Old techniques vs. New tactics

[CANAL RAT]

plugs,rubbah and wood work well but live or fresh dead bait will always be best.

[Krispy]

Musta been a bad joke.. I know who Al Bensten is and his accomplishments. I follow his rigged eel article.
But mentioning his name in this thread in regard to rubber eel supplies harkens back to the great "blue needlefish hysteria" of '03, all hype

[cheferson]

Originally Posted by Krispy

Musta been a bad joke.. I know who Al Bensten is and his accomplishments. I follow his rigged eel article.
But mentioning his name in this thread in regard to rubber eel supplies harkens back to the great "blue needlefish hysteria" of '03, all hype

a quote from AL on another site

"To me the best and most inovative lure during the past 50 years was Mickey Chirenza Tri-in eel. It is a tube lure and those that used it hammered big bass both day and night. What made it unique was the shape of the head which gave it it's name tri-fin and its action.

This lure came in different sizes and they all worked. It came along when the Alou plastic eel did and it outfished it. But it never got the noterity that the Alou eel did.

I beleive it's being resurrected by a company in R.I."

[RIJIMMY]

Interesting thread, seems like there is some real passion out there that I can’t really relate to. I had a good idea for an article for one of the mags and since I will never get around to write it, I’ll throw out so maybe someone will run with it. The gist of the article is “When are saltwater striper fisherman going to catch up with freshwater largemouth fisherman?”
Look at the evolution of the tactics – Bait – wood lures – jigs – rubber . Largemouth fisherman have been using rubber for YEARS. In my experience the two best lures for BIG largemouths are jigs and rubber worms.
To Joe’s point, I think that rubber (eben’s eel and Slugs) are just a natural evolution. I don’t think these appeal to bass as eel, but just as slimy, worm/eel things that will be an easy meal.
My Dad, who targeted big bass, swore by mister twister sassy shads. The Storm concept is not new, just a little fancier.
I like fishing with eels and believe live bait is best, but if I want to work a lot of area quickly, lures work best for me and the rubber is a great compromise. Also, the convenience is a major factor.
I find working eels, needlefish or plugs very slowly for hours is more tiring that working a sluggo quickly.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

Interesting thread, seems like there is some real passion out there that I can’t really relate to. I had a good idea for an article for one of the mags and since I will never get around to write it, I’ll throw out so maybe someone will run with it. The gist of the article is “When are saltwater striper fisherman going to catch up with freshwater largemouth fisherman?”
Look at the evolution of the tactics – Bait – wood lures – jigs – rubber . Largemouth fisherman have been using rubber for YEARS. In my experience the two best lures for BIG largemouths are jigs and rubber worms.
To Joe’s point, I think that rubber (eben’s eel and Slugs) are just a natural evolution. I don’t think these appeal to bass as eel, but just as slimy, worm/eel things that will be an easy meal.
My Dad, who targeted big bass, swore by mister twister sassy shads. The Storm concept is not new, just a little fancier.
I like fishing with eels and believe live bait is best, but if I want to work a lot of area quickly, lures work best for me and the rubber is a great compromise. Also, the convenience is a major factor.
I find working eels, needlefish or plugs very slowly for hours is more tiring that working a sluggo quickly.

Sort of a natural evolution. It was kick started by an extensive (and maybe not even intentional) advertising campaign, imo. Sluggos in saltwater are far from new. Many guys used them and lost interest years ago. Rigging so as to get a different presentation and appear more eel like is the only really "new" concept.

If you walked into the SWE 5 or more years ago back when it was considered just a fly shop there was a big selection Sluggos, complete with insert weights.

I think the Sluggo's popularity will wane, just like fly fishing did, just like wood is now. The market will get saturated, which has already begun, the novelty will wear off, the best products will survive, and the rage will be over.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

I think the Sluggo's popularity will wane, just like fly fishing did, just like wood is now. The market will get saturated, which has already begun, the novelty will wear off, the best products will survive, and the rage will be over.

Now its all about Bunker Spoons after one article in a certain magazine.