Having the tail of your favourite shad bitten off is always a pain, and usually all you can do then is to transform it into a spin-tail style shad. This transformation creates a highly effective lure and that is exactly what we have done to one of our top-selling lures, the Gunki Grubby Shad. It was not simply a question of adding an internal weight and a blade, it was the creation of a new hybrid lure that the fish just could not resist!
The Gunki Grubby Flash, the new spin tail shad.
A spin-tail shad enables you to mix the vibrations of a blade style lure and a soft bait. The blade is attached to the rest of the lure by a strong thin wire and a high quality barrel swivel, guaranteed super tough and high-speed rotation. Be it on the drop or when reeling in, it will spin producing a wide variety of visual and vibratory signals. We have used a specific shape for the blade, larger than a classic willow shaped one which stabilises the lure and helps it maintain its depth no matter how fast you reel it in! On the drop, it also helps it fall slower, making it far easier for hidden pike to grab. As soon as it hits the water, the sheer force of the vibrations it produces makes the whole lure wriggle from nose to tail, just what you need to get those predators to react.
The Gunki Grubby Flash’s blade, the secret to its success.
This hybrid lure is available in 3 different sizes and weights, each in 6 different colours.
- The Grubby Flash 90, 9 cm for 17.2 grams,
- The Grubby Flash 130, 13 cm for 38.5 grams,
- The Grubby Flash 170, 17 cm for 57.2 grams.
3 sizes in 6 colours, just what you need to face any situation.
You can fish this lure ‘cast and retrieve’ style, vertically or with different animations. Its impressive stability means that you can fish it just about any way you want. The 130 and the 170 versions have an extra eye on their belly to which a standard high quality treble hook is fitted. During testing, we discovered that by positioning the treble closer to the head of the lure it resulted in a much higher hook-up ratio. This really makes a difference when the fish are targeting the head of the lure or coming up from underneath, something pike love to do. However, if the fish tend to attack from behind, the ultra-soft tail just folds, enabling even the biggest model to be swallowed and you to be able to set the hook with maximal efficiency.
Specifically positioned hooks.
The 170 version is a like none other on the market. Unique for a spin-tail shad of its size, this ‘shallow’ version will enable you to fish in less than a metre of water! If you work it with an ‘up and down’ style animation, on the down phase, it falls far slower than any other model of the same weight or size. What is more, the blade tips it to one side, making it glide and offering a much easier mouthful! This special swimming action can really trigger wary fish used to high-speed falling lure.
The 170 version of the Grubby Flash, a must have for slow and shallow applications.
It is THE lure to try when all your other favourite ones do not seem to work. Combining the advantages of a soft bait with the vibrations and flash signals of a blade, the Grubby Flash could rapidly become your new trump lure! Be it for pike, perch, zander or even trout, this spin-tail shad has all it needs to get them to bite. So give it a try and let us know if you like it!
Yannick Line
