The Skinny Needle Nose lures have been around for a bit as a hand made exclusive that had to be preordered months in advance. With the new release, everyone can get a chance to fish them and see why they are so popular. The sleeker size make these even easier to cast, allowing you to imitate smaller bait boiling on the surface, such as ballyhoo or needle fish. They are great in calm condition when a bit of commotion on the surface can stir the water and get the predators to bite. They work well with a fast retrieve off the shore or off of a boat so they are useful in many different situations.
I will reference this lure’s predecessor (in my estimation anyway), Roberts Rangers. We’ve long used Roberts lures for surf fishing, our Baja bound anglers targeting Rooster fish from the beach have had success over the years. Some of our long range fishermen who travel south by way of the big boats out of San Diego also discovered the Rangers, and had good success on yellowtail. There were a couple of downsides, first and foremost were the supplied hooks and secondly the lures performance in windy conditions. The GT Ice Cream lures had to be built more ruggedly since they were targeting Giant Trevally rather than striped bass (which was the design target for Rangers). You can see this distinction immediately when you look at one of the GI IC lures, their hooks are far stronger and they made very smart use of an assist hook rather than a fixed hook connected by a split ring. The rigging is superior and made for more serious fish than a 20 lb striped bass.
GT Ice Cream lures originated in South Africa, made specifically for fishing larger grade grand trevally. The story of the name comes from one of the guys originally prototyping the lures who said the “the GT’s hit the plug so hard and so much, that it was like ice cream to them? With great success in the Indian Ocean, the plugs have since traveled all over the world.
Needle Nose: Designed for long casts with fast retrieve on the surface. This lure can also be used with a slower retrieve with the rod tip held up high, producing a strong side to side nose action. The dynamic weight system keeps the plug oriented on it’s belly. Ideal in calmer conditions, works well from beach or boat.
