"The Rest of the Story" More About Stan Stan's Archives By Stan Fagerstrom Part 3

Have a chance to visit with renowned lure maker Pete Rosko and you’ll hear him share some of the fishing facts he’s refined over a lifetime of learning. Pete’s not guessing about these facts. They didn’t come easily. Every darn one of them involved the blood, sweat and tears I mentioned in introducing this series of columns dealing with Pete’s lifetime of angling experience. When was the last time, for example, that you created a lure and then went out and used it to bring 171 salmon to your boat in just one day of testing? Few of us have or ever will. Pete has done that. You’ll also hear Pete stress the importance of building vibration and flutter into the lures he creates and that small lures can and do get their share of big fish. In this final column in this series about you’ll also find more of Pete’s thoughts about the Sonic BaitFish, the last of the lures he’s developed. I like to think this wondrous fish catcher has already provided all the proof you could ask for in demonstrating what Pete has accomplished. As the pictures I’ve used with this series plainly prove, the Mack’s Lure Sonic BaitFish catches darn near anything that swims. There aren’t too many lures out there that can do that---the Sonic BaitFish, in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, can and does. A good many anglers have already found that out for themselves. So can you.

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The Sonic BaitFish not only is the size and shape of a Pacific herring, it also has the flutter and vibration that make salmon want to grab it. By Pete Rosko Part 3 “The final half of the puzzle might also be known as the beginning of the Sonic BaitFish (SBF). “It was always my goal to develop two different metal jigs with two different actions…one with a wider shad/herring-shape and the other with a slender sand lance-shape. As in dentistry, ‘function follows form’. “Your tooth bites through food a certain way it’s formed. A metal jig acts according to how it’s shaped. The results were the Crippled Herring and the Kandlefish. “Basically, the action and appearance of the Crippled Herring is an imitation of the appearance, and action, of the Pacific herring. It flutters, darts and glides on a slower fall and works best in shallower water. “The Kandlefish is an imitation of the appearance, and action, of the Pacific sand lance or candlefish….a bait fish most preferred by salmon and most other Pacific species. It frantically flutters, darts and vibrates on a faster fall. It’s the most versatile of the two jig types and is deadly in both shallow and deep water. “Most game fish have a higher preference for slender, soft-finned bait fish as duplicated in the Kandlefish. Despite any geographic reference, both of these metal jigs are effective, world-wide. “The creation of the Kandlefish would eventually lead to the development of the Sonic BaitFish. Ron Weber, the founding owner of Rapala-Normark, actually was partially responsible for my creation of the Kandlefish. I admired Ron for his integrity and the gracious manner in which he treated me and others.

No wonder Pete Rosko is wearing that big smile! If you've messed around with carp much you know they aren't usually much interested in artificial lures. That may be, but it sure didn't stop this big one Pete is holding from smacking his fish-catching Sonic BaitFish. “Ron was a steady client of mine when I was an offshore guide in the Florida Gulf. We both loved to drift-jig the Crippled Herring. Ron was very good at it. One day, in the late 1990's, Ron said he wanted to purchase the Crippled Herring for Rapala. Unfortunately, I had to tell him it was contractually licensed to Luhr Jensen. “However, I told him that I had been planning another metal jig design that would be better in different ways. We shook on it and I went to work on developing the Kandlefish. During the testing stage of the Kandlefish, in Washington State’s Strait of Juan de Fuca, my best day for chinook salmon was (171) between 20 and 32 pounds. At the time, I was fishing with Gordon Thomson who is a school teacher in Astoria Oregon. “Ron Weber unexpectedly sold Rapala-Normark in 1999. The Kandlefish was never completed in time to personally deliver to Ron…”haste makes waste”. Then, in 2005, Luhr Jensen was sold to the new owners of Rapala-Normark. Ironically, this acquisition included the Crippled Herring.

“A few years later, Rapala discontinued many important sizes of the Crippled Herring. Critical, and contrary to my experiences, was the deletion of sizes 1/6, 1/4 & 1/3 oz sizes. “From the backwaters of Florida, the shoals & reefs of Western Lake Erie and Lake Superior, the Pacific NW kelp beds and other shallower bodies of fresh and salt water, those smaller jigs were responsible for impressive catches of big fish.

A 1/10th-ounce Sonic BaitFish looked just too good for this nice largemouth bass to pass up.

“For many years, I preached that “small lures catch big fish!” I went to work again to fill the void that Rapala created. That was the beginning of the Sonic BaitFish, in 2010, accompanied by a critical change in design philosophy. “As previously discussed, the two most important strike-triggering actions in a fishing lure are flutter and vibration. My goal was not only to maximize these two actions in the Sonic BaitFish (SBF) but also to effectively fish the jig from all three attachment points…nose, tail and back. “This had never been done before and was the premise for a mechanical patent. The nose and tail attachments maximize flutter whether cast, jigged or trolled. The top-of-the-back attachment maximizes vibration and is exclusively designed for vertical jigging. “The outstanding “genetics”, that made the Kandlefish so effective, were continued in the Sonic BaitFish. Basically, the Sonic BaitFish is the child of the Kandlefish. The 1/6 through the 3/4oz Kandlefish bodies were hybridized into the Sonic BaitFish bodies with the addition of an attachment on top of the back. Its “KF” and K-Fish logos were retained as its “Killer Fish” nickname for its history of outstanding multi-species catches of fish across the country. “About one year into the development of the Sonic BaitFish, I happened to be on the phone with Bobby Loomis, national sales manager for Mack’s Lure. I originally met, and worked, with Bobby as a member of the G. Loomis pro staff in the early 1990’s. “Prior to that call, he had no idea I was developing another lure. Ten days after I sent Bobby a few crude samples of the Sonic Baitfish, he gave me a call. He had just returned from a gathering of writers and guides on the Columbia River after showing them the samples.

A night fishing adventure with a 1/4th-ounce Sonic BaitFish in glow & chartreuse produced this dandy mixed bag of walleyes, bass and crappie.

“Their positive response resulted in Mack’s Lure Company’s decision to ask me if the Sonic BaitFish was available. It was an easy decision for me to make knowing Bobby and the integrity and quality of the Mack’s Lure organization. “Over the years, I’ve been involved in just about every facet of sport fishing. I’ve been blessed with a loving family, wonderful friendships and loyal support. In addition to names already mentioned, there are several other names that also need mentioning here because of their special friendship and unfailing support from the very beginning. They are Bif Lampton (editor of Florida Sportsman magazine/deceased), Tim Coleman (editor of The Fisherman/deceased), Capt Ron Marsho (deceased), Capt Jack Tibbels, Terry Rudnick (writer), Jeff Boyer (writer) and Doug Olander (editor of Sport Fishing magazine). Because of limited space, I apologize for not listing the many other names that have been important in my life. “Only fellow anglers can truly appreciate the joy and excitement that result from being on the water. I can think of nothing better for both body and soul than fishing. Seeing the joy on an angler’s face, after landing a memorable fish on one of my lures, is one of the greatest satisfactions in my life. “In my monthly Mack Attack series of “Tips & Techniques with the Sonic BaitFish”, I hope to add to your knowledge and enjoyment on the water by sharing with you basically everything I know about fishing. Thank you so much for the trust and confidence you have placed in me and in Mack’s Lure. “All the best in health and happiness.” Pete Rosko ---END---