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The Koolie Minnow - My Travel Companion ~ Story by Patrick Sebile

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The Koolie Minnow - My Travel Companion ~ Story by Patrick Sebile

Fishing all over the world is my life. I have done that for a long time now, and I will keep on going this way. So far it has been so good. I just got back from a five week tour of Australia. For the first two weeks, I lived on the Coral Sea aboard the Odyssey, a legendary long-range mother ship managed by Nomad Sportfishing. You can think of the Odyssey as an ocean-going fishing lodge. It's not only mother to its guests but also to the smaller sportfishing boats that Nomad uses to ply the reefs and drop-offs of the Coral Sea for huge and powerful gamefish like giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, wahoo and red bass which tested our tackle and skill. One of the most effective lures was the deep diving Koolie Minnow 190 Long Lip, trolled or cast, easily reaching fish in depths where no other hard bait is able to dive.

From there, I made a mix of freshwater and inshore saltwater trips for various species around Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns. I'd say the highlight was fishing on fabled Lake Tinaroo where 15 IGFA world records have come from. Guys, imagine you are fishing around grass, trees, thick cover and structure like you do for largemouth, except going for barramundi, an Australian fish that looks like a giant silver bass. The thrill is that you never know if the next bite will be a "small" 6 pounder or a massive 50lb+ monster! At Tinaroo, the winner was the Koolie Minnow Big Round Lip in 118 and 145mm sizes with its ultra-wide, rolling action. We hooked six barramundi, landing a 40 pounder and had a 50 pounder jump sky-high three times only to land on the leader and cut the line with its sharp gillplates!

Monster barramundi on Koolie Long Lip 90 caught by Alex Holme (Nomad Team / Sebile pro-staff Australia).

In Australia, in between fishing trips, I exhibited my range of lures for the first time in this country, at one of the largest tackle trade shows in the world - at AFTA's Australian Fishing Tackle Trade show.

Because the Koolie Minnow (and all SEBILE products) are new to Australia this year, we entered them into the show's new product competition. Retailers and the outdoor media members present at the AFTA show were able to vote for and judge the Koolie Minnow on its performances and possibilities, and it was a proud moment when the results were in and the Koolie Minnow had won the Best Hard Lure at AFTA!

We had our full length casting demonstration tank there, so I was able to show and tell everyone there how the Koolie Minnow has a very specific body design to help penetrate the water with lower resistance. The body shape I modeled after the sucker, a fish species that's highly hydrodynamic in shape. It's one of very few fish species that can swim and thrive in powerful river currents all its life if it has to, yet its shape lets the sucker move around easily and that gave me the idea for the Koolie Minnow shape to also move easily through the water. Then I applied the principle of the underside of a plane's wing for underneath the Koolie Minnow, of course not to fly, but to get through the water with little resistance and to react or respond the way I would want, enabling the lure to be ultra-reactive to any kind of action.

The more a lure is able to react and work the way the angler wants to work it, the more useful it will be - and because of the hydrodynamic body shape to start with, that's why I was able to design four different lip models, each having a unique lip providing for different swimming actions and depths. Four lips means four actions, four possibilities to cover the range of needs while fishing any spot for any predator species; this was the reason why I designed the Koolie Minnow with so many lips, and I was especially happy to have the Koolie Minnow win the Best Hard Lure award.

SEBILE won four awards at AFTA in Australia, including Best Hard Lure for the Koolie Minnow!

The Koolie Minnow is definitely a family of lures that is always in my tackle box because of the multiple uses it offers. So when I left Australia, it was to go fishing with a friend, Mike Stiles, who had invited me to join him for largemouth on Lake Isabella in the California Sierras in late August. I packed my rods for the flight out of Sydney, Australia, and it seemed like it was no time before I was restringing line in the guides and tying my trusty Koolie Minnows back on the end in California!

We talked a lot during the drive to the lake, telling each other what our expectations could be for fishing in the heat of the summer. Mike said that the fishing had been slow the last few days if not weeks, but our trip had been planned for a couple of months already, so it's no time now to reschedule or refuse it! Soon, we're on the water, it's time to fish and my host ties a hefty swimbait on the end of a nicely-designed rod by his sponsor, Gary Dobyns Rods.

Size-wise and in terms of strength, the Koolie Minnow LL 160 (left) and BRL 145 (right) are on par with big swimbait sizes used for California trophy bass.

I start with a Koolie BRL 145 which is equal in size to a swimbait. The difference is the swaying action that the BRL 145 has even when I reel it as slow as possible, no swimbait has that action. From time to time, I just give a little twitch or speed up the retrieve to get an instant response out of my bait, giving it an unpredictable as opposed to steady movement. I have caught so many fish so many times because of that instant reaction the Koolie Minnow has to any variation in the retrieve. I cast my Koolie BRL again, retrieve it slowly to make it dive to hit the bottom in 8 feet of water, then reeling a bit faster to make the bait run up and away, then slow down again to have it swim back for deep water - a move that tempts a nice 8 1/2 lb bass to come aboard! A few casts later, I have a 3-1/2 pounder too!

Patrick Sebile's summer trophy bass, an 8.5 pounder on Lake Isabella couldn't resist the Koolie Minnow Big Round Lip (BRL) 145mm in #IS03 Golden Green Shiner color.

I love this kind of welcome in sunny California! As we are working along the shoreline, casting several times into every possible spot, we reach an area where the Sierra mountains seem to dip their toes into the warm water; the drop-off is faster and steeper here. This is one of those times to use the multiple options with the different lips that fit different depths, actions and needs. I choose to go with a bigger model, a 160mm but in the Long Lip (LL) version this time. This is my deep diving bait. It's one I worked on to reduce as much as possible the water resistance against the long lip so that every iota of energy given to the bait while cranking the reel handle or trolling goes to activating the lure, not fighting the rod. The proof is that there's no big vibration in the rod tip and there's surprising low resistance of the lure when you reel it, making a very deep, very easy to use but also very big bait. This lure goes deep very quickly, which is why I love to fish the edges of drop-offs with it. When I cast to the shoreline of a steep drop like where we are now, the Koolie LL is able to immediately hit the bottom and keep contact with the bottom at any speed I then choose to maneuver it. Well, this was the trick for this deeper area of the lake. In a matter of no time, I have a third bass, this one a 6 pounder!

Patrick Sebile lifts 6-lb largemouth landed with deep diving Koolie Minnow Long Lip (LL) 160mm in Electric Rainbow Color #IS08

I told you before, I live to fish, and I travel for fish. So yes, I love being able to one day catch barramundis in a lake in Australia, and less than 24 hours later being on the other side of the Pacific, catching brawny California largemouth this time. And surely, the Koolie Minnow, thanks to the range of options it offers in eight lengths from 3 to 9 1/2 inches (76 to 190mm), each with four different lips, depths and swimming actions, they are going to catch bass even in heavily-pressured waters, even in the middle of August or all year round!

Another 9-lber on the Koolie Minnow LL 160!

Now you know why the Koolie Minnow is my constant and favorite travel companion!

Technical Specifications

Model	Size	Weight	Type	Casting	Trolling	Casting/Trolling	Line Test
Koolie Minnow SL 90 SU	3-1/2" / 90mm	5/16 oz / 9.8g	Suspending	1 to 2 ft	2 ft		4 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow SL 118 SU	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 22.3g	Suspending	1-1/2 to 3 ft	3 ft		8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 76 FL	3" / 76mm	1/4 oz / 7g	Floating	1 to 1-1/2 ft	1-1/2 ft		1 to 6 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 90 FL	3-1/2" / 90mm	5/16 oz / 8.8g	Floating	1-1/2 to 2-1/2 ft	2-1/2 ft		4 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 102 SK	4" / 102mm	1/2 oz / 15.3g	Sinking	2 to 6 ft	6 ft		6 to 20 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 118 FL	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 21.5g	Floating	2 to 5 ft	5 ft		8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 136 FL FW	5-1/4" / 136mm	1-1/4 oz / 35g	Floating	3 to 8 ft	8 ft		12 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 160 FL FW	6-1/4" / 160mm	1-7/8 oz / 53g	Floating	4 to 10 ft	10 ft		20 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 160 SK FW	6-1/4" / 160mm	2-1/4 oz / 64g	Sinking	5 to 12 ft	12 ft		20 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow BRL 118	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 22g	Floating			Top to 5 ft	8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow BRL 145 FW	5-3/4" / 145mm	1-1/2 oz / 42g	Floating			Top to 8 ft	16 to 30 lb
Koolie Minnow BRL 190 FW	7-1/2" / 190mm	2-3/4 oz / 78g	Floating			Top to 10 ft	20 to 50 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 76	3" / 76mm	5/16 oz / 8.6g	Floating	≤6 ft	≤12 ft		1 to 6 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 90	3-1/2" / 90mm	3/8 oz / 11g	Floating	≤8 ft	≤20 ft		4 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 102	4" / 102mm	5/8 oz / 16.5g	Floating	≤12 ft	≤30 ft		6 to 20 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 118	4-5/8" / 118mm	1 oz / 27.6g	Floating	≤18 ft	≤43 ft		8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 136 FW	5-1/4" / 136mm	1-1/2 oz / 42.5g	Floating	≤22 ft	≤46 ft		12 to 30 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 160 FW	6-1/4" / 160mm	2-1/4 oz / 63g	Floating	≤28 ft	≤50 ft		20 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 190 FW	7-1/2" / 190mm	3 oz / 88g	Floating	≤30 ft	≤64 ft		20 to 50 lb

FW : Full Wire Reinforced.

For pricing and availability of SEBILE Koolie Minnows, please visit http://www.BassdozerStore.com.

Thank you for your business. May your next fishing trip be your best ever!

Regards,

Russ

SEBILE Koolie Minnow SL, ML & BRL ~ Jerkbaits

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SEBILE Koolie Minnow SL, ML, BRL

Koolie Minnows are available in multiple lips to function at different depths and produce different actions within the same lure style.

Many facets of the Koolie Minnow - it's humpback, flattened belly, rolling action, diving angle and buoyancy function to deter snags.

Koolie Minnow SL Small Lip

To fish over submerged grass or in the tops of emergent trees or brush, just reel steadily without jerking, and the SL model will have great action while staying one foot deep. If you twitch or jerk, it will dive 2-3 feet and suspends. Due to its smaller lip, the SL presents a weakened, less active, injured or hurt action. An SL has a narrower (not less) tail swing as if a struggling baitfish that is somehow hampered in its ability to swim normally. It's a good idea to work the Koolie SL in a way that maximizes the effect of its feeble, struggling motions when twitched and paused.

Model	Size	Weight	Type	Casting	Trolling	Line Test
Koolie Minnow SL 90 SU	3-1/2" / 90mm	5/16 oz / 9.8g	Suspending	1 to 2 ft	2 ft	4 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow SL 118 SU	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 22.3g	Suspending	1-1/2 to 3 ft	3 ft	8 to 25 lb

Koolie Minnow ML Medium Lip

The Floating (FL) ML models dig down from 2-10 feet depending on model. An ML presents a more robust, healthy baitfish swimming action compared to the distressed action of an SL. You may use longer, sharper pulls of the rod and faster reeling to produce action that's more like a baitfish shooting around in short bursts, keeping one step ahead of predators, or one that is flitting along, stopping to feed or look around before continuing on its way. MLs emit a nice vibration that can be felt in the rod tip. You can cover a lot of water quickly with the ML to attract active, aggressive fish. So think of it as the power fishing Koolie version. Also comes in Sinking (SK) models that can be used the same as the Floating MLs except the SKs work a little deeper, have a little wider sweep to their tails, and sink slowly when paused.

Model	Size	Weight	Type	Casting	Trolling	Line Test
Koolie Minnow ML 76 FL	3" / 76mm	1/4 oz / 7g	Floating	1 to 1-1/2 ft	1-1/2 ft	2 to 6 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 90 FL	3-1/2" / 90mm	5/16 oz / 8.8g	Floating	1-1/2 to 2-1/2 ft	2-1/2 ft	4 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 102 SK	4" / 102mm	1/2 oz / 15.3g	Sinking	2 to 6 ft	≤6 ft	6 to 20 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 118 FL	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 21.5g	Floating	2 to 5 ft	≤5 ft	8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 136 FL FW	5-1/4" / 136mm	1-1/4 oz / 35g	Floating	3 to 8 ft	≤8 ft	12 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 160 FL FW	6-1/4" / 160mm	1-7/8 oz / 53g	Floating	4 to 10 ft	≤10 ft	20 to 40 lb
Koolie Minnow ML 160 SK FW	6-1/4" / 160mm	2-1/4 oz / 64g	Sinking	5 to 12 ft	≤12 ft	20 to 40 lb

Koolie Minnow BRL Big Round Lip

The Big Round Lip (BRL) is a favorite of almost every angler who has tried one. It rolls side to side, generating a zigzag action that's terribly exciting to predators and draws fish from great depths and distances.

The BRL runs both deeper and shallower than SL and ML models. How can that be? If you reel slowly, the BRL will descend 5-10 feet deep, depending on model. Reel quicker and the BRL rises higher up, becoming increasingly more frantic with an ultra-wide roll, even splashing enticingly on top at the fastest retrieve possible.

The BRL is one incredible lure you won't find anywhere else, and it catches fish when nothing else does.

Model	Size	Weight	Type	Casting / Trolling	Line Test
Koolie Minnow BRL 118	4-5/8" / 118mm	3/4 oz / 22g	Floating	Top to 5 ft	8 to 25 lb
Koolie Minnow BRL 145 FW	5-3/4" / 145mm	1-1/2 oz / 42g	Floating	Top to 8 ft	16 to 30 lb
Koolie Minnow BRL 190 FW	7-1/2" / 190mm	2-3/4 oz / 78g	Floating	Top to 10 ft	20 to 50 lb

FW = Full Wire Reinforced.

The price is for one (1) fishing lure brand new in box as shown below.

Sebile Koolie Minnow 90 SL ~ Suspending Shallow Diver ~ Holo Greenie

Sebile Koolie Minnow 90 SL ~ Suspending Shallow Diver ~ Silver Liner

Handy size comparison of Koolie Minnow SL 90 in Silver Liner and Blue Chrome.

Sebile Koolie Minnow 90 SL ~ Suspending Shallow Diver ~ Blue Chrome

SEBILE Koolie Minnow ML 90 ~ Shallow Diver ~ Natural Mullet

Note: The Natural Mullet color has a thin, pale yellow belly.

SEBILE Koolie Minnow ML 118 ~ Shallow Diver ~ Natural Mullet

Note: The Natural Mullet color has a thin, pale yellow belly.

SEBILE Koolie Minnow BRL 118 ~ Medium Diver ~ Ghost Violet

For pricing and current availability, please visit http://www.BassdozerStore.com.

Thank you for your business. May your next fishing trip be your best ever!

Regards,

Russ

SEBILE Koolie Minnow LL Long Lip ~ Deep-Diving Bait

SEBILE Koolie Minnow LL Long Lip ~ Deep-Diving Lure

Koolie Minnow Long Lips are buoyant, deep-diving minnows with wiggling, rolling actions. The design of the strong, bridge-reinforced lip allows a steep dive and an easy retrieve in comparison to other baits of its kind. They may be swam steadily or jerked responsively and they rise free of snags whenever paused. In fact, several aspects of their construction are designed to let Koolies dive deep into snaggy areas without getting stuck.

With a full size range, there is truly a Koolie Minnow LL size suited to catch any deep-dwelling predator on the planet, from the biggest to the smallest.

There are three sizes of Koolie Long Lip (LL) Minnows suited for largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and for all small to medium size gamefish.

Size comparison from top down: 118 LL, 90 LL, 76 LL

Model	Size	Weight	Type	Casting	Trolling	Line Test
Koolie Minnow LL 76	3" / 76mm	5/16 oz / 8.6g	Floating	≤6 ft	≤12 ft	4 to 8 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 90	3-1/2" / 90mm	3/8 oz / 11g	Floating	≤8 ft	≤20 ft	6 to 16 lb
Koolie Minnow LL 118	4-5/8" / 118mm	1 oz / 27.6g	Floating	≤18 ft	≤43 ft	10 to 30 lb

Size comparison of 76 LL (bottom) and 90 LL (top).

"On light, medium or heavy tackle, in salt or freshwater, the Koolie Long Lip series is my favorite choice when I want to fish deep water, either casting or deep trolling. Particularly when you have a tidal current or in a freshwater river, the Koolie Long Lip is as easy to use as simply casting it 90 degrees straight out, and let the current work the bait down and around, almost without reeling. Very simple, but oh so very effective," says Patrick Sebile.

"What I like very much with the Koolie LL is that this bait goes really deep for its size without pulling heavily on the rod tip," says Patrick Sebile. "Less water resistance means less pulsation from the lure felt in the rod tip. Due to its unique bridged lip design, there is less feel of the lure throb, and that also increases the angler’s sensitivity to anything - a short strike, grass or debris on the hook, contact with bottom or cover - all are easier to detect since the lip resistance itself is not the overpowering sensation. So you can more easily detect short strikes, bottom, cover, debris and react quicker to whatever you feel making contact with the lure."

Other long-billed minnows do not cast very well because that long lip which causes water resistance to make it dive deeper, it also causes air resistance to make it fall short when cast. No doubt every angler may have experienced this distance-robbing effect with other long-billed baits. Not so with the Koolie LL, thanks to the gap or space between the lure’s nose and the lip, there is less air turbulence created around the lip – which is the reason why the Koolie LL sails so impressively smooth and far on a cast.

Ocean, surf and bay anglers favor the Koolie Minnow LL for Japan's sea bass. In Russia, trolling is the most popular way to use the Koolie LL. In Europe, the most popular way is casting with a steady retrieve just like you'd use a crankbait although at times using sudden, short pauses and/or twitches is the ticket.

In North America, savvy anglers prefer to retrieve minnow baits like the Koolie LL with sharp jerks and frequent pauses. The Koolie Minnow excels when used this way as a jerkbait.

The Koolie LL is buoyant so that it will rise when the retrieve is paused. This makes the Koolie LL an excellent choice to work through deep wood, rock beds, brush, grass or any kind of bottom debris. When paused, it will rise, and that lets it float up and away from any obstacles it may have encountered down there. In comparison, the popular variety of suspending jerkbaits can't back out of snags (they only get deeper into trouble) due to their non-rising nature.

Also, as a paused Koolie LL rises into the open water just above snaggy cover, that instant is a high percentage strike point. It becomes visible and vulnerable to attack as its sudden emergence triggers predators to react quickly before the prey can dart back down into the relative safety and concealment of the bottom cover again.

To sum up, the Koolie LL has a wiggling, rolling action, and dives deeper than other minnow baits of comparable size. It catches fish just like a crankbait when used with a steady retrieve. Also superb to use as a jerkbait with a cadence of jerks and pauses. It may be trolled or strummed in a current. Best of all, it floats up and out of snags, making it a great choice to swim right through thick underwater cover where other lures such as suspending jerkbaits cannot easily be used without snagging them.

Largemouth bass caught casting Koolie Minnow Long Lip.

Striped bass caught trolling Koolie Minnow Long Lips.

Innovative Edged Lips. On Koolie Minnows, the unique lip is edged out away from the lure body. Benefits are longer, smoother casts, easier retrieves, better bite detection and better feel for what the lure's coming in contact with, and deeper dives in long-lipped models. (90 LL shown in photo.)

Snagless Design. Numerous facets of SEBILE Koolie Minnows are designed to avoid snags. The Koolie Minnow's humpback, flattened belly, roll, diving angle and buoyancy function to deter snags.

The long, extended lip contacts bottom. Meanwhile, the nose-down, bottom-probing posture helps hold the hooks above snags.

The humpbacked, highly buoyant body helps the Koolie LL to float back up out of and over snags that impede its forward progress.

The wide, flat bottom helps the Koolie Minnow to push itself off of and to roll itself over snags. The broad bottom serves as a wide shield of protection to help hide the belly hook from snags.