By Mark Fong

Similar but different is perhaps the best way to describe the GYCB Cowboy and Mermaid. Upon initial inspection, you don't need to look too hard to see the influences of the original Double Tail Grub and the Flappin' Hog. For Major League Fishing Pro, Roy Hawk, these exceptional soft plastic creature baits have earned a well-deserved place in his tournament arsenal. Recently Hawk joined the Inside Line to talk about how each one plays an important yet very distinct role in his fishing success.

The Tale of the Tape

Measuring four inches in length, the Cowboy features an oversized standard double tail. Its bulky body is flanked by two sets of small appendages. Slightly shorter at 3.75-inches, the Mermaid incorporates a unique outward facing double tail configuration paired with a set of large crawfish-like pincers.

The Cowboy

Hawk utilizes the Cowboy primarily as a big double tail grub. “My primary trailer on a jig has always been a double tail grub, so I reach for the Cowboy a lot when I need a big, bulky jig trailer. A few years ago, I finished 3rd at the Bassmaster Elite at Grand Lake and the Cowboy played a big role. I caught a lot of my fish on a Pepper Spinnerbait but when I went to flip docks, I'd throw an Original Pepper Jig. It's got a 5/0 Gamakatsu heavy wire round bend hook and I'd put the Cowboy on it to eliminate some of the bites I was getting. There were so many bass around the docks and I just wanted to target the big ones. I was getting hindered by all the one- to two-pound bass that were eating my five-inch double tail grub. I wanted to target big fish and the Cowboy was the perfect trailer. That setup had a lot of action that slowed the jig down and provided a bulkier profile. It was perfect for what I wanted.”

Paired with a Pepper Football Head Jig, the Cowboy is one of Hawk's top offshore offerings. The Arizona-based pro likes to shorten up the trailer by taking off about a half inch before he threads it on to the back of his jig. Rockpiles, ledges, and points are among the types of structure he likes to target.

Before the discussion turned to the Mermaid, Hawk revealed a lesser known but highly effective application for the Cowboy. “Something that no one really talks about is putting the Cowboy on the back of a Yamamoto buzzbait,” said Hawk. “The Yamamoto buzzbait in general is real light — it weighs a ¼-oz, and the design of the head allows you to slide soft plastic baits up over the head really easily. The Cowboy is great for that. It makes for a phenomenal buzzbait trailer. There's a lot of salt in the plastic so it adds weight to the buzzbait for casting and it provides a nice profile with lots of movement. It's really a pretty cool deal.” 

The Mermaid

For the Hawk, the Mermaid fills a different niche than the Cowboy. “It's a tremendous bait, similar to the Cowboy but the tails on the Mermaid are reversed, more like a sickle tail. I've had really good luck with it (Mermaid). The one tail displaces the other tail's water so it makes it more subtle, and it's more streamlined and fluid. The Mermaid goes through cover better because when the tails undulate they come together rather than separate.”

The orientation of the tail design makes the Mermaid an ideal punch bait. “I'll put a heavy weight on it and just go to town,” said the Yamamoto pro, “It slides through the mats really well. If the cover is really thick, sometimes I'll pull off the appendages so it will slide through more easily. I'll go with the Mermaid when I want some action on the fall — it displaces more water and has more movement when it's falling than a bait like the Flappin' Hog. I'll slip on a one to 1.5-oz tungsten weight and I'll snell a 5/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Straight Shank Flippin' Hook to 50lb braided line.”

The Mermaid has become one of Hawk's favorite Carolina Rigging baits. “It's just tremendous on a Carolina Rig. It's totally underutilized” he offered. “My rig is pretty basic. I like a three foot leader of 12-pound fluorocarbon with a 1-oz tungsten sinker and a 4/0 Sugoi Hook. That hook has a little more kick back on the neck so that it holds the plastic better and it has a more pronounced Kahle to the bend which fits the bait perfectly and keeps it from snagging.” 

Final Deets

Hawk likes to keep his color selection simple. He is a big fan of Green Pumpkin (297), Green Pumpkin Red (925), Watermelon Red (208), Okeechobee Craw (962) and Black and Blue (021). He tipped Smoke w/ purple & blue / Watermelon w/blue (953) as one of his most productive clear water color choices.

Hawk's 735 (7'3” 5 power) Taipan Casting Rod is his choice for fishing both a jig and a Carolina Rig. He'll pair it with a Daiwa Tatula Casting Reel spooled with Sugoi Fluorocarbon Line. For pitchin' and flippin' he likes 20-pound, for draggin' and Carolina Rigging he favors 14-pound.

For punchin' heavy cover, Hawk upsizes to a 766 (7'6” 6 power) Taipan Casting Rod matched with a Daiwa Tatula that he fills with 50-pound braided line.