The scream you heard this morning was.....

[Red Childress]

my client who was with me looking for a fish over 40 inches. He had fought a BIG musky and got her close to the boat (with net in hand and mouths gaped wide open gawking at the size of this fish), then we watched her simply open her mouth, spit the bait and swim off. Even with a good hook-set, the bait never slid enough to get the Shallow Invader's hooks in the flesh.

She was the largest fish I have seen this year including the 51 Stuart boated back in late-May. (No disrespect to your fish, Stuart.) I cannot get over the girth that fish had for mid-July but then again with the current food supply in the river, it makes perfect sense.

[Trauts]

No disrespect taken...BIG fish are WAY cool...regardless if I am the one who hooks/catches it or not.

Every time I see a picture of those magnificient fish with a proud angler holding it, or read about a great encounter it gets the juices flowing!

And come to think of it...I am pretty sure I heard that scream this morning as I was sipping my coffee!

[Anzomcik]

So whats what i heard!.... JK

That is heart breaking, i know for at least myself we have all been there, and will never forget it also

[McDunnoftheAllegheny]

Oh no that sucks!

[lowbidder]

Man that sucks...

I love the shallow invader, but that's my one gripe about them. I've had several fish hit the lure and never catch a hook. I don't like the hook placement, but with only half a hard body there is not much room for improvement. I think putting a wire through into the soft tail would kill the action.

I hope one of you guys up there boat that beast so we can all get a look at it!

[toothyfishman]

Bummer......how do those big fish learn the "spit the hook".

They must have a "fish schooling" after they reach 45" or so. 45+ fish do it best!
That's what keeps you coming back for more.

[stushsky]

for what it's worth, and of course it's impossible to know for sure, but this fish, and many others out there that "shed the hooks", may have been landed if barbless hooks were used. sure wish i could find it but in an issue of muskies inc. magazine years back an experiment was detailed as to which were "better" barbed or barbless hooks. the experiment clearly showed that a barbless hook with x amount of pressure would dig deeper than a barbed hook would simply because the barb actually "gets in the way" most of the time from allowing this to happen. that is down to the bend in the hook which is what we want in order to get the most leverage when proper pressure is maintained from back at the rod tip. since reading that article i went 100% barbless on all hooks on all baits and personally my "lost fish" % has gone way down. we all know keeping the "proper" bend in the rod and of course keeping their head in the water if at all possible by the right rod manipulation during the fight boats more fish but i believe barbless hooks are the way to go and will never go back to the barbed versions. easy to do too, i use a dremel tool with a hard stone attachment which will gring a barb off in a matter of seconds. jmo. any others gone barbless out there?

[Red Childress]

I had the invader's rear treble stuck in the rubber portion of the tail in order to separate the hooks. I really think the fish had a death grip on the bait (based on the cracks in the plastic from the high amount of bite pressure from the fish) and the instant "rolling on the surface" during the hook-set instead of the norm.

I have seen a couple of different modifications to the Shallow Invader but I am going to try putting a fairly stiff rubber band around the body of the bait to hold the rear treble against the body and away from the front hook hanger.

I sure am looking forward to the 10-inch model coming out later this summer. The larger version should put an end to the tangled hook problem.

[Mark G.]

I am in the OBX this week and heard that scream yesterday morning as I was drinking coffee on the balcony looking out over the Atlantic...I thought it sounded eerily familiar...

[w pa muskie bound]

maybe wider gap hooks would work better.i still have not caught one on a shallow invader,or seen one while useing one.i've tried straight crank,crank and pause,jerk,still no luck.

[lowbidder]

I didn't know they were going to offer a larger model. That is great news. I've been wondering why they didn't offer a larger model ever since the very first time I had one of those hook tangles that defies all laws of physics.

[McDunnoftheAllegheny]

I was the guy screaming saturday I hooked into a cow I've been after all summer I fought her a while I had a hell of a time fighting, I seen my showgirl wasn't very far in, I got her slowed down beside the boat went for the net and she got like a third wind took off under the net and got the lure stuck in the bag I tried a ninja net flip scoop move but she opened up head shake and good bye.... but I haven't given up I will get this fish.

[lowbidder]

"ninja net flip scoop move"... That's an instant classic.

Sorry about the lost fish though!

[McDunnoftheAllegheny]

yep, sure wish I had one of those rapala extreme net men.......

[lowbidder]

I would go with hockey guy...nothing gets by hockey guy.
Lol.