Gillies Stickbait Questions

[Ken Best]

Has anyone used this lure? Does it swim OK?
Does it have a wire right through and is it timber or plastic?
The Blue Mackeral looks good in photos and is cheap enough.
It will need hooks and rings replacing though.

Ken

[Greg Burt]

I haven't tossed one at target species as yet but used them in practice sessions, they have a good profile and action, I have been informed by WA users that they are tough enough just the finish is a bit cheapish and doesn't last long [what does when chasing big bities], definite value .
 Sent one to Cam in NZ to try on Kingies, over to you Cam!

PS: Gillies have stopped producing them.

[Cam Foley]

I'm not really a stickbait pro but they sure swim fine and cast out a long way ,but as Greg said the finish is a bit cheapish and tends to peel of pretty easy but the underneath finish is still a good look.So for value for money i don't think one could go wrong and as Ken said ,all you have to do is change the hooks and split rings.
I have just found a Berkley popper which looks really cheaply made and is cheap to buy ,will post a pic as soon as i get it.
Im preety sure it has a wire all the through and is made of some sort of plastic.

[Cam Foley]

This first pic is a Berkley popper i got for under $20 it is made of poly wood what ever that is the weight of it is 125g and is 140mm long,
The second popper is a Zest 110g at 200mm long,
The third is a Zest 105g at 180mm long Both Zest poppers are made out of Poly Urethane.
These are pretty cheap poppers and more than likely would not last on good sized GTs but are good enough for most other species.
The last popper is one i found in the shop i work in and is a bit of a novelty weighing in at 2 or 3 kg and a length of around 600mm, lol

[Andrew Opie]

I have just got back from Scott Reef and we used the Gillies stick baits while targeting GT's etc. They worked fine, infacted they out fished all of the poppers we used (Roosta haymakers, Yo-zuri GT Bulls and River2sea dumbells). They get smashed up quickly, but then again for a lure under $20.00 what would you expect. We upgraded the rings and hooks to Owner rings and St-66 trebles but found that they swam better with single Decoy jig hooks instead of the trebles.

[Luke Wyrsta]

I have just got back from Scott Reef and we used the Gillies stick baits while targeting GT's etc. They worked fine, infacted they out fished all of the poppers we used (Roosta haymakers, Yo-zuri GT Bulls and River2sea dumbells). They get smashed up quickly, but then again for a lure under $20.00 what would you expect. We upgraded the rings and hooks to Owner rings and St-66 trebles but found that they swam better with single Decoy jig hooks instead of the trebles.

Welcome to the forum Andrew.

Scott Reef is a pretty cool place - do you have a report or any pics?

Get your hands on some Craftbait, Carpenter and Fisherman lures - you won't go back

[Ken Best]

Thanks for the replies gents, I'll get some while they are still available, might be good to use when throwing to spots where fish don't want to leave, or respect the price of your offering!!
and welcome Andrew.

[Brandon Khoo]

Ken - that is a very nice fish in your photos although I don't know if I am supposed to say that on a GT site!   

[Ken Best]

Brandon,

109cm from Awoonga, (released). It was a medicine ball, maybe 25 to 27 kg.
Casting for big barra amongst timber is similar to GT fishing in rough country.
Need good gear, knots, strong hooks and rings to extract them from the timber.
Sorry Luke, when I get a GT that big I'll replace the photo.
Something to strive for....

Ken

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi, Cam. I use the Zest Pencil popper quite extensively here in Fiji and while the finish does come off after a few good hits the popper will withstand repeated hits from big GTs. In fact I tend to choose them above others when they are in the tackle box. You do have to upgrade the hooks as the standard hooks are quite cheap. I tend to put Mustad doubles on them with quite a large one at the back and a slightly smaller one in front. They cast well and are easy to work all day.

[Cam Foley]

Sachin , what size mustad doubles do you put on them?
Was thinking around the 6/0