I doubt it was just me, and i'm glad it happened as i tried out some of the baddest plugs made, but back to Gibbs.. I've trusted Gibbs to catch fish.. but this year was a disapointing one for my experience with Gibbs Lures as i wont be buying anymore anytime soon. Gibbs lures used to work perfectly blue after blue.. bass after bass.. but i've found that this year 1 blue made your lure sink... wierd and it wasn't just limited to 1 lure it happened to a bunch from different places i purchased from.. like stores near the cape to point judith. (dont want to name stores as it wasn't their fault). But in the process of running around i found 2 more lure mfg's that rock.. #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& and Lex Lures. i haven't had the chance to try out their entire line but i can say this... Salty's Slammers 1.5oz poppers and 2.5oz Danny's ROCK!! fish after fish and the abuse i put my lures thru, they held true and still swam great.
Lex Lures 3.5oz Polaris style poppers are now a standard in my arsenal even after catching 5 monster blues slamming against rocks and splinters falling off.. it still managed to float and pop.

My older Gibbs still do all that. dented missing paint and they float... my gripe/problem is with the newer Gibbs.. I wrote to Gibbs back in August.. just asking if they had a bad batch of sealer/paint/wood.. i never recieved a reply back.. owell.. no loss here as i found Better replacements....

Leptar..one thing I noticed about Gibbs, and I am a huge fan of Gibbs pencil poppers, is that you can buy five of the same 1 oz. pencil popper from the same store and two will swim, float, perform perfectly and the other three will sink like stones NEW, right out of the package! No kidding! The ones that sink, I save for bluefish!:huh:

Originally posted by leptar


My older Gibbs still do all that. dented missing paint and they float... my gripe/problem is with the newer Gibbs.. I wrote to Gibbs back in August.. just asking if they had a bad batch of sealer/paint/wood.. i never recieved a reply back.. owell.. no loss here as i found Better replacements....

That is pitiful to not even get a response. :(

I wonder if Flaptail knows anything about this or if he could look into it for you. Sounds bad for business.
A few years back I remember someone criticizing Gibbs here on this forum and the owner of this website got a few nastygrams.
Maybe they changed something in the manufacturing.

I am gonna experiment on a Gibbs danny soon to see if that will happen to me.

Originally posted by BigFish
Leptar..one thing I noticed about Gibbs, and I am a huge fan of Gibbs pencil poppers, is that you can buy five of the same 1 oz. pencil popper from the same store and two will swim, float, perform perfectly and the other three will sink like stones NEW, right out of the package! No kidding! The ones that sink, I save for bluefish!:huh:

Yup, the inconsistency is consistent. :laughs:

Wish they would sell 'em without the crappy hooks.

-WW

Ive noticed it too.
I always throw pencils on the river in the spring.
I have a 3oz pencil popper that hit a bridge abundent once and cracked almost in half.
Ive never personally had one sink, but i know someone who has.
The guy John who owns the local tackle shop started carrying gibbs this year, because of the demand of them in the spring.
He said that the qualitys really gone downt he drains over the past couple over years.

That was when I complained after about the fifth case of a darter cracking, slip. They thought I had some "hidden agenda" :rollem:

They found it odd because, as one of them said, "who uses a darter in April?" :doh:

I posted a pix of that darter here when IFishGibbs was new on the site.

Originally posted by fishweewee
Yup, the inconsistency is consistent. :laughs:

Wish they would sell 'em without the crappy hooks.

-WW

Even the finish looks cheap. I wonder if they are made overseas.

Thank God, I still have some old ones.

:mad: :mad:

I think dondkim is grumpy. :laughs:

Originally posted by fishweewee
I think dondkim is grumpy. :laughs:

You are right. I became grumpy ever since I lost my favorite old brown pencil popper to toothsie this summer at Hardings.

I bought this popper over 30 years ago. I put two eyes in the front and two eyes in the rear and it looks very unique and I have caught so many fish with it. If anyone found this plug please email me.

I have to refinish some of my old Gibbs this winter.



:( :happy:

One more vote Salty's plugs! I myself have taken a lot of fish this past season with them, including a few large.
Just look at the hardware he is using, no crap mustard hooks that rust out after one trip. :claps:

Since Stan sold out Gibbs has steadily gone down hill. Some of his plugs always sank (Polaris poppers and the "specials") but it didn't matter these were made for the Ditch and current. Gibbs are still made localy.

youse guys must be talkin bout someone else...my plugs don't catch fish :p

Originally posted by Bigcat
One more vote Salty's plugs! I myself have taken a lot of fish this past season with them, including a few large.
Just look at the hardware he is using, no crap mustard hooks that rust out after one trip. :claps:

Totally agree.. I use VMC hooks when i can now they stay sharp fish after fish and in my opinion they are better then gammie's any day of the week.. I haven't lost a fish once it's taken my lure..


Kinda glad and sad to see that i'm not the only one experienceing these problems.

Poppers that sink... I never understood that. Anyone care to explain?

you are supposed to retrieve them slowly, but it sucks!

Originally posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&
youse guys must be talkin bout someone else...my plugs don't catch fish :p

Is today opposite day, Scott? :laughs:

Gibbs Dannys :btu:

Gibbs 3.5oz Polaris Popper :kewl:
:spam: :spam: :spam: :spam:

I met with Dennis Ryan two weeks ago. I am going up there just after Christmas on my annual visit. Gonna review the situation with the guys. I think the help is a problem. With the amount of plugs they make as opposed to other manufacturers their employee base is way larger and therefore more supceptible to problems in quality control. I will update then.

If you bought a 2-1/4 oz Polaris they always sank. They have the same exact weight in them as the 3-1/2 oz model but of course less wood therfore less buoyancy so they sink. I probably only own 3 of that size. I can't work them never could with my collection of conventional and spinning sticks. Funny thing though, the red head white body 2-1/4 oz plug is the most popular Gibbs plug ever made. Don't give up on Gibbs, they are still my number one plug line for most plug types.

Originally posted by Mike P
That was when I complained after about the fifth case of a darter cracking, slip. They thought I had some "hidden agenda" :rollem:

They found it odd because, as one of them said, "who uses a darter in April?" :doh:

THAT was humorous and an example of how to NOT handle customer service...

Flap - hopefully you can impart some wisdom and direction for them. I'm not a huge plugger - though this year I did more plugging than I ever have :D - but there are not too many plugs in my bag that are stock Gibbs these days.

Used to be in my bag most of the time (for wood plugs):

Gibbs Dannys, Big Needlefish, Stubby Needlefish, big Polaris, small polaris, Casting Swimmer (yeh - it looked cool), larger Pencil, the occasional Darter.

This year the only Gibbs in my bag was the Polaris and the Pencil. (Stupid me never got around to putting stubbys in the bag this year)

The Gibbs Danny was replaced with Beachmasters and Phartmasters, The needles were Habs and the occasional Salty, even money on the Gibbs Polaris and Tatto Popper, The Superstrike and Tattoo darters replaced the Gibbs darters. Plus I added a ton of customs from guys from here that I caught fish on (thanks guys :btu: ) and then I had the chance to try a bunch of different swimmers & plugs from people like #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, Bernzy, Tagger, Newell, Slip, BM, Specialist, Christian, (not trying to leave people out - but be typin' all day if I mentioned everyone :D ) all the plug swap guys, it was friekin' awesome.

And the single most productive plug for me this year came in the last 2 months of the fall when I finally got my hands on the Tattoo Sea Spook. I caught probably close to 80 bass on that plug and all but a dozen were keepers.

Granted, I'm an eel guy first and use to fish 80/20 eels but this year I think I fished 60/40 plugs and this fall 80/20 plugs. Next year I'll get more eels back in to the mix but I'll be pluggin alot too