Inner Space, the Final Frontier Tackled by Tattoo
(Tattoo Tackle's New Topwater Walking Stick)

They say the NASA space program is worth it because of all the derivative products made possible by space flight.

If it wasn't for space flight, we wouldn't have those nifty NASA ballpoint pens that can write upside down even under water. Now, it's not clear to me why an astronaut would need to write underwater in outer space, but okay.

There's always the re-entry splashdown in the ocean, so that's probably where a pen that can write upside down underwater can come in handy.

Then, the space program made possible those neat Mylar reflective emergency blankets you can keep in your car in case you break down on a cold deserted road one night. Those blankets are a benefit to mankind.

I think the space program may have come up with Velcro or Teflon too. Anyway, they say if it wasn't for the space program, we wouldn't have many of the derivative products we use every day that were made possible by space research.

So too, my shared desire with Mike Dauphin of Tattoo's Tackle to research saltwater products in freshwater has hatched several new saltwater items that began as freshwater research. No, Mike Dauphin of Tattoo Tackle has not landed a plug on the moon yet nor has he sent a darter to Mars. But some of his dabbling in freshwater have had benefits for saltwater anglers too.

One of the first freshwater projects we started was to apply the 1 oz Tattoo Surface Swimmer (an Atom Spin-Atom type), resulting in a 5/8 oz model of the same for freshwater. During that testing and development of the freshwater Spin-Atom style swimmer, both Mike and I started thinking maybe the body could be turned around tail-to-front, leave off the metal lip, and there you may have it - the makings of a new topwater pencil popper style lure - the new Tattoo Walking Stick.

Well, Mike sent me some early prototypes of that to mess around with in freshwater, but I just had too many other things on my plate. I really did not test them much in freshwater, but my lack of trying did not stop Mike Dauphin.

Mike simply took that freshwater idea and he refined and applied it in the environment Mike knows best - not outer space but "inner space" as our vast seas and oceans are sometimes called.

How'd Tattoo's new Walking Stick come to be? Well, the initial inkling of the idea, first spawned in freshwater, was to take the then newly-perfected 5/8 oz Surface Swimmer (shown top), turn it around leaving the lip off, resulting in a topwater pencil popper style lure suitable for freshwater. The idea did not get off the ground in freshwater (yet but it will) although that did not stop Mike Dauphin. He continued to develop and build on it for saltwater, resulting in the brand new Tattoo Walking stick (shown bottom). The two bodies (Surface Swimmer and Walking Stick) are no longer exactly identical as certain body changes were required to bring out the best side-to-side walking movements in the Walking Stick - but you can certainly still see how the one freshwater idea evolved into the latest new saltwater product from Tattoo.

I'm talking about the new 1 oz Walking Stick topwater lure that Mike's rolling out now. It's brand new, and Mike pretty much perfected it and finalized it for saltwater over the summer. It's just getting out to Mike's dealers now is how I understand it. A 90 pound bluefin was landed on one of the final tests off Stellwagon Bank in late summer. I am not 100% sure, but I think some kind of potential Rhode Island state record albacore was landed on the Walking Stick recently. Mike sent one to an editor of Saltwater Sportsman magazine and as I understand it, that editor caight a grand slam (3 or 4 different species) on it on the first try out with it.

Anyway, it's an idea that originated in freshwater research and ended up benefiting saltwater anglers.

My hat's off to Mike because except for that pen that writes upside down underwater, the NASA research program has not spawned any great new products that benefit anglers. However, Tattoo Tackle's research into "inner space" has rewarded us all!

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Walking Stick Write-up in SaltWater Sportsman Magazine. If you get the SaltWater Sportsman magazine, check out the Tattoo Walking Stick. It is featured on page 96 in the December 2008 issue, or click here to read what Joe Cermele wrote about the Walking Stick in his blog on the Saltwater Sportsman web site:

• Click here: http://saltwatersportsman.typepad.com/little_tuna/2007/11/stick-it-to-em.html

Walking Stick Video Footage. Here is a link to a short YouTube Clip of some testing from one of the Tattoo’s Tackle team members, Rob Taylor. If you watch closely, you can see the plug skipping, jumping, and zig-zagging right before the fish smack it.

• Click here:

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~ Topwater Fishing Lure

Length: 4-1/2 inches
Weight: 1 ounce
Construction: Through-wired
Type: Floating, walk-the-dog pencil popper

How to Rig It. To rig the Walking Stick, most guys from the boat are using loop knots when they are chasing sharp-eyed albies, bonito and tuna in clear, open water. Any extra hardware that the fish might be able to see is not to their advantage. When fishing the turbulent surf zone, a small, strong metal clip works fine.

How to Work It. The Walking Stick has all the weight in its tail, to sail a long distance, and for its tail-walking action. As far as working the lure, work it like a pencil popper to get it to zig-zag, pop, gurgle, and skip on the surface. It’s so small that you don’t really have to work the rod violently to get it to dance. With a stiff 7 or 8 foot rod from the boat, quick twitching will get this thing to walk the walk. Casting out and just ripping it across the surface works as well. Like anything, it all depends on what the fish want.

Super Casting Distance. The Walking Stick casts swell for such a small plug. You can really empty your spool with it, more than other topwaters its size. The wood body is only four inches long and 3/4 inch at its widest. It's about the most aerodynamic shape possible. For such a small body to weigh one ounce is actually heavy for its size. It is pretty ballistic because all the lead weight is right in the tail. The weight is inserted right onto the wire at the tail end.

With the streamlined shape and all the lead in the rear of the plug, you will be surprised how far that you can launch this thing with a ten foot rod.

Whether you ply the open beaches or haunt the back bays, on deck or on foot, give the Walking Stick a try!

Tattoo Walking Stick ~ Blue White

New in package

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~Yellow / Red Head

New in package

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~ Zuri (Fluorescent Pink / Chartreuse / White)

New in package

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~ White

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~Chartreuse White

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Tattoo Walking Stick ~ Yellow White