Does it live up to the hype??
Recently, we spent a couple weeks thoroughly testing the MagLip to find out. Read on for the full review.
Let’s back up here just a second. The MagLip isn’t exactly new to the market, but it suffered from a bit of an identity crisis for several years as the “M2 SP Flatfish” before legendary salmon and steelhead guru Buzz Ramsey joined Yakima’s ranks and decided to give the plug a new name…and a new lease on life.
Features & Specs
For comparison’s sake, the MagLip is roughly the size of a K14 Kwikfish and a tad longer than the original M2 Flatfish (Ramsey says that there’s a larger size…think K15 or T-50…and also a steelhead model in the works and those may be out next year). It’s key feature is it’s bill: Yakima says that the deep cupped design allows the lure to get down as deep as 20 on the troll or flatlined. Once it’s down in the “zone,” the lure is said to have a “skipbeat” action.
The MagLip also comes in just about every color a salmon angler could want…
On the Water Test
I busted out the Mag Lip recently while working for a fishery agency that wanted spring Chinook for tagging purposes. Initially, I only fished the plug on one rod, trusting my job performance to my tried and true K15 Kwikfish on the other sticks. While not yet a believer in the bait’s ability to catch fish, I was immediately impressed with its diving ability…it got down in some really hot water and stayed there…even after the other plugs got overwhelmed and kicked to the surface (we primarily flatlined).
It didn’t take long for the plug to get bit, but bugle-lipped brown trout weren’t on the list of target species. Oh-oh…not a good sign!
I'm a sucker for a MagLip!
The sucker wasn’t exactly a big confidence booster, but least I knew the MagLip was getting down to the bottom!
Okay, so fast forward a couple days. The solo MagLip started getting the lion’s share of the grabs each day. Pretty soon, I had them on two rods every morning…then three. Soon, they were all I was running. And I’ve got to say that the fish love these things! I think I’ll just let the photos do the talking here…
Not a sucker...repeat...not a sucker!
Yeaaa baaaaby!
Apparently kings (& suckers) aren't the only fish that like the MagLip!
Conclusion
Okay, so obviously the MagLips catch fish. The spring kings here absolutely mobbed them as you can see by all the chew marks and worn paint on this one…
No paint left in spots...a good sign!
I have yet to run them on fall fish and am anxious to do so. Until then, let’s take a look at the claims Yakima makes about this lure and how it stood up…
Doesn’t need tuning
The package says the MagLip doesn’t need tuning…something that I’ve never really bought into…But, after running these things for three weeks straight now, I’m pretty pleased with how little I need to tweak ‘em. Wrap ‘em up and throw ‘em in the water and they run!
Of course, you can tell a lot about a plug’s action by checking the wear pattern on the leading edge of the bill. All but one of mine look good and symmetrical like this one:
An evenly-worn bill means the plug's trackling true.
According to Ramsey, you have to check the action on the MagLip a little differently than you would with other banana plugs:
“Realize that the erratic skip-beat Mag Lip action should not be confused with it being out of tune,” he says. “Rather than pulling this lure beside your boat, to check its action: place Mag Lip behind your boat and observe its wiggle and how it tracks in the water.”
Dives 20 feet
Though Yakima recommends letting out 120 feet of braid to get the lure down to 20 feet on a flatline, we gt bit several times in one particular hole that is 17-20 feet deep using 50-lb. braid (and 25-lb. mono leader) out 85 feet on a Shimano Tekota 300 linecounter reel, so this thing does get down! If using a sardine wrap, the designers recommend that your fillet should measure 1 3/4 inches long by 5/8 inches wide, but I’m here to say that the plug dives just fine with a much larger slab of meat on the belly.
You can really see how well it dives when you reel the MagLip back to the boat. When it gets to the boat, your line angle will be straight down! I’d imagine that its diving capabilities would also make this lure a sweetheart of a plug for trolling northern lakes for big macks in the spring, too.
In one area we fished, the kings were stacked in 8 to 12 feet of water but the current was too slow to backtroll. Instead, we fished ‘em like sardine-wrapped bass plugs — casting and retrieving. The cool thing about the lures is they dive deep without having to crank too quickly — so I could get a nice slow ”thump” while keeping contact with the bottom. Not only was that one hell of a fun way to catch salmon, the MagLips proved to be an extremely deadly tool in that situation, which kinda opens my mind up to several other places where that just may work.
Has a “Skipbeat” action
Call it what you will, our spring kings really, really liked the way the MagLip wiggles. When fished on a slow grind or backtrolled in soft water, it has a nice, wide wobble at slow speeds (for all you fans of the K16 out there, it looks like a smaller version) but it also hangs extremely tough down in fast water. As far as skipbeat action goes, I can see it…the MagLip has a bit of an erratic wander to it now and then, but it always comes back “home.”
As of now, I really can’t find much of a downside to the MagLip. About all I can come up with is maybe the paint jobs, while nice, aren’t quite as durable as other plugs. But, if the thing’s wiggling properly and getting bit, who cares? I’ve now got a few that have very little paint left (from getting bit so frequently) and the lack of color hasn’t stopped the takedowns…
Rigging
The stock No. 1 roundbend treble hooks on the MagLip are actually pretty tacky, but I always change out the hooks on all my plugs. Apparently, you can run double 1/0 or 1/0-2/0 (2/0 on tail) siwash on the thing, but I went with No. 1 Owner 2x Stinger Trebles the first go around and found that the extra stout hooks were a bit heavy and made it ride a little lower in the water. Though pretty flimsy, Gami No. 1 EWG trebles were deadly, but I had to change them out every a fish or two.
To allow the hooks a nearly 360-degree range of motion when fighting a fish, I added an extra split ring between the hook and the lure body, which kept out hooked-to-landed ratio very high.
Bottom Line
I’m buying more, what can I say? And I’m really looking forward to fall Chinook and coho to do a little more “testing!”
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
JD,
What length, action, and power would you recommend in a rod to fish these Mag Lips as well as the Hawg Nose Flatfish? Thanks!
Wes, it depends on a few factors, but I generally use a Lamiglas G 1330T. You want a nice soft tip but plenty of power in the lower 2/3rds.
where might I find some 3 1/2 inch mag lips. Every place I go say they are out of them (wholesale sports, sportsmans warehouse, cabela’s). any help would be appreciated here in western washington. thanks, Fred Dimmitt
Not sure, you could call Yakima Bait and see if they know. Good luck!
JD,
Have you had a chance to run these on the fall runs? I’m thinking of running some down in Sactown as an alternative to the usually K15 / K14 kwiks. I’d love to be able to run some plugs weightless. Think I could get down to the bottom in 16 feet of water with a 2.0mph current (typical braid setup)?
Yep been using for a couple falls now! I can flatline them about 20+ feet with braid. So you should be fine.
Hey JD,
Thanks for taking us out. We have tracked 9 of the 30 tagged, 6-7 of them are above DPD. As for the fish id quiz, it looks a lot like a female red ear to me(orange opercular flap), it is only those few iridescent blue lines on its face that makes it look green. Anyway you are probably right, maybe a hybrid.
JD-
Nice work! Great pics and nice gig “working for a fishery agency that wanted spring Chinook for tagging purposes.” Now that I’m going to be making room for these little skipbeaters in the rotation a couple of questions come to mind. With the MagLip, will I have to kick up to the XCF-803? Were the UV plug(s) any better? Did you guys get a chance to fish the plug without a sardine wrap? Keep up the good work!
D
Great Article JD! One of your finer pieces!
I’ll definately be stocking this product at the store before Salmon opens on the Feather July 31st!
As you know the original name of the lure was Charles Helin’s “Fly- rod Flatfish, originally available down to size 00! ( Some greybeard trivia!:-)
Thanks for that little nugget…I didn’t know that about the “fly-rod” part of the original name! My big question has always been why did he call it a Flatfish in the first place…I mean it’s anything but flat. And on that note, why is a Kwikfish named that when they are meant to be fished slowly?? Inquiring minds want to know!!!
JD- Back in ’96 , Acording to Lurh Jensen’s Roger Neufeldt, the Kwikfish was called that because the edges of the plug were sharper and the plug would repond quicker to hydrolic activation of the current against the lure. Whereas the Helin’s Flatfish was more rounded without the distinct edges that the Kwikfish has. One reason the lure is called a Kwikfish, the other is to maintain compliance with patent and copyright laws, so as to not infringe on Worden’s Flatfish.
Both great lures.
Cool, thanks!
“I’m buying more, what can I say” ?
haha. nice lure there Jd. definetely looks like a thumper. those are some nice chromers too btw