![]() |
Tacoma, Washington- – John Crews, a sixteen-year veteran of the Bassmaster Elite Series, reaches for Gamakatsu’s Gika Rig when the going gets tough. The unconventional rig combines finesse fishing with the speed of power fishing to quickly cover ground while still offering an exciting presentation to finicky fish.
“The Gika Rig helps me find fish in a hurry,” explains the veteran angler, who has amassed 26 Top 10 Bassmaster finishes in his career. “The unique rig lets me power fish with my favorite soft plastics, giving a finesse presentation as I power over water.”
The Gika Rig’s natural swimming and dropping motion slips through vegetation with ease, grabbing the attention of smallmouth and largemouth bass, forcing them to bite.
Gamakatsu Gika Rigs are built using an offset shank worm hook with an elongated drop shot weight attached directly to the eye via a solid ring. The weight position allows anglers to feel the bottom, detecting transitions in composition and helping find fish-holding structures. The solid ring allows soft plastic bait to float freely and rotate from side to side as it descends, creating alluring action that can’t be ignored.
“It’s a very versatile rig,” says Crews. The Gika Rig offers a different presentation, giving Crews the edge he needs to put more fish in the boat in lakes with heavy angling pressure. The Gika excels with a variety of soft plastics, including worms, craws, or creature baits, providing each with unique new action. And the snagless nature lets Crews put them exactly where they need to be. “I can fish it through a variety of cover without needing to change my bait.”
“I start with the quarter-ounce version, but I adjust the weight to get the presentation I’m after,” says Crews. The weight is painted black for stealthy presentations, featuring a snap that allows Crews to quickly change the size of the weight to match the conditions. The weight size is permanently stamped into the side, making it easy to identify when it’s time to make a change. “I’ll dial it back to 1/8 ounce to achieve a slower fall with smaller baits, or go up to 3/8 to hit deeper water or punch through cover.”
Crews looks to Gamakatsu for much more than the Gika. “Over the last 16 years, 99 percent of my winning fish have been caught on Gamakatsu hooks,” explains Crews. And with nearly 1.5 million dollars in purses, that’s a lot.
|