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Fooling Fish With The
Motion of the Ocean: Sebile’s Ghost Walker
(continued)
  Durability:
The finish
of the Ghost Walker held up very well to the strong jaws and sharp teeth that
many of our coastal species possess. However, the hooks did leave a little to
be desired. The hooks are thin in comparison with most of the standby topwater
baits used by the vast majority of coastal fishermen. I found I was able to
easily straighten the hooks in a few situations where the lure got hung on
shell. Granted, I was using my tournament redfish tackle, which consists of a
7’ med/heavy rod, 50 lb. braided line, 20 lb. fluorocarbon leader, and a 7:1
Shimano Curado DHSV. Nonetheless, if the Ghost Walker is going to remain in my
tackle box, I will likely switch out the hooks to a thicker gauge, perhaps even
a superline offering. The hooks did hold up to corrosion fairly well. I
purposely neglected to rinse the bait off after a day of use in the salt and
there was only slight corrosion on the split rings.
This undersized red found the
Ghost Walker too much to resist
Price &
Application:
Undoubtedly, this bait
will give most saltwater anglers a bad case of sticker shock. While bass
anglers are accustomed to shelling out over $10.00 for a lure, this is not the
case when it comes to saltwater fishermen. Saltwater tackle gets used and
abused in ways freshwater tackle does not and most of the standard hard bait
offerings can be had for less than $6.00. This is why most coastal anglers will
have a hard time dropping $14.99 for the Ghost Walker. Does this bait
outperform the standard top-dogs and spooks to justify the price tag? Yes and
no.
The OWNER
hooks that come stock on this bait are extremely sharp, but will they hold up to
the harsh environment of the Texas coast?
As far as Texas coastal
fishing is concerned, the Ghost Walker is a very situational bait. The lure’s
subtle qualities make it an unlikely candidate as a go-to choice in the
notoriously windy conditions coastal anglers battle throughout much of the
year. However, while testing this bait, I found it certainly had its place
given the right circumstances.
Most recreational redfish
anglers spend much of their time in shallow backwater bays and marshes. The
redfish that dwell in these areas are often very timid and can be easily spooked
if an angler isn’t careful. Large, noisy topwater baits are overkill in these
locations. However, this is where the Ghost Walker really earns its place in a
redfish angler’s tackle box.
The lip on the front of the lure
is responsible for giving the lure some action
The Ghost Walker is subtle
enough not to spook weary, marsh-dwelling redfish. Yet, it still has enough
action and appeal to call fish from a good distance in calm water applications.
One other interesting feature of this bait is that when it is stopped, the
liquid slowly recedes to the back of the bait and the Ghost Walker will rock
backward and sit vertically in the water. This can be a nuisance in situations
with lots of grass just below the surface but when working this bait over a sand
bottom, I was actually able to use this feature of the Ghost Walker to entice
bites from fish that were following the bait.
Finally, a solid keeper fish
commits to the bait. This fish slammed the bait while it was sitting still
Ratings:
|
Sebile Ghost Walker Ratings
(?/10) |
| Construction/Quality |
Well constructed, quality
components, hooks could be tougher |
8 |
| Performance |
Very subtle, enticing
action, somewhat limited for coastal use |
7.5 |
| Price |
Not
cheap, a
little too high for the inshore market |
6 |
| Features |
Good finish, sharp hooks,
realistic eyes, innovative fluid chamber |
9 |
| Design
(Ergonomics) |
Sleek s-shaped design,
outstanding castability |
9 |
| Application |
Awesome when used in
finesse, calm-water applications |
9 |
|
Total Score |
8.08 |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus |
| J
Excellent
bait for spooky fish |
L
Slightly
overpriced for the inshore market |
| J
Long-distance
castability for it's size/weight |
L
Limited
availability |
| J
Innovative,
eye-catching fluid-filled chamber |
L
Limited
application |
Saying goodbye to another small
red that committed to the Ghost Walker
Conclusion:
The Ghost Walker is indeed
an eye-catching and innovative bait and the liquid filled inner chamber scores
high on the “cool” scale. Does it catch fish? Certainly, but only when applied
in the right situations. As a tournament angler and a tackle enthusiast, I love
the Ghost Walker for it’s sleek looks and the niche it fills in my arsenal.
However, the finer attributes of this bait are likely not enough to convince the
average saltwater fisherman that it’s worthy of the price tag. The Ghost Walker
is one of the best topwater baits I have found for calm water situations and
from now on; I’ll always have one in my box… but probably no more than that.
Given their limited range of use here on the Texas coast, most angler’s could
easily get by with just one or two of these baits in their topwater selection.
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