Duo Alpha 72 Spybaits

[BoatBuggy]

Finally got a chance to chuck a Duo Alpha 72 spybait around one of the local lakes yesterday and as expected, the smallies were all over it as the profile more resembles the little perch they feed on than the regular Duo's. These little spybaits cast like a jigging spoon (ie: a freaking mile) which certainly won't hurt when fishing water with 10+ ft of visibility.

However, on my first fish (a chunky 4 lb smallie) when I went to take the hooks out I noticed that the back hook was no longer on the lure, it was just hanging in the net. Turns out that the split ring on the hook slipped through the tiny gap in the loop on the wire that runs through the bait. Put the pliers to that loop but not sure if I was able to make that gap any smaller. I'll probably just change the split ring to the next size up and maybe put a little dab of clear silicone caulking in the gap.

[jasonG]

How shallow do you think it can realistically be fished? I know it’s 1/2oz but wondering if the bulkier looking body will slow the fall

[KMcClure]

How shallow do you think it can realistically be fished? I know it’s 1/2oz but wondering if the bulkier looking body will slow the fall

They’re actually meant to be fished deeper than the 80 or 80 gfix models. They’re heavier and even tho they’re thicker they are a smaller bait

[BoatBuggy]

How shallow do you think it can realistically be fished? I know it’s 1/2oz but wondering if the bulkier looking body will slow the fall

It sinks pretty quickly and the shallowest I fished it was 5 ft. When I want to fish a spybait in shallow water (4-6 ft) I'll use the 80 GFix or Storm Arashi.

[kadas]

Finally got a chance to chuck a Duo Alpha 72 spybait around one of the local lakes yesterday and as expected, the smallies were all over it as the profile more resembles the little perch they feed on than the regular Duo's. These little spybaits cast like a jigging spoon (ie: a freaking mile) which certainly won't hurt when fishing water with 10+ ft of visibility.

However, on my first fish (a chunky 4 lb smallie) when I went to take the hooks out I noticed that the back hook was no longer on the lure, it was just hanging in the net. Turns out that the split ring on the hook slipped through the tiny gap in the loop on the wire that runs through the bait. Put the pliers to that loop but not sure if I was able to make that gap any smaller. I'll probably just change the split ring to the next size up and maybe put a little dab of clear silicone caulking in the gap.

Glad to hear this BoatBuggy-- am going to pick up a couple of three or several during Black Friday sale at TW. Love the 80's and 90's- loosen the rear treble on all of them and put a drop is super glue on them. Was going to get some of the new Spro spybaits until I read their issues. Guess I will stay with Duo-- so far they have treated me good and they are fish catching bait for me

[School Master]

I've been out a hand full of times with them as well. It's a great bait. Same experience as Buggy, I caught some STUD smallies on it.

I was fishing it around 10' and got many bites like a jig when it falls on slack line. Haven't had the split ring issues yet, but i'll keep an eye on them!

[DrewFlu33]

Seems like components failing was an issue on the original Duo spybaits as well - in that case they stood behind their product and replaced them with improved versions, so hopefully that's the case here too. It's unfortunate that they seemingly didn't learn from those mistakes to avoid the issue with a new product, but I'm sure a lot more goes into designing these things than we can imagine, particularly as finely tuned as they need to be to perform properly.

It also sounds like components are failing on the new Spro spybaits, so perhaps it's a case of finding components that are lightweight enough to not mess up action but that are stout enough to hold up is the real difficulty on these.

[Quillback]

So far I have been resisting the urge to purchase any of these new model spybaits. However should I give in and pick up couple up - what is the recommended line and weight for tossing these things? I am assuming you can go a bit heavier with this new model.

[BoatBuggy]

So far I have been resisting the urge to purchase any of these new model spybaits. However should I give in and pick up couple up - what is the recommended line and weight for tossing these things? I am assuming you can go a bit heavier with this new model.

The Duo 72's are 1/2 oz so I'm using the same setup as I do for Duo 90's - a 5.5:1 Zillion SV TW and 12 lb Sniper (.290 mm diameter). If I used spinning gear for throwing spybaits, I'd use 20# braid and a 10 lb Sniper leader.

Since I originally posted I've spent a couple days on the St Lawrence in the Waddington area and I think I'm going to have to put together get a 3rd spybait combo. A rotation with a 90, a 80 GFix and a 72 worked very well for me.

[reason162]

The Duo 72's are 1/2 oz so I'm using the same setup as I do for Duo 90's - a 5.5:1 Zillion SV TW and 12 lb Sniper (.290 mm diameter). If I used spinning gear for throwing spybaits, I'd use 20# braid and a 10 lb Sniper leader.

Are you tediously slow-winding the 72 alpha? Or is it more of a power retrieve vs the original 80/90s?

[BoatBuggy]

Are you tediously slow-winding the 72 alpha? Or is it more of a power retrieve vs the original 80/90s?

The same tedious retrieve as the others. I use a 5.5:1 reel so I can turn the handle at a speed I'm more used to and still get the props moving and the bait wobbling like it's supposed to.

[reason162]

The same tedious retrieve as the others. I use a 5.5:1 reel so I can turn the handle at a speed I'm more used to and still get the props moving and the bait wobbling like it's supposed to.

Damn, I too find it impossible to slow down on a faster reel. I bought a 4.6:1 spinner this year (daiwa theory) and slow rolling/tracing bottom has become the most natural thing...

Thanks, I'll try the 72 alpha on my 6:1s to start!

[Quillback]

The Duo 72's are 1/2 oz so I'm using the same setup as I do for Duo 90's - a 5.5:1 Zillion SV TW and 12 lb Sniper (.290 mm diameter). If I used spinning gear for throwing spybaits, I'd use 20# braid and a 10 lb Sniper leader.

Since I originally posted I've spent a couple days on the St Lawrence in the Waddington area and I think I'm going to have to put together get a 3rd spybait combo. A rotation with a 90, a 80 GFix and a 72 worked very well for me.

Thanks, good info..

[Erie660]

The Duo 72's are 1/2 oz so I'm using the same setup as I do for Duo 90's - a 5.5:1 Zillion SV TW and 12 lb Sniper (.290 mm diameter). If I used spinning gear for throwing spybaits, I'd use 20# braid and a 10 lb Sniper leader.

Since I originally posted I've spent a couple days on the St Lawrence in the Waddington area and I think I'm going to have to put together get a 3rd spybait combo. A rotation with a 90, a 80 GFix and a 72 worked very well for me.

Does the 12lb and 10lb line that you use limit the action on the spybaits? It seems that when spybaits first became popular all you heard about was using 5-6lb line for best results, now it seems a lot of guys are using heavier floro and having good success.

[BoatBuggy]

Does the 12lb and 10lb line that you use limit the action on the spybaits? It seems that when spybaits first became popular all you heard about was using 5-6lb line for best results, now it seems a lot of guys are using heavier floro and having good success.

I'm just using the line specs that Duo published - http://spybaiting.com/gear/. You'll see the 5-6 lb spinning stuff is for the Duo 80's and but the newer 80 GFix and the 90's bring casting gear into the mix. I don't throw the 80's. For a Duo 90, the specs say I could go as high as 16# FC Sniper which is .033 mm in diameter. I use line diameter instead of lb test - Sunline FC Sniper and Seaguar Invisix have the same diameters and lb test ratings. I've never tried Tatsu but I'll break down one of these days and fork out the $$$ for a spool. I can't say I've ever noticed a difference in my catch rates between 10# and 12# Sniper.

Most of the "action" of a spybait comes from the retrieve - slower is better. That's why I use a low ratio reel.