Once upon a time there was this old man. He had an old cane stick and some cord with a nail bent in the form of a J hook. O.K. this really isn’t what I am here to talk about. Recently I have had a chance to fish with some outstanding fishermen and good friends. I have also had the fortune to be able to come across some great tackle as well. I am somewhat of a gear and a food Junkie! I love having what I consider to be “Top of the Line” tackle and gear. I need Porterhouse Steaks instead of Cube Steak. Loaded potatoes instead of mash! I’m sure most of you can relate! Most of my fishing is in Matlacha Pass or Pine Island Sound. Heaven is really a better name for this area.

Let’s get back to the real reason I am here! I have been granted the right to fish with some extraordinary tackle of late. Sebile lures have been a huge part of my arsenal for the last 1-2 years. I have been fishing them pretty exclusive just to get an idea what a $13 plug is really like. The price tag was always a hard sell on these lures for me, but recently my tune has changed on that! I would probably spend a few more dollars on them if needed. I spent all of last Snook season using them. I used the Stick Shad in a variety of colors and also switched it up from the floaters to the suspending variety depending on water conditions. 2009 for “ME” was probably the greatest Snook year I have had in the past eight years. This goes for all that fished on my boat with these lures as well. I did use other go to lures and they still produced. Was it that the lure was that much better or just something different for the taking? I think a lot much better than just for the taking! Again, I gave these plugs a solid season (1 year).

Can I ramble along anymore? Yes I can! I have been fishing the Sebile Magic Swimmer 95FT. This plug has one double barb hook in the middle and a white feather tied on the rear. Yes, there are no hooks on the rear and the middle treble is missing a barb or hook. This set-up makes this lure pretty much weed-less! Watch out Fish! The Magic Swimmer I am using swims down to about 6”-1’. Very shallow running and darn near a top water if fished slow enough. This plug is very deadly in the shallows. I couldn’t wait till I got on the flats to use this so I decided to tie it on one of my newest rod and reel combos. I am currently fishing the new Shimano Stradic CI4 2500 with a Shimano 7’2” Cumara spinning rod. Been using this set-up for the last 3 months and it has been SWEET!

I tied that bad boy on and headed out back to the fresh water canal behind my house. I made sure I found the most matted hydrilla section I could possibly fish to truly test this plug. Swisssssh and it’s on! First cast and I hooked a 2 pounder! Nice little Bass to start this trial off with. Next cast resulted in the same. Can it be the “Almighty” of lures? 12 casts later and this lure yielded 5 bass up to 3lbs. O.K., the lure catches fish but does it stand a chance in the weeds? Yes, I was purposely casting into anything I saw floating or just submerged under the surface. I did manage to snag a few pieces of debris but nothing like it is when I fish other hard baits. I have yet to put this plug to the test in saltwater, but I have fished it very hard several days so far in different freshwater conditions! Weeds are weeds no matter where you fish! The end result is that this plug Slays Bass and is almost as weed less as a soft plastic rigged weed less. I will own many when they are available to the public! Wicked Runs and Big Feesh!

Rich Osgood

www.strikeitrichcharters.com

Note: this is a prototype so it will not be available to the public until June. However, if you just cut off one of the hook  and take the hooks in the back off you will have essentially the same lure.