Sly Guy 12.5 Trout

---

The cold months are finally here and the Trout eaters are out on the prowl. This is when you see the true trophy brutes start to hit the scales. There are plenty of options for Trout imitators in both soft and hard baits. One of the most common techniques this time of year is to throw big glide baits. There are some solid choices from makers like Deps, Hiroshima, Pizz, Sly Guy, and Hinkle to name of a few. I just recently got back from a family vacation to Lake Shasta and was fortunate enough to get my hands on the all new Sly Guy 12.5 inch replica Trout before I left. This isn’t your average size glide bait weighing in at 8 ounces. At first glance, you really get the opportunity to admire the attention to detail with his paint jobs. Molded from a real trout the paint makes this thing look incredibly life like. I wanted to put this thing through the ringer and what better place to do it than a body of water that I have a lot of confidence on. There are still a lot of anglers out there that think baits are too big. One thing that comes from throwing big baits is their drawing power. I’m very picky when it comes to glide baits. I want a glide that I can control without having to worry about the nose being unstable (up and down randomly). The side to side is key but I look for glides that will dart out with full control. This glide is very easy to control. You can use the rod tip or reel twitches to get it to dart. The conditions set up perfect for a glide the second day I was up at the lake. A storm was rolling in and the barometer kept dropping. If there was a time to catch a giant, that was gonna be the day. There had been a particular point that I kept seeing fish move up shallow on during the afternoons sunning themselves. I wanted to really pick it apart with the overcast and lack of sunlight. I fished the entire front side of the point without seeing as much as a follower but things changed when I got around the backside. There were a couple of big boulders in 10 feet of water that supplied the perfect ambush point. I wanted to set up the boat so I could make a cast 10-15 feet past the boulders and work my glide into them. The fish I was searching for was exactly where I thought she would be. I had two of the biggest spots I’ve ever seen follow it back to the boat. One seemed to only be interested but the other wanted it enough to take a swipe right next to the trolling motor. The fish ran out of real estate which happens a lot with glides. I paired this bait up with a Nef Customs 8’3 XXH, Shimano Tranx 300, and Seaguar 30 pound InvizX. With the right setup, this bait is very easy to fish. It was hard to put down after seeing what it could do. They will be available soon through sly-guy-lures.com and will cost $275. The 12.5 Replica Trout is very impressive and built with solid components. I will have this bait on the deck of my boat all winter long.