My take on the Glide Bait

"My take on the GlideBait" (S-Waver 168 & 200)

The S-Waver is my favorite lure. I'll usually start and stop with one every time I go fishing. Not because it my "go to" that gets them every time but because it's a great search-bait that's fun to fish. 

Running close to the surface, it can be visual, which is always more interesting than not and because of this, there are less hang ups. When you do hang up you can often retrieve the lure. 

Cover and structure avoidance isn't something I require in a lure, in fact, it's the opposite. The GlideBait's "S" motion makes coming close to things a challenge that's hard to pass up. And the fact that you can initiate the turn, well that's like a double dog dare ya. 

The turning and suspending qualities this bait offers can be fished at a slow rate of stall. The forward movement can be slowed down, keeping it in the strike zone for extended periods. 

Go for a walk subsurface, flash with quick turns, stall and suspend, about-face a follower, I can enjoy throwing this lure in a swimming pool. 

This lure also has the amazing ability to draw fish out into the open and follow, giving away their size and whereabouts. A fine search-bait attribute indeed.

"Slow your roll"

First, find the lures "Slow Roll". This is the most important retrieve aspect with any SwimBait. Your finding the slowest reel handle speed that you can turn, while still receiving action from the lure. (In this case, the side to side action) This retrieve requires the least amount of energy to pursue and it's non-threatening manner peaks curiosity in the predator.  

With a GlideBait, the slow roll can be manipulated further to enhance the side to side motion. Within the slow roll handle speed, slight fluctuations above and below this speed, per one revolution, will help to exaggerate the baits natural action. The slight fluctuations will initiate when the bait turns, (above) and the below will prolong the glide, widening the "S" motion. This will also enable you to know what the bait is doing when it is not visible.

"Dialing in the Slow Roll"

Standing up on a bluff wall, will help you to view your GlideBait's action just under the surface. Find the slowest speed you can reel while still getting the s-wavering action and remember the count per reel handle turn. It should be approximately 2-4 seconds per one reel handle revolution. Once this is achieved, try to enhance the action with slight fluctuations. 

The "slow roll" will get fish to track behind the bait in that same "s" motion. They will follow the bait all the way until it's about to come out of the water. There they will have to quickly decide to strike or pull off. So, stand back off the shoreline and never give up early at the end of a SwimBait retrieve.

Regardless if you can see a follower or not, a "Trigger Move" or escape move can be utilized to initiate a strike before the bait runs out of water at the end of a retrieve. Multiple "Trigger Moves" can be applied during a retrieve, if you see fit. But it's the "slow roll" that lulls them to follow and move in closer.

 

"Trigger Moves" from the slow roll you....

1) "Stop" and just let the bait fall to the bottom to rest on it's hooks. If this doesn't get bit, the follower should be right there eyeing the bait closely. A slight twitch or rise should trigger a strike. Be cautious not to move the bait too aggressively, spooking the fish.

2) "Double twitch" This will break the slow and steady rhythm of the retrieve with two quick tail kicks, in a fleeing action. Twitch in the same manner used in the "walk the dog" technique. Again, be wary of twitching too aggressively. 

3) "Pull Off" Raise Rod up and to the side at a slightly faster speed than the slow roll. Once you've pulled the bait off, point the Rod directly at the bait, while picking up the slack, ready for a hook set.

4) "Stutter Step" Once again you break the rhythm of the "Slow Roll" by introducing stops and starts with the reel handle, in a stuttering manner. 

5) "Reel Snap" Breaking a "slow roll" rhythm with a quick snap and stop of the reel handle will cause the bait to kick off to the side and glide. One or more sped up revolutions can be incorporated into the "Reel Snap" before the stop. 

"Summery"

The slow roll is the GlideBaits bread and butter. Don't get too fancy with all sorts of retrieves with erratic motions. The predictable, slow, steady, roll, peaks fish interest by being easy to catch and non-threatening. It will get followers AND bites more than all the other moves put together. When the slow roll is getting followers but no strikes, that's when trigger moves can be utilized. Still the transition from one to another should be subtle to remain non-threatening to the follower but just enough variation to initiate a strike. 

"More angles"

Once you feel you've got handle on the slow roll and a understanding of trigger moves, here are more ways to incorporate variation in your retrieves.

"Count down"

Getting familiar with the rate of fall of your GlideBait will enable you to fish at different levels of the water column. Count how long it takes your lure to sink, in seconds and one foot increments. Counting down enables you to repeat the same level success was achieved. So mix it up and find the level fish prefer that day, then repeat counting down to that level. 

"Bottom Feeder"

Not about finding easy women but letting the bait sink all the way to the bottom. The bait will sink horizontally and come to rest on its hooks. Like the slow roll, the slow sink of a GlideBait is easy to catch and non-threatening. Fish will observe this sickly behavior and come in for a closer look, sometimes eyeballing the bait on the bottom for periods of time.  Jolting the slack in the line or by just initiating the retrieve can garner a reaction strike from a curious hang-around. This can also be repeated multiple times for a underutilized GlideBait retrieve. 

"Shake it up"

If the slow nature of the GlideBait retrieve is putting you to sleep. Throw in a speed retrieve every once in a while to see if you can make them react. Fished like a Rip Bait, the Glide offers a different look in an upsized bait. 

Once your bait hits the water, start with 3 quick reel handle snaps, followed by a 2 count pause, repeat. 

This retrieve reminds me of speeding around on a BMX bike. You pedal hard maxing out the gearing and coast-rest until you slow down just enough for another pedal burst. The bait is kicking as hard as it can, like a startled snack, but it needs a second to catch its breath before kicking as hard as it can again. A predator see's this action as a maxed out baitfish. If it can get close to the fleeing bait, when it hesitates, it will make its move. During the pause, it gets hit hard. 

When retrieving any lure, especially a SwimBait, always be ready standing in the optimum hook-set position, right after the cast.

"Gear" 

Polarized glasses are a must with a GlideBait. Look behind the incoming bait for fish following it. It happens more than you'll know. (A bass can be spotted by the white when it opens its mouth or by seeing the dark mark on its tail, when it's kicking. Sometimes you just spot its shadow)

(168) Dobyns Rods 805 CBRM - This 8' Deep Crankbait Rod built specifically for professional Crankbait expert Randy McAbee is a monster. It's light tip, moderate/fast action and plenty of backbone is not your standard CB rod. It's not whippy or wimpy. It has the power to sink oversized crank treble hooks, while already being loaded up with the resistance of a deep diving bill. I find it to be perfect for the S-Waver 168. The tip offers the correct response to maximize the lures action and keeps fish pinned when close at hand. The rods strong backbone has the power dictate the fight and horse them in when needed. It's really a special rod that you must check out regardless if you're a deep cranker. It's a beefy long rod with a flexible tip, versatile enough for many applications.

Shimano Curado I 200 - Compliments the 805 perfectly. The distance it can achieve is remarkable. By upgrading to ceramic Boca bearings the distance is unbelievable and effortless. 

Line - Power Pro 40 lbs with a 7' 20 lbs shock leader of mono or fluoro if a little more depth is desired. The leaders stiffness helps keep the line from fouling on the lure, while offering shock relief. 

Speed clip - Spro Split Snap, size 2, 25 lb test. While still not perfect, this is the best speed clip I've found. Besides quick lure changes, a clip offers better lure movement, less knot wear and knot failure. By carefully tying your line to the snap, you're insured a properly tied knot through many lure changes. 

(200) Dobyns 806 MLSB - Once again, perfect action to load and cast the bait very far. The extended handle helps with the heavy weight of large SwimBait's. The power of this rod is deceiving. The lighter tip and backbone that comes on fast and strong drives hooks home even on sub-par hook sets. The lighter tip keeps big head shakes with big lures pinned. Since I switched to this rod, I've noticed my hook set and landing percentage is at 100% When big bait bites are few and far between, it's a must. 

Shimano Cardiff 300 - Affordable, line capacity, and gets the job done. A bearing upgrade noticeably effected casting distance and smoothness. This will have to do until the Calcutta D incorporates the SVS breaking system.

Power Pro 65 lb. 30 lb. fluoro shock leader. Helps lure from fouling 

Speed Clip - Spro Split Snap 1 45 lb. Better lure movement, knot wear, and less knot failure. 

What with this obsession for fishing? (Trout farms & Koi ponds)

What's with this obsession for fishing? (Trout farms & Koi ponds)

            When I was very young, while visiting my cousins in LA, my uncle took us to get some fish for dinner. As kids, you couldn't get us to eat a frozen fish stick but we were happy to go along for the ride. 

To our surprise, we didn't go to the market. We drove out to a place where we walked across a little rope bridge, over some water, to enter a small shack. This old man was behind a counter smiling. We thought we were maybe at Disneyland or something but it turned out to be a trout farm. 

I then saw a bunch of cement ponds, that were made to look somewhat natural and I made a B-line towards them. My uncle was saying "wait" while he was getting some bamboo poles from a rack but I had to see what was swirling around like a kalidiscope in the water. 

Ducking under the rope that surrounded the ponds, I was on my hands and knees watching the school of trout swimming by. My reflection on the water cut the glare and I could clearly see the fish's eye's, mouths opening, black dots and the red stripe down their sides. I just sat there in amazement, as if I could never tire of looking into the water to see what lived under the surface.

My attention was interrupted when I heard my uncle shout, "don't eat it!" to my little cousin Vicki. He was pouring some pellets in her and James' hands, that he just got out of a gum ball machine. We were confused because those red machines always gave out colorful candy treats but these green candies smelled awful. "These are for the fish, watch" and he tossed them into the air. The water erupted as the trout went into a feeding frenzy that sprayed a mist and caused waves to hit the sides of the pond. 

I was delighted while my cousins looked a bit frightened. They just nervously tossed their handful in and retreated behind uncle as the frenzy erupted again, more concerned with the smell on their hands. 

I wanted to make mine last so I tossed them one by one, making each pellet count. Luring them closer to me, I got them to snatch pellets out of my fingers. My cousins looked terrified that I was gonna lose a finger but with each vicious bite, I looked back at them giggling. I was having the time of my life but then it got even better. 

My uncle handed us bamboo fishing poles and before he could finish instructing us how to carefully bait the hook, I caught a trout without the bait. He was unhooking my fish and placing it a plastic bag and James and Vicki both pulled up fish. My poor uncle was wrangling fish with three kids holding them up in the air while they thrashed and flicked water on him. He'd remove one and we'd catch another before he could get to the next. "We only need six fish, so two a piece", my uncle said. 

How nobody got impelled that day was pure luck. 

After paying for about dozen trout and their cleaning from inside the shack, my uncle announced that it was time to go. 

We were still by the ponds on our hands and knees watching fish, trying to figure out why these ones were called catfish. Maybe they eat cats? That ones got a big enough mouth. Maybe they feed them to cats because who would want to eat such an ugly fish?

I'm sure I would've had to have been dragged out of there if not for the promise to come back if we were good. 

From then on, every time we visited our relatives, I would beg for trout dinner, so we'd get to visit "Happy Jacks Trout Farm". (Although It would be years before I would actually eat fish)  

That night I went to sleep dreaming of catching a big fish. Today with all of life's problems, worries, and regrets weighing heavily on ones mind, the thought of catching the next big fish, takes you back to a time when life was simple, everything was new and full of possibilities, luck was still a good thing and you couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

Fishing can be whatever the person chooses. Basic or technical, expensive or not, hurried or laid back. You can do it with friends or go alone. Day or night. Heck you don't even have to catch anything to have a good time. It can merely be an escape. A break from all the madness and I time to reflect. It is all up to you what it means and how far you wanna take it. Whatever makes you happy fishing, pursue it. It's about experience's not numbers. 

"Frontier Village" 

I'm going to date myself. There was this park in San Jose called Frontier Village. It was a western era type of amusement park. No rides, per se, but Wild West reanactments could bust out anytime, stage coach robberies and what not. It was a fun play ground place for children's b-day parties and company functions. 

One year, Frontier Village announced they had opened a trout farm attraction. From my prior experience at Happy Jack's, I knew what a trout farm meant. I was in the 4th grade now and we were going to Moms company picnic tomorrow, which was always at Frontier Village. A friend and I whom were just getting into fishing locally, were plotting how we were going to catch the fish. We had a few lures between us and we were bringing them. 

When we got to the park the next day, after helping with the picnic stuff, we were finally cut loose. We ran over to the trout farm and just observed how it was ran. We watched people catching fish and then paying for them by weight. If a fish was over fifteen inches, it was free. I didn't have any money so we were just going to hang out inside there. We'd get a few pebbles, and drop them into the water. The trout would pounce on them but then spit them out. 

My friend had just enough money to pay for one caught fish, so he had a shot at a 15"+ (free) and if he didn't catch one, he could pay. The park used a cane pole with a small double frog hook, which you put corn kernels on for bait. (This was odd to us) He removed the hook and tied on a crappie jig that he brought. There was no need for any lure or bait, the trout would hit anything. He waited to seek out a fifteen plus inch trout. Once we located one he tried to catch it. Placing the jig in front of the trout, for a split second, it seemed too easy. But before the bigger trout could eat the jig, a smaller fish would come and snatch it up. He had hooked a fish that had to be payed for. He tried to let it become unhooked but it was on there good. A park employee quickly acknowledged he had caught a fish and bagged it, so it was game over and he would have to pay. He was a little disappointed and left to put it in the cooler back at the picnic area.

I was still going to hang around in the trout farm area. I wanted to catch a fish too but with no money, I thought of how I could still have some fun. I went to the cashier area and spied a pencil on the counter. I pulled the erasure off the pencil and put the pencil back. I grabbed a cane pole and put the erasure over the hooks. I put it in the water and the fish would grab it. When I lifted the fish up, it would let go and fall back into the water. I did this over and over, never hooking a fish. A  park employee tried to offer me assistance but I insisted "I got it!" so he wouldn't see the erasure. 

I noticed that the fish would eat the erasure but then spit it out once they realized it wasn't food. This gave me an idea. 

I used the bare hook and when a smaller fish grabbed it, I gave it slack until it spit it out. Another fish would then grab it and do the same. So I waited until a big fish grabbed the bare hook and then set on it. I pulled the big fish up and a park employee quickly grabbed it. I was nervous because I wasn't sure if it was over fifteen inches and if it wasn't, I didn't have any money to pay for it. The worker who grabbed it measured it, then announced "we got a free one!" I was feeling good. They cleaned the fish for me and put it in a bag and wrote "free" on it. I ran back to the picnic area with my prized fish. 

I have never been a gambler or enjoyed casinos. To me it's just a waste of money. I'd rather go and buy something instead of gambling that I would double my money or whatever. 

There is a element of gambling in fishing. You weigh the odds against the rewards in a different way. I am addicted to this type of gambling. I'm just glad they don't have fishing casinos.

"Koi Ponds"

 

My father was from Gilroy Ca. where my grandfather first grew garlic, on our ranch property, which Gilroy is known for. The house was of real Japanese architecture. It was part of a display at the worlds fair in 1942, which my grandfather purchased after the fair was over. The ranch house had a beautiful garden complete with a koi pond. Apparently my grandmother was homesick for Japan so my grandfather did his best to bring Japan within the fenced area surrounding the home. 

When I was growing up, I would take a bamboo pole, attach string, and a bent needle for a hook. With some bread I would catch the koi and temporarily detain them in a container, to look at, before putting them back. When I saw a pond with fish in it, I naturally thought of catching the fish. 

Later in life, I would learn that "Koi" are symbols of love and affection in Japan and their wellbeing is the purpose of the pond. My aunt must have been horrified to see me out there, having a great time catching the koi. But to my defense, most were in double digits with a few in the twenty plus range.

These are my earliest fishing experiences. I still have a strong love and affection for fishing. I don't need to catch anything to enjoy doing it. It keeps my ADHD mind occupied and I can think about issues in depth. It can take me back in time, remembering the people whom are no longer with us. When it's time to leave and I say, "last cast", I'll do one for each person whom I miss being gone. My dad never fished but he took me anytime I asked. He didn't understand why I enjoyed it so much. Perhaps he is with me now when I fish. And still cannot understand why I enjoy it so much. If it's possible, I'm sure I'll still be hanging around all places I loved to fish, when I'm gone. I just can't seem to ever get enough.

Tuning a Hudd

How to tune a Hudd. (Copied from some site)

I don’t know about you but from time to time when I started using a new Huddleston Deluxe, either the 8 inch or 6 inch version sometimes they won’t run true. Recently I had a friend express the same concern with the 6 inch version asking me if I knew how to correct the problem. I decided to go straight to the source so I gave Ken Huddleston a call to ask him his opinion. First off let me say that Ken is a standup guy, he has a wealth of information and is very willing to help.

Of course you know there are 2 different versions of the Hudd, Weedless and Exposed Hook and they are tuned differently.

On the weedless version there is an air pocket in the top that keeps it buoyant. It is close to the hook “Slit” and what can happen is the hook can puncture this pocket allowing water to get in and throw its balance off. To remedy this squeeze any water out and allow to dry. Look for a hook hole around pocket and put in a drop of Mend It or use some Huddlebond to seal the hole thereby not allowing water to enter and keeping it buoyant, allow to dry, presto, problem solved.

For the exposed hook version there is an internal lead weight on the underside. What you want to do is hold the Hudd by holding the bend in the hook, feel for the lead down towards the bottomn under the hook. Look at the picture below and you can see the lead weight I’m talking about, its on the bottom. The thing towards the top of the lure is a hard foam that acts as a ballast. If your Hudd is running to the left bend the lead VERY SLIGHTLY to the left, yes opposite of how you tune a crankbait. Test it out and repeat as needed, he stressed to me that they do not take very much to adjust them so be sure to make very minor adjustments at a time. This tuning technique works for both the 6 inch and 8 inch versions

I have had people tell me to boil them to get them to run true, according to Ken, boiling them works if your baits are slightly warped, especially the tail. The main reasons for warped baits is because they are generally stored wrong, hanging on your rod in the rod locker for a week or not being placed flat when storing them. I know I had a weedless one that was attached to a rod for a week and the line guide on the rod pressed against the bait and it took the form of the guide, after which it didn’t run true. Ken said to tie a line or wire to the hook eye and dip them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds then hang to dry at room temperature. After I did this and the Hudd ran great without any tracking issues.

There ya go, straight from the man, hope that helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask.