t usually see anything other than bugs occupying. Of course that was perfect for the Larva and it fight right in. In fact, ugly areas with floating debris, dead branches, weeds, etc. were perfect. All the places you would expect bugs to gather and be swimming around, the fish would expect so too. They hone in on these areas looking for a fat bug to make a quick meal.
Performance
Performance wise, the Larva was a breath of fresh air on an otherwise hot and unproductive day of fishing. We had a clear sunny day, the water was warm, and it was the time of year where fish are naturally just not as active. Needless to say we were not catching a ton of fish. Enter the Larva. I used this mainly off shore when we stopped for breaks, where I could stick to fairly shallow, dirty water. The Larva started catching us fish fairly quickly. Walleye, Pike, Bass, all came up to inspect this green bug and ultimately ended up taking a bite. I think the greatest strength of the Larva is the strict attention to detail. While it has a great color, what really makes the fish commit is the shape of the plastic when they come up to inspect it. With a ribbed fat body, distinct head, and fully molded legs, this thing actually looks like a bug. Any fish that came close enough to take a look at the lure usually decided that it looked tasty. This will be a plastic that I keep handy for future slow summer days.
To see the full review, with a more in depth look at the lure, see the video below. For more reviews, unboxings, and outdoor adventures, check out True North Wild’s Youtube channel. If you like the video, don’t forget to hit the like and subscribe buttons! If you have a fishing, hunting, or outdoor product that you would like reviewed, feel free to contact me.
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