The “Pulse-R” review +

  • arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1291636

    Over the last 2 weeks I’ve received close to 50 personal messages, emails and even a few phone calls in regards to Rainy River Walleyes and presentations. Many of these messages have also included inquiries about the Pulse-R developed by BfishN tackle. http://www.bfishntackle.com

    As always I’m more than happy to answer each and every message, but I figured answering some of these inquiries in our public forum might benefit others as well.

    In starting I’d like to briefly explain my personal fondness for Jig-N-Plastics in general, and then I’ll discuss the Pulse-R’s role in my boat.

    Plastics allow anglers to fish much more efficient than the traditional “Jig and Meat” guy. Why so? Here are just a few factors to be considered; You can cast a jig and plastic much more efficient than the jig and minnow guy can cast the helicopter. You can often receive multiple strikes on one cast with a plastic where when a minnow would be either gone or not hooked correctly any longer. You can rip a jig and plastic without losing the trailer. A plastic has much better action in the water than a minnow. You can easily change colors with different water clarities. Profile matching your presentation to available bait fish is often both easier and more affordable than endless scoops of minnows.

    The above mentioned reasons are simply a start as to why many anglers pitch plastic, and why I personally DEMAND a plastic presentation when targeting shallow water Walleyes.

    The Pulse-R from BfishN tackle is a slight spin off from the original “Moxie” design within the Authentx line of Plastics. I also love the Moxie, but there are some slight differences that for me have made the “Pulse-R” my newest GO-TO Plastic.

    The Pulse-R has a slightly shorter length measuring in at an estimated 3.25 inches vs the 4 inch Moxie. The slightly shorter version hasn’t compromised the deeper base or body of the plastic. It is my belief the heavy profile of the plastic body triggers the bigger fish. Guys have questioned my theory of plastics producing bigger fish than meat, but rarely when we fish side by side. I imagine this bait creates a tremendous vibration that is easily felt within the lateral lines of big Walleyes.

    Second to the profile, but surely not second in importance is the tail on the Pulse-R. The tail even when moving slow provides a sort of Passive/Aggressive action. What I mean is the tail vibrates side to side crazy fast, but the overall movement is tight in nature. Again I’ll boldly state my own personal opinion on that point. I believe tight action is more effective than a loose action in cold water. For example I’ll use a Stickbait in cold water; As an example a size 13 Rapala, and then progress to a slash bait such as the X-Rap as water warms. So IMHO the Passive/Aggressive tail movement in the Pulse-R dominates fish in cool water. This likely explains the Multitude of anglers who literally destroyed fish on the Rainy River this season. Was it the only way to catch big walleyes? Of course not. Was it the most efficient? PICS POINT TO YES!!

    Color selection; BfishN tackle has did an outstanding job in providing anglers a beautiful color selection for every body of water. As many of you know I like to target Walleyes by imitating a Perch or Shiner/Cisco pattern here in “Borderland”. Thus my favorite colors are Chart/Orange Core, White, Pro Blue, Oyster and Firecracker/Chart. Tail

    For those of you who are currently plastics fisherman this design is a must have in your box. For anglers struggling to embrace plastics for walleye fisherman; Your selling yourself short on epic levels of Walleye fishing. I still use Ringworms, Paddletails and K-Grubs at various times and conditions. The Pulse-R is simply another great add for Walleye anglers!! Thanks Bob!!

    I’m going to follow this review with questions from anglers I’ve did my best to answer over the last couple weeks.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059757

    “Daze……I’ve been following you for many years!! Love your stuff Man! Can you please explain what you mean by running the Pulse-R “Tail Up” Thanks!!”

    No Problem!! When I refer to running a plastic “Tail Up” I simply lace the plastic in a slight C-Shape. The C-shape pushes the plastic tail up and out of the way of the body. By doing so the tail will get even more movement in slack water or when wanting to slow crawl your plastic in say a lake setting versus river current.

    I’m enclosing a pic in a slightly extreme example to illustrate my point!!

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059761

    “Chris, We Hammered the Eyes on the river with those Pulse-R’s!! We are going to bring them up with us when we fish with you in June. What size jigs do we need on the lake for them?”

    Glad you guys put the heat to them!! On the lake the 3/16 oz. jig is perfect unless in crazy wind. The H20 precision jig provides anglers with those in between sizes to correctly match conditions and presentations. For the last several years I’ve likely answered a thousand questions on Jig weight. To summarize; The common 1/4 oz. jig is often heavier than what is needed. A heavier jig minimizes your time in the optimum strike zone. Less time in a big Walleye’s “Wheelhouse” equals less pictures.

    Included is a pic of a 3/16 oz. next to a 1/4 oz. Trust me this seemingly slight difference can greatly increase your production on the water.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059764

    “Hey Granrud!! What do use for jigs when fishing plastics?”

    I like the H20 Precision jigs for both plastics and live bait. Early in the season when fishing shallow I use only plastics. When fish move deep I’ll often lace up various forms of live bait. The H20 has a thin wire collar and plastic keeper. This not only holds your plastic in position, but wont rip the upper on your plastic like a larger profiled collar can.

    I also use the same jigs for live bait presentations. I believe the H20 is the best crawler jig on the market. Slide the crawler up the hook and stick the plastic keeper out the side of the crawler to hold it in position. Works PERFECT!! The same for minnows. In the past I’ve had a tough time fitting those big collars from other jigs in the mouth of fatheads or crappie minnows. Not anymore.

    Here’s a pic of the jig in case you have used them.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059768

    “Heading to fish Lake Erie!! Color suggestions on those Pulse-R’s??”

    Well crazy enough my Grandpa and Grandma are from Ohio!!My grandpa fished Lake Erie and as a kid we used to camp on Kelly’s Island….I believe?? My thinking is my grandpa used to catch some giant perch!!! I’d match a perch pattern to start. Orange/Chart would be a nice choice for one, but many other colors can be picked out of BfishN’s website!! Good Luck Bud!!

    Ragerunner
    Posts: 30
    #1059770

    That was a great post, Chris!

    I just ordered my first Pulse-R’s and jigs last week and just guessed on what to order. I picked well according to your post and now I know how to rig them. Our fishing crew never uses plastics and I hope to show them up. Thank you for posting this!

    BobO
    Posts: 38
    #1059771

    Chris,
    Thanks for offering this information well before the trip. Your closeup photos really help! I placed an order for a bunch of what you are suggesting a couple days ago from bFishntackle. Hoping to test it out on the opener, and expect to have lots of questions for the pre-launch seminar.

    Mike W
    MN/Anoka/Ham lake
    Posts: 13310
    #1059773

    Great stuff Chris. I thought the walleyes on the Mississippi river hammered the plastics. The fish on the Rainy where nuts for them.

    One way to match the size of plastics with live bait is to by bigger minnows. Now just imagine what you would spend to rig yourself with a days supply of large shiners, rainbows or chubs for the spring walleye run up there. To much for my liking.

    trapsht
    Rockford, Il
    Posts: 311
    #1059779

    Ditto to what everyone else has said…very informative post. I’m somewhat new to B Fish N Tackle’s line of soft plastics, and thus far my experience has been fantastic. Deadly on smallmouth/largemouth as well as walleye!!

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059780

    Quote:


    That was a great post, Chris!

    I just ordered my first Pulse-R’s and jigs last week and just guessed on what to order. I picked well according to your post and now I know how to rig them. Our fishing crew never uses plastics and I hope to show them up. Thank you for posting this!


    Thank you for taking the time to let me know this is of help.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059785

    Quote:


    Chris,
    Thanks for offering this information well before the trip. Your closeup photos really help! I placed an order for a bunch of what you are suggesting a couple days ago from bFishntackle. Hoping to test it out on the opener, and expect to have lots of questions for the pre-launch seminar.


    Glad it helped Bob!! I assure you there will be plenty of guys on the Spring Houseboat trip pitching Pulse-R’s. Holst is a great plastics fisherman as well. The great thing about the houseboat trip is being able to pick guys brains. Come for the fishing and leave with a much better knowledge of our fishery. We share.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059787

    Quote:


    Great stuff Chris. I thought the walleyes on the Mississippi river hammered the plastics. The fish on the Rainy where nuts for them.

    One way to match the size of plastics with live bait is to by bigger minnows. Now just imagine what you would spend to rig yourself with a days supply of large shiners, rainbows or chubs for the spring walleye run up there. To much for my liking.


    Your 100% correct Mike!! Holst and I were nervous we’d lose a fishing rod during our shoot. The big females were angry and the morning was cool. I was gripping my NRX as hard as I could practically FEARING our next strike!!

    Yes that would have been about $100.00 worth of Golden Shiners.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059792

    Quote:


    Ditto to what everyone else has said…very informative post. I’m somewhat new to B Fish N Tackle’s line of soft plastics, and thus far my experience has been fantastic. Deadly on smallmouth/largemouth as well as walleye!!


    You’ll love them for big Walleyes as well Justin

    crappykilla86
    Prior Lake, MN
    Posts: 128
    #1059793

    The Pulse R’s ROCK! I can’t even begin to describe how many hawgs fell to them this weekend, (not that I was the one catching them ) and it didn’t seem to matter what color! Definitely a permanent addition to the arsenal-



    patk
    Nisswa, MN
    Posts: 1997
    #1059897

    Another thank you for posting this Chris. Adding plastics to my skill set is on the goal list for this year.

    Can you touch on another question? You mention how the paddle tail on the Pulse R works great in cold water. When do the water temps get you to try something else as your primary? Moxie? other?

    Food for thought for another post like this. How about BFishn plastics for Pike? I spend a couple weeks up on the North arm of Rainy and could use a new trick in my tackle box. Especially one my partner doesn’t have:)

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059905

    “I have one more question for ya do you ever use the paddletails or pulse rs in your typical cabbage bed jig fishing and if so do they produce in lakes as well as rivers. I want to try them in my area lake where we pitch allot just want to be confident or you know what happens out comes the shiners.”

    Another good question worth sharing. As for the Pulse-R’s they are new this year. I can only speak to other plastics within the BfishN lineas it pertains to cabbage beds. Normally I pitch a Moxi or Paddletail on windblown rock shorelines in cool water. I look forward to introducing Rainy Lake Walleyes to the Pulse-R’s. We have cabbage beds here on Rainy lake as well. Those cabbage beds also hold big Walleyes. I’ve rigged an assortment of BfishN plastics weedless. You would be best off learning how to effectively rig your plastic in a near weedless fashion. I’m going to include your question on thread I’ve initiated on the Rainy Lake forum for Pulse-R’s. I think others too may benefit from your question. I’m going to include a pic for you there.

    This is a K-Grub from BfishN tackle in the Oyster shell color. I’ll use this to illustrate a weedless rigging method. Start by inserting the jig diagnal through the tip of the head of the plastic and out the bottom side. Then squeeze your plastic body forward while inserting your hook from the bottom side and leave the hook just above the top side of the plastic body. This allows you to swim a plastic in heavy vegetation. Don’t tell your friends!! You’ll be unhooking fish while they are removing weeds.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059912

    Quote:


    Another thank you for posting this Chris. Adding plastics to my skill set is on the goal list for this year.

    Can you touch on another question? You mention how the paddle tail on the Pulse R works great in cold water. When do the water temps get you to try something else as your primary? Moxie? other?

    Food for thought for another post like this. How about BFishn plastics for Pike? I spend a couple weeks up on the North arm of Rainy and could use a new trick in my tackle box. Especially one my partner doesn’t have:)


    Thanks Pat

    My feeling is that same tight tail action of the Pulse-R can be worked a bit more aggressively as the water warms and the fish become more active. For example I’ll lift and slowly swim the Pulse-R in cold Water. The tail fortunately works in slow retrieves. As the water warms and I start to work slash baits like X-Raps on hard body presentations; I would also then work my plastics in a snap and die retrieve. Some say “RIP JIG”, but your trying to simulate a bait fish being seperated from the school and then dropping to the bottom. Two things “trigger” bites; Dead fish floating into the strike zone and frantic minnows trying to escape being the next meal. That seperates a “Triggered Bite” from a fish simply hungry and you dangling the carrot. Anglers that learn to “TRIGGER” fish will soon catch far more fish than anglers reliant on a feeding frenzy. Furthermore your “Spot on” that I would also be apt to throw a K-Grub and Moxi as water warms as well!!

    As for Pike…Don’t worry they LOVE THEM Pat!! You’ll be wise to rig them behind a heavy Mono Leader or risk many “Crack the whip hooksets” LOL!! What was that!?! We’ve all been there. By doing this you’ll still land a few Walleyes even behind the leader material.

    arklite881south
    Posts: 5660
    #1059914

    Quote:


    The Pulse R’s ROCK! I can’t even begin to describe how many hawgs fell to them this weekend, (not that I was the one catching them ) and it didn’t seem to matter what color! Definitely a permanent addition to the arsenal-


    Crappykilla……Those are some simply “SICK” Walleye pics man!! LOVE THEM!!

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