Shimano Macbeth 63 Original Crankbait Review

I am reviewing the Shimano Macbeth 63 Original. This was a particularly fun squarebill crankbait to try, as it was a little bigger than what I usually throw. And, I’ve caught fish here from fast water to slack, in mud and clear as well as around rock, wood and other cover. We will talk about the details and what makes it unique and of course the test of this high quality crankbait.

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PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH MACBETH 63

I ordered some of these from TackleWarehouse a few months ago, and have been catching fish with them ever since. The first trip I tied on one, I was targeting spotted bass below a dam on the Chattahoochee River. The water is 3- to 6-feet deep with hard rock, a fairly clean bottom that accommodates the occasional boulder.

The water was pretty clear, so I tied on the Clear Green Craw, which is a phantom color. I was able to maintain a pretty good bottom, and quickly caught 4 or 5 fish. The majority of bites come as the bait crashes into (or grinds on) a high spot. It’s a very loose bait, so any time I stop it, it rises quickly through the water column. Doing this is not necessary to recover from the fall. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea in cooler water.

I also applied a Blueback Chartreuse color to what I would consider more traditional squarebill settings— stained with muddy water around the wood. This bait has a slow and good recoil. The slower you can reel it, the slower the recoil. So, when the fishing is very shallow, I can crawl it and still get a good kick out of it while grinding the bottom, which produced a catch or two on my last fishing trip in mid-January, when the water temperature is 46 degrees.

BODY DESIGN MAKES THE CRANKBAIT

The Macbeth’s large, round body is to be credited for its extreme buoyancy as well as its slow swaying motion. Although it is no larger than a “normal” squarebill at 2.5 inches, it is definitely fatter, and stands out noticeably next to other squarebills.

The buoyancy of this bait is important. The extra buoyancy not only creates a dynamic action as the bait hits the cover and floats up, but it also greatly aids in stopping and recovering from snags. Sqaurebills are notorious for digging their bills under something and hanging on. By simply dropping your rod tip, this bait will often float free from any tight spot it has attached itself to. If that doesn’t work, bait recoil will usually do.

SOLID COMPONENTS IN MACBETH CRANKBAITS

The hooks in Macbeth are solid. Shimano went with good-sized, round-bend trebles, which offer enough hookup radius to cover this larger area than a normal shallow crank. There is a fixed-internal-weight system that stabilizes the bait as it swims. Other than that, it’s a simple yet elegant build, as you can clearly see when looking at the Clear Green Craw bait.

This bait has not replaced everything else in my tackle box by any means, nor is it really a great all-purpose squarebill. But for the shallow water angler looking for something a little different, something that will trigger strikes when the fish are in a bit of a lull, I think this one could be a good addition. I like its buoyancy for that reason, and I like that it’s pretty good about un-snagging.

Color options are strong, covering the entire spectrum in 10 options. For $10.99, it’s a little higher than some, and a little more affordable than others. It’s a bait worth trying, and I feel like I prefer the smaller 39 and 50 versions.