The Barbarian from H2O Tackle

Probably the most versatile and eclectic pallet with some of the sickest paint jobs you’ll ever see come from the mind of Roger Watters, owner of H20 Tackle. I must admit myself, having not been able to actually try one of his baits first hand for a time, I kinda glazed over them. Big mistake. The first time I saw a Barbarian in the water, I was floored at how naive I was. The guy amplified the physics of a signature classic rattletrap design, made it almost neutrally buoyant with the option to add weights, and two different attachments for “shallow” or “deep”.

I’d never seen a bait I could troll past 8-9 mph, vertically jig, lift and fall on the cast for suspended fish, or use like a hybrid twitch glide bait weightless over shallow water. I was even more throttled by how many of his other designs had not even passed my radar, as they are almost an Illuminati secret amongst a cabal of astute and tight-lipped musky anglers. Every. Single. Design. Of his I’ve used immediately validates itself in the water, as being the proof in the pudding that true art is found in letting the function define the form. Turns out, the guy makes basically an entire line of baits you could almost get away with fishing exclusively and rarely ever find yourself demanding a different bait.

I’ll be throwing up an in-depth review of his entire line up, outlining their strengths and what the modular weighting systems allow you to do with them.

One of the true innovators and genius lure designers of musky angling, past and present.

H2O Tackle

-Cory Allen

#itsmuskiefishing