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SAGINAW NEWS
October 1998
By Bob Gwizdz
Can't get
bait on hook? Dudley's 'glue' might do
GIBRALTAR - Sometimes,
anglers can't use the bait the fish want because they can't get it on the hook. But
Jearald Dudley, a 50-year old manager for an information services company, thinks he's
found the answer. Dudley has invented Baitstick, a glue-like substance he uses to secure
any sort of creepy crawler to a hook. Ants, maggots, pill bugs and other little
critters can be presented, alive and well to the fish with a drop of Baitstick, Dudley
says. "I've been messing around with ways of putting bait on for a long time,"
Dudley said. I've been fishing eating insects - it's their main diet. Since I was a kid,
I've been trying to figure out a way to put the bait on a hook without killing it."
After a dozen years of experimenting with everything from fly paper to super glue, Dudley
discovered a taffy like substance he bottles as Baitstick. He uses it for just about
everything, even the insects that many anglers already know how to hook - like crickets
and grasshoppers, which many anglers impale under the collar. "The thing about it is,
even if you put it under that collar, it paralyzes the insect," Dudley said.
"But with this stuff, because it's sticky, these insects are trying to get away,
trying to get off. It makes them work even more." Dudley says large, black carpenter
ants are a super panfish bait, but there's no way to put them on a hook. Same with pill
bugs, the little hard-shell critters that roll up into a ball when you touch them.
"Those are great for bass, bluegills - I've caught big perch with them," Dudley
said. "You can take them and keep them in a tub. I've got one with a bunch of
bark in the bottom of it and I pour about a glass of water in it about once a month to
keep it moist and they grow by the thousands. But there's no way I know that you can put a
hook into them without killing them." With Baitstick, the creatures just keep
kicking. "Virtually anything crawling around the garden, in the grass, on the trees,
you can use for bait now," Dudley said. Dudley says he's heard plenty of
testimonials, from anglers who use Baitstick on maggots to those who use live shrimp and
crabs. He's even heard of anglers who use Baitstick with real mayflies to catch trout
during the Hex hatch. Dudley says Baitstick has an indefinite shelf life, but can harden
in
cold weather. "If you're going to use it in cold climates, you'll probably want
to keep it in an inside pocket and keep it warm," he says. Baitstick sells for $7.50
for a one-ounce bottle, $13.00 for a two-ounce bottle. To order it, mail to Baitstick,
30274 Young, Rockwood, MI 48173, and add for shipping and handling.
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