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 and brought to you by www.gitzit.com . Any questions or comments; I can be
contacted at Leo@gitzit.com Good fishing and
good luck. Leo Watson, Pro Staff
We would like to thank Leo and Bud for this article. To learn more about Gitzit's please click here for thier web site. www.gitzit.com Leo Articles are also published at http://www.bassonhook.com