It’s probably close to 20 years now since a friend of mine fishing what was then North Jersey’s "Jetty Country" first handed me a couple of swim shads to affix to a jighead; the lifelike wobble at the tip of the jetty had me hooked, probably quicker than the first fish; other casters soon followed. Then, sometime in the early 2000s, Storm changed the game entirely when they introduced their molded "WildEye" swim baits to a national audience, the first saltwater lure of its kind to incorporate the unique holographic flash foil and lifelike swim action in a molded bait. I doubt you’ll find any striper fisherman’s tackle box or plug bag in 2017 short of shads at any given moment.
The newest "crossover" from Storm is as much a hybrid of the original mold and self-rigging jighead as it is a fusion of fresh to salt. The new 360GT Searchbait from Storm is what the company is calling "the ultimate confidence lure," and boasts a boot style tail with lifelike swim action anglers have come to expect from Storm baits. Different though from the original WildEye shad design however, the torpedo like profile of the 360GT Searchbait rolls side-to-side like a distressed fish, with a broad, boot-style tail that kicks wildly for an outstanding visual presence.
%pullstart%Tuck a few packages of Storm’s 360GT Searchbait in your glove compartment as you’re apt to use them interchangeably on your favorite lake or bayside bulkhead.%pullend%
As for a retrieve, as with most lures in just about any situation, you’ll want to figure out how they’re hitting by varying technique; a slow, steady retrieve imparts enough action in the lure to entice a strike, though an occasional twitch after the cast or up and down jigging by boat may prove most effective. Bottom line though, the unique body design and custom jighead match pretty much makes it foolproof.
Unlike their shad-like cousin, the 360GT Searchbait from Storm has a matching jighead with internal rattle, as well as big, bold, holographic eyes; bluefish being what they are and doing what they do, rather than taking off the entire lure for replacement you can simply add another soft body to the ABC molded jighead (VMC coastal black hook).
The Storm® 360GT Searchbait™ packages come with one jighead pre-rigged on one body, and two additional bodies per packet. They’re available in 3-1/2-inch, 4-1/2-inch or 5-1/2-inch models in various colors including a more natural Smokin’ Ghost and the striper lovin’ off-white colors of Gaga and Pearl Ice. Retailing for between $4.99 and $5.99 a package, tuck a few packages of Storm’s 360GT Searchbait in your glove compartment as you’re apt to use them interchangeably on your favorite lake or bayside bulkhead.
