Product Review: Bait Junkie 2.95 Flick

By Dale Baxter

The Daiwa Bait Junkie range of soft plastics has been a hit with anglers across the country and also around the globe. Not only for the fact they were new to the Daiwa stables but for the different shapes and extensive colour range that sets them apart from a big market. 

For me I was never really a huge plastics fisher however over the past few years since the release of the Bait Junkie range I have invested a lot more time and effort into honing the skills and techniques required to help me improve my angling and being a more versatile angler. Having a vared skill sets allows you to draw on more options when the situation requires a different technique. Having confidence in using different lures when the bite gets tough is key to catching more fish.

In mid 2023 at the AFTA Tackle Show the team at Daiwa Australia released three new Bait Junkie soft plastic shapes. The Prawn, the Wave minnow and the 2.95 Flick. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to use these but have taking a big liking to the 2.95 Flick and built my skillset and confidence using the lure.

I have caught quite a variety of fish on these including trevally, flathead, snapper, estuary perch and bream. Estuary perch find it almost impossible to resist this lure and I have had huge success using the 2.95 Flick to target them regularly in my local waterway here in Melbourne. 

I like to rig them mainly on a lighter jig head, including 1/16^th, 1/20th and 1/30th. These weights have given me the best results so far. You can still rig them on 1/8th and 1/12th, however I’ve found they work best with a lighter jighead. If you rig them too heavier the tail loses the action that makes the bait so good. 

Speaking of the design, Tom Slater who is Daiwa Australia’s Product Development Manager, has said, “The unique‘shovel’tail was developed to aid in the gliding motion of the bait on the fall. By pulling the tail upwards as it sinks it forces the body to gently meander back to the bottom, which is when nearby predatory fish will strike”. This is why it works better with the lighter heads. It is 2.95” in length, has realistic eyes and comes in 8 fantastic colours. My favourite colour currently is the lemongrass UV. It works in all water conditions, from ultra-clear to dirty and the fish cannot resist it.

I like to use a size 2 hook when I rig them, however they can be used with anything from a size 1 (size 4 hook). If the fish are short striking with a #2 then it’s time to up the hook size to a #1.

My most productive technique is making a long cast and watching the line as it drifts to the bottom. I will give a quick flick of the rod tip to make the bait move erratically like a fleeing prawn or shrimp and then let it settle back down on the bottom before repeating the process until you have lure back to you.

Depending on the situation you can give it a flick and then a slow wind for a short period and let it settle and repeat. This technique works well on estuary perch.

My favourite tackle setup for throwing the 2.95 Flick is one of the Daiwa Infeet EX rods. The 23 Infeet EX 752ULFS - ST is perfect for throwing these lightly weighted plastics, the solid tip aids in longer casts with lighter weighted lures. I pair this with a 2000 size reel and the new J-Braid Expedition in 8lb smash orange colour allows for even further casting length and its bright colour makes it easier to see you line sink when using the technique that I mentioned above.

If you’re looking to enhance your light tackle soft plastic abilities, I can’t recommend highly enough grabbing a packet of the Bait Junkie 2.95 Fick and developing your finesse fishing game.