Sometimes All You Need is a Pistol. The Illude Pistol Gill Glidebait (continued)

Like many other Illude, and Lunker Fighter baits, I feel the the action, sound, and how the swimbait displaces water is more responsible for generating strikes than how realistic looking the bait is. The Pistol Gill has excellent drawing power, and fish eagerly chase the bait from Spring all the way to the end of Fall.

One of the most impressive things about the swimming action of the Pistol Gill is that it can be fished effectively at all speeds, and even when burning this swimbait back to the boat with a 8.0:1 reel it will not wash out.

The Pistol Gill has strong drawing potential and I caught smaller fish that had no business trying to east this sized gill

The ability to effectively crank the Pistol so quickly makes this bait incredibly entertaining to fish. Watching fish chase the bait and strike it is thrilling, and I also enjoyed catching a lot of schoolie stripers in the Delta by working the bait quickly with a steady retrieve.

Schoolie stripers readily chased down and crushed the Pistol too

With each fish that I caught on the Pistol my confidence, and affinity for the bait, continued to grow, as did my paranoia about losing the one bait. The Pistol Gill isn't as difficult to obtain as the Rad Rat, but it is rare enough that securing one is still a challenge. The Pistol Gill crank will also catch fish but it is the traditional lipless version that is the better swimmer, and more desirable bait. The good news is that Pistol Gill's durability is excellent, and even after catching more fish than I can count the bait shows minimal hook rash, and the original tail is frayed and just starting to tear. It is the tail that will take the most abuse and luckily Illude has replacements readily available on their site.

In the warmer months the Pistol Gill delivered some quality fish

Price & Applications: Illude is still building Pistol Gills and they are occasionally sent to retailers, or made available to anglers that are on the company's order list. Resourceful swimbait anglers can sometimes find baits in the aftermarket for sale and trade. Lendl charges a very reasonable $157 dollars per bait, and secondhand baits often sell from 165-200 dollars in the aftermarket. Cal has been able to purchase two Pistol Gills secondhand in this range, and they were both in excellent condition, and have also performed well for him. 

Even after a season of use my one bait has held up really well, and the only real signs of wear and tear are to the replaceable tail

To make his creations more readily available Lendl also offers swimbaits constructed out of resin from the Illude Lunker Fighters line. These baits still feature unique styling but are still instantly recognizable with design elements and airbrush finishes that anglers love about the brand. While it is extremely difficult to obtain a wood based Rad Rat, or Narle Gerbil, thanks it is easier to procure a Gas Rat, which is basically a smaller Triple Double Rad Rat constructed from resin. I've yet to fish the Gas Rat but many anglers report that it swims similarly to the wooden based Rad Rat, and delivers a different sound, but is still deadly effective.

The Pistol Gill is yet another quality wooden bait from Illude

It is natural to assume that wooden baits like the Rad Rat, and Pistol Gill, are "better" than ones constructed out of resin, but resin baits can be just as good fish catchers, and also offer some unique attributes that can also make them ideal for certain situations. Besides the fact that it is easier to mass produce resin baits than hand carved wooden lures, resin can also be extremely durable, offer unique sounds, and can be built in a wider range of shapes and sizes. That said, there really is something classic, and wonderful, about custom wooden swimbaits, but I've learned to appreciate the differences between the two offerings. The challenge is getting the very best out of each material, and with baits like the Pistol Gill and the Switchblade I feel that Illude has done exactly that.   

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: When I start double or triple checking my knots I know that the bait that I have tied on has crossed over into my most coveted arsenal. Perhaps it is the fact that I only have one Pistol Gill, but I've now caught so many fish on this bait that I'd be legitimately gutted if I lost it.

While I feel that the Rad Rat is still Illude's signature bait the Pistol Gill is a true testament to just how good a hand carved wooden glidebait can be. Like the Rad Rat it delivers the best attributes the material has to offer, swims beautifully, and has excellent drawing power. The Pistol just flat out catches them.

Simply put, the Pistol Gill flat out catches fish. There are days when I want to throw 10" trout glides in pursuit of giants but on most days the Pistol gets it done!

I've thought about retiring my Illude Pistol Gill, and hanging it safely up in the garage, and yet every time I head out it manages to make it on the deck. I know that to not arm myself with the Pistol Gill would be a mistake, as this bait is not only a blast to fish, but continues to deliver almost every time that I commit to slinging it. Sometimes I feel like bombing giant trout glidebaits all day for the opportunity for that one big bite, but on most days I find that all I really need is the Illude Pistol.

Looking for the Illude Pistol Gill?

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