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Great Lakes Finesse was founded by a group of fanatical tournament anglers and fishing industry veterans that couldn’t find high quality finesse-focused baits and terminal tackle that met our needs — so they made it. Their baits have become a staple among those that know the best way to get big fish to bite is to hit ’em with a little finesse. Now, they’ve turned their attention to the other tools of the trade, introducing a line of rods designed to make the most of the baits that have earned a reputation on the tourney trail and beyond.
New Finesse CX Rod Line
Great Lakes Finesse has dropped a collection of new finesse-fishing rods, with the Finesse CX line including three models out of the gate. The rods are built on full X Carbon blanks with one-piece, non-slip ergonomic carbon handles for top sensitivity.
Finesse CX Rods: Key Features
- Premium high-modulus carbon woven in an X pattern for maximum sensitivity, crispness, and durability. The uncoated matte black blank reduces weight and unwanted glare for close-range fishing.
- 1 Piece Ergo Carbon Handle, Non-Slip
- One-piece, non-slip ergonomic carbon handle for maximum sensitivity, comfort, and weight reduction. Matte black to reduce glare for close-range fishing.
- Microwave Air Guides
- Durable matte black AT Microwave Air guides for maximum casting distance and weight reduction.
- MSRP: $399.99 for all models
Finesse CX Models
7’ 8” Medium Light (Fast Action)
GLF’s longest casting and most parabolic rod in the lineup, with the backbone on the bottom end to turn any size fish. When extreme casting distance is required, this is the ultimate long medium-light rod to fire small baits farther than any rod on the planet. “With distance comes the need for sensitivity, and this rod offers the most feedback you can get, from the full X Carbon blank to the one-piece carbon handle. The parabolic action of the top half of the rod will allow you to fish small baits on line as light as 4-pound test.”
Line Rating: 4- to 10-pound test
Lure Weight: 1/16-ounce to 3/8-ounce
Techniques: Hair Jig, Finesse Underspin, Cindy Rig, Finesse Wacky Rig
GLF Baits: Sneaky Underspin, Cindy Rig (Drop Minnow on Stealth Ball Jig Head), Marabou Jig
7’ 4” Medium Light (Fast Action)
This is the most versatile rod in the lineup; if you can only have one, this rod will handle just about every finesse presentation you can think of, from casting a hair jig, finesse underspin, drop shotting, mid-strolling, and even dragging small finesse baits. “This rod is the perfect blend of length and action for making long casts when needed, but also a super effective rod for light line drop shot, hanging a minnow, and mid-strolling.” Because of the longer parabolic action, this rod works well for drop-shotting or hovering a minnow using light line and finer wire hooks.
Line Rating: 4 – 10lb test
Lure Weight: 1/8oz to 3/8oz
Techniques: Mid-Strolling, Hover Darting, Spybait, Finesse Drop Shot, Hair Jig, Finesse Underspin, Finesse Ned, Finesse Jig, Cindy Rig, Finesse Wacky Rig
GLF Baits: Drop Minnow, DropKick Shad, Drop Worm, Marabou Jig, Hover Minnow, Ned Bug, Snack Craw, Finesse Jig, Juicy Hellgrammite, Flat Cat
7’ 8” Medium Heavy (Extra Fast Action)
Designed specifically for fishing a tube, Juvy Craw, heavy NED, or a finesse jig, this rod offers extreme casting distance, maximum sensitivity, and the backbone to drive the hook home far from the boat. “This rod will give you full control, from feeling the bait as it passes over the bottom and through cover to fighting and landing those bigger-than-average fish. Without a doubt, this rod will allow you to connect with more fish using bottom presentations and get them in the boat.”
Line Rating: 6- to 17-pound test
Lure Weight: 3/16-ounce to 5/8-ounce
Techniques: Dragging Tubes, Heavy Ned, Finesse Jig
GLF Baits: Juvy Craw, Matte Finesse Jig, Heavy Ned Bug, or Snack Craw
NEW Marabou Jig – Available May 15
A premium, NO-NONSENSE Marabou Jig crafted for serious anglers who demand quality and performance. Featuring a sharp GAMAKATSU 604 hook, it ensures a strong and reliable hookset every time. The durable matte powder coat finish resists shine and won’t chip. A wire keeper securely holds your trailer in place, while the hand-tied, premium fluffy marabou provides the perfect action in the water.
Key Features
- 1/0 GAMAKATSU 604 hook
- Durable matte (no shine / no chip) powder coat finishes
- Wire keeper for trailer
- Premium fluffy marabou
- Unpainted eye for cleaner knots
NEW 2.3″ Ned Bug
This is GLF’s take on the traditional Ned! Designed to pair perfectly with the company’s Ned Head, the Ned Bug is intended to be fished like a normal NED bait but with a unique fish- catching profile. When the Ned Bug is threaded onto the GLF Ned Head, the hook is 80% hidden inside the slit in the head. This conceals most of the hook, but it will push free from the plastic on the hookset for a high landing percentage. When fished, the Ned Bug will lift slightly, facing the fish, making it an ideal Ned bait for fishing along the bottom or as a finesse jig trailer.
Techniques: NED, Dragging, Finesse Jig Trailer
NEW Ned Head
The GLF NED HEAD is the most innovative design ever created, engineered for effortless bait lift and capable of handling the biggest fish in the lake. Its rounded edges and weight-forward design make lifting the bait easier than with traditional NED heads. Built with a super-sharp, fine-wire Gamakatsu 604 hook, a durable powder-coated finish, and a dual cone-wire bait keeper, the GLF NED HEAD sets the industry standard.
NEW Hover Minnow – 3.25-inch and Colors
Bass love spiraling and random darting actions; enter the new Hover Minnow, featuring a unique concave belly, which offers both actions and is the only soft bait of its kind. As the Cindy Rig, Moping, Mid-Strolling and Hover Strolling techniques have become more popular, fish are also becoming conditioned, making them harder to catch. When vertically jigged, on the fall this bait will glide in a spiraling pattern and when jigged in place will dart in random directions, returning to center. When fished horizontally through the water column, any twitch of your rod tip will have the bait rolling, darting, and gliding in random directions.
Techniques: Cindy Rig, Hover Strolling, Mid Strolling, Moping.
Hover Minnow Key Features
- Concave belly
- Thin split tail
- Pairs with GLF Hanging Head and Sneaky Swimbait Head
- Neutral Buoyancy
- Matte (shine-free) finish
- Tear resistant
Drop Minnow – New Colors
Designed in partnership with Travis Manson (Smallmouth Crush), the Drop Minnow is extremely versatile, allowing you to drop shot it, Damiki rig it, hop it, swim it, or fish it like a Ned. The ribbed body provides a unique vibration in the water, and the thin tail gives incredible lifelike action. When dead-sticked the bait will sit perfectly horizontal, giving it a natural appearance. The smallest amount of movement in the bait will have the tail twitching like crazy.
Techniques: Drop Shot, Underspin & Chatterbait Trailer, Moping
New Colors: Morning Dawn, Green Pumpkin Blue Flake, Goby, Green Pumpkin Shad, Matte 309, Shiner
2.4-inch Juicy Hellgramite – New Color
Kept secret for over 10 years by top tournament anglers, the 2.4” Juicy Hellgrammite perfectly imitates one of smallmouths favorite protein rich foods color the hellgrammite. What separates this hellgrammite from others to come before it is the smaller profile, matte no-shine finish, and most importantly its true neutral buoyancy, which allows it to be fished properly on a drop shot. The natural movement of this bait will trigger big bites when it’s slowly crawled along the bottom but really shines when presented perfectly horizontal on a drop shot.
Techniques: Drop Shot, Ned, Carolina Rig
New Color: Whiskey Barrel
2.5″ Juvy Craw – New Colors
This is GLF’s take on the traditional Mini Tube, designed to pair with their Mini Pro Tube Head, the Juvy Craw is intended to resemble a juvenile crawfish. When the tube head is pushed into the body the hook shank sits right between the two tentacles allowing the hook to blend in and the bait to sit up right with its flat bottom.
When fished, the Juvy Craw will behave similar to a small defenseless crawfish on the fall and when dragged/hopped along the bottom. This bait features floating claws and tentacles.
Techniques: Dragging, Cracking, Swimming
2.1″ Snack Craw
“It has been scientifically proven the most effective craw-style baits are basic, with few appendages and limited action. The Great Lakes Finesse Snack Craw has been designed with that in mind, and with a single purpose: to catch fish.” Originally intended as a chunk on a finesse jig, GLF says this bait was found to be extremely effective on a football head or ball head jig hopped or dragged along the bottom.
Techniques: Dragging, Jig Trailer, Jika, Free Rig
