Data for Review

Date – May 24 thru 27, 2008
Manufacturer – Bearpaws Handpoured Baits
Reviewed by - Andrew Ragaswww.fishing-headquarters.com

About Bearpaws Handpoured Baits Hippie Stick:

Hand-poured baits have been sought-after by tournament and regular anglers. The action, colors, size and texture can be custom-made to match the forage of your favorite gamefish species. Bearpaws baits, designed and created by John Olson have great floatation quality along with a soft texture that gives each bait a lifelike action. These baits are specifically designed for the angler to keep the bait in the strike-zone.

Bearpaw is an all-customized company which allows the angler to choose whichever color he/she desires. There are about 150 creative colors/ patterns that can be chosen from to form your special bait that will match the water & forage base.

Bearpaws are created by slowly heating a batter of customized plastic, to let the ingredients maintain their consistency. The Bearpaw process allows scents to soak into the plastic, rather than evaporating into the air. Each batter is slowly poured into its mold to prevent any air pockets and deformities. Once the cooling process is finished, each bait is hand-trimmed to rid any excess plastic and is inspected for any deformities.
 

Bearpaws Hippie Sticks are similar to the world-famous Senko in terms of shape, but not in action and quality. Unlike the Senko which is designed to be a sinking bait thanks to impregnated salt addatives, the Hippie Stick is designed with different philosophies in mind. Although salts are added to the bait, it is a floating plastic where the weight of the hook alone will allow the bait to slowly sink to the bottom, thus enticing the fish at different depths and staying in the strike zone for longer periods of time.

The Hippie Stick comes in three sizes: 3-inch; 4.25-inch; 5.25-inch. In addition, it comes in 150 colors with custom colors available upon angler requests. The overall color scheme of the Hippie Stick is different than other similar styled baits on the market. Instead of using the traditional laminate of two colors layered on top of one another, the Hippie Stick is layered with numerous colors which allow the bait to match color schemes of baitfish, crawfish, and forage.

Like what Bearpaw owner John Olson says; “If I won’t fish with it, you won’t fish with it.”

Impressions:

While in the middle of a tough day of small water Bass fishing in northern Wisconsin during a massive cold front in which air temperatures dropped from 75 degrees down to an outrageous 40 degrees over the long Memorial Day weekend, I opened up my big heavy bag filled with plastic baits and I recalled how John Olson sent me a large care package during the summer of 2007. With this large package of baits I received in the mail, I was to eventually test the products and then review them.

Since my usual baits and offerings at the time were not working, I had nothing to lose and it was about darn time these products would be given a try.

First cast, no joke, fish on! The rest is history.

On the water uses (Casting, Durability, and Presentation)

To test the Bearpaw Hippie Sticks, my motives were to fish them as slowly as possible with dead-sticking methods because my traditional cold-front presentations of power fishing in hopes of finding a reaction bite were not working. For this type of angling with the Hippie Sticks, and since majority of the better sized Bass in the lake were already in the process of staging for the upcoming spawn, I was concentrating my efforts in water less than 7 feet deep and shoreline structure consisting of lay-downs, flooded brush, boat docks, emerging lily pad stalks, and shallow water cribs.

Casting & Retrieving.

Like any product I use for the first time ever, my objectives like any ordinary angler are to make the first casts and then go from there. If I catch something quick then I will keep on using. If I catch nothing, I bury the lure back into my bag of tricks for later use. On my very first cast with the Hippie Stick which was launched some 40-yards away from me next to flooded brush, I was rewarded with a husky 16-inch Largemouth Bass. From there, I kept on using this bait until it was officially time to stop fishing for the weekend and go home.

As an impregnated bait that is hand-poured, the plastic is more compressed and weighs more than traditional plastics thus allowing the lure to travel further on casts. When fishing for weary fish, this can be used to one angler's advantage.

During the review period I used John's 5.25-inch Hippie Sticks in the color shown in the photo below. These baits are in the similar form of a Yamamoto Senko but much more durable (extremely more) and can be worked as slowly-sinking and gliding jerkbaits. For these reasons, the Hippie Sticks are unique plastics. In addition, the bulkiness of the 5.25-inch models make it perform as a "big fish" bait.

The Hippie Sticks can be worked and retrieved in a few ways. First, they are designed to glide slowly down to the bottom for the purposes of staying longer in the strike zone. For this reason, the Hippie Heads are deadly when dead-sticked, and when retrieving slowly with quick jerks and long pauses. It is an exceptional bait when fish activity dies to the point when reaction bites cannot be found when in the middle of massive cold fronts - which was experienced during my review period. Clearly in point, Hippie Sticks are designed to be fished slowly with patience.

Durability.

Besides its slow sink ratio, the best factor about Hippie Sticks are their durability. Over two days of periodic fishing and after catching approximately 20 Largemouth Bass which were all surprisingly 14-inches or greater, I only went through two total baits. As a result of my two day success, I have six remaining baits!

You don't get that with sinking stinkin' Yamamoto Senkos nor YUM Dingers!

Below are just a few of the many Bass caught on the aforementioned baits.

Presentation.

The Hippie Stick is a versatile bait that can be used in many ways. The best method to fish the Hippie Stick is with the use of a weedless worm hook, Texas rigged. Since the Hippie Stick is designed to flutter slowly to the bottom, the bait flourishes when dead-sticked and worked as a slow-moving jerkbait when in search of Bass situated within a particular strike zone.

While you can fish the Hippie Stick weightless, a recommended method in which it shines, you may also perform personal modifications with it such as adding weight and using it in unique methods with various riggings. The possibilities of its uses for presentation are endless!

Just one of the many examples in how this bait can be fished.

Bait is rigged with the Owner weighted hook for deep water fishing along the bottom.

After fishing with the Bearpaw Hippie Stick and being able to try it and put it to first-time use against the Bass during a massive cold front, I am highly satisfied with its performance and pleased with the outcomes. Using this bait for two days saved my long weekend of fishing and prevented me from utter disappointment.

With all being said and done, I highly recommend these products to be used for your daily Bassin' excursions whether it be for tournament or casual angling.

Not a lunker by any means, but this 18-inch fish happened to be the largest caught on the Hippie Stick.

Stay tuned for future Bearpaw reviews to be written throughout the course of this summer. There are four specific baits on our list and they are the following: Hippie Sticks which have now been completed, Hippie Heads, Beast in the East, and Grizzly Jerk Shad.

Construction & Quality:  Being a hand-poured plastic, the bait will have greater durability than traditionally manufactured plastics that come off the press - one bait alone can last up to ten fish. In addition, each Hippie Stick is carefully inspected for deformities and deficiencies prior to packaging, thus you get the best quality possible. Last but not least, the bait comes in 150 colors and patterns and even more if possible!  5/5

On The Water Uses:  An exceptional bait when slow-paced angling is called for: During cold fronts; When sight fishing; Shallow water angling; etc. Although it is a floating bait, it can be modified by the angler and can be fished at virtually all depths and adjusted to meet the strike zone and specific criteria of Bass.   5/5

Design (ergonomics):  Designed to be a "lazy lure" in terms of sink ratio which was evident on first cast. Also, each bait is durable as only two baits were needed over course of 2 day review period and 20+ Largemouth Bass.   5/5

Presentation:  Work your slick stick as slowly as possible. Add some minor weight and hop it along bottom, work it weightless and fish it as a suspending jerkbait, or dead-stick it. This is undoubtedly a versatile bait.  5/5

Price:  Designed and poured to meet specific angler needs and requests and durable enough to last through multiple fish, all for just $4.50 a package, what more could you ask for?  5/5

Total Score - - - 5/5 

Positive:

- Bait can be modified by angler in many ways (adding weights, specific sizing, etc)

- Durable to last through multiple fish - think along the lines of 1 bait per 5 to 10 fish.

- Available for custom pours and angler requests.

- 150+ colors available. Creative and well-thought of.

- Gives anglers different approach from traditional senko & dinger style lures.

- Fortified with Megastrike Attractant.

- Affordable and can be purchased in bulk.

- Excellent customer service and fast shipping!

Negative:

- None at the moment. If I can think of one negative aspect with these baits, I will be sure to post it in the future to let you know. FYI, we are not "sucking up" to a website sponsor with this review. What you see is what you get.