Infatuation with lures- Part 1

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I guess every story has a beginning middle and the end and this one is not different. This one begins few years ago when I met Patrick Stabile in Fort Pierce. My son and I were there to fish the Sebastian Inlet and Patrick graciously offered to show us around. He spent two nights with us and took us out to dinner something he definitely did not have to do. Next time I’ve seen Patrick was in Costa Rica during PENN CLASH trip where we tested new PENN, Spiderwire and Sebile products. Why is this important? Because in both of these instances I watched Patrick work his Sebile stick shads but I wasnimage‘t really sold on using them in surf. In Florida we used them on piers, in Costa Rica we used them off the boats. Nice techniques but not really relevant to what we do….. Or so I thought

Yes I’m very well aware of the popularity of Sebile products in and around the Cape Cod Canal. No I am not ignoramus, but I think some of you canal guys would have a hard time believing that i never, ever in my life seen anyone use Sebile stick shadin New York. Ever. Stick Shad, Magic Swimmer…. Neither one, ever.
And you will probably think that I’m exaggerating but I am not. I am very well aware of how many stick shads Red Top sells to its customers .And how upset you guys where when they discontinued them for a year to relaunch the brand.image

Last week Patrick’s stopped by NY to fish with me for few days. Fishing on the sand was not great and daytime action was almost nonexistent. He wanted to get some video footage of catching stripers on his prototype lures he is working for 2017 and beyond but fishing Gods were not kind to us. But something very good came out of this. For the first time I got to watch Patrick work his stick shads in the surf. I’ll admit that for the first half of day 1 I tossed SS poppers and pencils but little by little by the time second day rolled around, I was tossing stick shads almost full time with him. I watched him toss a sinking one in raging current of the Moriches inlet and catch fish, I watched him toss one in the big swep along the beach and I had extreme pleasure to watch him nail not one but TWO Spanish Mackerel at FINS. Seriously Spanish mackerel in NY ? Only Patrick can travel from Florida to catch Spanish MAK in NY I said to myself. Don’t forget that he has held at one point of another more than 300 national and world fishing records. So basically, nothing that he does supersize me but still…Spanish Mack !!!!image

Anyway, Patrick continued on his journey southwards, towards his home Florida while I was looking at the Sebile Strick Shads he left me with new curiosity. Could I use these things in place like Montauk or Sandy beach where I fish? Would they drag sand or get caught on rocks and kelp? Would fish eat the damn things? There is no such thing as “magic” lure as there is no “one” rod for all applications. All these things are nothing more than “tools” to help you succeed. But if i could apply these lures the way i THINK i can, it could possibly replace half of my plug bag !image

But wait, these lures have been around for 10 years, why is NO ONE in NY ever using them???According to Patrick Sebile has sold over 8 million lures worldwide! I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, so it cant be that I see something others do not. I did know they were priced way too high in the $30 to $40 range. That is too expensive in comparison with most striper lures. The new under $20 pricing should help……but still, why is no one using them?

What freaks out most of my friends is no clear definition how to use them. Many guys don’t want “versatility ” . They don’t want to hit few spots or walk few miles to a spot. Thry want something out of the package they can throw and retrieve straight and something that have a defined motion. They also don’t want to understand tide, migrations, water temp etc..I didn’t say all, I said many. So stick shad will scare a bejesus out of most surfcasters. What do you mean “experiment” , Wait there is more than one size and weight and sinking property? There is more than one way to work them? That’s to confusing! I think I’ll wait until John Skinner writes a book on it
haha.. you are laughing now but you know I am rightimage
More to come including the story of one of the better nights of fishing in a long, long time

4 comments on “Infatuation with lures- Part 1”

  2. Gerald Audet

    Couldn’t agree more. Another brand- I won’t post it so I don’t want to be “that guy”- sells a very similar product that I’ve been using for a couple years with good success. It’s a super versatile lure- slow and low, fast and thrash, daytime, nightime, big and small, it can do current and it can do flat. I like the Sebile too, especially with the new prices, and am going to “stock up” over the winter to bolster my current pile. A “glide bait” “stick bait” whatever you want to call it, lives permanently in my “side holster” bag- which was inspired by Dave’s article in SCJ.

    And let us hope most don’t learn or discover that to walk a 1/2 mile results in more fish and less people, so that I can keep those stretches of shore to myself!

    Cool post Zeno, tight lines.

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