The Rapala CrushCity Ned BLT is the latest little nugget to enter the Ned fishing game. This short and sweet bait will get a short and sweet review this week. Let’s dive in.
At 3 inches in length and coming in a 10 pack for $6.49, the Ned BLT is a pretty sweet little bait. Especially for the price point, considering one key thing— each of these baits last a while. Built with a Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) material, this bait floats and stretches, making it the perfect bait for Ned rig applications.
ELASTICITY
Fish can quickly destroy a traditional soft-plastic Ned rig bait, so the elasticity of this bait offers a huge advantage. This isn’t something new to the industry, as Z-Man Fishing has long offered stretchy soft baits in their ElaZtec lineup, including some awesome Ned offerings.
But the use of these types of materials is something I’m surprised we don’t see more of in bass fishing. And the TPE material used in the Ned BLT puts it in a class with few others when it comes to durability. And durability is only half the story of TPE.
BUOYANCY
The TPE material also floats, the Ned BLT is super buoyant. This is another characteristic the BLT has in common with Z-Man’s ElaZtech baits— something that has made them standup and standout from the competition for a long time. No more though, now that Rapala has found a comparable material to help their Ned BLT standup as good as any other bait on the bottom.
COLOR CHOICES
This little bait is available in 16 colors, with several being two-tone and a couple more being intentionally designed to make the Ned BLT more than just a Ned-rig bait. With colors like Ghost Morning Dawn and Albino Peal, the Ned BLT is also well suited for a dropshot presentation. The buoyancy of the bait here will help it stand out, on a more horizontal plain. This also makes it a viable option for Damiki rig presentations, despite it’s stubbed tail.
PACKAGING AND SCENT
The Ned BLT baits come in a nice tray, slipped inside a secure ziplock-style bag. This helps keep the baits orderly and contain the scent that is impregnated into the baits. In addition to the scent, there’s also salt in these baits, which seems contradictory since these baits float.
Salt is often used to add weight to baits to help them fall. But the amount of salt in the Ned BLT isn’t enough to counteract the buoyancy of the TPE material, and is simply used as an additional fish attractant that will likely tempt the fish into holding onto the bait a little longer.
WRAPPING UP THE NED BLT
If you like fishing a Ned rig, the CrushCity Ned BLT is as good as any other bait out there. There are lots of color options, the bait is super durable, buoyant and priced and packaged well. Add scent and salt to the mix and you’ve got a fantastic little nugget for catching smallmouth, spots, largemouth and likely any other predatory species at or near the bottom.
It will be available this fall at these online retailers:
