Sometimes All You Need is a
Pistol. The Illude Pistol Gill Glidebait
(continued)
Pistol Whip: The
Pistol Gill is a
relatively compact
gill bait, and much
smaller in overall
dimensions than the Deps Bullshooter,
and yet it feels
very solid due to
the wooden
construction. In
terms of realism the
Pistol Gill is not
an ultra-realistic
looking bait, like a
Sly Guy Lures for
example, but more of
an angular wooden
style lure like a
classic Roman Made
Negotiator or South.
Detail-wise it
exhibits the same
type of fun whimsical design as
the Rad Rat, towing
the line between a
realistic profile
and exaggerated
artistic features. I
find that Illude
baits illicit an
immediate response
from most anglers
due to these
characteristics, and
comments usually
range from "that's
cute" to "that is
sick looking!" It is
hard not to look at
the down turned eye
or worried
expression on the
Pistol Gill's face
and not crack a
smile.
Cal was able to
procure two Pistol
Gills in the
aftermarket. This
is one of the gill
patterns he picked
up
The attention to
detail on this bait
is everything you
expect from an Illude
offering. The carvings
to represent fins
and gills are deep
and distinct, the
line tie is a solid
ring, the joints are
reinforced, and the
tails are
interchangeable. The
Pistol Gill that I
purchased features
Lendl's
natural gill
pattern, which is
also the most
popular pattern for
this particular bait, and is
similar to the gill
patterns on other Illude and Lunker
fighter baits.
Some other Pistol Gill
patterns expose the
grain on the Cedar
on the sides,
putting the bait's
wooden body on full
display.
I really like
fishing the Pistol
Gill with a full
bodied swimbait rod
like the Megabass
Orochi XX Leviathan
Casting the Pistol
Gill is pretty easy,
and while a robust
swimbait rod is
preferred for fishing
this 3oz. bait,
utilizing
a lighter swimbait
stick is certainly possible. I
fished the Pistol
Gill with a variety
of rods, and
eventually found
that my two favorite
rods for fishing the
Pistol were the Megabass Destroyer
Mark 48 and Orochi
XX Leviathan. The
Leviathan is rated
from 2-8oz. and
features a nice
parabolic action
that is slightly
slower, and made it
really easy to
really whip the
Pistol a good
distance. Both of
these rods are
sensitive enough to
feel the tight glide
of the bait and put
the pressure on fish
strike and ensuing
battle.
Call whips his
Pistol Gill on the
Delta. Due to the
relatively light
weight this bait is
not tiring to cast
all day
When it comes to
swimming movement the Pistol
Gill has a compact action with a little
side shimmy as it
turns into each
glide. The action is
very smooth, and is
much more of a tight
and fast glide than
the traditional
S-pattern action
exhibited by many
other glidebaits.
One of the other
things
you will notice is
that it doesn't
knock very hard as
the two sections
swing back and forth
as it swims. The reason that the
bait feels so smooth
as it swims is due
to addition of thin
silicon
"crash" pads that are
affixed with 3M
backers. These are
the same type of pads
that are found on
some Roman Made
baits, including the
Mother, and are
designed to alter
how far the tail
section swings,
soften the impact,
and protect the swimbait joint.
During the Spring
and Summer months
the Pistol Gill is
absolutely deadly
To observe the
effect of these
bumpers
I removed the crash
pads on my bait and
found the action change
was minimal, but
difference in
feel was noticeable,
and felt the knock
was a lot more
perceivable on brisk
retrieves. Fish
didn't seem to react
very differently to
the bait with or
without the pads, but
I much preferred the smoother
retrieve of the bait
with the pads
installed, and
the extra joint
protection that they
also afforded. To
re-equip my bait I ordered
a few extra 2mm
Crash Pads direct
from Illude which
retail for $15.00
per pack.
I found there really
wasn't any speed at
which fish couldn't
catch up and crush
the bait and it
wouldn't wash out
even when burned
Pistol Power:
One of the main
reasons that
Gill swimbaits have
become so popular
is due to their
versatility and
effectiveness in
many applications. Even
when there are not
bluegill in the
water predatory fish
often are eager to key
in on this panfish
sized snack. The
Pistol Gill is only
available in one
size, and Lendl
spent a lot of time
considering exactly
what size to land
on. Ultimately he
felt that the 5.5"
size was the perfect
size, and is
somewhat in-between
the small and large
bluegill baits on
the market. The
Pistol Gill doesn't
immediately look
as small as it
actually is because
it has a relatively
tall profile at
56mm, and a wide
body that measures
28.5mm. It has a
more wide profile
than many resin
based bluegills due
to
the wooden
construction.
In comparison to the
Pistol Gill the
brand's Lunker
Fighters Switchblade
is made of resin and
able to be produced
with a much slimmer
profile
While many swimbait
anglers put a
premium on wooden
swimbaits, myself
included, it is
important to note
that one of the
benefits of resin
based baits is the
ability to deliver
durable baits with
unique actions with
a greater degree of
dimensions and
thicknesses. For
example if you look
at the Illude Lunker
Fighter Switchblade,
this multi-piece
bait is able to be
produced in a
variety of sink
rates and stand up
to viscous strikes
while sporting a much
thinner, flatter, body
construction.
A look at the narrow
head design of the
Switchblade. Even
though the
Switchblade is resin
it bears the same
instantly
recognizable
airbrush work as the
Pistol
