Two days before Christmas I receive a package in the mail. My old friend Al Gag sent me a few of his newest creations called a Whip-It Eel. A soft plastic lure on a lead head which appears to mimic a sand eel. With the influx of sand eel populations like we had this past season this product looks promising. Sizes shown are 3/4 ounce head
6" tail, 1 ounce head 8" tail, 1.5 ounce head 8" tail.
I'll put these in some water soon to test them out.

DZ

Hoping you will give feedback on the hook strength. Those look like they have the same weak hooks as the similar baits that are already available from ronz and others. If he puts them out with a decent hook i'll be all over those.

Head is interesting

Tail looks lot like RonZ

Got Stryper has strongest hooks set in a head that I know of

You're better off buying loose tails and rigging them on good jigheads. Bill Hurley and RonZ already make tails like that which can be bought loose.

Both claim to be oil impregnated, but to my nose, they just smell like plastic ;)

Dennis , I hope your having a great Holiday :)

Leave it too Al to come out with Rubba, He is always on the right path for fishing needs

Regards
VB

GotStryper jig heads are the best on the market. I have caught numerous tuna on the same jig head without failure. If they can stand up to 200 lb tuna a 40 pound bass wouldn't be an issue.

Yet to see any got stryper jig heads in the 3/4- 1 1/2 oz. range which is what I need. Also, all I see in the shops are the baits.

Does Al Gags advertise here?

Does Al Gags advertise here?

Swimmer,
I don't believe he does. He does have a web page though but do to this sites rules I won't post it here.

DZ

The Whip it eel has a Mustad Ultra Point hook; Why would this present a problem, unless you are Tuna fishing or fishing the Canal with gear that would be considered overkill in a "normal" Bass fishing scenerio. I have had no problems with Gag's, Ronz,or Hurley's and my understanding is that Gag's will have a Tuna strong model out shortly.

For me it comes down to cost. I loose so many jigs on the bottom that I cant see spending top dollar just to snag it on the first cast. I have learned you can save money buy buying the rubba in bulk and to drop your coin on the jig head. Just my .02

The Whip it eel has a Mustad Ultra Point hook; Why would this present a problem, unless you are Tuna fishing or fishing the Canal with gear that would be considered overkill in a "normal" Bass fishing scenerio. I have had no problems with Gag's, Ronz,or Hurley's and my understanding is that Gag's will have a Tuna strong model out shortly.

Fishing mono and fiberglass? :) I admittedly fish a drag that is a little too tight and lose fish to it but I like to land them quickly in an effort to get them back into the water more and also to get to the next fish that is hopefully bigger. Today's lure builders should make every effort to use components that can hold up to the strain that today's tackle on the other end puts on them.

Luds; Your theory is interesting in the sense that you admit to "horsing" fish in an effort to land possibly a larger one next, yet, you don't take into consideration that some of the fish lost due to this approach, may be the ones your looking for. You definitely need to match your tackle to your approach, but you can't consider anything that doesn't meet your application, inferior. As I said earlier, I have yet to have any issues with the Mustad Ultra- Point so I have no reason to doubt it.

I don't have a problem with DZ checking in with something new, sponsor or not. I encourage it. We want to know what is going on in the world of lures and tackle.


Even if Al Gag's M.O. is to flood product out to a bunch of people to rev up some interest. He does this all of the time anyway so nobody should really be surprised (I was asked by someone if I was interested in checking it out as well, I declined). So we're not likely to see direct :spam: from Al as he won't go near a 'puter. He prefers to send people out to do that :devil2:

Again Got Strypers jigheads are reasonable if not cheap. As for Al's new bait it looks like a carbon copy of Ron-z. Fish Gotstrypers jigheads and you will never fish another again even if you do horse in fish.

I don't think Mr Ron Z is going to be happy to see such a "tribute" to his lure design hit the market.

Luds; Your theory is interesting in the sense that you admit to "horsing" fish in an effort to land possibly a larger one next, yet, you don't take into consideration that some of the fish lost due to this approach, may be the ones your looking for. You definitely need to match your tackle to your approach, but you can't consider anything that doesn't meet your application, inferior. As I said earlier, I have yet to have any issues with the Mustad Ultra- Point so I have no reason to doubt it.

The bigger fish get a little more love and attention. :) You can comment however you like on my inadequate approach to fishing but the fact is better tackle gives you the ability to make more mistakes. That was the point. IMO If you hook your dream fish with that hook you deserve to lose it. :uhuh: What happens when you have a super cow in a rip and it's just taking line and you need to stop it. Have fun stopping it with that POS hook. You might say that doesn't meet the application but I don't want to have to differentiate when I can and can't bring the sh%tty hooks. I'd like to think I can count on them in just about any instance.

Your point is well taken.At no point did I refer to your technique as inferior, it is simply a different approach than I and many others use. The simple fact is that in certain applications, heavier tackle is needed, but that does not make that hook a POS! I have landed fish that even you might be proud of on plugs that were basically designed for large freshwater fish, but certainly not in a boiling rip. The fact is without them, you could not buy a hit.I agree with what you say, I simply don't spend the majority of my fishing time in conditions that warrant heavier tackle. When I do, I use the appropriate tackle. It was not intended as a personal attack, merely a difference of approach.

An "oldtimer" once told me "there is nothing new, it's always just a tweak here or there on an old, original lure". After looking at all the lures out there, and at all the lures in tackle shop distributor books, and tackle shows, I have to agree.

Don't get me wrong, a slight modification can make a big difference in the fish catching ability of a lure, and the strength of the hardware in it can be the difference between an "oh %^$#" and a monster keeper.

My issue, at times, is that some people try to be all things.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and experimentation is good for everything. But if you make custom wood, that seems to be your area of expertise and be the best there. Why try to do some rubber, or metal, what's next - rods? Alan and RonZ, I believe, are constantly trying to better their rubber. Steve from AOK metal and Joe from Pt Jude stick to the metal 95%.

Unless the new stuff from a new guy in the category is a MAJOR difference than what is out there already, I am less apt to buy it or stock it. Just because the package has someone's name on it doesn't mean it will be as good as what's out there.

BUT, AGAIN, experimentation is good for everything, and maybe twiddling in another area will result in a new breakthrough, who knows?

JITD, what is your affiliation with AL?

Thanks,

John

I'll have to remember never to post a pic of rubber in December.
This thread is proof that we fishermen are a crazy bunch:wall:

I don't think Mr Ron Z is going to be happy to see such a "tribute" to his lure design hit the market.

RonZ = The Penetrator. Same lure, different owner.

RonZ = The Penetrator. Same lure, different owner.


:rotf2::love::rotf2::jump1::gh::smash:

One of my favorite threads of all time.

Is Ronz THE PENETRATOR?

:rotf2::love::rotf2::jump1::gh::smash:

One of my favorite threads of all time.

Is Ronz THE PENETRATOR?

He was the perpetrator...:hihi:

:rotf2::love::rotf2::jump1::gh::smash:

One of my favorite threads of all time.

Is Ronz THE PENETRATOR?

RONZ Engineered Soft Baits (http://www.ronzmfg.com/abouttheronz.html)

Straight from the horse's mouth ;)

The RONZ was originally developed for striped bass fishing on Cape Cod. Used exclusively by commercial striped bass fisherman it was dubbed the secret bait. When I decided to sell the RONZ to bait & tackle dealers the commercial fishermen were quite upset. They knew the secret bait wouldn't be a secret anymore. I tried to console them with the fact that they did not have to lie about what bait they were using anymore. All I received in reply was a look of disappointment, as if I had betrayed them. I didn't have a name on the RONZ back then, but it did have a few nicknames. The secret bait was the first, then it was the Penetrator for a online tackle company in N.Y. They quickly realized that customers were very unhappy about the pop-up advertisements they were receiving after using the search engines to find the penetrator. The wife wasn't too crazy about that name either. Then there was a group of fishermen from R.I. that called it the holy grail. I kind of liked that one. But then I received a phone call from a priest that fished who told me how wonderful my baits are and how he catches fish like crazy with them, but felt I should not call it the Holy Grail. I explained to him the name was not my doing and I would consider his request. That was about the time the secret bait was officially named the RONZ.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/7070-anyone-heard-penetrator-2.html


:rotf2:

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/61241-marine-tropical-plugger-those-blatantly-lie-spam-deceptively-advertise.html

:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

You definitely need to match your tackle to your approach, but you can't consider anything that doesn't meet your application, inferior.

if your approach is to target striped bass, then matching your tackle to your approach requires strong tackle and hooks IMHO.

sometimes, yes, fish want a small offering and if your throwing something like a bomber or small mambo, you have to back off on your other tackle since the hooks on a bomber (even upgraded to vmc) are the weak link.

however, a strong single hook should be an advantage when throwing a jig, and jigs of any substantial size (say 3/4 oz and up) without strong hooks are poorly designed IMO. the fact that companies are putting out 1+ oz. jigs designed for striped bass with a with weak hooks is an oversite on their part. i've had the hooks on ronz jig heads straightened several times, and it was not the result of too much pressure, it was the result of too little hook.

ronz, to their credit, addressed this by putting out the tuna grade jigs with strong hooks.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/7070-anyone-heard-penetrator-2.html


:rotf2:

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/61241-marine-tropical-plugger-those-blatantly-lie-spam-deceptively-advertise.html

:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:


Just to be clear, Marine Tropical was that "online tackle dealer in NY" referred to in the C+P from Ronz, and not "Ron Z" himself.

if your approach is to target striped bass, then matching your tackle to your approach requires strong tackle and hooks IMHO.

sometimes, yes, fish want a small offering and if your throwing something like a bomber or small mambo, you have to back off on your other tackle since the hooks on a bomber (even upgraded to vmc) are the weak link.

however, a strong single hook should be an advantage when throwing a jig, and jigs of any substantial size (say 3/4 oz and up) without strong hooks are poorly designed IMO. the fact that companies are putting out 1+ oz. jigs designed for striped bass with a with weak hooks is an oversite on their part. i've had the hooks on ronz jig heads straightened several times, and it was not the result of too much pressure, it was the result of too little hook.



Clogston,
I have a contact that makes jig heads for plastics with very strong hooks. If anyone is interested shoot me a PM.

DZ

Just to be clear, Marine Tropical was that "online tackle dealer in NY" referred to in the C+P from Ronz, and not "Ron Z" himself.

Ahhhh, I misundertook that :smash::love:

Clogston,
I have a contact that makes jig heads for plastics with very strong hooks. If anyone is interested shoot me a PM.

DZ

Sorry for the Thread Hijack Denis

I find that the best thing is still to buy your baits loose (or even better yet, get the ingredients to pour your own) and rig them on the cylinder shaped heads that Mike, CC Charlie's and Red Top sell for about a buck apiece. I've noticed no great difference in results between those heads, and the traingular Ronz head. The heads with the "tuna strong" hooks are too expensive, especially for guys who fish the Canal and probably lose 20-30 heads to the bottom a season.