Simple
yet Deadly Effective, the Savage Gear Sandeel
(continued)
 Retrieving:
With a narrower profile than most swimbaits the Sandeel delivers a lot more tail
action than we expected. This really wasn’t something we were able to observe in
the stained El Salto or Delta waters but in the crystal clear water of Lake
Sonoma we were finally able to observe just how nicely the tail flutters during
both low and high speed retrieves.

The
Sandeel can be fished on standard heavy action casting rods
There are many
ways to fish this particular bait and all of them can be effective depending on
the application. For example when targeting largemouth we found that a slow
retrieve alongside structure was more than enough to incite a bite. When fishing
for Stripers we found jigging the bait up and down erratically or even a
straight ripping retrieve got fish to chase and commit. One of the keys with
this swimbait is to keep it moving as it has an exposed hook and if you are not
careful it can snag up on the bottom.

Notice how the head surrounds the tail keeping it firmly in place
While this bait
is great for freshwater applications it also is deadly for targeting saltwater
species and can be used for jigging for seabass, seatrout or rockfish. In fact
the lure has built up quite a following in Sweden and the UK for hammering
saltwater species with light tackle right off the shore. Matching the hatch also
helps increase the strike ratio, for example in lakes where we were targeting
bass and we knew there were plenty of resident Kokanee both the Dirty Silver and
Blue Silver patterns outfished the other colors 3 to 1.

A
look at the paddletail
Durability:
The Savage Gear Sandeel is quite robust and the plastic used in the tail on
these lures is dense enough to be resistant to punctures and tears. The head on
the bait is also quite durable and though you are guaranteed to get it scratched
up if you fish the bottom and come in contact with structure, you can rest
assured that even with plenty of battle scars this bait will remain thoroughly
effective.

A
largemouth tries to shake the Sandeel
That said the
bass at El Salto proved that after a few violent strikes even this swimbait will
take damage. The head is designed so the plastic attaches into the head
seamlessly which helps to keep it pinned on, but if fish violently shake the
bait or pull on the tail during the strike the plastic where the hook is
threaded through can and will tear, resulting in a weak point which allows the
tail to become loose. To avoid having the tail rip off or shake off during the
next fish we found that we could cut off a portion of the front end of the tail,
shortening the bait but allowing it to once again fit snugly against the
jighead.

The
head is actually quite detailed
Price &
Applications:
We found that end-to-end this was quality bait, and what we mean by that is both
the jighead and the tails are both fish catching machines. Together the bait is
no doubt deadly but we even found use for the baits in other applications.

Out
of tails at El Salto I started pinning on other brands
For example
when we ran out of tails in El Salto I eventually started pinning other tails
from Keitch and Netbait on the jighead and I was able to continue fishing the
exact same style and draw strikes. Out at Clear Lake when Cal saw fish chase his
inline blade bait but fail to strike he added a Sandeel tail onto the lure and
sure enough he started getting fish to not just chase but commit.

Cal
pins a tail on a inline blade bait at Clear Lake...
Retailing for
$7.99 for the most popular 6” and 7” sizes this bait is reasonably priced, we
just wish that each pack came with two of these fantastic jigheads. Nonetheless
the jigheads do outlast the tails, unless you lose one to a snag, and I have
caught over ten fish per bait before the tail really was unsalvageable.

...and catches fish within a few casts
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
Savage
Gear
Sandeel
Ratings
(?/10)
|
Construction/Quality |
The
Savage
Gear
Sandeel
features
quality
plastic
tail
construction
and the
jighead
is both
durable
and
painted
with
realistic
looking
patterns
which
help the
bait
transition
nicely
from the
tail to
the
actual
jighead
|
8.5 |
Performance |
Though
this
bait may
not look
like
much it
really
delivered
when it
came to
strikes
from a
variety
of fish
in a
wide
range of
applications.
It is no
surprise
that
anglers
from
Europe
to the
Americas
are
having
success
with the
Sandeel,
this
formula
just
plain
works |
9.5 |
Price |
Like
other
Savage
Gear
offerings
the
Sandeel
is
reasonably
priced
(we just
wish
they
came
with two
jigheads
per
pack,
that
would be
an
"excellent"
deal) |
8 |
Features |
A well
designed
bait
that may
not have
a ton of
special
features
in the
traditional
sense
but yet
everything
comes
together
perfectly.
The
jighead
is well
designed
and the
slender
profile
actually
helps
make the
bait
able to
touchdown
on
structure
without
hanging
up. The
plastic
tail,
though
durable,
is still
able to
deliver
plenty
of tail
kicking
side to
side
action
under
varied
retrieves |
7.5 |
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Easy to
cast and
retrieve
and can
be
fished
with
standard
casting
rods
with
ease, no
need for
a big
swimbait
rod here
unless
you are
fishing
the 8"
baits
which
weigh in
at
5.3oz.
|
8 |
Application |
Fished
slow,
burned,
or even
jigged
for
deeper
holding
fresh
and
saltwater
fish
this
lure is
good for
so many
species
and
applications
on both
sides of
the pond |
9 |
Total
Score
|
8.41 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus
|
+
A
sleeper
bait
that
performs
a whole
lot
better
than you
might
expect |
-
Pack
only
comes
with one
head for
two
tails |
+
Good for
targeting
multiple
species |
|
+
Easy to
fish
with
conventional
tackle |
|
+
Both the
heads
and
tails
can be
pared
with
other
tackle
to mix
it up |
|
+
Reasonable
price |
|
Conclusion:
Savage Gear may not yet possess the same brand recognition in the U.S. that it
enjoys in Europe but that will quickly change with offerings like the deadly
Sandeel. Thanks to a partnership with Okuma the brand is now becoming much more
widely distributed and many retailer and e-tailers are now offering a complete
line of their hard and soft bodied baits. While it takes a little bit of
imagination for big bait anglers to wrap their heads around the Sandeel the
company is introducing more traditional swimbaits with trout profiles, called
the Savage Gear Real Trout. These lures are starting to hit the market and like
the company’s other offerings is reasonably priced at $6.99 to $9.99 per bait.
While I have yet to fish these new swimbaits I am perfectly content to keep
fishing the Sandeel for now. On bodies of water like the Delta where you get
everything from largemouth and smallmouth to stripers and salmon it is good to
know that you have a bait that can appeal to all these species.

Never judge a book by the cover, the Sandeel may not look like much at first
glance but this is a fish catching machine
The Sandeel is
one of those baits that really doesn’t look like much and something many anglers
would easily pass on the retail shelf, never thinking twice about this seemingly
simple narrow bodied swimbait, in fact saltwater anglers are more likely to pick
up these lures for targeting rockfish or strolling for Halibut. But as we have
learned time and time again there really is something to be said about lures
that are designed for catching fish and not just fishermen and the Savage Gear Sandeel is one of those baits that will surprise you. It certainly surprised us
with the lures effectiveness for so many different species and applications and
where we once viewed this bait with one eyebrow raised we now see a bait with
“Editor’s Choice” written all over it.
Looking for the Savage Gear
Sandeel? Try
Tackle Warehouse

|