Molix's Sator Worm

Molix's Sator Worm recently caught the eye of one of the anglers on the Finesse News Network. And he suggested that we should include it in our periodic quest to publish gear guides that focus upon soft-plastic finesse baits that appeared before we began publishing the Midwest finesse column or ones that we have failed for some unknown reason to feature.

Molix is an Italian tackle company, which prides itself on collaborating with anglers all across the globe. And according to its Web site, the Sator Worm was conceived in France and designed and developed in Italy, where a state-of-the-art mold was created in order to manufacture an ultra-soft-plastic bait that is adorned with extremely meticulous and exacting details. The folks at Molix proudly describes their works methods as "Italian Style," which means that they garner ideas and insights from all kinds of anglers from a variety environments from all over the world, such as Mike Iaconelli of Pittsgrove, New Jersey, who tours Bassmaster circuits. Then they take the many insights that they have acquired to their headquarters in Molinella, Italy, where various stages of design, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing transpire, and ultimately the end result is a creation like the Sator.

The Sator was introduced to U.S. anglers at the 2011 ICAST show.

It is manufactured in three sizes: 2.5 inch, four inch, five inch, and 5.8 inch. But the 2.5-inch model is not available in the United States.

It is head is cone shaped, but the tip of its head or nose somewhat flat. Its torso is encompassed with scores of delicate ribs, which will create and emit air bubbles during the first stages of all the standard Midwest finesse retrieves. (See endnote No.3 for details about Midwest finesse retrieves.) It is back is relatively flat. Its belly is somewhat convexed, exhibiting the shape of a traditional shad-shaped worm, such as Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits' Shad Shape Worm and Gambler Lures' Shaky Shad. The tip of its tail is endowed with a round air pocket, which allows it to rise well off the bottom when an angler employs a deadstick presentation or a slow drag-and-shake retrieve or slow hop-and-bounce one. The segment between the spherical air pocket and ribbed torso is round and tapered, and it becomes quite small where it is attached to the air pocket. The skin on the segment between the ribs and the tip of the tail is smooth.

To the human eye and hand, they are stunningly beautiful, exhibiting the delicacy and daintiness of a masterfully and exquisitely tied trout fly. In the eyes of a veteran Midwest finesse angler, it is a super finesse bait.

Molix describes it as "a deadly finesse bait," saying that anglers can affix it to a drop-shot rig, a small slip-sinker rig, a Neko rig, a split-shot rig, and a shaky-head jig. They also say it can be Texas rigged. Of course, most Midwest finesse anglers will affix it to either a 1/32-ounce or 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with an exposed hook.

The four-incher is available in these colors: Chartreuse, Cinnamon Pepper, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Red Flake, Marron Glace, Savetta, Seducente, Watermelon, Watermelon Gold Chartreuse, Watermelon Silver Shad, and White Shad. The five-incher is available in these colors: Blue Notte, Cola, Ghost Gill, Green Pumpkin, Light Watermelon, Watermelon Red Black Flake, and White Shad.

Anglers can purchase a package of 10 four-inchers for $4.89. A package of eight five-inchers can be purchased for $6.25.

Endnotes

(1) For more information about the Sator Worm and other Molix's baits, please contact Casey Tucker at Anglers International Resources, 1272 E. Dundee Rd., Palatine, Illinois, 60074. This is the telephone number for Anglers International Resources: 847 991-3200. This is the link to their Web site: https://www.fishingurus.com/.

(2) Here is the link to Molix's Web site: http://www.molix.com/en/.

(3) Here is the link to the column about Midwest finesse retrieves: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/.

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