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Reel Keel is the real deal: New lure primed to impact the market for a long time
BY Luke Clayton, Special to Star Local News
Many new lures that hit the market are designed more to catch the fisherman than the fish.
This is common knowledge among those of us that are anxious to try the latest and greatest method of tricking our favored game fish. Occasionally though, through either extreme genius, a stroke of good luck or both, a revolutionary bait comes along that catches not only the fisherman's eye, but also fish.
So it is with a new lure called the Reel Keel (reelkeel.com).
But the new bait can do much more.
Much of the fish-catching appeal of the Reel Keel can be attributed to the design/angle of the front of the bait. This angle gives the Reel Keel a natural diving mouth so there is no plastic lip required. This flat plane also allows the water to push up against the lure to make Reel Keel swim. The face of the lure is designed so there is no pulsating action as the bait swims. The design of the lure's mouth causes the water to push the Reel Keel side to side, creating a swimming motion instead of vibrating. When retrieved, simply cranking the reel's handle causes the lure to make the side-to-side action we've come to call 'walking the dog'.
The eye of the Reel Keel is indented into the body and then sealed under a double coat of specialty gloss. This seal keeps the eyes shiny. Many fishermen, myself included, feel that natural looking eyes are paramount for a lure's appeal to game fish.
The most unique feature of the lure is the brass, double nickel-plated keel embedded into the resin-fiber, polymer body.
This keel is exposed in the front to allow the line to be attached directly to the keel so when the fish hits, it is pulling on the brass blade directly. This increases the hook-setting ability. Also, with the line directly attached to the keel (and because of the keel itself), the lure cannot spin. Since the lure cannot spin, the Reel Keel will never tangle your line.
The body of the lure is a resin-fiber, polymer material which allows the lure to stand up to anything you can throw at it.
The shape of the lure is specifically designed to cast further and holds a specific gravity that allows it to float. The specific gravity is so exact, you can't even feel it at the end of the line. This makes the strike response faster; you can feel even the slightest nibble on your line.
The extra bit of keel at the back of the Reel Keel works with the face of the lure to help the propulsion create life-like swimming action.
The best way to attach the Reel Keel to your line is with a good barrel swivel in the hole at front of the lure. A six-inch leader is suggested for bass fishing. One could use the drop-sinker method or could attach an inline weight approximately 36 inches from the bait.
Remember to let the bait do its job.
Control of the rod tip; tipping the rod tip down will allow the lure to work at different depths. The length of the line will control the depth. For example: 30 feet of line with the rod tip down will have the lure diving to 22 feet. As you move the rod tip up, the lure moves up in proportion.
The bait's design allows you to cast with extreme accuracy and great distance, making it ideal for casting into a school of top-water feeding stripers or white bass. Reeling in slowly will allow the bait to work for surface fish. Reeling faster will allow it to work deeper.
Trolling with the Reel Keel is very easy and natural.
On a slow troll, the lure stays near the top. The more line out with the rod tip down causes the bait to dive deeper.
Hook set is instant.
Because of the swimming action, the Reel Keel has no weight when you're pulling on it. Unlike a lure with a lip that pulsates, the Reel Keel does not pulsate. Therefore, one can respond to the slightest nudge on the lure, making hook set instantaneous. Remember that the Reel Keel is a slow-rising body bait, so it does not just pop up to the surface.
After more than a half-century tossing baits at bass, I can truly say I've tried them all. It's been a long, long time I've seen a plug with the fish-catching action built in that I see in the Reel Keel. I think this one will be around a long time.
Channel catfish spawn under way
Lake Tawakoni guide Larry Thomas (940-229-0288) notes that channel catfish began moving into the shallows to spawn last week.
"We've been enjoying good action in water 3 feet or less," he said. "With the influx of fresh water recently, there's plenty of newly flooded shoreline weeds and brush to attract spawning fish."
Channel catfish can be caught on everything from earthworms to crickets, but Thomas favors smelly cheese-base catfish bait.
"These fish are not difficult to catch once you find them and smelly bait helps draw them in quickly," he said. "I prefer fishing a floater with a slim profile so the strike can be easily detected. Very often a channel catfish will mouth the bait and bring it toward the surface. The only indication of a strike will be a slight wobble of the floater. It's easier to detect the movement with a longer floater."
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