Fishing The Gitzit
By: Leo Watson
A lot of people don’t know that the first tube lure ever produced
was the "Gitzit". It was first produced by Bobby Garland, hence
the name "Bobby Garland’s Gitzit". As you are probably well aware
of there are many companies that offer tube lures, however there
is only one original "Gitzit". The "Gitzit" has been often imitated
but, has never been duplicated. I have fished many different manufacturers
tube baits in the past. In this authors opinion no one can or ever
will match the feel of this soft plastic tube bait or the color
consistency.
The new home of Bobby Garland’s "Gitzit" Bud’z Fishin Way’s. Having
a working knowledge of the owners of this company I can assure you
that you will not find two harder working people who are dedicated
to perfection with every "Gitzit" produced! With 64 colors of "Gitzits"
to produce in both 2 1/2"and 3 3/4" sizes they do have their hands
full. For those of you that don’t know, these "Gitzits" are all
hand made!! It is a painstaking process that I have been lucky enough
to be part of many times. I know the quality of product that Bud’z
Fishin Way’s produces. I consider myself very lucky to be a member
of their Pro Staff.
As a member of their Pro Staff I have the luxury of working side
by side with the owners on a regular basis. I spend a great amount
of time on the water doing research and development work on the
"Gitzit" and other products that are offered on the market by Bud’z
Fishin Way’z. Through my years of experience in bass fishing I give
them in formidable feed back about their products and suggestions
for changes or modifications to their products. As I have mentioned
before there is more to Bud’z Fishin Way’s than just "Gitzits"
Enough talk about companies, lets talk fishing ( My favorite subject)
! A lot of people consider a "Gitzit" a bedding bass bait only.
I can remember watching TV shows of fisherman like Guido Hibdon,
Shaw Grigsby, and Fish Fishbourne all fishing bedding using some
type of tube bait. This has led to the misconception that this is
the only lure to catch bedding bass and also the only time of year
this lure will produce. Nothing could be further from the truth!
The "Gitzit" can be used Spring through the Fall. I usually start
when the water reaches near 60 degrees. I continue to use this lure
throughout the Summer and into the Fall until the water gets to
cold.( Below 60 degrees )
Let’s talk a little bit about the equipment used to fish the "Gitzit"
properly. The equipment I use is a 5’9"- 6’6", medium light to medium
action rod. The rods that I personally use are Team Daiwa rods matched
with up with Team Daiwa or Daiwa S.S. series spinning reels. As
far as line size goes, here is another misconception. The idea that
you can only use 6, 8 or 10 lb. test line is totally false. With
the advent of the new "Braided" or super lines you can use much
heavier line now. I am now fishing 20-lb. test while fishing a 3
3/4" "Gitzit" with just a 1/16 oz. weight. On 20 lb. braided line
I can cast as well as if I was using 8-lb. monofilament. This is
due to the advancement in line technology. To me braided line is
as critical to catching bass as my rod and reel when using this
bait. The amount of feel that is generated with braided line and
proper rod and reel set up is a big part of catching bass other
people would never catch. With monofilament there is as much as
20% stretch compared to approx. 2% with braided. I know for a fact
on days when the bite is extremely light or conditions ultra tough
with me fishing braided I will repeatedly catch more bass than anyone
using mono. It must be obvious by now that I am a big fan of braided
lines. I use them exclusively when "Gitzit" fishing, but not for
fishing all lures. It has its place as well as mono does in my bass
fishing arsenal.
Now lets spend a little time talking about weight selection in
fishing the "Gitzit". Weight guidelines for "Gitzits" fall in line
with that of worm fishing. For me I use a 1/16 oz. weight for depths
down to 6’-8’, 1/8/oz. for 6’-12’ of water and a 3/16 oz. for 10’-16’
of water. This is only a gauge. There are many other factors to
be considered for weight selection. Here are a few variables to
consider; cover whether it is wood, vegetation etc. Wind - The velocity
it blows will have a major impact on your weight selection. Remember
you only want enough weight to keep your lure in contact with the
bottom. The lighter the weight the better. You have to always keep
in mind what your bait is supposed imitate. The "Gitzit’s" silhouette
can have a shad like appearance and also a crawfish appearance as
its tentacles pulsate as it falls. This is where proper weighting
is crucial.
It’s color selection time! This is a big ,big topic. I myself try
to keep my color selection as simple as possible. Let’s start with
the simple basic knowledge that in clear water you want a clear
or translucent color. You want to stick with your shad colors if
shad is their baitfish. Some colors along this line would be smoke,
pearl, pearl blue. Two of my favorites for this situation would
be Bud’z Fishin Way’z 2 1/2/ "or 3 3/4/ " "Gitzits" stock number
103 - smoke with silver flake (dynamite in clear water to stained
water with clear skies). 103-G smoke with gold flake ( great in
clear to stained water with cloudy skies) 105 - pearl white ( good
all around color ). For stained or muddy water you either want a
darker color or a super bright color. Colors along this line would
be stock numbers 430 - Black with chartreuse tail ( a go to color
with dark skies coupled with stained to muddy water ) 295 - purple
with blue flakes ( this is a good all around color that always works
). Around a weed or submerged vegetation my colors of choice include
200 - w watermelon with black flake (a killer in the weeds ) 220
- pumpkin with green and black flakes ( good in vegetation or around
wood ) 410-I pumpkin with chartreuse tail ( my favorite around vegetation
bar none ).
The 410 - I is a Gitzit with yellow and black hand painted eyes.
This is something already sold in Bass Pro Shops. These hand painted
eyes are durable and in my opinion give the "Gitzit" a more life
like appearance. A special note here! Keep your eye out for Bud’z
Fishin Way’z to be doing something quite different with his eyed
"Gitzits"! That’s all I can about that for now. I might have already
said too much. I can’t help myself though, having been involved
with the research and development of this product I can’t wait for
it to come out on the market. Believe me I know how good it works!
I have already had great success catching bass with it !
On to another misconception. The "Gitzit" is considered a finesse
bait. Denny Brauer won last years Bass Masters Classic flipping
a 5 " tube bait. Flipping is hardly considered finesse fishing.
The "Gitzit" does shine as a bedding bass bait however, as previously
stated it is much more than that ! I like to use it any place anyone
is using a worm or other soft plastic bait bottom fishing. Stop
and think most people fish worms or lizards during the post spawn
and summer patterns. I hope they continue to think this way. The
more they fish their worms and lizards the easier it will be for
us "Gitzit" fisherman to catch bass. As the fish get pressured with
other soft plastic baits they will hit "Gitzits" more readily.
You take a severe cold front condition on a heavily fished lake
and give me a "Gitzit". You know how skittish these fish can get.
I have proven to myself that the "Gitzit" is a good producer when
a lizard, worm, or even a jig fails. All of the previously mentioned
lures put out alot more pressure waves or vibration on the fall
then the "Gitzit" . Under these harsh conditions alot of times the
bass seem to want a more subtle presentation. Right up the "Gitzits"
alley! There are several techniques that can be employed to make
a bass strike a "Gitzit". Let’s take the time to go over a few of
them. I sometimes fish the "Gitzit" very similar to a worm. I employ
a hoping technique. This is an easy technique to pick up on but,
not so easy to master. You take a good angler and he or she will
make any technique look easy. There are a few keys to this technique
1) rod position, 2)-weight size, 3) line watching, and 4) feel.
Lets go into a little more detail by starting with rod position.
Rod positioning is crucial in "Gitzit" fishing. I always keep my
rod in the 10:00 to 11:00 position. By doing so this keeps a good
"V" in your line and you will always be in the right position to
reel down and set the hook. In reference to weight size I have already
covered that in depth earlier.
The last two are line watching and feel. I would like to have a
dollar for every time I have been asked "What does it feel like
when a bass bites". My answer would be, I don’t know. Some times
you never feel the fish at all.
This is where line watching and feel come into play. You have to
be in constant contact with your lure. If you can’t feel it you
must watch your line for any movement what so ever. If your line
moves when you’re not moving or it jumps, SET THE HOOK! If you pick
your lure up off the bottom and it feels different than it should
SET THE HOOK.! Another method for fishing the "Gitzit" is the dragging
technique. (Similar to fishing a Carolina rig) To do this is very
simple. Just rig your "Gitzit" Texas style let it settle to the
bottom and slowly drag it along, pausing along on occasion. To drag
it just raise your rod tip slowly as described above. The speed
of drag and length of each pause will vary. Let the fish tell you
what they want.
Flipping and pitching a "Gitzit" wasn’t a widely used technique
until recently. The Bass Masters Classic was won with this technique.
This can be employed around any type of cover, docks, matted vegetation,
lay downs, etc. As far as weighting goes, it is the same as always.
You go as light with your weight as you can but still feel the bottom
and penetrate the cover. Remember the heavier the cover the heavier
every thing else must be. This means hook size, line size, and rod
stiffness. When fishing heavy cover your rod has to have enough
backbone to horse your fish out quickly.
In closing this article I hope I have provided you with more insight
into "Gitzit" fishing. The information as techniques have been proven
over time. Keep your eye out for more up coming articles written
by myself.
Good luck,
Leo Watson
Pro Staff - Contact me with your questions or comments at
