PHASE II LURES: Hand made, hand-carved and hand-crafted cedar fishing lures that catch fish.
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NICE STUFF: 

7/18/11: Blackfin Tuna discover they like Phase II Skipper Lures!

Capt.Sam Fugina sent this picture of a nice blackfin tuna caught on a Phase II Lures "Skipper" floating popper (6", 1 oz., tail-weighted). Sam was fishing out of Lighthouse Beach, Fl, Hillsboro Inlet, in about 300' of water. Thanks, Sam, and keep bringing in those blackfin!

 

 6/26/11

Sport Fishing Magazine, July/August Edition

Features Phase II Lures In

"Top Plugs - 14 Pros’ Picks & Tricks."

PHASE II Junior

Designed by Dick Fincher, who handcrafts his lures from cedar,

Phase II is a popular Northeast brand, though Fincher has fished

them in the Caribbean as well. The lures - swimmers, poppers,

needlefish and others - are precisely weighted and through-wired

for strength. Phase II Is based in Westport, CT. (phaseiilures.com)

The Pro: Capt. Roger Gendron, Westport, Connecticut

(ctislandoutfitters.com)

Years as a Phase II pro: Three

Favorite lure: Junior, 4-inch.

Type of lure: Topwater/subsurface walker.

Target species/situation: Striped bass in shallow water.

Favorite color: Yellow/red.

Technique tips: Twitch or jerk the Junior to give it a side-to-side

motion, walking the dog, but just below the surface. Use a

medium to fast retrieve, says Gendron, otherwise the lure might

float to the surface. However if you need it to, "this plug will

work on the surface as well. If fish are swirling, I can stop and

let it float up, and slide it like a top-water plug," Gendron says.

"However, most of my better strikes, particularly from bass,

come just below the surface."

Rigging tips: Fishing the Junior as described above is most effective

with braided line, according to the guide, and in a recurring

theme, he also prefers a nonslip loop knot.

 

June, 2011:  SaltwaterSportsman magazine article on New England fishing features Phase II Lures Dancer (6", 1.5 oz., tail-weighted topwater needlefish) and Surf Dawg (6", 2 oz., heavy darting swimmer, weighted tail and nose).

 

June, 2011:  SportFishing magazine features Phase II Lures Skipper floating popper (6", 1 oz., tail-weighted) in New Products section

.

Here is what one very satisfied fisherman has to say about Phase II Lures:

"I honestly feel yours are some of the most unique custom lures available.  They are much like the classic woods of the golden days of the striper coast, when things were not so complicated, and unnecessary frills had no place in fishing.  I love both the designs and the vibrant paint schemes that consistently produce, day in and day out."

G. H., Philadelphia, PA, 3/31/11

 

11/25/10 -

"The Fisherman" magazine features Phase II Lures in 2010 Holiday Gift Guide Edition:

 

"Phase II Lures

One of a Kind Lures. The angler who has everything likely doesn’t have one of these because every lure is one-of-a-kind, making it a special, memorable holiday gift for the angler. Made in the U.S., each lure is hand-carved from cedar wood and hand painted in a traditional fashion. They’re purposely let to remain a bit roughly finished and that could be a could be a contributing factor in what gives them such a great swimming action. Some believe that their cedar scent also plays a role in attracting fish. These lures may be unique but they all have one thing in common, they catch fish."

 

11/16/10 - Check out In-Fisherman magazine, www.in-fisherman.com ("The World's Foremost Authority On Freshwater Fishing") The "Hard Baits" section of their just-released "2011 Gear Guide," (pg.44) features Phase II Lures, showing a BigT Surf Needlefish.  If you haven't already tried Phase II Lures on your freshwater fish, it's time you did!

 

10/26/10 - Bryan Monson shows off a 13 lb. bluefish caught on a Phase II Lures SCOOTER floating popper, fishing over a shallow reef off Guilford, CT, Long Island Sound.  Bryan was fishing with Captain Tom Migdalski, who sent along the picture.  Great fish, Bryan, and thanks, Tom for sharing it with us!

 

 

 

 

FALL BLUE BLITZ:  BRANFORD, CT, LONG ISLAND SOUND, 10/6/10 - Dave Bard, Communications Officer, Pew Environment Group (www.pewenvironment.org ) landed twenty blues in the 2-4 lb. range today, using a blue/red/white SCOOTER from Phase II Lures.  Dave was fishing with Captain Tom Migdalski, who sent this picture showing one of the hungry fish.  Thanks, Tom, and good fishing, Dave!

 

 

 

 MIGHTY BIG BLUE - Caught on a Phase II Lures chartreuse/red DANCER, and proudly displayed by Rob Person, Branford, CT, 7/8/10.  This chopper measures 38" from nose to tail.  Rob was fishing with Captain Tom Migdalski.  Fish of a lifetime, Rob, and thanks to Captain Tom for sending along the picture!

 

 

 

Phase II Lures BigT & CedarEel featured in New Jersey Angler magazine:

 

Pat Cicarella shows off a 15 lb. striper caught on a Phase II Lures chartreuse/red Dancer, (6", 1.5 oz., tail-weighted topwater needlefish) while fishing with Tom Migdalski, June, 2010, over a shallow reef in Long Island Sound, off Branford, CT. Great fish, Pat, and thanks, Tom, for sending the picture!

 

 

BATTLE-SCARRED VETERAN STILL CATCHING FISH: 

Captain Roger Gendron, Connecticut Island Outfitters (www.ctislandoutfitters.com ) sent this picture of a three-year old yellow/red Phase II Lures Junior, which he has used regularly.  It has brought plenty of stripers and bluefish into the boat and continues to catch fish through its great darting swimming action.

 

3/29/10: SPORT FISHING  magazine features Phase II Lures BigT line in the April, 2010 issue! 

 Click here to see what the editors of Sport Fishing are saying about Phase II Lures.

 

 

March, 2010 issue of The New Jersey Angler magazine features Phase II's Junior, Mongo & Scooter Lures:

 

BIG BLUE, BRANFORD, CT:

This 12 lb. chopper took a Phase II Lures white/red SCOOTER floating popper (4", 3/4 oz.), in a reef rip line off Branford, CT, 11/9/09.  Ricky Johnson is the delighted angler.  The picture and report were sent by Tom Migdalski, Director, Club Sports/Outdoor Education at Yale University - Tom is also a frequent writer for a variety of outdoor sports magazines. 

Thanks for the picture, Tom, and congratulations, Ricky - great fish!

 

 

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BAJAN ‘CUDA:

Captain Chris Burke just sent this picture of a 4 lb. barracuda caught trolling a Phase II Lures Junior (4", 3/4 oz., nose-weighted darting swimmer) on a recent charter in Barbados. (Note to any fishing skeptics, the kind who say Phase II Lures won’t work "here" because they are different from what "we" always use - I can guarantee that Barbados fish had never seen these lures before, and guess what - this fish ended up in the boat with a "strange" lure in its mouth.) Plain and simple, Phase II Lures catch fish, where there are fish to be caught.  Chris reports that the blackfin should be around soon, and he will be fishing for them with Phase II Lures.

www.deepseafishingbarbados.com  246 230 1845, predatorsportfishing@caribsurf.com Chris Burke.

 

 

Surfcaster Allen Riley scores big with Phase II Lures in the New Jersey Surf:

 

Allen Riley is a noted New Jersey surfcaster and frequent contributing writer to fishing magazines. In early 2009, Allen agreed to test fish some Phase II Lures, and was supplied with three samples: White/red Dancer: blue/white Mongo; black/red Surf Dawg. Below is his complete and unedited e-mail of 11/18/09.

 

From: riley_a@hotmail.com
To: dickf@phaseiilures.com
Subject: Phase II Lures
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:38:15 -0500

Hi, Dick.

I have been meaning to email you for some time. Sorry it has taken so long to make the contact.

Just wanted you to know that I loved your lures in the fall NJ surf! As you said when you sent me the Phase II samples way back in the spring, your lures aren't the prettiest ones around but they catch fish!

Sand eels were the dominant bait in the North NJ surf this season so your Surf Dawg, Mongo, and Dancer all fit in nicely with their long, slender profiles. I caught many, many monster bluefish late this summer and during the fall surf run with all three lures. I have also put them to good use against striped bass and have enjoyed great success with them.

While I like and had good luck with all three lures, my personal favorite is the Dancer. It casts the best, has the most enticing action, and catches the most fish. You sent me lures in a variety of colors but I found that the red/white models had the best success. (Red/white plugs have always been my color scheme of choice -- and most of my surf associates agree with that opinion.)

Many of my fishing associates always ask about "those lures that catch so many fish." I tell them -- and as many people as I humanly can -- what great lures Phase II puts out, and how deadly they are in the NJ surf.

Again, please accept my regrets that I have not contacted you earlier. Best wishes to you and to Phase II lures for continued success and increased popularity.

With Thanksgiving almost upon us, please accept my sincerest wishes that you and yours enjoy a ewonderful holiday. As Americans, we have so much to be thankful for.

Allen Riley

 
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 NEW JERSEY ANGLER magazine features Phase II Lures in September '09 issue:

 

 

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COLE'S BLUEFISH!

 

COLE’S BLUEFISH

Cole Nichols went after bluefish in early October with Capt. Herb Gordon (www.charterfishingvirginiabeach.com , 757 464 3974) in the lower Chesapeake. Cole used a yellow/red Phase II Scooter lure, and in Herb’s words, "Cole caught bluefish on it like you would not believe!"

 

Cole’s mother, Ann, is the proprietor of Crab Creek Outfitters Virginia Beach, VA, (flyfishing specialists, 757 460 1958), and she is a well-known fly-tyer. Captain Herb Gordon is a highly respected charter captain and guide for both inshore and bluewater species. Capt. Herb has a popular regional weekly TV show, "The Weekend Fisherman."

 

Cole had a great time catching fish with Capt. Herb, and their trip emphasizes the "take a kid fishing" idea. The Phase II Scooter & Junior lures are perfect for a youngster, or for that matter, any fisherman/woman who uses light tackle. Here are a couple pictures summarizing Cole's successful and satisfying bluefish day.  Take your young buddies out on the water and teach them to catch fish with Phase II Lures!

 

 

 

 

 

Nice Blue, Compo Beach, Westport, CT, October 2008:

This ten pound blue hit a trolled yellow/red Surf Dawg off Compo Beach in about 10' of water, trolling parallel to the shore, just before high tide.  8' PennPowerStick, 17 lb. mono, running 600 rpm.