FIRST IMPRESSIONS: GALAHAD 73/4 LONG FALL JIG ROD BY YAMAGA BLANKS

Una canna che mi aveva sempre incuriosito sulla carta, ne ho ordinate un paio su richiesta di clienti dello shop e mi ha impressionato al punto che ne ho voluta provare una anch'io, pur non essendo dedito allo slow jig molto spesso.

It is a rod I've always been curious about looking at paper catalogue, I odrered some for my shop customers and I was impressed, so I decided to try one myself, even if I don't slow jig so often.

La prima cosa che stupisce in una canna per uso verticale è la lunghezza insolita, 7 piedi e 3 pollici, con assemblaggio offset per ridurne l'ingombro nel trasporto, sembrano tanti, ma in realtà in pesca sono risultati molto maneggevoli e contribuiscono non poco al controllo dell'artificiale in corrente; la sigla "long fall" infatti indica una presentazione in slow jigging con cadute particolarmente prolungate, che quindi necessitano di lunghezza superiore alle classiche 6 piedi.

First thing that comes to attention is the unusual lenght for a vertical rod, 7 feet and 3 inches, even with offset construction for an easier packing, seems plenty, but on the fishing ground it felt very easy to handle and that added lenght contributes a lot to control the lure in current: "long fall" label indicate a rod that is designed for a slow jigging presentation with very long drops between jerks and so needing a longer rod to master.

L'azione sull'esca è un po' più fast, proprio in virtù della leva posteriore aumentata, ma ciò apre anche ad altri scenari d'uso. In particolare l'ho trovata perfetta per manovrare jig heads con soft plastic, tipo i classici Black Minnow o Sandeel, ma anche Inchiku e Kabura nelle versioni "muscled up" che mi piace usare per i predatori seri, ma della tecnica ne abbiamo già parlato qui in passato.

Action on the lure is somewhat faster, as backbone part of blank is longer, but this construction open the use also to other kind of jigging. I found it perfect to move big jigheads with soft plastic, like usual Black Minnow or Sand Eels, but also beefed up Inchikus and Kaburas that I like to use for serious predatory fishes, for a remind to the technique and lures just check here  ( only in Italian at that time. sorry about that )

Le prove pratiche mi hanno fatto catturare alcune Otholite, parenti africani delle nostre ombrine, tra cui una bellissima "snake" da 11 kg... sono pesci potenti e dalla mangiata rabbiosa, e sia in ferrata che in combattimento nessun problema per la canna, anzi una curva molto piacevole, elevata sensibilità e una grande riserva di potenza per un attrezzo del genere.

On the fishing grounds I caught some good otholites, including a nice "snake" of 11 kilos that put up quite a fight in the fast drift .... those are powerful fishes with angry hit, but no problem for the rod both on strike and during the fight, but a very pleasant curve, high sensibility and a lot of backbone for a tool in this class.

L'impressione è che le capacità della canna vadano oltre i dati, almeno per quanto riguarda la potenza e gestione delle prede.... ce la porteremo magari anche in altre destinazioni come Laccadive e Colombia per avere un quadro più completo, ma l'idea è quella di un attrezzo polivalente capace di passare dallo slow alla gomma al vertical più tradizionale senza battere ciglio... vedremo come si troverà coi long jigs a ricciole o con il long jerk a doggies, ma le aspettative sono alte.

I had the impression that rod capabilities go well beyond the label datas, at least concerning power and fight of preys... I will bring it in other destinations, maybe Lakshadweep and Colombia, to have a more complete impression, but the idea is of a versatile tool that can pass from slow pitch to soft plastic to classic vertical jigging without problems... I'll see how it will deal with AJs with long jigs or doggies on fast jerking, but expectations are high.

Come note tecniche, bello il montaggio a spirale e ottima la lunghezza del manico anche per uno alto come me... ne parleremo ancora.

As a technical note, very nice the spiral guides and perfect long lenght of the handle also for people tall like me ... I feel we'll talk again about this rod.

QUICK VISIT TO THE CUSTOM LURES FAIR IN FERRARA

Like every year the guys at Project bait organize a boot at the Ferrara Fishing Fair to give space to some of the more talented lures builders in Italy.
It is a small show but with good public and growing importance.
Timing this year was a bit unlucky for me as I came back from Guinea Bissau fishing trip the exact day of beginning of the show, so I couldn't take part, anyway I made a quick visit the following days to meet friends and toappreciate their new creations...
Here, in random order, are some of the most noticeable ones by my fishing point of view...

First, the maxy mouse by my friend Mauro Borselli of X-Flies, a jointed floating rat imitator with interchangeable accessories ( lip, head weight, replacable tails and legs ) that can make it dive, pop or sink; it is made of hardened foam, covered with sintetic fur with obviously through wire, and even if thought for wels catfish and pikes I am sure it would work wonders for bass and maybe exotic predators like aimara or murray cod...

Remaining in freshwater, a selection of small swimbaits designed to fish for marbled trouts at night, pure wood, by Alessandro "spoonboy" Hoban:

Going toward the salt, Andrea Pedaci nice lures, selection of poppers, sticks and other models:

Enriko Piola's Project bait stickbait, big lure for tunas and gt, it completes a range of small stickbaits and poppers for all marine predators, resin made...

The "Nessie" by Macchia's Lead, by Giovanni de Francesco,... one of the best needlefish imitators around, resin made:

And last of the line, a dive in soft plastic with the spectacular goby imitator by Andrea Zovatto, it looks alive in water:

I surely missed other talented builders, but I was in hurry and concentrated on what caught my eye first... next year I will be there with more attention and time.

LAKSHADWEEP SPECIAL TRAVEL - MARCH 25th TO APRIL 1ST

Parliamo di viaggi, questa volta vi presento una meta da sogno come mai vissuta prima: crociera di pesca alle Laccadive per toccare zone remote e assolutamente vergini di un'arcipelago già di per sé ricchissimo di GT, tonni Dogtooth, specie di reef e pelagiche di grande mole, una delle mecche per la ricerca del grande Napoleon Wrasse, particolarmente abbondante in quella parte di mondo. Immaginate le Maldive 50 anni fa ed avrete un'idea delle potenzialità!

E' un viaggio organizzato con la collaborazione della rinomata agenzia svedese "Solid Adventures", che ha investito in loco in mezzi e strutture di ottima qualità e ottenuto la possibilità di operare in acque mai raggiunte prima dalla pesca sportiva, praticamente un paradiso affrontato in maniera comoda e lussuosa.
La formula è una crociera nelle zone migliori con una barca madre "refurbished" in maniera lussuosa e due barche appoggio per la pesca dotate della necessaria elettronica di bordo indispensabile per il vertical.

Le possibilità di pesca sono infinite ma noi ci concentreremo soprattutto sulla ricerca del GT, del Napoleone e del grande tonno dente di cane, presente quest'ultimo con taglie da capogiro e, soprattutto, ancora non assuefatto agli artificiali, semplicemente perchè non ne ha mai visto uno...
Ovviamente anche cernie, snapper e mille altre specie potranno essere della partita, e sono presenti in loco pelagici di grandissima mole come Marlin Neri, Vela e Tonni Yellowfin veramente oversize.

Le attrezzature consigliate sono quelle pesanti, minimo PE8 a popping ma meglio PE10 e Pe6-8 a vertical con grande capienza di mulinello in caso di "treni", è altamente probabile l'incontro della vita, quindi meglio essere preparati.
Sarà possibili dedicarsi anche alla pesca in wading su ampi sandbanks pattugliati da GT e Napoleoni di grande mole su cui lanciare a vista, un'emozione unica!

ABBIAMO AL MOMENTO SOLO 2 POSTI LIBERI, a causa della defezione di due partecipanti originali, per la settimana di pesca dal 25 Marzo al 1 Aprile, date a cui aggiungere i voli per e da Agatti; il prezzo è impegnativo e per qualunque informazione e la brochure mi potete contattare direttamente alle mail vagabondfisherman@gmail.com, alleslures@yahoo.it o al telefono +39 392 2871149

This time we talk about a special travel in a dream destination to the Lakshadweep islands, like they've never been fished before; a mother boat cruise trip to touch the more remote and rich waters in virgin parts of this area. These waters have untouched populations of GTs, Dogtooth Tunas, and especially Giant Maory Wrasse, aka Napoleon, especially abundant in this part of the world. Of course other reef species and pelagics will round up the list.
Just imagine Maldivas 50 years ago and maybe you can have a close idea of the potential.

This trip is organized with the collaboration of the well known Swedish agengy of "Solid Adventures", that invested in boats of great quality, a lxuxury refurbished mother ship and two fishing boats in local style equipped with the indespensable electronic to find the fishes in openwater.

Fishing possibilities are almost infinite, but we'll concentrate on heavy popping for GTs and Napoleon and jigging for big Dogtooth Tunas that can reach incredible size in this area and they have never seen a jig or a stickbait before. Beyond them ther e are groupers, snappers, coral trouts and all the usual reef species, including big pelagic fishes like black marlin and oversized yellowfin tuna cruising the openwater.
We will also do some wading session for who can like it, sight fishing for big GT in shallow water over the sandbanks at the right tide.

Suggested tackle is heavy popping one, minimum PE8 but better PE10, while on jigging PE6-8 should be adeguate with high capacity reels to contrast the unstoppable doggies runs.

WE HAVE ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT AT MOMENT, due to renounce of two fishermen of the original group, for the week from 25th of March 2017 to 1st April, to which to ass flights to and from Agatti airport.
Price is important but not high considering the quality ad exclusiveness of the experience; for any info and brochure I can be contacted by mail at vagabondfisherman@gmail.com and alleslures@yahoo.it or by phone at +39 392 2871149

MY LURES FOR KERE' ... GUINEA BISSAU

Ok, si avvicina quel tempo dell'anno in cui programmiamo il nostro solito e piacevole trip in Guinea Bissau, questa volta sarà a Dicembre, dal 9 al 16, e se qualcuno vuole venire assieme a noi mi contatti pure.
I ragazzi che vengono la prima volta mi hanno chiesto che tipo di artificiali portare; e quindi è nata l'idea di un piccolo vademecum sugli artificiali che mi piace usare a Kerè, parlando di spinning per ora, le presentazioni verticali un'altra volta magari.
Quelle che espongo sono le mie scelte, sulla base dell'esperienza maturata in alcuni anni sia mia che di altri amici; non prendete marche e modelli come assoluti, voglio piuttosto trasmettere le tipologie di artificiali che uso, ben sapendo che sul mercato ci sono mille alternative validissime.
Magari mi soffermerò in particolare su qualche modello che produco personalmente, dato che queste acque sono spesso state il banco di prova per molti di quei modelli.

The time of the trip to Guinea Bissau is coming fast, as almost every autumn in past years; we choosed the week between 9th to 16th of December, still places left if anybody wants to join us for great light tackle fun; just contact me.
My firsttimer friends asked me about the lures i usually bring to Kerè, all about spinning here, maybe we'll talk jigging on another occasion.
What I am going to expose here are just my personal choices, on the base of past experiences acquired during several years by me and my friends; brands and models are not absolutes, just a way to show the types and carachteristics of the lures I use; so many valid alternatives on the market.
Maybe I will talk more about some models that I produce personally, because these waters have been their testing fields in many occasions.

In ordine di pesantezza, partendo dalla canna tuttofare ( PE 2, max 3 per un oncia e mezza di max lure weight più o meno ) cominciamo dal topwater; immancabili i wtd che risultano una delle migliori esche per gli snapper, idem per i pencil che hanno come target primario i carangidi,e pure qualche popperino valido per entrambi; taglia dai 10 cm ai 14 in acque basse,
In linea di massima preferisco esche in legno, che continuano a lavorare anche una volta addentate e bucate da pesci di taglia, ma anche nel campo della plastica ci sono ottimi prodotti.

Let's start with the light side of the spectrum, the lures for that allrounder rod ( Pe2, max 3, one to one once and half as max lure weight more or less ); I begin with topwaters: indispensable walking sticks that are possibly the best choice for snappers, pencil poppers, more tailored for caranx family even if also other fishes like them and some nice little popper: sizes 10 to 14 cm in the relatively shallow areas.
As a general idea I prefere wooden lures over plastic because they keep working even when deeply bitten by big fishes without sucking water inside ( if well built ), but also in plastic field there are a lot of good products.

Nello specifico della foto, fila di sinistra dall'alto: Alle's Habano 110 per 30 grammi, molto massiccio e ad elevata galleggiabilità; Alle's Slender Habano 100, più leggero e meno rumoroso, perfetto per le condizioni di bassa marea; Xorus Patchinko, ottimo allrounder; Megabass Giant DogX per il quale valgono le stesse considerazioni dello Slender Habano.
A destra: Alle's bichito 130 e 100, 30 e 22 grammi, un piccolo pencil estremamente versatile con la possibilità di popperare in caso di bisogno e con uno storico di catture spettacolare in queste acque; Alle's dorado 90 ( ma anche 130  ), perfetto per recuperi veloci in acque aperte o nei flussi di marea con acqua limpida entrante; Alle's Micropop, 19 grammi, popper nuotatore dall'elevato scodinzolio.
Come accennato prima ci sono mille sostituti sul mercato per queste esche e ognuno può trovare i suoi preferiti.

In the picture, left row from above: Alle's Habano 110, 30 grams, bulky and very floatant lure ; Alle's Slender habano 110, lighter than the 110, less noisy and perfect for low tide conditions; Xorus Patchinko, a great allrounder; Megabass Giant Dog X, same considerations than Slender Habano but in plastic.
Right row: Alle's bichito 130 and 100, 30 and 22 grams, a little pencil with popping capabilities when needed, it has a long story of great catches in this waters; Alle's Dorado ( 90 and 130 ) perfect for fast retrieves in open water or in tidal rips with incoming clean water; Alle's micropop, 19 grams, a swimming popper with ample wobbling.
As said before there are thousands of lures on the market that can be easily used as substitutes of the above ones.

A livello colori, pur avendo messo un mix di tinte, sono le livree naturali a fare di solito da padrone, unitamente al bianco che è un po' l'indispensabile jolly in queste zone.

Talking about colors, even if i put a mix of different shades in the pics, best choices are usually the natural colors, and the white that is a true "must have" in this area.

Andando sott'acqua ecco la seconda selezione:

For underwater presentations here comes second selection:

A sinistra dall'alto: Alle's Lancillo, uno stick dal movimento stretto in resina da 18 cm per 50 gr che ha un appeal particolare per le cubere, armatura passante e quasi indistruttibile; Alle's Woomera, 12.5 cm per 50 gr idem come il precedente ma con un nuoto differente che in certi momenti è preferito; Ima Honey Trap 95 e Northcraft Ballistick minnow 100, classici lipless sinking universali in acqua bassa o in presenza di foraggio piccolo; Northcraft VP Shad 95 HS, da 9.5 cm per 34 gr, un vibration di buon peso utile per sondare le buche profonde.
A destra: un buon jerkminnow, anche se non amo molto questa tipologia di esche al tropico per la insita fragilità, in questo caso uno dei pochi ad armatura passante e dal movimento decisamente interessante, ovvero il Nemesi 180; un Duo tide surf e un Daiwa morethan, due minnow extra shallow che possono lavorare sopra le rocce sommerse anche in una spanna d'acqua; il classicissimo Bfreeze 100 della Lucky Craft che piglia tutto ovunque; Ima Sasuke 120 e 105, classici darter, molto efficaci specialmente il piccolo sugli snapper.
Ultimo sotto un vecchio Tackle house in legno che lavora appena sotto il pelo dell'acqua se non addirittura in topwater.

Left row: Alle's Lancillo, a slim sinking stickbait of 18 cm and 50 grams, with thight movement and  great appeal on cuberas, through wire and almost bulletproof; Alle's Woomera, 12.5 cm and 50 grams, same construction of the above but different swim that is preferred in some moments; Ima Honey Trap 95S and Northcraft Ballistick Minnow 100, classic small lipless lures to use in shallow water or when forage is small; Northcraft VP Shad 95 HS, 34 grams, a heavy vibration lure useful to scout deep holes.
Right: a long jerkminnow, honestly a kind of lures I don't like a lot in tropical water due to average fragility, but this Nemesi 180 has a through wire construction and still a good wobble, cuda snack; Duo tide Minnow Surf and Daiwa morethan, two swimming minnows that can be worked in few inches of water over the rocks; ultraclassic B-Freeze 100, a candy for every kind of fishes; Ima Sasuke 120 and 105, nice darter very attractive on snappers especially in the small size.
Last in bottom an old wooden Tackle house that can be worked and twiched in inches of water if not completely on top.

Per la pesca di ricerca del pesce di taglia, principalmente jack crevalle e fishery, african cuberas di taglia non eccessiva, qualche barracuda e magari cobia, gli artificiali sono commisurati ad una PE4 da 70-80 grammi, e per me solo floating o quasi:

For big fish search, mainly Jack Crevalle and Fishery, african cuberas, not too big , some african barracuda and maybe cobia, lures are choosen for a PE4 rod able to cast 70-80 grams; all floaters in this pic:

Alle's stickbait da 70 grammi, molto reattivo per acque aperte e ricerca veloce; stick artigianale AB lures da 16 cm ad elevata galleggiabilità; popper da 80 grammi Alle's, per richiamare i pesci di passaggio nei canali profondi come quello di Formosa; Decopen floating da 18 cm, classico stick allrounder.
A destra: Alle's Bichito 70 gr, perfetto per i grossi jack in corrente; Lamble Bait haoli Pencil, facile facile, quasi automatico e molto efficace sui grandi jack; Decopen 16 cm, come il fratello maggiore; Skagit Design Pumpkin, classico popper a collo di bottiglia per una pesca di caccia in acque velate.

Alle's 70 grams stickbait with thight movement for fast search in openwater; a highly floating AB lures stick ( sorry don't remember name but very nice lure ); 80 grams Alle's popper to call cruising fishes from far away in the deep channels like at Formosa; Decopen floating 18 cm, an allrounder.
Right: Alle's bichito 70 grams, perfect for big jacks in tidal current; Lamble Bait Haoli Pencil, very easy to use and with a special appeal with larger caranx; Decopen 16, like bigger bro; Skagit Design pumpkin, old style bottle neck popper to use while searching in offcolored waters.

Queste le mie linee guida, poi ad ognuno le personalizzazioni, divertitevi! :D

These are just my inputs for anybody's choice, have fun! :D

COLOMBIA - IL VIDEO DEL NOSTRO VIAGGIO

Un video veloce,... 14 minuti di follia piscatoria in un posto che ci è rimasto impresso a fuoco nella mente!

Quick video, 14 minutes of fast and furious fishing in a place that got impressed in our mind.

Noi si torna ad Aprile e maggio, se vuoi essere dei nostri contattami pure a vagabondfisherman@gmail.com

We go again in April and Mayy, if you wanna join us just contact me at vagabondfisherman@gmail.com

ULTRA LIGHT FUN, by Tomislav Jukic

Here goes an article by my friend and great fisherman Tomislav Jukic about Mediterranen light game, hope you enjoy.

ULTRALIGHT FUN

No surprise, my favourite type of fishing is spinning, casting artificial lures and retriving them back, trying to mimic bait and attract target fish to bite. I dont like to sit arround and wait for fish to come, i like to walk and find them by myself, and offcourse at the end catch them.

So many different spinning options and techniques, from saltwater to freshwater, from the biggest bluefin tunas and monster GTs to small stream trouts. Million of different posibilities.

I have done many offshore fishing trips in my fishing career all over the world and

my favourite type of spinning is 110% popping for GTs, but with limited time and resources i cannot spend all year fishing for them in far away oceans.

So like many others i have to adapt to my close to home waters and species.

I live in Slovenia, and we have amazing rivers, streams and lakes. I spend also a lot of time in Croatia all year round where i do mostly saltwater fishing.

Many anglers are using very strong rods for small fish that are the most common catch arround areas where I fish, and I dont see where is the point. Why not enjoy fighting small fish with light rod? It is not like fighting a 100 kilo fish with big and heavy fishing gear, but you will still have crazy fun fights and you will definatelly hear a lot of screaming drag. Isnt that the best noise there is in the world? Better noise than exaust of a sports car thats for sure.

You should feel the adrenalin when you hook 1kg fish on 0-5gr rod. And still with some experience fish will be easily pulled out.

All this began 5-6 years ago, when i bought my first ultralight spinning rod for fun, casting weight 0-5 grams. I didnt even know what im going to fish with this rod as it seemed to light for everything. I paired it with small shimano 1000 size reel, thin braid and leader, small jig hooks and some soft plastics. And the result was something i didnt think it will happen, crazy addiction, crazy fun and a lot of adrenalin.

On the beginning, i used this setup for small ponds filled with trouts, for fishing in small harbours and from docks, using small woblers and soft plastic smelly worms. Many fish were cought and more and more lures tested. Later i found schools of bonitos offshore, and i was sure i will not land any as rods were to light. But i tried, and bonitos from 1-1.5 kilos were landed on small 5-7gr casting jigs, the fights and runs were amazing, sometimes we even had to follow hooked bonito with boat as we were almost getting spooled. Crazy crazy fun. Than we were fishing for seabass from shore, top water strikes, biggest were up to 2 kilo! You should see bended rod, on the limit, but rod did pull the fish out. On sandy terrain many different type of breams were cought on Gulp sandworms, one of my favourite lures for ultra light spinning. Mackarels and horse versions of them in unlimited numbers. We also had great topwater action when fishing for bluefish, 2 kilo was the biggest. Great topwater lure is comming from Croatia, hand made Monarch Dok Sparky 10gr. This lure is also great for seabass, bonitos, bluefish, trouts and also pike.

If i think good i have cought almost all species that are at least a little bit predatory in their nature that live in areas where i fish.

There is no water where you will not be able to use ultra light fishing gear, except if fishing is not allowed.

I never, never leave home without one of my ultralight spinning setups in my car.

Im spending my summer free time in Croatia, from Istria to Dalmatia, and this rods will always catch fish. Specially in pike of the season when water gets very hot and fishing gets slow, this small lures will still catch you many many great fishes.

What is also great when fishing ultralight, with right lures on right terrain you will have excelent results also from shore in any time of day. Check the conditions, currents, wind, any kind of topwater action, bottom structure, try different lures and you are on for sure.

Now after so many years of ultra light spinning my arsenal of ultralight rods is getting bigger and bigger, more and more different species are getting cought, and im realising how many possibilities ultra light spinning actually has.

At the moment I’m using Yamaga Blanks Blue Current series of rods, and my opinion is they are one of the best rods for ultralight spinning on the market at the moment. I tried many different brands and almost all of them were good, but the Blue Current from Yamaga are diamonds. I have four and I use them all (well one is new and not tested yet). I use different length rods, 6.10Ti 0.4-6gr, 7.2Ti 0.5-8gr, 7.6Ti 0.8-10gr and the new 7.7Tz 2-9gr, that I’ve heard is best of them all. Old version of Yamaga Blanks Blue Current series named Ti (Titanium guides), is now replaced with Tz series (latest Torzite guides) and that means even sharper action and sensibility due to lighter guides and at the end even lighter rod. Short 6.10ft rod I use mostly in harbors, as rod is short I have advantage of controlling the fish when maneuvering her around some structures, ropes and other things that could cut through my line. Is also very good if we are crowded on a small boat. Long 7.6ft version I use mostly from shore, where casting distance is important. Also sometimes from boat, when there is top water action but fish are very careful and as soon as you come close they will disappear in deep water, again, longer rod more casting distance. My most used and my favorite of all is 7.2ft, its perfect all round rod, with good casting distance and still not to long when we are a few anglers fishing from boat. I use it 90% of my time. So nice rods with a lot of power, but still so light you can enjoy fighting even the smallest predatory fish. And they will bend good on all size fish. I use Shimano Stella 2500, Shimano Rarenium 2500 and Daiwa Theory 2508. Varivas Sea Bass braided line PE0.6, all kind of leaders from 0.12-0.25, all sorts of small wobblers, casting jigs, surface lures and soft baits mounted on jig hooks. If there is a moment when I find bigger fish, when my PE0.6 is not enough, I have spare spools with a bit stronger line, and problem is solved. I only did it one time, so there are really small chances you will ever have to do this.

Like all kind of spinning, leader is a must. I connect 1.5m long fluorocarbon leader with my braid using Albright knot, and than on the end of my leader comes small snap tied with Palomar knot. All these knots are very easy to tie and will take very short time to complete.

When landing the fish I like to use mini lip grip, and small pliers for taking hooks out of fishes mouth. As I release almost all fish I try to fish without barbs most of the time, I only take fish that I know I’m going to eat it fresh. And I think that is what everybody should do.

Few fishing stores that are close to me and can supply me with all the gear I need for ultralight spinning are Maguro Pro Shop in Croatia, Carpio and Monster Bite fishing tackle from Slovenia, Vagabond Fisherman from Italy.

Tight lines to all!

Tomislav Jukić

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIELD TESTING A LURE

Questo è un post un po' particolare, l'intenzione è far vedere come cerco di lavorare sui miei artificiali.
In particolare, essendo sempre alla ricerca di nuovi materiali e finiture, diventa fondamentale provare intensamente sul campo il nostro lavoro.

La storia è questa: avendo trovato una verniciatura particolarmente brillante e piacevolissima alla vista a esca ultimata, era necessario testarne eventuali controindicazioni in pesca pratica... niente di meglio di due settimane sul campo, una in Colombia e una alle Andamane, con tra di esse quei 20 giorni senza il minimo lavaggio o cura per l'artificiale.
Una cinquantina di catture assortite tra carangidi, mackerel, cubere, tonni, e altre specie più o meno dentate, oltre ovviamente ai vari pesci slamati, hanno costituito lo stress test ideale..

L'esca scelta per la nuova verniciatura è stata un popper da 65 grammi, molto versatile, proprio per la possibilità di attirare tante abboccate da quasi ogni razza di pinnuto predatore. Insomma il poverino ha visto l'inferno acquatico o quasi. Persino il peso in coda in acciaio cromato ha riportato segni di denti.

Alla fine del test, senza problemi strutturali di nessun tipo, ma già lo sapevo, è apparsa una criticità nell'adesione dei vari strati tra verniciature e resina, come visibile in coda e presso la girella ventrale; problema che si è presentato solo dopo molte catture, ma che è abbastanza per non introdurre la nuova finitura sulle esche commerciali fintanto che ciò non sarà risolto ( e credo che già lo sia... aspettiamo prossimo test ).

Vero che, per molti, una finitura anche molto meno resistente è totalmente accettabile, ma qui si preferisce lavorare diverso e non fare pagare bei soldini per qualcosa che poi si disgrega in mare... comunque la soluzione è già in vista :)
E' in pratica sempre il pesce alla fine a decretare il successo, quindi, per questo portiamo sempre in mare i nostri giochini prima che sullo shop :) Spero che sia apprezzato :)

This is an unusual post, the goal is to show how I like to work on my custom lures.
Being always on the search for new materials and finishes, it is mandatory to try them accurately on the field.
Short story is as follows: as I found a very special paint with highly reflective power and very pleasant to the eyesight, it surfaced the need to search for any drawback on practical fishing... no better test than a week in Colombia followed by 20 days of inactivity with no rinse or wathever care for the lure followed by another week in Andaman.
I caught about 50 fishes on this lure, with jacks, mackerels, cuberas, tunas and more, not mentioning of all the missed strikes and lost fishes, by my opinion the perfect stress test.
Chosen lure was a 65 grams popper, very versatile model that could attract any kind of predator. the poor piece of wood saw hell in water. even stainless steel tail weight has reported toothmarks.
At the end of the testing, without any structural problem, it appeared a issue in the adhesion of different layers of paint and resin, as can be seen near the tail ( where you can also see the thickness of the protective layers ) and the belly swivel; this problem appeared only after many catches and can be considered absolutely statistically acceptable, , but in my opinion it is enough to call for further improvements before hitting the shop ( already under development ).
Well, somebodyelse would consider more fragile finishes totally acceptable, but we try to maximize the strenght of our lures for the happiness of the fisherman, rather than make people pay big euros for something that melts down when touched by a fish :D
It doesn't matter how sexy can be a lure, it is always the fish to determine its success... so, this is why we always bring our lures for a bath before than in the shop ;) Hope it will be appreciated :)

A LURE I LIKE : IMAKATSU IK 50

E' un piccolo crankbait shallow diver ( 5.5 cm per 10 grammi ) che ho imparato ad apprezzare negli anni...

L'incontro non è avvenuto in negozio, fiera o ebay, ma in maniera piuttosto insolita, l'ho infatti rinvenuto in fondo alla bocca di un grosso siluro che aveva abboccato al mio altro crank, un goloso insomma.

La foto è un po' cruenta ma è proprio il momento del "ritrovamento"

This is a small ( 5.5 cm and 10 grams ) shallow diving crankbait that I learnt to love during the years.

I first found it not in a tackle shop or expo or ebay, but deep in the throat of a good wels catfish I caught.. there, beside my lure, was embetted that little thing... picture is a bit splatter but it is the exact one of the moment.

Già quella fu una testimonianza di efficacia, incredibile che un'esca tanto piccola possa attirare un tale bestione, anche considerando l'assenza di rattler.

Da allora, nelle tre versioni IK 50 C ( coffin ), IK 50 R ( round ) e IK 50 S ( square ), mi ha seguito in giro per il mondo ogni volta che ho affrontato posti d'acqua dolce, dalle acque casalinghe per i classici bass alla Malesia con Snakehead e Sebarau, alla Guinea Bissau con tilapie e African Pike

That occurrence testified the effectiveness of the crank, incredible that such a small lure could attract such big fishes, especially considering it is a silent model without any rattler

Since that time, in three versions, IK 50 C ( coffin ), IK 50 R ( round ) e IK 50 S ( square ), it followed me around the world anytime I went on freshwater trips, from home waters for bass to Malaysia for Snakeheads and Sebarau, to Guinea Bissau for Tilapias and African Pikes.

Le lettere dopo il numero si riferiscono alla forma della paletta, ognuna con un'azione leggermente diversa... la versione C in particolare, che si intravede appena uscire dalla bocca del Sebarau, è ottima per districarsi tra rami e rocce deflettendo all'impatto e risultando abbastanza immune da incagli, mentre la R, sotto con la tilapia, è più adatta per acque libere per recuperi più veloci.

Different letters indicate different bill shape with slightly different action... C version, the one slighlty protruding from Sebarau mouth, it is especially effective in bumpiing wood and rock and pivoting free, being as snagproof as a crankbait can be, while the R in the tilapia mouth is perfect for open water and slightly faster retrieves.

Quello che mi da confidenza in questi crank è la particolare robustezza delle plastiche, pur non avendo armatura passante, Le esche Imakatsu mi hanno sempre positivamente sorpreso per quello che riescono a sopportare ove altre vengono mutilate.

The reason I trust this IK is the strenght of the plastic, even without a through wire construction. Imakatsu lures have always surprised me due to what they can withstand when other brands get often broken.

E in più, ragione per cui mi piace particolarmente, la capacità di prendere pesce, tanto pesce... peccato davvero non esista una versione più grande in questa versione shallow.

And of course , the main reason to use it is that it catches fishes, lots of fishes... too bad there isn't a larger version in the shallow model.