Al Gags Needles? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

RIROCKHOUND · 03-25-2005, 12:07 PM

Put the hook right behind the eye and beef it up at least one size...

And E, you hit the nail on the head....

Bliz · 03-25-2005, 03:24 PM

Hey Guys,

I have seen these needles at MSBA's show and talked with Al about them...

The hook placement is for the purpose of the fall rate and balance of the same plugs that he did in the 80's

There were many bass taken over 50 on them...

The finish on these is so durable it's unbelievable.

If any of you who are doubters about the new product, feel free to call Al at (413) 786-3554 as he is very approachable and has no problem whatsoever explaining the design and quality of the new product.

Al doesn't watch the internet... so why not give him a call?

Flaptail · 03-25-2005, 04:32 PM

I wasn't going to jump in on this one but here I go. First of all Al was making these back in the mid eighties. They are made exactly the way they were then but better. First the hardware is spro swivels, the paint and finish are better. The weighting and hook placement make these plugs sink level in the water something that is known in a needlefish to be very valuable especially when fish are feeding on suspending sand eels in the surf. I looked at them and even brought a vintage 87' chartreuse scale job to the MSBA show to compare so that I would be sure he was making them as he did then, I was impressed. He is making them better. If you don't like the hook arrangement you probably never fished an original. I have and many of my friends have. The Chartreuse w/ silver sides in the larger model and the smaller were killers. The olive scale was so good it should have been illegal some nights. In the eighties there weren't many making needlefish plugs. Boone, Gibbs, Spoffords, Pichney and Musso and Al GAG. I used them then and I will use them again. If you think the hook placement is wrong you still have something to learn about needlefish styles and orientation in the water. I will post some pictures of the 80's jobs. They might be competition for some makers and they may not be but I for one like them and I call them as I see them I don't make them up.

Flaptail · 03-25-2005, 04:37 PM

Here are the pics of the old Al Gags needles.

blue oyster · 03-25-2005, 06:07 PM

i have to agree with eben , i got a couple of the first run gs slammers and they fished like crap , and the worst part was al said they were bad later on but did not offer to fix or replace them , he said get some lead tape for golf clubs and add it to the front till it swims proper

its not like i got them for free , needless to say they went in the trash

jkswimmer · 03-25-2005, 06:57 PM

My two cents, when I started using the needlefish in the late 80's I found the were to far forward on some models. When I set the hook on a hit I came back with only scales. This what led me to make my own. The hooks do look to far forward.

Bliz · 03-28-2005, 10:16 AM

jkswimmer,

You are saying that the belly hooks are too far forward, and others in this post are saying they look too far back...

Do you know what you are agreeing to?

Wherever you have two fishermen, you usually have three opinions...

Try fishing them, and let the Bass decide! ...

Slipknot · 03-29-2005, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bliz

Hey Guys,

I have seen these needles at MSBA's show and talked with Al about them...

The hook placement is for the purpose of the fall rate and balance of the same plugs that he did in the 80's

There were many bass taken over 50 on them...

The finish on these is so durable it's unbelievable.

If any of you who are doubters about the new product, feel free to call Al at (413) 786-3554 as he is very approachable and has no problem whatsoever explaining the design and quality of the new product.

Al doesn't watch the internet... so why not give him a call?

That's all well and good Bliz, but placing the hook for purpose of balance seems a little out of order to me but what do I know

I would think that balance can be achieved with lead weight after finding a belly hook position first. But if short strikes were only getting scales, then I guess that if that position solved that, then it must be good. There's always room for improvement, just because something worked 25 years ago, doesn't mean it has to be exactly the same now. It can be a good starting point though. I have no interest in calling Al on the phone, thanks anyway. Maybe I will get a chance to speak to him at the show on Friday.

Nobody will answer the 100 million dollar question of HOW MUCH?? so are they gonna cost 12 bucks or what?

Peter Lajoie · 03-29-2005, 09:32 PM

The plus will be from 12 to 16 bucks depending on the size, now wheres my 100 million dollars Slip, thats allot of plugs....