A couple of months ago, the owner of Sake Fishing reached out to me with an opportunity to be a brand representative for his custom rod and jig company. I was thrilled to join the team as the first member from Minnesota for the Iowa based company!
First, a little background about Sake Fishing. Sean, the owner, started the company when he found his passion for fishing and tying handmade fly jigs escalating. Not only does Sean make and tie all the fly jigs by hand, but he also creates custom rods for both the open water and ice fishing seasons. The amount of detail and work he puts into his products is outstanding. If you're looking for a specific color or style, he will work with you to create the perfect custom product for you!
So, when I received my jigs, I knew I had to test them out.
It was a warm morning a few weeks ago when I had gone out on my kayak to target bass. Whether it was the changing temperatures or just the barometric pressure, I couldn't get the bass to really hit on topwater. I had caught a few small largemouths, but nothing bigger than 2.5 lbs... Eventually, I decided to change things up. I knew there were some decent panfish in the lake and so I looked in my tackle bag and knew immediately what my game plan was.
I grabbed one of my Sake Fishing jigs, tied it on to my line, and put a PowerBait Crappie Nibble on the hook. I had cast out to a hole in the weeds and within seconds, my bobber slammed down. That's when I knew that the jigs Sean had made were definitely the real deal. After catching a few sunnies, I knew I had to call it a day and go home to get ready for work. I couldn't resist throwing my line in the water again when I got to the landing and saw a huge school of sunnies around the dock. The water was clear so I knew I had to see just how the fish reacted to the jig, with or without the added PowerBait.
When I lowered the jig into the water, the fish were immediately curious. The smaller ones looked at it with caution, but before long, a larger pumpkinseed swam in aggressively out of nowhere and hammered the jig. I was impressed once again. That's when I noticed another big pumpkinseed right under the dock, just sitting there, unbothered by the action. I dropped the jig in front of it and at first, there was no reaction... Until I started playing with the jig and bouncing it up and down in front of the fish. That was enough to prompt an aggressive attack on the jig. That's when I knew I made a great decision accepting the opportunity to be a brand rep for the Sake Fishing team.
While I don't target panfish as often in open water, I absolutely can't wait to see what these jigs can do once the lakes start freezing over... I'm more than confident I will have another fish story or two to tell when I target those slab crappies with these fly jigs!
If you're hooked by this review, head over to www.sakefishing.com and use my code MNSTEPH10 for 10% off your order. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.