Henry Gilbey's World of Fishing Blog

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• Swimbait hooks – surely they make perfect sense ?

  Posted 09:32, 5 March 2012

  • Rightly or wrongly I like looking around for alternatives in my fishing, and a while ago I came across what I now know are for the most part called “swimbait hooks”. A soft plastic “swimbait” is what I believe US freshwater bass anglers often call what we here know as shads or paddletails, and as much as you can of course rig them with all manner of different jig heads etc., I went looking for another, perhaps more weedless option for some of those times when I thought it could be useful. Why on earth do you think I like the look of these Fiiish lures so much (see my blog post here about them) ? I like choice.
  • Anyway, I came across various swimbait hooks that have a little weight moulded around them so that you can very effectively “swim” your paddletails or other soft plastic lures. All makes perfect sense to me, and especially when you have those hitch-hikers for securing your soft plastic lure to (that weird looking coil thing just behind the eye of the hook). The hitch-hiker seems to be the key here, but as far as I can work out, they need a particular kind of hook shape to work properly – unless I am missing something, and please, please fill me in if I am. There are of course many occasions when I do actually want a jighead – like “trotting” the current in an estuary for example or trying to get a soft lure down in some deep water for pollack.

  

  • It was early summer last year when I started to fish far more confidently with weightless senkos for bass – when I say weightless, I mean with no added weight, because some of these senkos do in fact weigh quite a bit on their own (check here for a blog post about them). Now of course the most obvious and logical way to rig these somewhat innocuous looking soft plastic “sticks” is with some kind of weedless/wide-gape hook. There are loads of different kinds around, and once you have rigged a few lures with them you’ll be able to do it blindfolded. It’s easy, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. But sometime early on last year I came across some weightless versions of these swimbait/hitch-hiker hooks (“researching” online !!), and straight away they grabbed me as a good way to rig something like a senko or a Slug-Go.

  

  • It’s not as if there is some kind of problem with using a conventional weedless hook for these soft plastics sticks. They work well and the fish seem to hook up just fine. I crush any barb I use for lure fishing these days, including on single hooks and jig heads. I spend time around fly anglers who crush their (single hook) barbs as a matter of course and they have done so for years – why should we be any different ? Anyway, I digress. Weightless swimbait hooks with hitch-hikers on them. I have looked around and the ones that I can find on sale here in the UK are these Mustad ones you can see in these photos (check here for example). I sort of presumed that such a “logical” hook like this with a hitch-hiker attached would be almost a common thing, so either I am doing something wrong here or for some reason they have not really caught on yet. But even if I am doing something wrong by fishing them with senkos, they work pretty well on the bass !!

  

  

  • I am convinced that these weightless swimbait hooks with the hitch-hikers on them make your soft plastic lures last longer when you are casting them hard again and again. I can’t prove this, but last year I could fish a senko for ages without tearing it up too much – unless a bass grabbed it that is. I reckon those Hawg Wild Stick Baits are going to last almost forever (ok, not quite, but you get my drift). Soft plastics by their very nature are going to tear up in varying degrees, but the way you screw that hitch-hiker into the front of the lure and then bring the hookpoint through as you do on a weedless hook seems to me to be such a logical and effective way to rig them. When I went over to Jersey last year to photograph some wrasse fishing and to see those (new at the time) Century HPR rods, I was pleased to see that Keith had some to hand when I was shooting some lure rigging photos. In the end I see this way of rigging senkos etc. as merely another option or alternative to a more regular weedless hook (without a hitch-hiker on it), and in the end I just like having choices in my fishing.

   

   

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  Categories: Bass fishing, Fishing tackle, Reviews, Saltwater fishing

• Gear of the Year 2011 – Part 2

  Posted 08:28, 14 December 2011

  

  • Soft plastic lure 2012 – WaveWorms 5’’ Bamboo Stick. Deadly when fished weightless with a slowish sort of twitch/pause/let it drop retrieve. The Irish lads I fish with really got me into using them earlier in the year. It is no more than a slightly heavier and thicker than normal Senko-type worm or stickbait, but it flies out there as well as many hard lures and it catches fish. I would guess that the 5’ Bamboo Stick would work well on various jig heads as well, but for me it has really helped open my eyes up to fishing weightless soft plastics. In strong current runs you can of course simply dead-drift it down the current almost like fishing a salmon fly. I have a long way to go towards becoming competent at fishing weightless soft plastics for bass, but catching a bunch of nice fish on these WaveWorms has really boosted my confidence big time.

  

  • Wading product 2012 – Best Grip studs. After my Simms studs wore down far too quickly I got hold of some of these “Best Grip” studs here, and so far they are going great guns. Easy to put in and take out, not too expensive, they are lasting me well and they provide outstanding grip. The simple stuff is often the best.

  

  • Lure fishing rod 2012 – MegaBass XOR Shadow XX SXX-85L – see my original blog post about it here. Over in Ireland on my last trip I used the slightly longer 9’ version a fair bit, the MegaBass XOR Shadow XX SXX-90ML 8-28g, and I have completely fallen for it as well. What a rod. If I had spent longer with it the 9’ version might well have taken first place here. They are both a shedload of modern lure rod for the money and are sublimely easy and smooth to fish with. I don’t believe it sitting still and not striving to learn more and more all the time, and these rods have really made me sit up and think about all those rods over in Japan that I am sure are more than perfect for the ways in which we lure fish. Choice is good, but I accept it can also get a little confusing !! Money no object and I would think seriously about the 9’ French Daiwa Branzino (see here) which is also really, really growing on me as a serious shore rod, but there is no getting away from how much a Branzino costs. They are utter class though. As for the cheaper lure rods, I can’t really look beyond those awesome Sakura Shinjin ones at the moment. Proper lure rods for sensible money, and I am so glad that we are being offered all manner of “proper” lure rods at all the price points. I will be really interested to see how well that new, longer Tenryu Injection does for anglers next year…………

  

  • Braid mainline 2012 – the bright green Daiwa Tournament 8-Braid, and especially in the 20lb breaking strain for me. I just can’t fault this stuff, and I have been using it as my main braid for most of my lure fishing this year. For ages now I have implicitly trusted the Varivas Avani Sea Bass Max Power PE, so I should really be using other stuff long term to see how it stacks up for me. That bright green Daiwa Tournament 8-Braid is just awesome. Why that particular bright green colour seems to me to be the best of the bunch I have no idea, but it just works for me. I blogged about the knot I use the other day – see here.

  

  • Fluorocarbon leader 2012 – Varivas SeaBass Shock Leader. I have played around with various fluorocarbons this year, but I keep coming back to this Varivas stuff because I just get on with it really well. I accept that a part of the reason might be because this was the first fluoro I really started using a lot for lure fishing, but from the off it has done me proud.

  

  • Gear-carrying item – the OverBoard Pro-Sports Waterproof Backpack. Does what it says on the tin and you can’t ask for more than that, and especially at this price. I blogged about it a while back – see here.

  

  • Lure clip 2012 – Decoy Spiral Snaps. I seriously dig those little Delalande Agrafe Rapide INOX lure clips, but for a large part of the year I have been using and hugely liking these tiny little Decoy Spiral Snaps. They take a little bit of getting used to, but they work well. I also feel pretty comfortable using soft plastics with them as I reckon the hook can move around just fine with that round profile on the Decoy clip. Yes I could use a loop knot on my leader, but where possible I just like being able to clip lures on and off without retying.

  

  • Clothing for fishing 2012 – Under Armour. No competition here, even if it is not technically fishing clothing. The Under Armour HeatGear (see here) and ColdGear (see here). Just outstanding stuff. Men in tights.
  • Waders 2012 – the Greys Platinum breathable waders. They are doing just fine for me, although I do wish they would take the outstanding gravel guards from the Hardy EWS2 waders and put them on the Greys Platinum waders – the ones on the Platinum waders just fall to pieces on me. I am doing my best though to resist the urge to invest in a pair the Simms G3 or even G4 waders for my lure fishing. Not remotely cheap, but then I do genuinely reckon that my waders are as important to me as my rods and reels.

  

  • Favourite bass fishing area 2012 – without a doubt southern Ireland, and especially the coastline between Dungarvan and say Fethard on Sea. I can’t tell you how much I am in love with Ireland, and I know of no better shore fishing for bass than over there - but then if you read this blog you will know that already !! Do yourself a serious favour and drop in on the guys at Absolute Fishing in Tramore and ask them all about it. They know this coastline backwards and are always on hand and willing to help out. I am lucky enough to be able to call them my friends. Here’s to 2012……..

  

  • And last but not least, the big one – my album of the year 2011 – “The Great Mass” by Septicflesh. Holy frigging cow. This monster of a release came out in early Spring and I dread to think how many times I have played it since then (see a review here). It seems that an album or two comes along most years which you know pretty quickly is going to be a tough one to beat, and “The Great Mass” by the Greek band Septicflesh was that kind of album from the off for me. The mix of some crushingly heavy, catchy death/black metal with some serious orchestral arrangements is not an easy one to pull off at all, but if you ask me then Septicflesh have done it arguably better than any other band I have ever come across. Their preceding album “Communion” was awesome, but “The Great Mass” is another massive step up. I just can’t tire of listening to this album, indeed I find something new to love about it every single time I hear it. A true monster with a flawless production that lets each and every instrument shine through. Greece is home to what I believe are two of the best metal bands on this earth – Rotting Christ and Septicflesh. Somewhat daft names I grant you, but they both make metal to die for. Check out a couple of Septicflesh tracks here and here and tell me that you aren’t banging your head against the wall and jumping around the room in rapturous delight !!

   

   

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  Categories: Bass fishing, Fishing tackle, Fishing travel, Music, Reviews, Saltwater fishing

• My gear of the year 2010

  Posted 11:25, 20 December 2010

  • Looking back over 2010, I can’t believe how much new fishing gear we have seen come onto the UK marketplace, and a lot of what I am interested in is of course what we might term “modern bass fishing tackle”. This is the year when I have had to finally admit to myself that I might well be a tackle tart of the highest degree, indeed I can not believe how much this kind of fishing tackle appeals to me. Honestly, I am still slightly struggling to believe that it’s 8’ lure rods and shiny bass lures that get me going more than 13’ beachcasters and 6oz grippers used to. But I love change. I love doing different things. I love being forced to learn new stuff. Here is the gear which has impressed me the most this year – and please remember that these are merely my own thoughts and opinions. They are not shaped by any external “forces”, and there are no conspiracies involved !!

  

  • Value for money lure rod - I can’t see how much more modern style lure rod you can get for the money than the outstanding Teklon Concept Spin 8’ 802ML 10-40g. I think that lots of people don’t actually realise how versatile this thing is.

  

  • Out and out “money no object” lure rod - The French designed, Japanese built Daiwa Morethan Branzino 2.4m (roughly 8’) MT B 80ML 8-35g, also known as the “SeaBass Quest Custom”. From my limited but steadily growing experience of “modern lure rods”, this thing is simply off the scale awesome. Plastics, hard sub-surface and surface lures, casting jigs etc., this thing fishes the lot. Incredibly light (first response from anybody who picks this thing up is always “wow, it’s so light”) and responsive, plenty of power, just sublime. But at a cost.

  

  • The lure I’ve had the most fun using – any time that I can take a fish off the surface, I am one happy angler, and the IMA Popkey has given me more pleasure this year than any other lure I have used. I love fishing with it, the thing smashes fish, and I believe it’s improved me as a lure angler via some experiences over in southern Ireland earlier this year (check here).

  

  • The most successful lure I have used and seen used – once again it’s the MegaBass Zonk 120 Gataride. I know that with all these new lures becoming available that I should perhaps have found or seen something more lethal than the Gataride, but I haven’t. We are only human, and as such we often turn to a lure we feel confident in, but the Gataride is an out and out mind-blowing hard bass lure. Yes, the bib is a weak point, but we do retain the choice to use it or not use it.

  

  • Best soft plastic – I have played around with more and different soft plastics this year, but as with the Gataride, I can’t get away from the fish that the MegaBass XLayer keeps on catching for me and people I know. There are loads of alternatives and other options out there that catch all manner of fish, but this is without doubt still my “go to” plastic.

  

  • Best spinning reel – coming from somebody who for ages knew virtually nothing about spinning reels other than Shimano, I am somewhat amazed to be saying that the spinning reel I have most liked fishing with this year is the outstanding Daiwa Luvias 3000. Smooth, very, very light, and just a pleasure to use. Sits as well on a Branzino as it does on say a Teklon Concept Spin. I am going to try and find out more about the cheaper Daiwa spinning reels in 2011…….

  

  • (8 strand) braid of the year – this one leaves me a bit torn. Tie me down and tell me I can only use one braid for ever and ever and I would still choose the 20lb light grey Varivas Avani Sea Bass Max Power PE. Old habits die hard I guess. But I have been using the Daiwa Tournament 8 braid for a lot of my lure fishing this year, and I simply can’t fault it. I love the fact that I can easily step up to a stupidly thin 30lb mainline if I want to, and lose virtually nothing – and no, this is not a debate on what strength of mainline you or I like to use. I can’t put my finger quite on why yet, but I believe Daiwa’s new bright green colour of the Tournament 8 braid is the best of the lot (there is a dark green one and a multi-colour one).

  

  • Best lure box – beyond any shadow of a doubt the Sakura SK-9165 and SK-9145 washable lure boxes.

  

  • Waterproof jacket/shell – the North Face Diad jacket. Such a simple bit of gear that works so well for my bass fishing. My days of wearing heavy and bulky waterproof jackets are well and truly over. Layering is the way.

  

  • Wading boots – lost of people know that I do various bits of work with Hardy Greys, but a few years ago I had no choice but to buy a pair of wading boots when I was out on a job in Montana. Nick and I needed to have some felt soles, and we had brought only studded ones. So we both bought the Simms Rivershed wading boots in some fly shop near to Bozeman (one hell of a cool city by the way). When I got back home I bought some of those screw-in studs and put them on the soles. The most comfortable and hard wearing wading boots I have ever used, and I have put mine through a living hell for ages now. The boots you can see above are the next generation ones, and when mine finally give up the ghost, I am going to buy a new pair, but this time with the Vibram rubber soles. I am then going to put another set of those screw-in studs on the soles. Wading boots are what they are (and at a cheaper price I still can’t really fault the Greys Platinum ones), but these Simms ones have forever felt to me like wearing your favourite and most comfortable pair of hiking boots, and for the miles and terrain we cover, I can’t think of better praise than that.

  

  • Polarised sunglasses – I am not going to pretend that my polarised sunglasses are remotely cheap, but personally I view a pair of polarised sunglasses being as important as a decent rod. My Costa del Mar Blackfin 580 green mirror sunglasses are virtually welded to my face. They just work very, very well in all kinds of light and all conditions. Out on the flats the other day at St. Brandon’s they were off the scale good. For bass fishing they are perfect. Plus for driving, mullet fishing, eye protection when fishing, etc.

  

  • Fishing accessory – why I did not buy a BogaGrip years ago is beyond me, but now that I have had one for nearly two years, I just can’t find even one single tiny fault with it. Mine is the smallest and most lightweight 15lb model. Perfection often comes in such seemingly simple things.
  • Online fishing forum – has to be the excellent Lure Forum. A very thoughtful, fun and considerate bunch of fishing nuts. Very much worth registering and “chatting” away.

  

  • Best fishing spot – yeah right !! Had you going there I bet. But if I had to pick an area to go bass fishing, then it would have to be the southern and south eastern Irish coastlines. I get asked about fishing in Ireland all the time, and the best advice I can think of giving anybody would be to head over to the Tramore area and drop in on Cian and James at the excellent and very friendly Absolute Fishing tackle shop. Not only do these guys have an awesome stock of bass fishing gear, but I know that they will always go out of their way to put you on some fish. No doubt I will see you over there one of these days. And if you need any proof about how good a bass lure the Zonk Gataride is, ask Cian how many he takes with when he goes out fishing………
  • As I said earlier, these are merely my opinions. If they help you in any way when it comes to choosing what to or indeed what not to get hold of for your fishing, then that’s great. I am the same as everybody else out there in that I am always on the lookout for honest reviews and advice, but it is essential to remember that fishing tackle is a very personal thing. You must also note that a part of my job is to keep myself as up to date as possible with new gear – some gear I go and buy for myself, and some gear I get hold of for long-term review purposes. Whatever the case, it changes nothing. All I can do is to say it how I see it. I do not get involved in conspiracy theories and any of this “I heard this”, or “my mate heard this” rubbish about fishing tackle and companies. Please don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that this fishing we so love is such a big marketplace that companies and websites/shops are ever going to pay people to say nice stuff about their gear. Honestly, you would not believe some of the things I get to hear about………..

  
   

   

   

   

   

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  Categories: Bass fishing, Fishing tackle, Reviews, Saltwater fishing

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