Alix Gillies
- - Hi my name is Alix Gillies. I am a typical local island girl born and raised in Campbell River. My father was the fishing guide that got me hooked on fishing but it wasn't until I met my...
The Origin of The Skinny G
How It Came To Be
Like most everything in life, things change. This is no different for fishing. As years have progressed, our fishing styles and techniques have changed, technology has improved and our way of thinking and targeting different species has evolved. If you were to open grandpa's old tackle box, you would notice an astounding difference between what he would use to troll for Chinook versus what we are using today. Those 7 and 8 inch spoons that were once a staple for anglers back in the 1920's-1990's are no longer the go to's for today's sport trollers. Instead, they have been replaced with smaller spoons that better replicate the baitfish that today’s salmon are feeding on.
This is something that Gibbs Fishing COO Rob Alcock took notice of back in the early 2000’s when he started to develop plans for the Gibbs G Force lineup of spoons, ranging in size from 3” to 6”. After years of research, development and testing with help from Gibbs Fishing team members, the G Force was released to the public in 2013. After a year of the G Force being on the market, despite its wild success, Rob still felt a great need for a thinner spoon that would better replicate the smaller baitfish available in BC waters, so back to the drawing board he went. It all started with a piece of scrap sheet metal, a pair of tin snips, and a backyard swimming pool in White Rock BC.
Rob spent days and countless hours carefully trimming, bending and shaping several different concepts, testing each and every cut and bend by swimming his prototype through the water in his backyard pool until he felt he had achieved the unique action he was looking for. Once he had the shape and size all dialed in, the next step was to test it out on the open water. After a few weeks of ocean trials, and countless hookups, it didn’t take long for Rob to realize he had discovered a true winner. By March 2014, all Gibbs Fishing team members were running Skinny G’s reporting incredible success and by August, retail partners across the country and the US were having a hard time keeping them on pegs.
Fast forward to today, coming up on 10 years later, the Skinny G is still a top producer and seller. It is now available in 24 fish catching colours and is a top choice for both salt and freshwater anglers in Canada and the USA. In the last year it’s popularity has also reached Southern South America where Chilean anglers have been experiencing great success with them in their Chinook fishery and have also hooked up with other surprising species such as Tuna.
This year marks 115 years in the business for Gibbs Fishing. It is truly amazing to see how fishing has evolved over the years, and even more incredible to come to the realization that Gibbs has been around for over a century. It has been an incredible journey, and one that’s far from over!
#WeFishHere
