Case Plastics 3.25-inch Helgrammite

In May, we began our mission to see if a soft-plastic hellgrammite might be an effective creature bait for Midwest finesse anglers to wield on a small jig.

Our first hellgrammite gear-guide, which was published on May 27, featured the three-inch Berkley Glup! Hellgrammite. That guide provided details about the anatomy and its environment.

Our second one featured Bass Pro Shops' 3 1/2-inch Hellgrammite. This one will focus of Case Plastics' 3.25-inch Hellgrammite, which is sometimes called the Big Hellgrammite.

The Berkley's rendition of a hellgrammite is more abstract than the Bass Pro Shops' rendering. Case's version parrallels the characteristics of  the Bass Pro Shops' rendition. In other words, they quite realistic.

In our past gear guides, we noted that a soft-plastic hellgrammite has never been part of the repertoire of Midwest finesse anglers who pursue largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass in reservoirs and  natural lakes. Instead, it has been in the province of some of our piscatorial brethren  who use it when they  pursue smallmouth bass in streams and rivers, and most of these anglers prefer to affix their soft-plastic  hellgrammites to a split-shot rig or a minor Carolina rig or drop-shot rig.  Very few of them use it on a jig. But at the flatland reservoirs that lie at the heart of Midwest finesse fishing, split-shot rigs, Carolina rigs, and drop-shot rigs have never been as effective as a jig rig. In fact, at most waterways across the nation, the standard Midwest finesse jig rigs are regularly more effective than a split-shot rig or a minor Carolina rig or drop-shot rig.

One of the factors that have impeded Midwest finesse anglers from employing a soft-plastic hellgrammite stems from the fact that the shape of its head and thorax is flat and thin, and these anglers have found that it is difficult to thread the hook and collar of a jig securely into it. But we have discovered that a Z-Man Fishing Products' 1/20-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig and a 1/32-ounce Gopher Tackle's Mushroom Head jig fits perfectly onto Case's 3.25-inch Hellgrammite.

In fact, one Internet retailer posted a recommendation about Case's Big Hellgrammite from a customer, who wrote:  "Good looking and 3 1/4" long. These guys are fantastic. The collars on these hellgies are thick enough to handle hooks and jigheads without tearing."

Case's Big Hellgrammite are available in the following colors:  Black, Black Neon, Black Shad, Chartreuse Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin, Natural, Pumpkin Seed, Red Shad, Smoke Pepper, Smoke Purple, Watermelon Red, and Yellow.

A package of five can be purchased at one Internet retailer for $2.19.

Endnotes

(1)  Here is a link to the gear guide about Berkley's Gulp! Hellgrammite: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/berkley-gulp-three-inch-hellgrammiteT/. This guide contains etymological descriptions of the anatomy and environments of hellgrammites.

(2) Here is the link to the gear guide about Bass Pro Shops' 3 1/2-inch Hellgrammite: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/bass-pro-shops-3-12-inch-hellgrammite/.

(3)  In our previous two gear guides, we have asked Midwest finesse anglers to field test the Gulp! Hellgrammite and the Bass Pro Shops' Hellgrammite on a small mushroom-style jig and file a report about their effectiveness in the comment sections. Our requests, however, have failed to generate any responses or reports. Nevertheless, we continue to plea for reports about the effectiveness of hellgrammites rigged on a small jig.

(4) In the weeks to come, we hope to publish more gear guides about other soft-plastic hellgrammites that Midwest finesse anglers can use as a creature bait on a small mushroom-style jig. Please send us suggestions about the ones we should feature.

---