I doubt you could find a striped bass fisherman that would deny that the two-piece glide bait has hijacked the minds of every angler who holds this seven-striped fish, near and dear. Some have chosen to push it aside as a fad, others – like myself – have embraced the hype and experienced the incredible results in real time. The biggest setback for most, has been the lofty price tag, as these complicated baits have been cooked up in garage workshops, where every piece has to be made or assembled in sequence by one person.
The brains behind the wildly popular Exo Jig saw this niche need and stepped in to fill it with something readily available and affordable. With the help of Connecticut’s Capt. Mike Roy, a prototyping process began that ultimately lead to the 8-inch, 3.25-ounce X-Chop. This new design utilizes the popular bunker profile, casts it in a durable plastic shell that is precision-weighted to deliver that signature glide bait sashay. Taking it many steps further, the X-Chop has been designed with durability at the forefront. Each section is thru-wired, offering a continuous link from your line to the fish of your dreams, even if the lure itself were to fail, which would be pretty much impossible, you’d still be connected to that fish.
As a lure builder of more than 20 years, I see things in a unique way. I was lucky to get my hands of a few prior to the X-Chop’s release, and one of them (the bunker colorway) featured a transparent body that allowed to follow the wires and understand its construction. I don’t use this word very often, but the joint design in this bait is genius. It uses solid stainless steel ‘figure eights’ – or what might be better described as narrow bike chain links – to connect the rear section to the thru-wire loops of the front segment. The rear section’s thru-wire passes through the internal end of the chain links, resulting in a truly thru-wired jointed bait. This is no small feat, and anyone that hopes to tangle with a striped bass of 40 pounds or more should appreciate the elegance of their commitment to durability.
Rounding out the design is a soft-touch realistic tail, that sells the realism of the profile and aids in its chopping and gliding action. The bait comes standard with a pair of BKK 5X treble hooks and some truly ‘diesel’ split rings. The X-Chop is currently available in seven colors that range from the classic bone, to bunker, bright pink and even blurple, covering a wide range of niche needs and fishing situations. The action is lively and deliberate, the bait comes alive on the first crank and can be crawled with a subtle “s” pattern, streaked in a choppy back-and-forth or “chopped” like a frantic baitfish caught in the current and desperate to find safety.
One tip I would offer to anyone that uses any kind of snap or ‘fast clip’ is to remove the split ring from the nose, connecting your snap to the split ring dramatically reduces the X-Chop’s action. This bait is going to catch a lot of fish, the lifelike action and slow sink rate make it a must-have lure for any time striped bass are keyed in on larger baits or hunting shallow structure.
The X-Chop retails for $39.99 and can be found in tackle shops all over the East Coast or on the Game On website.
