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Gobies. I’ve caught the awful things by accident dragging jigs for Erie smallmouths off Buffalo, New York, pulling ‘crawler harnesses too close to bottom on Green Bay and jigging for whitefish through the ice. It seems the jury’s still out on the exotics’ long-term effect on these fisheries and others they’ve invaded, but one thing’s certain—they’re everywhere on the Great Lakes these days. And they’re a top menu item for native gamefish—namely smallmouths.
Let’s make something clear from the get-go: You’re not going to fish this bait on anything but heavy tackle, because it weighs over a freakin’ ounce. But there’s a reason—it keeps the lure pinned to bottom like a real goby (they don’t have swim bladders like most other fish) and resting belly-down on its pectoral fins.
The big dose of lead also makes it practical to fish the bait effectively on deep offshore structure. This is money. I’ve fished Erie on rough days and know first-hand how tough it is to keep track of a run-of-the-mill tube jig when 4-footers are throwing your butt around.
Aside from that mechanical stuff, the baits just look like real gobies in every way that matters. They come in four patterns that match the species’ primary color variations: Money Band, Purple-descent, Davy Jones (a nearly black pattern that matches the dark coloration of spawning males), and Calypso (for waters with lots of sand, like Lake St. Clair). Plus, there’s Looker, a pale pattern that looks like no goby I’ve ever seen but is intended for sight-fishing.
For the moment, it looks like the lures aren’t available in major retailers, but you can
order them direct online. They go for $14.99 apiece, which is actually pretty darn good for a premium, hand-molded swimbait like this.
-- Ryan