VOL . 36 • ISS . 18
Aug . 18 - Sept . 1 , 2017
9
IMA Glide Fluke Unveiled
T he newest bait it the Ima lineup was developed with the input
and experience of professional angler and guide Michael Murphy .
He wanted a bait that can be fished like a soft jerkbait like the Optimum Victory Tail , but that could also double as a glide bait for his home waters where bass key on shad and blueback herring . This was designed for the East Coast where bass do not eat trout . It works great anytime blueback herring and shad are the main forage ,” says Murphy .
Design Process : Like all good lures , it takes some time to get it just right . The Ima Glide Fluke was nearly two years in development and it is now ready for release .
“ We really wanted it to work perfectly and not just catch fishermen ,” begins Murphy . The design process involved two key features that separate this bait om other hard swimbaits and glide baits ; the hook placement and head design . One common theme among baits in this category is that the rear hook is often mounted underneath a molded fin or rudder . This helps to get the bait to run a certain way , but the hookup percentage goes down when fish are swiping at a fast-moving bait .”
“ Part of what we required was for this to have a hook at the very back of the bait . With baits like this , a lot of times the bass miss it and having the hook there helps land more of the fish that swipe at it . Even if it just gets them with one single hook , a catch is a catch ,” says Murphy .
To counter the loss of a tail rudder ,
Murphy and the team at Ima developed a head design with three ridges and two grooves .
“ Knowing how the water flows and deflects on the head and through trial and error , we found this to be the best design . It allows the bait to have a great side-toside action but also a unique up and down action on some types of retrieves ,” begins Murphy . The reasoning behind this is to allow the bait to walk like a soft-plastic jerkbait , but also have the action that makes glide baits so effective .
Specifications : The Glide Fluke is a two-segmented bait with realistic 3D eyes . It comes in two sizes , 110 and 178 . With both sizes , there is a sinking and floating model . All of them have a similar action , but they do have some key differences in how they act and where best to use them .
“ The smaller bait has a tighter and quicker darting action , and that is also true of smaller baitfish compared to larger ones ,” says Murphy , who holds a Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences degree from Purdue University .
The baits also vary in weight depending on the model . The 110 in the floating version is 23g and the sinking model weighs in at 28g . The 178 size comes in at 80 grams for the sinking and 70g for the floating . “ They are all very castable because of the weight , but also how they are shaped ,” says Murphy .
Both the floating and sinking version have their own unique characteristics that can help the bait achieve different actions .
Fishing the Floating Version : The floating version works well when fished as a wake bait according to Murphy . “ With
mono , the bait will float very well and you can retrieve it with your rod tip up and get a great action on the surface ,” he says .
The bait also has a unique look on the surface . “ If you get into a rhythm with your retrieve you can get the bait to kick side to side and have that ‘ hunting ’ action to draw fish to the surface ,” Murphy adds . There are times early in the summer when the topwater bite is just starting and fish tend to miss the bait or just swipe at it . This is when the floating version shines and it helps to get those fish to commit according to Murphy .
Fishing the Sinking Version : With this model , the possibilities of fishing the bait are endless . Murphy likes to use the sinking version when bass are feeding on spawning shad and also when fishing along docks . “ We built the bait to fall horizontal , so you can cast next to a dock ad let it fall and it has a great quivering action as it is falling , almost like a soft plastic stickbait ,” he says .
There are many different retrieves that will work and Murphy fishes the bait both like a soft jerkbait as well as a standard glide bait . “ With a quick jerk of the rod , you can also get it to push down slightly and then come up as it corrects itself . You can also walk it like a soft-plastic jerkbait with a quick retrieve and the back hook will not get hooked on your line and that was by design ,” says the South Carolina pro .
Approach : Murphy says there is no right
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or wrong place to utilize the Glide Fluke , but he does vary his approach based on the season , the depth he is targeting and the cover present . With a floating and sinking model available , he has a large depth range covered .
Generally , he prefers the floating version around the spawn and then again during the summer months . The colder months and the right after the spawn is when the sinking version excels .
Gear : Being a large bait , heavy tackle is a must . Murphy recommends either a heavyweight crankbait rod or swimbait setup . “ I use a 7 ’ 4 ” heavy Denali cranking rod , but a 7 ’ 2 ” -7 ’ 4 ” swimbait or heavy topwater rod will also work well . I ’ m also a big fan of a high-speed reel because you can always slow down and for me , that is easier than using a slower reel and trying to reel faster ,” he says .
When it comes to line , a 20-pound monofilament or 30-pound braid is his choice for the floating model and a 15-20-pound fluorocarbon for the sinking model .
The new Ima Glide Fluke offers a new twist in the hard bait category ; a bait that can walk , glide and swim . With two sizes and two different models available , there are countless ways this bait can be used for bass keying on blueback herring and shad .
For more information , go to : http :// optimumbaits . com / what-is-the-ima-glidefluke-and-how-to-fish-it /
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