3X Lizard

The 3X line of lures from Strike King Lure Company is simply unbelievable! They are made with Cyber Flexxx™, a proprietary crystal gel compound that is covered by four United States patents and have been in development for over three years. Strike King is proud to introduce the new and revolutionary 3X product line.

Why do we call it revolutionary, and why are we so excited about it? First and foremost is its strength and durability. Traditional soft plastic baits are not very durable, and if they are made to be durable they are normally too hard. These new 3X lures are incredibly strong, durable, and soft. For instance, you can stretch one out many times the length of its body and it won't break! It immediately returns to its original shape. Such durability enables you to catch more fish on one lure before it needs to be replaced.

In one field test we preformed, a Strike King staff person used the same lizard for a day and a half and caught over forty bass on it between two and seven pounds. With a traditional soft plastic lure, a fisherman may only expect to catch two or three fish on it or get hung up a few times before the lure is too torn up to continue to use. The durability of the 3X product causes there to be fewer broken tails and legs due to short-striking fish, small fish nibbling on the lure, getting hung up, etc. An additional advantage is being able to spend more time fishing rather than digging around in your tackle box for a replacement and having to rig a new lure.

Secondly, the material is extremely soft. The durability previously mentioned would be useless if the bait did not feel real to the fish. 3X products are softer and more supple than soft plastic baits which give them the realistic feel and this creates additional action from the slightest twitch or motion of the rod tip.

A third reason is that the material has floatation qualities that are greater than traditional soft plastics. This gives 3X an enhanced action that attracts more fish. This is especially true when Carolina rigging. The 3X lures will actually float up off of the bottom and look much more alive than plastic lures. This buoyant property is even an advantage when Texas rigging because when paused the tail will be more alive and tend to "drift up" like a natural bait does as it feeds on the bottom or on a submerged bush or stump.

So what does all this mean? Extra fish! Strike King's new 3X line of lures will help you catch more fish. Try them out for yourself and see how the strength, softness, and buoyancy will revolutionize your soft bait fishing.

In Strike King Journal entry #29, Kevin VanDam talked about using Strike King's 3X Lizard...

VanDam: I received a sample bag of Strike King's new 3X lizards, including 12 green-pumpkin lizards. In practice I'd located some bass that were just starting to move up around some shallow stumps as they were getting ready to spawn. I thought, "Well, I just got these new lizards before the tournament, so maybe I'll try one of them." I didn't know anything about the lures, but I did get some bites on them. The baits were really soft, and the fish seemed to hold on to them. However, I rarely go into a competition and fish with something that I've never used. I generally fish the baits I feel comfortable with -- the baits I've used many times.

The first day of that particular tournament, I caught a 15-pound stringer early in the morning. But as the fishing became flat, I decided to return to the shallow stumps where I'd caught some bass in practice on the new green pumpkin lizards. The water was really calm, so I made a long cast and worked the lizard up to the stump. My partner asked me something, and I got distracted. So, my lizard just sat in the same spot for about 20 seconds. When I went to pick the bait back up, there was a bass on the line. I set my hook and reeled in a 5 pounder.

The 3X lizards flatten out to the bottom when you pull them. But when you stop the movement on a Texas rig, the sinker holds the nose of the bait down while the tail floats back up and hangs right in front of the fish. The bass I was trying to catch were starting to guard their beds around these stumps, and they just couldn't ignore the bait. I ended up using those new lizards for the entire tournament. I cast them out by the stumps and just kind of let the baits sit there for a minute. Some 30 to 60 seconds later, the bass would hit. I ended up finishing second in that tournament. I caught the biggest stringer in the tournament - all on those 12 Strike King 3X lizards.

Question: Have you used that tactic any other time?

VanDam: Yes, I've used that technique, called "dead sticking," over the years with other baits. I've caught numbers of fish with soft-plastic jerkbaits but never as many as in that tournament with those lizards. The lure is the reason this tactic works so well. The lizard has action when it's sitting still. It doesn't just lie there like a regular plastic bait does.

In Strike King Journal entry #32, Denny Brauer talked about using Strike King's 3X Lizard ...

Brauer: If you're catching bass because the wind is creating wave action causing the light to not penetrate as deep into the water, once the wave action slacks off, and more light penetrates, the fish get spooked and may bury-up in the grass. In this situation, go to a softer presentation like a tube or another soft-plastic bait like a 3X worm or lizard.

In Strike King Journal entry #36, Mike Wurm talked about using Strike King's 3X Lizard ...

Wurm: Strike King has come out with a great soft bait line. The Series is called 3X. The 3X Series is absolutely phenomenal. One of the models they have in their line-up is the 3X Lizard. There is nothing really outwardly special or unusual about the lizard, as far as shape of it. But it has great action in the water. The fact that it is made out of the material 3X makes it a tremendously durable bait. You can take a lizard and wrap it completely around your waist, and it won't break. This bait also has durability that allows you to catch a number of fish on it.

The key thing about it is its buoyancy. Most people, when Carolina rigging, think the bait is above the bottom. When you are Carolina rigging you want to keep your sinker in contact with the bottom at all times. You just don't realize your bait is also on the bottom, when using regular soft baits. If you don't believe me, watch your hook. After you have thrown it about five or six casts, look at the hook, and it will be polished clean on the bottom where it has been dragging on the bottom.

With the 3X Series from Strike King, that bait will float above the bottom. You can put a No. 30 hook in it. Be assured that lizard will not be on the bottom while you are fishing a Carolina rig, especially pre-spawn when you have about a foot of grass coming up off of the bottom, which is an ideal time to fish Carolina rigs. This bait will be floating right along the top of it and looks very natural as it flips in the grass. Regular plastic will be down in the grass and you can't feel it, but the 3X Series from Strike King will be floating above it.

Find Tips & Tactics for other Strike King Lures here!