| The Gitzem by Barefoot Tackle |
When I first saw the Reel Hunter that day at ICAST I thought this thing could be deadly on the Stripers here on
Lake Mead. I mentioned this to Dal and he could not have agreed more. They supplied me with enough jigs to try
for myself and to hand out to a couple of the local guides out here.
Now here on Lake Mead we have a season where the jig bite is at it's best and a season when the top water action is
best, and so forth. Well, as soon as the water was right local guide John Wood tied one on, uhm, not that kind of
tied one on, he tied on a Reel Hunter and it wasn't long before he was hooking and releasing several Stripers ranging
from 2 to 6 pounds. Now these jigs will catch bigger fish but at Mead the smaller Stripers are like pests and they are
in abundance.
Anyway, the Reel Hunter was an instant smash among the few anglers that had them to use. It wasn't long after that
when laker Plaza put them on the shelves. The following season John was out there and in about 90 minutes time he
landed and released over 120 Stripers, all on the Reel Hunter.
Lake Mead. I mentioned this to Dal and he could not have agreed more. They supplied me with enough jigs to try
for myself and to hand out to a couple of the local guides out here.
Now here on Lake Mead we have a season where the jig bite is at it's best and a season when the top water action is
best, and so forth. Well, as soon as the water was right local guide John Wood tied one on, uhm, not that kind of
tied one on, he tied on a Reel Hunter and it wasn't long before he was hooking and releasing several Stripers ranging
from 2 to 6 pounds. Now these jigs will catch bigger fish but at Mead the smaller Stripers are like pests and they are
in abundance.
Anyway, the Reel Hunter was an instant smash among the few anglers that had them to use. It wasn't long after that
when laker Plaza put them on the shelves. The following season John was out there and in about 90 minutes time he
landed and released over 120 Stripers, all on the Reel Hunter.
| A couple of small Stripers that fell for the Gitzem. That's Tim on the left. |
Once word was spread everybody had to have a few in their tackle bags. Now there are other jigs that work out here on the lake and they do catch
fish, BUT, fished side by side with a Reel Hunter they will be out fished three to one. The jig is that good. You don't have to take my word for it,
get one for yourself and try it. I don't care if you're fishin' for Stripers, Yellowtail or Bluegill, you're gonna' catch fish. Well okay, maybe not the
Bluegill, unless you can find a really tiny Reel Hunter. Anyway folks, you get the idea. Okay, now I have to mention one more lure - The Gitzem
by Barefoot Tackle.
fish, BUT, fished side by side with a Reel Hunter they will be out fished three to one. The jig is that good. You don't have to take my word for it,
get one for yourself and try it. I don't care if you're fishin' for Stripers, Yellowtail or Bluegill, you're gonna' catch fish. Well okay, maybe not the
Bluegill, unless you can find a really tiny Reel Hunter. Anyway folks, you get the idea. Okay, now I have to mention one more lure - The Gitzem
by Barefoot Tackle.
I was back at ICAST last year and once again I had the pleasure to meet the Barefoot Gang. Hmm, sounds like
somebody out of a western doesn't it; anyway, Tim and the guys were back and this time with a vengeance.
He had all of the usual good stuff there but this time he had a little something special. A new jig that he had fine
tuned to perfection. A jig that would once again catch damned near anything that swam.
Tim showed me a video that he had made while testing the jig. I was impressed. The jig is The Gitzem. Now
then, this is no ordinary jig. This jig swims like a Squid when fished conventionally and it can be trolled, yes, I
said TROLLED with incredible success. You have got to see this thing in action.
somebody out of a western doesn't it; anyway, Tim and the guys were back and this time with a vengeance.
He had all of the usual good stuff there but this time he had a little something special. A new jig that he had fine
tuned to perfection. A jig that would once again catch damned near anything that swam.
Tim showed me a video that he had made while testing the jig. I was impressed. The jig is The Gitzem. Now
then, this is no ordinary jig. This jig swims like a Squid when fished conventionally and it can be trolled, yes, I
said TROLLED with incredible success. You have got to see this thing in action.
Besides the obvious when I first saw the jig I asked Tim what made the jig head different from others on the market.
"The "Gitzem" jig can be used with or without a float. It is mechanically snag resistant, and has a crazy "side to side
action that drives fish wild. It literally "walks the dog" underwater.
"For as long as jig heads have been around, the plastic has been the only action. I reverse engineered this process and
made the jig head itself have the action. You can put most plastics on this head, and it will give the plastic life" explained
Tim.
"The method for fishing under the float is wonderful for children, novice and pros (whether they will admit it or not).
Great for bass fishermen (if they would not be ashamed of being seen fishing under a float. The float is just a splashing
surface attractant (and a strike indicator) that draws the fish up to look, and then the jig/soft plastic is right there in their
face. When rigged with a modified moldcraft (or other soft plastic squid) it acts and looks exactly like a real squid
(jumping back and forth)."
"The "Gitzem" jig can be used with or without a float. It is mechanically snag resistant, and has a crazy "side to side
action that drives fish wild. It literally "walks the dog" underwater.
"For as long as jig heads have been around, the plastic has been the only action. I reverse engineered this process and
made the jig head itself have the action. You can put most plastics on this head, and it will give the plastic life" explained
Tim.
"The method for fishing under the float is wonderful for children, novice and pros (whether they will admit it or not).
Great for bass fishermen (if they would not be ashamed of being seen fishing under a float. The float is just a splashing
surface attractant (and a strike indicator) that draws the fish up to look, and then the jig/soft plastic is right there in their
face. When rigged with a modified moldcraft (or other soft plastic squid) it acts and looks exactly like a real squid
(jumping back and forth)."
Gitzem 1 - Flattie 0
Being a longtime saltwater angler myself I knew that the action of a squid drove most fish absolutely crazy. My immediate thought was I need to get
this thing down to the boys at Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego. Then my brain processed what I was seeing and thought, hey, this could be a
killer on our local fish.
Case in point, at the convention the good ol' boys from Berkley Fishing Products were there with their wares and a nice big tank full of Bass. Well,
about 4:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon they were getting ready to do another demonstration for the folks in attendance to show off some of their
new stuff. One of the guys came over and asked Tim if he'd like to see his jig in the tank rigged with a Berkley Gulp Plastic bait. Of course Tim
jumped at the chance.
Well, the guy at the helm rigged a few rods with various baits and proceeded to tease the bass. The first thing he threw was a spinner blade combo
that he ripped across the surface but the bass wouldn't bite. He then slowly ran it deep right in front of them and again they had no interest. After
about a dozen attempts he decided to throw another bait, again, still no interest from the fish. Well, since Berkley was there hoping the fish would
bite he explained that the fish just weren't interested simply because they had everything including the kitchen sink thrown at them all day long and
were now wise to the offerings. Next the guy decided to try out the Gulp bait tied to Tim's Gitzem Jig. He tossed it out and played it back and forth
a couple of times the way you would a conventional jig and the bass still showed no interest. Tim told the guy to quit fishin' like an old lady and
bounce that thing so it'll dance they went it was meant to.
Well, the Berkley Basser kind of grunted but he did as Tim requested and immediately a bass pounced on it and sucked it in. "Look at that" says the
Berkley guy, "our Gulp baits work great don't they!" Once again he tossed the Gitzem out there, bounced it around and again a bass slammed the
lure almost immediately. Wow, everyone thought, that Gulp is some good stuff, and yes, it is but there's more. The guy next grabbed an outfit
rigged with a new Gulp Frog bait and threw it into the tank. He explained that the bait could be worked on top of the water, below the surface, over
rocks and branches; the whole time bouncing that Gulp bait right under the noses, literally, of the fish. After three or four dozen attempts the bass
still made no move to the bait.
One of the reps next to us said that the bait was too big and that's why the bass weren't hitting it so he told the guy to switch to the next outfit rigged
with a smaller grub. I think you know where I'm getting with this. The guy threw that smaller Gulp bait out there probably five or six dozen times
and did everything short of jumping in the tank and pinning a fish to the hook himself but the fish refused to budge. Somebody from the audience
who shall remain nameless hollered out to the guy to toss that "other" jig back out there, Berkley politely, and quietly, declined stating that the bass
were tired and the next show would be the following morning. What can I say? Ah yes, after the demonstration with Berkley Tim did ask to have
his jig returned, Berkley will have to figure this one out on their own. To find out more about Tim Barefoot and his company just click on the link
above.
Okay folks, I gotta' mention that Berkley has some absolutely fantastic products and they have been in this business for a very long time. They know what they're
doing and they do it well. It just happened to be that on that day the fish preferred the Gitzem offering. It could be very well that the bass have seen the Berkley
baits so much on that day they just weren't fooled again. Either way, it was a great show to watch. Maybe I should have called this the Gitzem page.....
this thing down to the boys at Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego. Then my brain processed what I was seeing and thought, hey, this could be a
killer on our local fish.
Case in point, at the convention the good ol' boys from Berkley Fishing Products were there with their wares and a nice big tank full of Bass. Well,
about 4:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon they were getting ready to do another demonstration for the folks in attendance to show off some of their
new stuff. One of the guys came over and asked Tim if he'd like to see his jig in the tank rigged with a Berkley Gulp Plastic bait. Of course Tim
jumped at the chance.
Well, the guy at the helm rigged a few rods with various baits and proceeded to tease the bass. The first thing he threw was a spinner blade combo
that he ripped across the surface but the bass wouldn't bite. He then slowly ran it deep right in front of them and again they had no interest. After
about a dozen attempts he decided to throw another bait, again, still no interest from the fish. Well, since Berkley was there hoping the fish would
bite he explained that the fish just weren't interested simply because they had everything including the kitchen sink thrown at them all day long and
were now wise to the offerings. Next the guy decided to try out the Gulp bait tied to Tim's Gitzem Jig. He tossed it out and played it back and forth
a couple of times the way you would a conventional jig and the bass still showed no interest. Tim told the guy to quit fishin' like an old lady and
bounce that thing so it'll dance they went it was meant to.
Well, the Berkley Basser kind of grunted but he did as Tim requested and immediately a bass pounced on it and sucked it in. "Look at that" says the
Berkley guy, "our Gulp baits work great don't they!" Once again he tossed the Gitzem out there, bounced it around and again a bass slammed the
lure almost immediately. Wow, everyone thought, that Gulp is some good stuff, and yes, it is but there's more. The guy next grabbed an outfit
rigged with a new Gulp Frog bait and threw it into the tank. He explained that the bait could be worked on top of the water, below the surface, over
rocks and branches; the whole time bouncing that Gulp bait right under the noses, literally, of the fish. After three or four dozen attempts the bass
still made no move to the bait.
One of the reps next to us said that the bait was too big and that's why the bass weren't hitting it so he told the guy to switch to the next outfit rigged
with a smaller grub. I think you know where I'm getting with this. The guy threw that smaller Gulp bait out there probably five or six dozen times
and did everything short of jumping in the tank and pinning a fish to the hook himself but the fish refused to budge. Somebody from the audience
who shall remain nameless hollered out to the guy to toss that "other" jig back out there, Berkley politely, and quietly, declined stating that the bass
were tired and the next show would be the following morning. What can I say? Ah yes, after the demonstration with Berkley Tim did ask to have
his jig returned, Berkley will have to figure this one out on their own. To find out more about Tim Barefoot and his company just click on the link
above.
Okay folks, I gotta' mention that Berkley has some absolutely fantastic products and they have been in this business for a very long time. They know what they're
doing and they do it well. It just happened to be that on that day the fish preferred the Gitzem offering. It could be very well that the bass have seen the Berkley
baits so much on that day they just weren't fooled again. Either way, it was a great show to watch. Maybe I should have called this the Gitzem page.....
I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Barefoot and the gang from Barefoot Tackle while at the ICAST convention in Las Vegas a couple of years ago.
As I was walking the aisles I happened to come across their booth. The first thing that caught my eye was the rod selection that they had on hand.
They had a great assortment and they looked great, but, how well would they perform? Tim's associate Dal Barber came up and introduced himself
to me. I introduced myself and asked about the rods, what they were made of, etc etc. (This page isn't about the rods remember.)
Anyway, one thing led to another and I soon found out that Barefoot Tackle put out a product that captured my interest. Folks I have to tell you a
little something about this company. There is not a single product that they sell that is not field tested first by Tim himself. Now when I say field
test I don't mean that he bends the rods once or twice or toss' a few jigs; this man goes out and he fishes the product like there was no tomorrow.
When he's out there he doesn't give up until he knows for sure, be it rod or lure or gaff, that it performs 110%. If it's a lure he's testing then it
damn well better catch a fish and if it's a rod then it better hold up to the stress that he puts it through.
Tim dedicates his life to fishing and he knows his business. He knows that the angler cannot go out with an inferior product and expect to be
successful time after time. He's developed products for both inshore and offshore anglers alike. I've used his rods and his lures and believe me
when I tell you they work great. All right, let's move on to the Reel Hunter.
As I was walking the aisles I happened to come across their booth. The first thing that caught my eye was the rod selection that they had on hand.
They had a great assortment and they looked great, but, how well would they perform? Tim's associate Dal Barber came up and introduced himself
to me. I introduced myself and asked about the rods, what they were made of, etc etc. (This page isn't about the rods remember.)
Anyway, one thing led to another and I soon found out that Barefoot Tackle put out a product that captured my interest. Folks I have to tell you a
little something about this company. There is not a single product that they sell that is not field tested first by Tim himself. Now when I say field
test I don't mean that he bends the rods once or twice or toss' a few jigs; this man goes out and he fishes the product like there was no tomorrow.
When he's out there he doesn't give up until he knows for sure, be it rod or lure or gaff, that it performs 110%. If it's a lure he's testing then it
damn well better catch a fish and if it's a rod then it better hold up to the stress that he puts it through.
Tim dedicates his life to fishing and he knows his business. He knows that the angler cannot go out with an inferior product and expect to be
successful time after time. He's developed products for both inshore and offshore anglers alike. I've used his rods and his lures and believe me
when I tell you they work great. All right, let's move on to the Reel Hunter.
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| I RECOMMEND REEL HUNTER by BAREFOOT TACKLE |
| Click on the banner above to see the Barefoot site. |
| This page is supposed to be about the Reel Hunter by Barefoot Tackle; and although it is, I can't just talk about that jig without mentioning the company. |
