Suick…Still handcrafted, one at a time. That’s how my grandfather built the first Suick and I think he would be proud to know that we are still building them that way today.”

MuskieFIRST Welcomes Mike Suick to our online seminar room, welcome Mike!

Steve Worrall How has the Antigo winter treated Suick Lures?

Mike Suick: Thank you Steve, it’s a pleasure to be here doing this with you guys

Mike Suick: Oh not too bad, about ready for the ice to be off though!

Steve Worrall Let’s start with some history, tell us how Suick Lures got started, please

esoxaddict: Sooo… What’s new and exciting in this year’s lineup?

Mike Suick: Well, my great grandpa made the first Suick in about 1939. He was crazy about muskies and lived to catch them. From that time on the lure grew into what it is known as today.

horsehunter: Mike your Grandfather created a great lure I have been accused of buying every firetiger suick I see to keep them out of the hands of others

Mike Suick: This year we have a new special edition out called the Suick Sure-Catch, it was originally introduced in 1981 and later was discontinued. To commemorate that we have reintroduced it in four colors, and also have one of the colors signed by the 3 living generations of Suick’s.

Tuffdaddy: Mike, ever thought of going to a 2 hook version of the Suick? (outside of the 7″ers)

Mike Suick: That’s an excellent thing to hear! Firetiger is one of our best colors.

Stan: Hows the new top water coming along?

horsehunter: So called friends remove the rear hook and atach a #0 spinner to the tail

Mike Suick: We’ve thought about it in the past, we don’t feel that going to two hooks would improve the lure at all, which is why we’ve stuck with 3

Steve Worrall I have one of the signed Sure-Catch lures, will never see the water

esoxaddict: Mike, I see the Suicks as being greatly misunderstood – seems a lot of folks just don’t know what to do with them. What advice would you give someone who has just taken one out of the box and is throwing it for the first time?

Mike Suick: The Nightwalker is doing well, was responsible for some real nice muskies last season.

Stan: Always good to hear

szqwral: Hey Mike I really like my new Suick; very nice!

horsehunter: I was starting to say so called friends remove them from my boat to watch me melt down

Mike Suick: That is a comment I have heard a lot, and something we need to do something about. My first comment would be to just spend time with it. A lot of people get discouraged with them too fast. You need to understand what the lure can do and how to make it do just that.

Steve Worrall: What’s the process like making a Suick, are they all made in Antigo?

Stan: Mike, Tel your Dad to save me a signedSure-Catch

Mike Suick: Sounds good Stan!

Steve Worrall: And where are they painted? Who comes up with the colors and patterns?

Mike Suick: Mostly everything is made right here in Antigo, we try to do absolutely everything in house. The only exception to that is the 4″ Suick and the Cisco Kid 200 series. Those bodies are still made in the U.S. but not by us. The Weagle and Wabull blanks are made by a company also in Antigo. Other then those lures we are almost completely self sufficient. We even make our own cotter keys!

Mike Suick: We paint most of our lures right here in Antigo, Stan Durst also helps us out with a couple of the Cisco Kid lures.

Stan: SShhhh

esoxaddict: That’s where people get hung up, I think. “What exactly IS this thing supposed to do?” It’s been a staple for many for decades, and it’s prven to work, but I think many anglers throw it for a few mionutes and think “okay… NOW WHAT?”

DPursch: there are alot of different ways of doing different things with just one lure very cool after all these years

Mike Suick: Thats an excellent question. The goal of the Suick is to imitate a dying baitfish. It accomplishes this by the dive and rise action.

TJ: How much time is spent on just one lure start to finish?

horsehunter: One of the best lures for fishing slop

szqwral: its pretty simple, even I learned how to ‘walk the dog’ with one or just jerk it side to side..not too hard on the wrists either : )

Steve Worrall: OutdoorsFIRST is putting together a video clip to show folks how well the Suick works, and how easy it is to catch fish with

wers4455: I used to use my wrist now I use front cork

Pointer: Do you still own that jet ski that broke down?

Mike Suick: Thats a tough question to answer. One lure doesn’t go through the shop at one time start to finish. We usually cut the wood blanks in the summer, and as winter sets in we’ll finish the rest of the process in the main shop, (its a lot warmer in there.)

wers4455: great idea. Any idea when?

Mike Suick: Ha, we still have it but it doesn’t get much use anymore!

Steve Worrall: Video will be on DVD and available onsite and from Suick this Spring

esoxaddict: Can you talk a little about tuning, and what action you are looking for by bending the tail?

wers4455: cool

Stan: DVD will be nice to have

Solson20: tunning a suick is what makes me take it off. never get them to run properly

dinger: I am relatively new to the muskie game, (3 yrs now), and would like some insight on suick presentation. type of rod/leader to produce the best action. any pointers for a new guy? I always seem to feel i should be able to get it to really dance, and just cant get it right… thanks

Mike Suick: Tuning is something that is very difficult to explain. Usually what you are looking for is a dive and rise action, and also a little left and right movement. This is usually accomplished by bending the tail down, or even twisting on it a little bit. Some lures may want to always work to one side, when this happens you can twist on the front screw eye a little bit. If that still doesn’t correct the problem it is most likely a weight distribution problem and rotating the front hook 180 degrees will most likely fix the problem.

szqwral: Dinger the DVD will be helpful to view

Steve Worrall: It’s easy, really, and allot of it is in the technique, how to reel and move the rod at the same time to make it dart, dip, and rise predictably.

dinger: when is the video gonna be available??

DPursch: add bigger hooks front and rear take all the paint off the belly soak for some time and you have a bait that will run down 6ft very coll in clear water

Steve Worrall: Don, those Rowan Lake Muskies like Suicks, right?

Mike Suick: Personally I use a regular wire leader and a 7 6 rod, also as Steve mentioned reel and rod movement is the key.

DPursch: every day i have a brown one on

Steve Worrall: Mike, explain the the difference in how the weighted VS unweighted Suicks work please

wers4455: The pearch w/orange belly is fantabulous!

Mike Suick: Well, the weighted Suick’s are in my opinion the easier of the two to work. It will hang on the pause just a little longer and is great for working next to weeds or any other type of structure. The non-weighted version rises a little faster and is excellent for working over the top of weed beds. Some people will actually work them right through the weeds and can get them to back right out without getting snagged up.

Steve Worrall: My favorite use, pretty heavy cabbage, pop it forward, let it back up, etc.

Solson20: nothing better then getting the strike in a pocket of weeds on a rise

Tuffdaddy: I love fishing those puppies in the slop!

Mike Suick: Exactly what I was pointing towards!

Steve Worrall: Dinger, several clips that will be on the video are on upload.outdoorsfirst.com

Stan Durst: I had them hit on the rise many times

dougj: Me Too! One of the best weed lures there is.

Stan Durst: I happen to know it is Dougs favorite

spoonva: Mike what length has shown to be the most popular?

Mike Suick: I don’t think much can replace the feeling of a muskie nailing it on the rise.

Steve Worrall: I see Suick now has several sizes of the Thriller, what is available now?

esoxaddict: Seems like they mean business when they decide to eat it! Mike, what advise would you give to someone who has never thrown one before, and doesn;t know how to work it?

DPursch: when they follow it and you stop it they just cant take it

Mike Suick: 9 inch Suicks are the most popular and have also been around the longest. Currently we make them in 4, 7, 9, 10, and 12 inch sizes. 9’s and 10’s have been the most popular for a long time but the 12’s have been coming on real strong, especially this last fall.

dinger: thank you steve, i will look that up!!

saint: the 12 ‘s are awesome

Scott: I caught a beauty on a 12 this past summer

Steve Worrall: talk about easy to use…the 12 almost works itself

Mike Suick: My advice would be to just spend time with it. Try to get it to dive and rise and also move slightly side to side. It takes a little practice and patience to get a good feel for it but don’t give up before you give it a chance.

Tuffdaddy: Do you think too many people “over” work it? Trying to rip it too hard?

Mike Suick: That’s excellent Scott!

DPursch: really the older the better

Tuffdaddy: Seems like a soft touch actually works better with the suick to get it to dance and work through the trees, weeds, etc, then throw in the death rise. Ohhhhhh man, I need some water.

Mike Suick: I don’t think you really can over work it. There are so many different ways to work them sometimes that might be what you have to do. I think every year I learn a new way to work them that I didn’t even know about!

Steve Worrall What is the most popular selling Thriller color? Hehehe, Tuffdaddy, us Ice Anglers ain’t ready to give it up yet…

Tuffdaddy: 🙂

Mike Suick: The best selling Suick color has almost always been black, followed closely by the firetiger and sucker patterns.

saint: color does not matter they all catch fish

spoonva: Just wanted to say thanks for a great bait Mike. They have been a great producer for many years. One of the first musky baits I started with back in the 60’s.

Mike Suick: Thank you spoonva, it means a lot to us to hear comments like that.

dougj: Yes, I second that, they have been a great producer for me for many years.

Stan Durst: And I have done well with them too even in the rivers

Steve Worrall: Suick Lures also builds the Wabull and Weagle, let’s talk Weagles a while…bunch of old guys in here tonight, I got my first Muskie on a Suick in ’69, I think

Solson20: oh how i love the weagle

Stan Durst: Look out Doug, Steve is calling us “Old ” B’s

Steve Worrall: yep…fsf too

dougj: And rightfully so!

Mike Suick: The Weagle and Wabull have been an absolute awesome addition to our lineup

Stan Durst: I know and That’s the bad part

esoxaddict: What are you doing different with the Weagle and Wabull that the last two manufacturers may not have done?

Steve Worrall: Are they pretty much made the same way as they were? They seem really consistent in action and quality now

esoxaddict: Except delivering them on time that is ; )

Solson20: lol

jimmy: I picked up a Suick Weagle. Seemed to be a different (better) feel to the paint job.

Stan Durst: demand can be hard to keep up with sometimes //1

Mike Suick: Well we tried not to change it a whole lot. The last two manufacturers had an excellent product and we wanted to stick with what they had. They are still made the exact way they made them, the blanks are even made by the same company. About the only change we have made is to the paint. We are using and adhesion primer and a little different clear coat then they had. So far they have been holding up excellent.

Tuffdaddy: Are you still making the wild action weagles?

Tuffdaddy: Seems like they’ve been hit or miss in availability.

spoonva: Mike is there any real way to tell yours from the others by the look or feel?

Mike Suick: Yes we are still making them, they are in pretty limited numbers though.

dinger: heard lots about the weagle online. how do they compare to other lures? never thrown one… also, best place to get one?

Tuffdaddy: Good to know, I need to get some more 10″ wild action’s.

Mike Suick: We added a sticker underneath the clear coat near the back hook that says “Weagle” or “Wabull” that is the easiest fastest way to tell if we made it or not.

dinger: what is wild action weagle… like the sound of that.

esoxaddict: Thats good to hear, after watching several older models seperate themselves from the finish all at once..

Steve Worrall: I find the Weagle to need basically the same rod/reel movement the Thriller wants to make it ‘dance’…Muskies like to be ‘talked into it’ with that lure

Tuffdaddy: It has a squirrly tail on the back end Dinger.

Steve Worrall: Sorta like TD does

dinger: thank you

Tuffdaddy: hahaha, yes I do. Kind of like an urban mullet. 😉

Mike Suick: The weagle is a little different then most walk the dog style topwater lures. It is a little heavier making the action a little different, it is also harder for the fish to blow it out of the water when it decides it’s time to eat.

Stan Durst: I like the way it pushes the water

spoonva: Is there any plans in the works for a 12″ wabull or weagle?

Mike Suick: A wild action Weagle is almost the same as a regular Weagle, but it has a soft rubber tail trailing behind changing the action just a touch.

Tuffdaddy: I like that you guys haven’t changed the weagles outside of the paint, we put a TON of fish in the net on those every year.

Mike Suick: The weight also makes it push more water and changes the noise as well. As of now there are now plans for a 12 Weagle or Wabull.

esoxaddict: Steve, you’ve got several products that are legendary. Going forward, what are you focusing on as far as development? New lures, or improvements to proven lures? Both?

Mike Suick: We are always trying to find ways to improve our product and also introduce new lures to our lineup. Hopefully we will be able to have more “legendary” lures, that’s something we are always working on though.

Steve Worrall: the Wabull….one of the most misunderstood baits on the market, I think. SO versatile, it almost makes BN want to fish a glider. Are sales picking up for the Wabull this winter?

esoxaddict: “it almost makes BN want to fish a glider”

esoxaddict: Heheheh

Steve Worrall I DID say almost…

esoxaddict: WA Wabull and Baby version have been good to me!

Mike Suick: Actually Steve they are, the Wabull has been holding its own as far as sales go. I think more people need to be introduced to the lure.

Steve Worrall: If more folks learned what that lure can do, they’d be as popular as the Weagle

Steve Worrall: Pelican Muskies like ’em alot

esoxaddict: Wabull brings a third dimension to the traditional side to side glider. VERY underutilized. If that’s a word….

Mike Suick: I think you are right Steve, and that is something we are working on. It’s an excellent lure and is capable of a lot of different things.

Steve Worrall One literally can make that bait go from the surface to 5′ down in one tap

Mike Suick: Exactly, and then right back up

DPursch: thats a fact steve

esoxaddict: dink…. dink…. dink…. *WHAM!*

Stan Durst: are they good for around log jams?

Stan Durst: if worked easy

Mike Suick: They can be worked right around things, and over the top and down through them as well.

Steve Worrall: I even beat Norm outta a couple muskies on Antigo Island…he was soaking suckers and I followed behind and got ’em on a Wabull…he yelled over, “What IS that thing?”

Mike Suick: With a confused look on his face?

Steve Worrall: I said, ‘Ain’t a Potato!’

esoxaddict: it’s none of your business, that’s what it is!!

Steve Worrall: Norm frequently looks confused. Caused by the ‘Beaver experience’ up by dougj, permanent damage, I think

Tuffdaddy: jumping back to the Suicks, are there any modifications you do at all outside of the standard tuning?

Steve Worrall: Where can everyone check out SUick’s lineup of lures, Mike?

dougj: Any new colors for the suick line this year?

Mike Suick: Personally I don’t modify them too much. Probably one of the most popular mod’s is to drill a hole in the tail and hang a small blade off of it. A lot of times that’s just enough difference to trigger a strike. Some people also mess with hook size and/or remove one of the hooks.

Mike Suick: We have a brand new website being made right now actually, it should be up within the next month and we will have every product in every color on the site.

DPursch: some times the hook eye is higher on the nose and they run deeper out of the box

Mike Suick: No new colors in the Suick for this year, the Suick Sure-Catch is painted in a new bass type pattern but that’s about it for new colors.

dougj: I’m just looking for a reason to get another suick or two. I think I have every color you make.

Mike Suick: That sounds like one heck of a collection!

Steve Worrall: MuskieFIRST thanks Mike Suick for a great hour talking Muskies, and Suick lures! That was a fast hour…

Tuffdaddy: Thanks Mike!

TJ: Thanks, Mike