Photos: Savage Gear · supplied retailer imagery
Predator lures · Eel imitations · Our take
Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm
17cm · 50g · Slow sinking
A proper eel imitation with a clever tail setup, a slow sink and enough presence for pike water. Here’s where this 50g hard lure fits on the predator tackle tray.
- 17cm hard ABS eel-style lure weighing 50g.
- Slow sinking, with a working range from the surface to approximately 6 feet.
- Soft tail attaches via a corkscrew mount, and its position changes the lure’s action and depth.
- Supplied with two soft tails and fitted with a size #1 SGY 1X BN treble with a magnet hook holder.
Make sure it’s the right one. This review covers the 17cm Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel, supplied with two soft tails and fitted with a size #1 SGY 1X BN treble.
Tackle Index Score
Tackle Index score
A clever, realistic pike lure with useful depth and action adjustment, scoring strongly if your fishing suits the 50g class.
Desk-research score from specs, price and fishing fit · How we score
- Product Quality9/10
- Performance8.9/10
- Impact on Fish Catching8.8/10
- Ease of Use8.6/10
- Value for Money8.8/10
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Who it suits
Is it right for you?
Great for
- Pike anglers fishing eel-rich or lamprey-style waters. The long, slim profile gives you a natural-looking big prey option where pike are used to hunting elongated baitfish.
- Anglers who like tweaking lure presentation. The corkscrew-mounted tail can be repositioned to change the action and depth without swapping the whole lure.
Maybe skip if
- Light lure anglers. At 50g, it needs a proper predator setup rather than a light spinning outfit.
- Fishing tight, snaggy cover with lots of weed. The treble and soft tail can catch up, so it’s better suited to open water, edges and cleaner lanes.
The lowdown
Introducing the Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm
A proper eel imitation with a clever tail setup, a slow sink and enough presence for pike water. Here’s where this 50g hard lure fits on the predator tackle tray.
- 17cm hard ABS eel-style lure weighing 50g.
- Slow sinking, with a working range from the surface to approximately 6 feet.
- Soft tail attaches via a corkscrew mount, and its position changes the lure’s action and depth.
- Supplied with two soft tails and fitted with a size #1 SGY 1X BN treble with a magnet hook holder.
Quick verdict
A cracking eel pattern with plenty of water-covering tricks
The Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm gives you a realistic hard-bodied eel or lamprey imitation with a slow sink, built-in rattle and a tail system that lets you alter its action and running depth. That makes it a properly useful pike lure rather than just another pretty body in the box.
It’s not the smallest or simplest lure to chuck all day, and the exposed treble means you’ll need to fish it sensibly around snags and weed. But for covering margins, drop-offs and open water where pike are used to seeing long prey, it’s a bob-on option.
A clever, realistic pike lure with useful depth and action adjustment, scoring strongly if your fishing suits the 50g class.
Desk-research score from specs, price and fishing fit · How we score
- Product Quality
- 9/10
- Performance
- 8.9/10
- Impact on Fish Catching
- 8.8/10
- Ease of Use
- 8.6/10
- Value for Money
- 8.8/10
The hard ABS body, realistic detailing, built-in rattle and tidy hook holder give it a well-equipped predator-lure package.
The slow sink and adjustable tail let you cover the upper water column with more control than a fixed-action bait.
Its eel profile, movement and rattle offer pike a convincing alternative to more common preyfish shapes.
It casts and fishes simply on suitable tackle, although getting the best from the tail takes a bit of tinkering.
Two supplied tails and several presentation options make it a more flexible buy than a lure with one fixed action.
Head to head
How it stacks up
Side by side with the closest kit we've reviewed. This updates as we add more reviews.
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm (this one)
Top scorer
Top scorer
Scores are our own, out of 10. Best in each row is in green. Prices change, so check the latest before you buy.
The full rundown
Everything you'll want to know about the Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm
Eel imitations have become proper staples in the pike box, and the Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm takes that idea in a fairly clever direction. You get a long, realistic hard-bodied lure, a soft tail and a slow sink that lets you work the upper layers without having to race it back to the bank.
At 17cm and 50g, this isn’t a dainty little perch lure. It’s a proper mouthful for pike, with enough presence to pull a fish’s eye in coloured water, low light or a bit of ripple. The eel or lamprey shape also gives you something different from the usual roach, perch and jerkbait silhouettes.
The body is made from hard ABS, so the main lure has a bit more substance than a fully soft eel imitation. Savage Gear has added 3D-scanned realistic details too, giving it the sort of finish that looks the part when a pike follows it right into the margins. And, let’s be honest, that close-range moment can be half the fun.
It’s a slow-sinking lure, running from the surface to approximately six feet. That’s a useful band of water on a lot of venues, especially when pike are cruising over weed, patrolling reed edges or sitting just off a shelf. Count it down a little, keep the rod angle sensible and you can search different levels without swapping lures every five minutes.
The clever bit is the soft tail and its corkscrew mount. Tail positioning changes both the action and the running depth, so you can tune the lure to the swim. Want a livelier, more obvious wiggle? Try one setting. Want a steadier, slightly deeper presentation? Move it around and see how the lure responds. It’s a dead handy adjustment when the fish are being fussy.
There’s also a built-in rattle, adding a bit of noise alongside the visual flash and movement. That can help when the water’s carrying colour, the wind’s putting a chop on the lake or you’re fishing a broad stretch and need the lure to announce itself. It won’t magically bosh pike into the net, but it gives them another reason to investigate.
The tackle side needs a little thought. Fifty grams is manageable on a suitable pike rod, but it’s too much for a light lure outfit. Pair it with a balanced reel, proper predator leader and a reliable wire trace. The single size #1 SGY 1X BN treble is held by a magnet hook holder, which helps keep the hook tucked neatly against the lure when you’re casting.
You get two soft tails in the pack, which is a nice touch. Pike teeth, weed and snaggy banks can all be a bit brutal on soft components, so having a spare means one chewed-up tail doesn’t end the session. Still, treat the tail as a replaceable working part rather than expecting it to shrug off everything on the lake.
On the bank, this lure makes most sense as a search bait for open water, margins, drop-offs and clean weed lanes. Vary the retrieve rather than simply winding it flat out: steady turns, short pauses and the odd gentle lift can make that slow sink work for you. If a pike follows and turns away, change the tail position or slow things down before reaching for another lure.
Specifications
The nuts and bolts
- Length
- 17cm
- Weight
- 50g
- Construction
- Hard ABS body with soft tail
- Sink rate
- Slow sinking
- Running depth
- Surface to approximately 6 feet
- Hook and extras
- Size #1 SGY 1X BN treble, magnet hook holder, two soft tails supplied
Specs checked with Savage Gear, Oct 2026.
Spot a model or spec change?
Our take
Why the tail setup matters
The big selling point here isn’t just the 17cm profile. It’s the way the soft tail can be positioned on its corkscrew mount. Change that position and you alter how the lure sinks, swims and holds itself in the water. That gives you more than one presentation from the same lure.
The slow-sinking design is handy when fish are sitting below the surface but not glued to the deck. You can work it shallow, let it hover down a touch or fish it around the upper water column to roughly six feet. It’s a useful bit of kit when the pike aren’t giving you a clear answer.
What you’re buying
A hard eel body with a tuneable soft tail
The 17cm Hard Eel has a hard ABS body shaped to imitate an eel or lamprey, with 3D-scanned realistic detail across the finish. It’s long enough to look like a serious meal, while the 50g weight gives it enough casting presence for proper pike water.
Its slow-sinking behaviour is the real session-friendly feature. You can fish it from the surface down to roughly six feet, using retrieve speed, rod angle and the countdown to cover the layer where the fish are sitting. The built-in rattle adds a little extra attraction when visibility isn’t brilliant.
The soft tail fixes on with a corkscrew mount. Shift its position and the lure’s action and running depth change, so you can make cheeky adjustments without swapping to a totally different pattern. Two tails are supplied, which is useful insurance against pike teeth and the odd underwater misdemeanour.
Worth knowing. The lure is fitted with a size #1 SGY 1X BN treble and a magnet hook holder. Check the hook is sitting correctly before casting, and keep your trace and unhooking kit properly sorted for pike fishing.
Best on the bank
A useful search bait for pike anglers
This is a good fit for anglers fishing venues where pike regularly encounter long, slim prey. Work it over weed, along reed lines, across shallow bays or down the edge of a drop-off. The profile gives you a different look from standard roach and perch imitations.
It also suits anyone who likes changing a lure’s behaviour rather than carrying five near-identical baits. Start with a steady retrieve and a short pause, then alter the tail position if the lure is running too high, too deep or not giving the action you want.
For a typical session, it’s a strong first-choice search lure in open water or clean margins. Once you locate fish, you can slow right down and let the lure sink into their zone. Around thick weed, timber and snaggy cover, though, give yourself room for the treble and soft tail to work without constant faff.
Quick answers
The bits you’ll want to know
Does it need a big setup? Yes, a balanced pike outfit rated comfortably for a 50g lure is the sensible route. You want controlled casting and enough backbone for a safe fight, plus a proper wire trace and suitable landing and unhooking gear.
Is it just a shallow lure? Not quite. It is designed to work from the surface to approximately six feet, and tail positioning helps alter that presentation. It’s still an upper-water search bait rather than a deep-diving plug, so choose something else when fish are glued to the bottom.
How should you retrieve it? Keep it simple first: steady turns with occasional pauses. Watch how it behaves beside the bank, then tweak the tail position. If a pike follows, a pause, a gentle lift or a small speed change can turn a look into a screaming take.
Worth knowing. The soft tail is part of the lure’s action, not just decoration. Keep the spare handy and check the corkscrew mount after a fish, a snag or a lively trip through dense weed.
On paper
Pros & cons
What we like
- Convincing eel and lamprey profile with 3D-scanned realistic detail.
- Slow sink gives you plenty of control in the upper layers.
- Tail positioning lets you change the action and running depth.
- Two soft tails are supplied, which is handy after a nip or tear.
- Built-in rattle adds another cue in coloured or breezy water.
Worth knowing
- A 50g lure wants a suitable predator rod and reel setup, so it’s not light tackle territory.
- The soft tail is more vulnerable than the ABS body, especially around pike teeth and snags.
- One treble and an exposed hook arrangement need care around weed, timber and tight snaggy swims.
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Your questions answered
What anglers want to know
The stuff you’d ask your mate on the next peg. Straight answers, no waffle.
01How deep does the Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm fish?
How deep does the Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm fish?
It runs from the surface down to approximately 6 feet. The exact working depth depends on how you position the soft tail, your retrieve speed and how much line you have out.
02What tackle suits the 17cm Hard Eel?
What tackle suits the 17cm Hard Eel?
Use a sensible pike lure outfit rated for around 50g lures, with a reliable predator leader and suitable wire trace. Keep your tackle balanced so casting stays controlled and the lure doesn’t feel like hard work.
03Can you change the action of the Hard Eel?
Can you change the action of the Hard Eel?
Yes. The soft tail attaches using a corkscrew mount, and changing its position alters the lure’s swimming action and running depth. It’s worth trying a few settings before deciding the fish aren’t interested.
What anglers say
The word from the bank
Our read: a cracking eel pattern with plenty of water-covering tricks. The strongest reasons to choose it are convincing eel and lamprey profile with 3d-scanned realistic detail. and slow sink gives you plenty of control in the upper layers.; the main trade-off is a 50g lure wants a suitable predator rod and reel setup, so it’s not light tackle territory..
Our take on the feedback
Why it appeals
Checked Sept '26 — “Convincing eel and lamprey profile with 3D-scanned realistic detail.”
Best fit
Checked Sept '26 — “Pike anglers fishing eel-rich or lamprey-style waters: The long, slim profile gives you a natural-looking big prey option where pike are used to hunting elongated baitfish.”
Worth knowing
Checked Sept '26 — “A 50g lure wants a suitable predator rod and reel setup, so it’s not light tackle territory.”
Tackle Index’s take from the product details and fishing fit we checked. We haven’t found enough independent public feedback to call this an angler consensus yet.
Angler score
What our readers rate Savage Gear 3D Hard Eel 17cm
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