Bobby Garland is probably known to you as manufacturer of well made and trusted hard baits. His crankbaits is known for having a good action and being durable. But not all of his offerings are either wood or plastic.
There’s an entire section of his line that stand out as something different; Electric Baitfish. In freshwater fishing, they fall somewhere between active lure like walking baits and passive ones like swimbaits. That’s important, because the electric fish is also a polarizing lure.
Some guys has all the faith in the world in that hypnotic action. Other guys believe that the electric is far too gimmicky to be effective on wild fish. Knowing where that fish fit into the Bobby Garland world helps put their entire brand into perspective.
They’re more than just a crankbait outfit. They offer a total system of covering water in various ways. And the electric bait become that wild card.
It is an alternative way of provoking strikes different than the thump and rattle of a crank. Bobby Garland’s take on an electric bait is simple and make sense. They figured out how to give a bait a flutter tail action from a small motor.
Exploring Bobby Garland Electric Baitfish Lures
Understanding Electric Baitfish Lures
That action imitates an injured or disoriented baitfish. What I like about it is it creates action all by itself without you having to add any with your retrieve like you would a crankbait. Cast it out, let the electronics work and enjoy a slow and steady action that keeps it in the strike zone for a long time.
This can be a big deal with lethargic fish or ones holding deep. The thing that really makes this particular model special is how well they are made. So many cheap electric lure will fail if you get water in the battery compartment.
How the Flutter Tail Action Works
To counteract this issue, Bobby Garland uses a pretty solid sealing system. This lure has some weight to it and it’s definitely beefy. I don’t have any worries about it being a toy.
It’s a tool and it’s made to withstand abuse. You can beat it through thick cover and not have to worry about busting the internal wiring. They are well sealed and the motors inside is well protected.
Durability and Sealing System
And again, that peace of mind is well worth the increased price. Where this lure really excels however is in the retrieve. There’s no need to jerk and twitch it along.
Most times a steady slow retrieve work best. That fluttering tail provide just enough vibration to get those reaction strikes. If you pause it, most times it will resume or continue on its own.
Retrieve Technique for Slow Fishing
This makes it great when fishing around structure. Drop it down next to a pile of rocks or a log. Let it swim up and out.
The naturaly look will lower the guard of cautious fish. They see something broken rather than something chasing them. With any sort of powered tackle, there is always an issue about battery life.
Battery Life and Efficiency Tips
There’s nothing worse than having your lure die during a red-hot bite. To fight this issue, they have really made their Bobby Garland model efficient. Instead of running the motor at full blast all the time, it pulsates.
That greatly increases the runtime. Typically you’ll be able to go a whole day of fishing without needing new batteries. It’s still a good idea to bring some along just in case.
Nothing is more frustrating than being out there and having dead power. Test the batteries prior to going out. If you need a quick charge or even brand new cells, then you won’t miss out because of something like that.
We’ve found its place as compared to other baits in their lineup. “Crankbaits are great because they cover water fast and trigger strikes with speed. An electric bait is a slow burn, where you’re targeting more likely fish; ones not chasing but willing to ambush.
Find ’em with crankbaits and then make ’em eat with an electric bait.” It is a complementary part of the puzzle. Depending off how the fish behave, you may throw both that same day. All in all, some anglers think the Bobby Garland electric bait is a bit of a gimmick.
Strategic Use in the Water Column
It’s just another weapon in our bag of tricks as anglers today. It completes a gap in the water column. It provides an answer for those days where they aren’t responding well to faster action baits.
It brings the action to ’em. And you get to put it wherever you want to put it. Wherever the bait is it goes and does what it wants.
That’s a good partnership and one that often results in surprise catches. So keep it in the box. When the going gets tough you should of been glad you did.
