February 07, 2017
By Ned Kehde
Dan Quinn of Hudson, Wisconsin, is the Field Promotions Manager at Rapala, and he thought that Storm's new 3 1/2-inch 360GT Searchbait should catch the fancy of a goodly number of Midwest finesse anglers and their quarries in various parts of the nation.
It is heralded as a state-of-the-art swimbait by Al Lindner of Brainerd, Minneosta, Davy Hite of Ninety Six, South Carolina, and others.
The side and back of its torso, which is two inches long, is adorned with 34 minute ribs. Its back is flat. The torso's belly is smooth-skinned and rounded. Its torso and tail are supple and constructed out of polyvinyl chloride, and it is phthalate-free.
The ribs end at the junction of the tail and torso. The tail is 1 1/4 inches long, and it is adorned with a significant boot, and as an angler employs a straight swimming retrieve, the tail kicks and provokes the torso to undulate provocatively from side-to-side.
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The head of the jig is a half of an inch long. It weighs one eighth of an ounce. It resembles a head of a fish, and it is constructed with acetyl butadiene styrene rather than lead. A single-ball rattle is encapsulated within the head. Each side of its head is embellished with a three-dimensional holographic eye.
The jig's head and collar are assembled around a VMC coastal black hook with a 60-degree angle. The 60-degree angle hook helps to keep the Searchbait moving in a straight line as it is being retrieved. The jig's collar has three bait-keeper rings, which help to keep the torso of the Searchbait snuggly affixed to the jig.
The back of the jig's head and the front end of the Searchbait's torso are designed to interlock. Storm describes it as a custom-fitting system.
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When an angler attaches the jig to the torso, there is a hole in the front of the torso for the hook to enter, and there is a hole on its back for the hook to exit. The exit hole on its back is 1 1/8 inches from the front of its torso.
Midwest Finesse anglers will employ it with their traditional straight-swimming presentation. Some folks call it a horizontal retrieve. Others call it Charlie Brewer's do-nothing retrieve.
It is available in the following colors: Chartreuse Ice, Gaga, Gold Digger, Herring, Houdini, Hot Olive, Limetreuse, Lewd Shrimp, Marilyn, Medic, Pearl Ice, Smokin' Ghost, Smelt, Sunset, Tru Blue, Volunteer, and Wannabe.
The suggested retail pricing for the 3 1/2-inch Storm 360GT Searchbait is $4.99. It includes a jig and three bodies. It is also available in 4 1/2-inch and 5 1/2-inch sizes for power anglers to wield.
