When Reaction Strikes Turns Vicious
Billy "Hawkeye" Decoteau
I’m sure most bass anglers feel a bit discouraged when that hard tugging bass at the end of their line turns out to be what is known as a “Toothy Critter’. But, there are indeed times when these long lanky creatures can send an angler home with the ‘Fish Story of a Lifetime’! As in the case of Kris Reibel and his partner Rick Quade.
“We were out on an Indiana reservoir to spend the day breaking in Rick’s new Triton bass boat, so obviously we had to bring along a few Bull Dawg rods and some new Reaction Strike Swimbaits,” insisted Kris Reibel co-owner of Trophy Technologies, LLC.
Reibel however, was quick to point out, “we were targeting Trophy Fish!” Trophy Musky that is……….and that meant Muskies 50 inches long!!!
According to Reibel, he and Quade worked 9” Reaction Strike Pearl and Hitch color Revolution Shad Swimbaits.
“We started our day by casting 9” Revo-Shad Wake and Slow Fall models within several four-foot deep channels leading into the main lake, with no success,” recalls Reibel.
“Now keep in mind that this was during the summer, main lake surface temperatures were higher, and these channels were cooler due to recent rains,” adds Quade.
“There were several areas Rick and I concentrated on that had ‘Trophy Fish’, written all over them! And, something told us this back water cove was the best of them all for a Trophy Musky!”
Just what made this particular area better than the rest? “Several factors must be present when targeting Trophy Musky, and they rotate with seasonal patterns. However, most importantly the common factor within each season is the presence of baitfish,” informs Reibel.
Quade’s sonar revealed large moving schools of Gizzard Shad suspended over thirty-six feet.
“Basically there were three deep-water bowls within this area, surrounded by an 8 to 11 foot flat harvesting an excellent aquatic vegetation weedline just outside the deeper contour lines.”
Since Reibel and Quade were pursuing Trophy Musky during the summer months their game plan called for starting shallow and working their way towards deeper water.
“During the summer months Muskies feed less and in general are usually are much lighter in weight. They also seek comfort zones in cooler deep water, are opportunistic feeders devouring only larger baitfish in the 6-12 inch range,” says Reibel.
“Trophy size Musky can propel themselves from deep water to the surface with just one sweep of their huge tail! Their long bullet shaped body travels through the water column like a rocket, however they will only expel this much energy on larger baitfish.”
Trophy Hunters utilize only larger baits, in many cases Trophy Musky Anglers will only tie on 12” baits or larger.
As with bass fishing boat position is essential to success, especially when anglers are making cast after cast! Quade maneuvered his boat over the 18 to 22 foot depth range.
“This position allowed both Rick and I to make long precise casts covering both the surrounding vegetation as well as the deeper bowls,” recalls Reibel.
When targeting the vegetation these Trophy Musky Hunters tied on Reactions Strike 9” Revo Shad Wake Baits for submerged vegetation and open areas within the weeds, while a Reaction Strike 9” Revo Shad Slow Fall model allowed them to slowly let their swimbait fall vertically unto the top of the three-four foot submerged weeds, ticking the weed edge throughout their entire retrieve.
With the baitfish suspended in the open water, Rick and Kris turned to the 3.75oz Reaction Strike 9” Suspending Revo Shads. “Its diving depth is six feet, and as with all the Revo Shads, their large segmented hard body, coupled with an ultra realistic life-like articulating swimming action emulated the Gizzard Shad perfectly.
While its slightly heavier weight (Wake Model 3.0oz, Slow-Fall 3.5oz) allowed for longer casts, keep the bait in the deeper strike zone”, states both Reibel and Quade.
Kris Reibel and Rick Quade’s arsenal consisted of 8’6” Heavy Action Bull Dawg Rods, (www.MuskyInnovations.com) designed specifically for magnum swimbaits in the 2-10 oz range, spooled with Moss Green colored 80 lb Castaic ‘Warrior’ Braid as their main line, with an 80 lb Musky Innovations Fluorocarbon 12” InvisiLeader clipped to their Reaction Strike 9” Revolution Shads. (www.CastaicSwimbaits.com)
When it comes to presentations and techniques, Reibel and Quade keep it simple. “We make long accurate casts allowing the individual model Reaction Strike Revolution Shad to work its way into the water column’s depth it was designed for. Our favorite ‘Big Fish’ retrieve is usually constant and steady, however we will vary the speed of our retrieve especially if we see fish following but not eating our Revo Shads,” instructs Kris Reibel.
In this situation the Reaction Strike Revolution Shad swimbaits out perform all other swimbaits on the market, claim Reibel and Quade. “Utilizing a fast retrieve incorporated with a sudden stop and jerk motion, not only entices reaction strikes it causes the Musky to inhale the bait!
“The Reaction Strike Revo Shad will actually turn around and face the chasing Musky when you employ the jerking motion on a slack line. No chasing fish can resist eating the bait then,” says Kris Reibel.
And, such was the case when Kris Reibel enticed two Trophy size Muskies in one day to inhale his 9” Hitch colored Reaction Strike Suspending Revo-Shad!
“The particular body of water we were on has records of 50” Muskies, being caught. However, these are few and far between; most of the larger Muskies average around the 40” size.”
With a touch of excitement in his voice Kris Reibel replayed his actual on-the-water Trophy Musky technique, which landed him his largest Musky to date 47.5”, followed by another 42” Monster Musky the same day!
In both cases these huge Muskies rocketed from the bottom to within six-eight feet of the surface.
“I was able to see these Monster-Muskies due to the crystal clear water and an excellent pair of polarized glasses. Immediately I drove my rod five-feet into the water and began making figure eights, as Rick stood by with the net. That Musky kept missing my bait thrashing as I continued to make the figure eight, then just as I was beginning the second figure eight he inhaled the entire 9” Revo Shad!”
The technique of making figure eights along side your boat is a science within itself. “It’s imperative that anglers realize the importance of utilizing their tackle in keeping their bait deeper in the water and not pulling the bait away from the following fish,” suggest Reibel.
“Strong long rods, like Bull Dawg’s 8’6” allowed me to place it five feet into the water, while another two-feet of Warrior Braid, with an additional 12 inches of fluorocarbon leader together equaling eight-feet. This allowed me to make smooth larger figure eights, while keeping the fish away from the boat, yet close enough to net, as the bait stayed within the feeding zone!”
Let’s rewind for just a minute here! Kris Reibel and Rick Quade have assembled worldwide, the most outstanding selection of both hard and soft plastic baits available for Trophy Hunting Anglers period! These two aggressively minded individuals have one primary goal…….’To equip Trophy Hunting Anglers with the most realistic, field-tested, on-the-water researched and development proven highest quality artificial baits possible!’
“Not too long ago Rick and I purchased the Castaic Swimbait Company, adding the complete line-up of Legendary Castaic Swimbaits to our already growing and proven line-up of Reaction Strike hard and soft plastic artificial baits,” says Reibel. www.CastaicSwimbaits.com
Rick Quade is quick to point out, “All of the fantastic Castaic Swimbait products anglers have become accustomed to and desire will still be available as originally designed with no modifications made to the Castaic Swimbaits proven track record.”
Reibel and Quade working closely with their worldwide pro-staff, constantly and aggressively seek to grow both their Reaction Strike and their Castaic Swimbait lines with new species specific lure designs, rods, as well as other innovative products to assist all anglers in reaching their Trophy specific goals. God Bless and Best Bassin.
