Castability: Get your combo right and casting the three ounce Psycho Gill is pretty straight forward. In fact, if you're tuned into slinging big baits, this bait is easy to use. If not, it doesn't take long to dial in so long as your rod is built to handle a bait this size. For best results choosing a stick for slinging big baits, select a rod with a lure rating beyond what you need. There are obviously exceptions, but if your bait is right around three ounces, like the Psycho Gill, then a rod with a max lure rating of four ounces or more will be a good choice. Despite ratings, the more your rod strains to cast a lure, the more difficult it will be for you to place the lure where you want it. The struggle will also affect your ability to sling the bait all day. All that aside, for the record, just as designed, the Psycho Gill is easy to cast for both distance and accuracy.

Sometimes, a simple color scheme is best

Ease of Actuation: Once in the water, the Psycho Gill rests in a neutral position with its back just barely out of the water. If you have the patience, letting it sit in place after the cast is a good strategy. This bait can illicit strikes right away even on a dead stick. If you twitch your rod tip, it will walk from side to side like a big cigar bait. However, I prefer to fish this bait is on the simple, no brainer, slow, straight retrieve. Fished in this manner, the Psycho Gill gives off a good size wake, but the trait that hooks you is the way the bait's tail swings back and forth on the surface like a shark tail. This tiny little detail really inspires confidence the bait is about to be crushed.

Zander wearing the fish out with the Psycho. Last season I cannot remember a single day that he didn't have the Psycho tied on and at the ready

On the other hand, if you like crankdowns, it doesn't take much to get the Psycho Gill to swim subsurface. A twitch of your rod tip to pull the head down a little, followed by a faster pace to your retrieve is all that's needed. This will get the bait to swim down to about three feet or so. However, if you adjust your cadence just right, the Psycho Gill will do the deadly dance of swimming just below the surface - the zone where most experienced wake bait fishermen prefer to patrol. Effective in four different methods, this bait is just deadly.

The actual bait that began this obsession

Conclusion: Want a clue as to the psychosis this bait inspires? After receiving my very first Psycho Gill during the Spring of '21, I noticed Zander practically salivating at the bait. "I want one," he murmured. Acquired in the midst of our Rat Rumble, it took some time for me to finally fish the lure and when I did, I had immediate success. After finally landing a good sized fish for a photo op, I took the bait off and handed it to Zander to quench his desire. The precious bait has quickly vaulted to one of his favorites and he's gone on to acquire other bait profiles from Lanciotti as well. Me? I went on a mission to replace the gifted bait and am fortunate enough to now have three with which to play and I may not be done. The psychosis has been a slow build, but now it is bordering on an obsession. It is an obsession. If it is on your list of baits to acquire, be forewarned. If it is not, maybe, just maybe, you're safe.