[Linesider82]

This past spring I lost a Gary2 slim repro made by Billy D. In my search for another Gary2, I was looking over Andrew Nichols' plugs in his shop and failed at buying a few that were close to Gary Hull's slim design but not quite up to the task.

Andrew said hold on a second, and came back with a Bob Hahn surfster and offered it to me. At a glance, and while holding it, it struck me that it was much closer to the action of the G2 yet quite fatter in profile than Gary's slim. I knew Bob had passed as well as Gary, but I know personally as a plug builder regardless of who uses your plugs you want them to be fished and catch fish, so I said to Andrew, I am going to fish this plug. Andrew knew what I was after and why, and I bought the plug for a lean ten bucks.

I placed the plug on my passenger seat and at each stop light on the way home looked at the plug. I noticed it's yellow stained belly, which I thought might be white. The dull blue sides, dark back and silver glitter that almost seemed to be placed as opposed to sprinkled on. Somehow the eyes on this plug struck me the most. Glass, yellow and black and set in a perfectly recessed sphere cut into the wood plug.

That same night, I put it in my plug bag. Bob's plug would bring me luck tonight, I was convinced of it. It was spring in the river and I had a good night, the night before. On my first cast I had a blow up but missed the fish. It was a striped bass no doubt. On the same retrieve, over a mud flat I had two fish strike the plug but no luck still, as it neared a fallen shrub I managed another strike with full commitment to the hooks. I landed a 4lb largemouth bass on my 9' lami, way overkill for the bass but it was all about the plug.

I sent the plug out again to the same spot. No love from the stripers. I took that as a singular fish had hit on the cast before, but I had a retrieve to go. I could make out the plug on this moon lit night by its wake, chuggin' along. Then another wake began to intercept the plug's and boom! Fish on, again another fresh water fish came in, this time a pickeral... A little 15" hammer handle.

I fished this spot with a few more casts with no more takers before moving. I moved about 100 yards upstream to the next available casting area, and laid a cast just beyond and upstream of a deep hole / current edge. The Hahn surfster chugged its way into the hole, and was just about to the back edge when it was hit. I felt the weight and set the hook on what was a small striper, I didn't measure the fish but sent it on its way, maybe 30" a keeper size fish anyways.

In the ensuing weeks, I continued to fish that same plug with little success. I noticed it took on water from being in the water and swam just under the surface. The experience I took away from using the plug was that 1. The plug accomplished catching fish and 2. I was happy to see Bob Hahn in action