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Posts: 3469
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Alright Everyone, Question for those who have some years on this Earth... Eagletails...
I can remember when the Eagle tail was a big thing to have....my question is this.. How well did they hook fish with the two single hooks rather than treble hooks?
With spinner baits, I find they do really well with hooking percentage, but have not used a single hook in-line... I'm curious more than anything how well the Eagle tails hooked fish.
Any of our more seasoned veterans on here willing and able to chime in with some input?
Thanks |
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Posts: 261
| Howdy,
That was my go to bucktail for 15 years and I felt it hooked every bit as good as the bucktails of that era. To me, the bigger advantage was that the two single Siwash hooks were far more weedless than the treble hooks that you had on a comparable Mepps or Windells.
Pre-cowgirls, and pre-reel advancements of the last 15 years, that was really the biggest bucktail that you could throw and it was pretty unique compared to everything else available at the time. George made one hell of a lure.
Take care,
Ruddiger
Edited by Ruddiger 2/9/2024 8:34 PM
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Posts: 8719
| 'ya know... I'm gonna dig those old Eagle Tails out this season. The fish probably haven't seen one in almost 20 years.... |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Minnesota. | esoxaddict - 2/9/2024 9:00 PM
'ya know... I'm gonna dig those old Eagle Tails out this season. The fish probably haven't seen one in almost 20 years....
..."haven't seen one in almost 20 years...."....I'll go 30!!!! 
No reason why they wouldn't work well imho....wish I had a couple!
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Posts: 2276
Location: Chisholm, MN | One of my first Muskies was on an original eagle tail with single hooks. Hooked up fine but not long after that the cowgirl came out and pretty much stopped using it. I think I still have it. I’ll have to break it out this year. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Now, see what you've done! m |
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Posts: 3469
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Did I mention something about using Eagle tails? How dare me!! If you all take away one of my little tricks, I'm telling Mom!! |
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Posts: 1200
Location: Walker, MN | The wide gap on those siwash hooks do get the job done.
I feel like I can get them unstuck in reeds better than trebles too. I've also made weed guards by tying on a loop of 60# mono, works really well. |
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Posts: 3775
| A great bait to throw at early night when you can't be sure of the weed edge of a drop off. Then, as dawn approaches, throw right to the shore and gurgle it over the weed tops. Terrific bucktail that minimizes weed problems in low/no light. |
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Posts: 178
| I have 3 and use them mostly in Canada they hook up really good caught a lot big pike on them. |
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Posts: 304
| Great bait.Big and lil ones.Hook pretty well I thought.I really like the big Siwashs when alone,reduces hook up risks considerably.
With 'age',I started throwing them again.I'm probably down to a mere 30-40 now.( i used to hang around Georges place back in the day)
PS Way back in time the lil Eagles were my 'burners 'along with Harrassers and the Mepps Giant Killers.
Edited by dickP 2/11/2024 6:43 AM
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Posts: 1184
| I have some and should have thrown them more. Build like a tank I think the shaft's are made with a bicycle spoke as far hooking ability goes you can cut off the singles and spit ring trebles. I ruined many of my old M&G spinnerbaits by removing hooks from deeply hooked fish. The late Land O Lakes guide Patrick Sheahan caught many of his large fish on Eagle Tails fishing behind his clints. One of my prized possessions is a George Wahl's signed Eagle tail. And they are easy to store with those single hooks. |
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| dickP - 2/11/2024 6:40 AM
Great bait.Big and lil ones.Hook pretty well I thought.I really like the big Siwashs when alone,reduces hook up risks considerably.
With 'age',I started throwing them again.I'm probably down to a mere 30-40 now.( i used to hang around Georges place back in the day)
PS Way back in time the lil Eagles were my 'burners 'along with Harrassers and the Mepps Giant Killers.
Do you ever throw your Mepps Giant Killers? In cleaning up gear after the season, I thought about how I still have a couple, at least one of which I have had for over 40 years. I still put it in the boat but have not thrown in a decade or two. |
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Posts: 341
Location: Western U.P. | I don't remember ever having a hook up problem with Eagle Tails, and caught quite a few fish on them. Time to dust them off, along with old Mepps Musky & Giant Killers to use this year. Gonna be some changes this season. VMS - Thanks for bringing this up.
Maybe it's just me, but probably not... I think that I have a bigger smile on my face when I catch a Muskie (or probably any other species) on an old classic lure. I broke out a 40+ year old Cisco Kid Topper a few years ago just for the hell of it, and caught a smalll 27"ish Muskie on it about 3 cranks into the first cast. Couldn't stop smiling & laughing. Every other fish that day was bigger, but that was the best one.
Edited by Cedar 2/11/2024 11:28 AM
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Location: SE/WI | Spring and early summer time I always bring my marabu boxes with a bunch of Mepps Giant killers, Windels harassers, Buchertails/slopmasters and floating Cat's Tails. Have a bunch of colors/multiple sizes but the magnum Harasser is my personal favorite. Always nice to throw them something that they may haven't seen before. Have many upper 40's on them plus the occasional bonus 5&6lb largemouth wanting some too! |
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Posts: 304
| North of 8 i do occ throw the Giant Killers again. Caught a nice fish on Leech recently on one. ( back in the day,era of Chan ‘Doc’Cotten, Roger Halvorson etc) it was only half jokingly called the muskies natural food there. Great burner bait over rocks in Canada as well.
Old is new. |
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| dickP - 2/11/2024 7:34 PM
North of 8 i do occ throw the Giant Killers again. Caught a nice fish on Leech recently on one. ( back in the day,era of Chan ‘Doc’Cotten, Roger Halvorson etc) it was only half jokingly called the muskies natural food there. Great burner bait over rocks in Canada as well.
Old is new.
Thanks. Got to dust those off and check the hooks. |
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Posts: 31
| Is this what you are talking about?
https://www.thornebros.com/products/lil-eagletail?currency=USD&varia...
I never heard of them so I did a quick search and this is what came up |
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Posts: 274
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Eagletails are a great bait! It was the "Big" Bucktail back in the day. Shined day time & at last light. Night fishing it is and was always on. Todays longer rods and improvements in reels, great casting distance is now achievable. Still use them, & they still shine!
Yes that is the mini. Also a link to the regular size.
https://teamrhinooutdoors.com/collections/bucktails/products/musky-m...
Is this what you are talking about?
https://www.thornebros.com/products/lil-eagletail?currency=USD&varia...
I never heard of them so I did a quick search and this is what came up
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Posts: 3469
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Think now piques my interest a bit more...
I know many hard-sided saltwater baits have single hooks rather than treble... Might be worth a try... |
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Posts: 1200
Location: Walker, MN | I have tried quite a few saltwater stickbaits for muskies, single hooks just don't hook up as well as trebles. Nomad Designs, Daiwa, Shimano, XRap etc. They're great for tuna, Jack Cravalle, Amberjack etc. that come back 2-3-4 times after missing. My favorite is a have caught a half dozen muskies on a shimano Orca flashboost with stock trebles though. |
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Posts: 2228
Location: SE, WI. | Really miss George Wahl. Great guy to talk to. Every time I walk through a musky show I think of him. My custom spinnerbaits are modeled similar to his, with a slight mod! I even have the Bullet head mold. It’s a classic coming through weeds! JD
Edited by jdsplasher 2/13/2024 5:35 AM
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Posts: 3136
| Did somebody mention weeds????
If George Wahl were still around he would be cursing and shaking his finger at you. Some of his baits featured hooks turned downwards. People would complain that these would snag weeds. At which point George would scold "what the hell are you doing in weeds there's NO big fish in them"!!! George loved his Canadian trout water rocky lakes.
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| Got thinking about vintage lures and one I wonder about is the Mud Puppy. When I started fishing musky back in the 1970s, buddy lent me a Mud Puppy. I never caught anything on it but first top water I raised a musky on. Even had one come from the side and fly over the top of the lure. That was fun! If I remember correctly, there was even a version that the body would fly off if you hooked a fish, with the hook harness staying with the fish.
Anybody still throwing these? |
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Posts: 1261
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | Still have both versions. Haven't used them in years. Don't know why; have caught fish on both. Hated trying to find the lure after catching one on the release version. |
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| ghoti - 2/16/2024 4:08 PM
Still have both versions. Haven't used them in years. Don't know why; have caught fish on both. Hated trying to find the lure after catching one on the release version.
Ha! Always wondered about that. Just saw them in stores, never used one. |
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Posts: 267
| George used to talk at our M Inc. meetings sometimes. Pretty simple. He used to cast them out with a pool cue short rod and reel them in slow. Question, didn't he sell the company to another company later? I thought he sold and they were available from somone else. |
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Posts: 304
| Yes believe Musky Mayhem makes/sells them. |
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Posts: 26
| Twin's in that of Ted and Bud Burger already had the same bucktail prior to George going into production. No question though his Eagle Tails were one of thee "big fish" baits throughout the 80's and into 90's. Suick's of course and the Mepp's nickel bladed/black hair Musky Killer's as well but if you did'nt have an Eagle Tail crawling up on a spot you were missing out. The ? was why were they superior or triggering the bigger muskies? People that knew George or spent time with em' in his basement made claim that perhaps all the cigarette smoke had something to do or play in to triggering fish? Along the same lines........his skunk hair tails were sought out as to some mojo for a potential scent deal. R.I.P. George.................
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Posts: 115
| Great baits. Put a 6/0 in place on the front single hook and hang a 3/4 oz bell sinker off the back and they cast great. Something they do not see. |
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