Keweenaw Tackle’s Fin-Wing rises to the top when the bite is looking up
The late summer bite is quite distinctive. Most notably, the major bug hatches and shallow-kept young-of-the-year that filled fish earlier are gone. Fish of all stripes are on the prowl, attempting to pack away provisions before the water cools.
In general, fish, more specifically, bass, can be found either lurking about outside weedlines, packed in the slop waiting for foolish forage to twitch, or schooled deep, bum-rushing bait above. And as any seasoned angler will tell you, there’s no better bite than the latter – when fish are looking up and attacking high.
Reach into your tackle box for a topwater or subsurface bait, and what do you usually grab? More than likely, it’s a traditional frog-bait for the pads or surface or subsurface plug to pine for offshore largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.
But there is another option, a lure that rides high unlike any other. It looks different (unique shape), feels different (stamped metal) and, well, seemingly defies the laws of gravity when retrieved at just the right speed. It roils the surface and waggles perfectly – no need to whip, tug or jerk your rod tip.
That lure? The Keweenaw Tackle Company’s Fin-Wing – which was designed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 1948, and is made there to this day.
“The Fin-Wing is the easiest surface bait I have ever fished,” states The Technological Angler, Dr. Jason Halfen in his latest video on “walking the dog” and subsurface fishing with a #3 Fin-Wing. “I just make a nice, long cast and raise my rod tip and adjust the retrieve speed until the Fin-Wing walks the dog.” He also demonstrates how the lure swims, soft plastic in place, with a wobble and idyllic roll just under the surface on a slower retrieve.
Stamped into a shape like no other from high-grade metal, every Fin-Wing is painstakingly painted by hand for superior sparkle, and come adorned with a high-quality treble hook and split ring. To boot, included is a wide-gap single J-hook, which is best for tipping with a lively minnow or soft plastic for bulking up its profile and improving its high-line in the water column.
The remarkable Fin-Wing is available in 1/4-, 3/4- and 1-ounce sizes to match the scales of nearly any forage. There are a dozen classic colors to choose from, 10 with translucent hues, and all tinted with UV paint for every degree of water clarity.
To put it simply, although the Fin-Wing may not look like your everyday topwater or subsurface bait, the fact of the matter is it works magically on and just below the surface. Cast. Retrieve. Let the lure do all the work.
Trust that the fish will eat it.
ABOUT
A symbol of American ingenuity and hard work, the Fin-Wing® design has been catching fish of all stripes since 1948. Today, the lure is the pride of Keweenaw Tackle Company; built in the Copper Country to the same rigid standards as the handmade original, using only the highest-quality materials and superior long-lasting finishes.
By: David Rose, Traditions Media
