Lure Name Para Max Grub
Manufacturer Ecogear
Lure Type Softbait grub
Length 127mm (5″)
Price Approx £8.95 for a pack of seven

 

Introduction

There won’t be many of us who haven’t fished using a softbait grub now and then. From huge big 12″ pike lures to tiny 1″ ultralights, the “grub” is a very effective lure and they are produced by a vast number of companies. But are all grubs equal ? Is it just a matter of pouring any old soft plastic into a mould and assuming that as long as it’s got a curl tail it will work ? In my experience, no. Some grubs work better than others, it’s usually down to the softness of the plastic, the profile of the body and how well moulded the tail is, but even so, grubs are easy to get hold of and cheap as chips. What’s more, they catch a lot of fish, so when Ben at The Art of Fishing suggested I give some Para Max grubs a try beacuse he thought they were a little bit special, I jumped at the chance.

There's always something just a little bit exciting about getting a lure that comes in japanese packaging. For those of us old enough to remember it has the same feeling as buying the rare japanese import of your fave bands 12" on vinyl !

First Impressions

Well I have to admit the first thing I noticed about the Para Max Grubs was the price. At £8.95 for 7 grubs they are over a quid each, which is pricey for this sort of soft plastic. These were going to have to do something special to make them worth that much. The next thing you notice is that these are Japanese imports, that explains the price to some extent and gives them a little bit of cool too. Ecogear are a Japanese company with a good reputation for quality lures and I was interested to note that the Para Max were designed by none other than Norio Tanabe. For those of you who haven’t heard of him, Norio Tanabe is a bit of a legend in Japan. A big name on the Japanese competition fishing scene, he decided to prove he could also cut it in the states and qualified for the Bass Masters final at the first time of asking. No mean feat. In many ways he sums up the difference between competition fishing in japan and the UK…both are highly skilful, but the Japanese just look so much cooler !

Norio Tanabe at the helm of his supercharged bass boat....he doesn't look like Bob Nudd !

Anyway, the real question is, just how much design needs to go into a curl tail grub ? And what has the Uber-Cool Mr Tanabe come up with to make his lures worth over a quid each ? Well once you get them out of the pack you quickly realise that there are a lot of subtle differences between these grubs and a standard 5″ grub. Firstly they are long in the body and fairly short in the tail. The body itself is different too as it is slightly flattened and has two distinct wings? fins? let’s call them wings, on either side, running the full length of the body. It also has a moulded insect like head.

The Para Max and a more standard design grub side by side. Note the longer, slimmer body and the little wings either side of the body.

A close up showing the subtle ribbing, insect like head and the leech like wings/fins on either side of the body.

The soft plastic used to make the lure feels fantastic too, very soft and pliable and with a lot of scented oil in the mix meaning that the grubs feel fantastic and have a pleasant, almost coffee like scent. Time to see what the fish would think.

Testing Time

Before I could put them in front of a fish, I was going to have to rig them, question was how ? First off I decided to try a Texas rig and chuck them in front of a few local perch.

Texas rigged and ready to go. I prefer a "texposed" finish most of the time, unless the weed is very bad as the hook up ratio, especially with perch is definitely increased.

With the lure rigged “texposed” (like standard texas rigging using a worm hook, but with the point of the hook exposed and lying along the top of the lure) I set off for a little stretch of canal that holds plenty of perch in the 1/2 pound region. The lure worked beautifully. The tail action is lovely and the grub has a lovely body roll as it’s retreived. Allowing the weight to sink, to the bottom and then retrieving slowly had the lure running just a foot or so off the bottom and within a couple of hours I had landed and returned about half a dozen nice little perch. On one corner of the canal there was an interesting looking raft of debris and weed and I really fancied throwing the lure around the edges. The problem was a shallow, completely weedless approach was needed and I was about to change lures completely, when I decided to at least see how the Para Max would work. Now I’ve tried fishing grubs completely weedless before and with no weight, but they just tend to spin in the water, even with a decent worm hook acting as a keel. The Para Max were different though, with a shorter tail, a slim body and those weird little wings they worked beautifully. I just removed the cone weight from my set up and fished the lure on the worm hook and the effect was fantastic. On a slow retrieve the lure sinks nicely and comes back with a wonderful tail wiggle, a beautiful body roll…but most importantly of all, it doesn’t spin. I was still admiring how well it worked in the water when I was rudely interrupted by another perch, which shot out from under the raft of debris and inhaled the lure. Nice!

Ok so they proved themselves on some game little perch, but what about some better and bigger fish ? next stop was Zander hunting on Grafham with PAC Chairman Tim Kelly. Here we were fishing in around 40ft of water and the lure was going to look pretty stupid on a 35g jighead, so I opted to rig it as a dropshot lure using one of the new VMC spinshot hooks.

Spinshot hooks give the lure great movement and make rigging easy.

Grafham is rarely easy, but within and hour or two of us getting in the zone, I had a nice thump on the drop just before the rig hit bottom. Everything went nice and solid and for a few moments I thought I’d hooked a big trout as the fish took line and made a few nice runs. Amazingly it wasn’t a trout or a pike it was a particularly athletic Zander, which turned out to be my best fish of the day at just under 7lb.

A beautiful Autumn day on Grafham. A stunning fish and proof that the Para Max works well when drop shotted too.

The big Zed was a great result and it proved that the lure works well when drop shotted too, so there was just one last way I wanted to fish Mr Tanabe’s creation and that was the simplest way of all – a standard jighead.

A 7g jigead fitted and the para max is all ready to go !

Location choice was the River Thames in Oxfordshire as it had been turning out a few good perch, so on a bitterly cold day with a nasty east wind we wrapped up well and took the plunge. I have to admit the fishing was hard. An east wind is notorious for making the fish stop feeding and for most of the day it looked like that was going to be the outcome. Then at about 2.00pm the sun broke through and for a few minutes we felt a bit of warmth on our faces. Sometimes that’s all it needs to persuade a few fish to take a bite of lunch, so I concentrated hard for the next few minutes and was well rewarded. Being slim the Para Max casts very well and despite the wind I was managing to get the lure over to the drop off which was about 6 foot off the far bank. By counting down I’d found an area where the ledge dropped off steeply into 12 foot of water and if there was going to be a fat perch anywhere, then surely this was the place. Third cast and I watched the line for the tell tale slackness that would let me know the lure had reached the bottom, but before it could get there, there was a jolt and I struck into something heavy, which immediately bored off to the left. My Spro Godfather II jigging rod, bent in a lovely parabolic curve and I knew I had a decent one. Slowly I brought her to the net and once on the bank I popped the lure out of her mouth. With plenty of battle scars, she was obviously an old fish and on the scales she went a solid 3lb 6oz – I was beggining to like these lures !

3lb 6oz of beautiful Thames perch

Conclusion

The Para Max grubs are not cheap. But once you start using them you realise that a lot of work and thought has gone into their manufacture. They look good, they catch fish and they have a wonderful ability to be fished weightless and weedless without spinning. I like the smell and I like the colour choices on offer. Will they catch you more fish than a cheaper more standard grub ? Yes, I honestly think they will. Not many perhaps, but a few and judging by my exploits, they seem to have an uncanny knack of sorting out some of the better fish too.

That tail in close up, showing the lovely metallic flecks in the plastic

So what about down sides ? well there’s the cost for one thing, but then they are still only just over the £1 mark each, so getting one snagged and losing it still isn’t going to break the bank. They don’t last terribly long either though as the combination of the super soft plastic and slim profile means they have a tendency to split or rupture after they’ve had a bit of abuse. All in all though, I loved these little beauties, they inspire confidence and that is a real winner in my book. Who knows, if I fish with them enough I might just get to be as cool as Norio Tanabe himself…I’m gonna have to work on the facial hair and that faraway inscrutable look though !

Build Quality Super soft plastic, brilliant design (9/10)
Quality of finish real attention to detail and we love the smell ! (9/10)
Performance Out performed every other grub we have tried. Their ability to be fished weightless and weedless without spinning is a real boon. (10/10)
Value For Money Not cheap, but they do offer something extra (8/10)
Variety of Options Available Available in the UK in three sizes (3″, 4″ and 5″) and a good range of colours (9/10)
TackleTart Factor If we didn’t give them 10/10 Norio would send a Samurai assasin out to hunt us down (10/10)
Overall Sometimes you get what you pay for and I think this is one of those times, At the end of the day you can have the most expensive rod in the world teamed with a hooped up Shimano Stella, but if your lure is cheap and nasty your not going to catch. Pay the extra..get the extra ! (9.1/10)

The Ecogear Para Max is awarded a Gold Medal by Luretour.com

 

You can get Para Max grubs in the UK from Art of Fishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share

Deal of the Week

Posted: 25th January 2012 by admin in News

 

The biggest deal of the week yet ! We’ve spotted 4 cracking buys that you’ve just gotta have.

DEAL OF THE WEEK !

Bomber Long A… Was £7.99 NOW JUST £3.99 from  from Harris Sportsmail

The Bomber Long A is an absolutely classic crankbait. It casts well, has a terrific action and is tough as old boots. It'll catch every predator in the book, but especially affective for Sea Bass and Pike

NUMBER 2

Quantum Drop Shot Weights… Just £2.75 a pack from Lure Heaven

For some reason decent drop shot weights are like bloomin Unicorn poo in this country ! So it's fantastic to see that Lure Heaven are stocking 4 different sizes of these nice looking Quantum weights in very well priced packs.

Number  3

Quantum Gopher shad… Was £3.70 now Just £2.50 from Art of Fishing

These neat little shads are perfect for perch and Zeds fished in a variety of ways. Try them drop-shotted or use them with a carolina rig..or alternatively keep it simple and just rig them on a light jighead. Great swimming action and top quality soft material make these a must have.

BEST OF THE REST

5″ Dragon Mutant Shad…Was £1.40 NOW JUST £0.90 from Lure World

 

The Mutant is a great Pike shad, made of tougher material than many other similar baits it will stand up to the rigours of Pikes teeth, yet still has a great action. Although it's a great casting lure, it also works great when trolled, just mount a 25g jighead on there and keep it nice and slow and steady.

 

 

 

 

 

Share

 

Lure Name Recoil Shad
Manufacturer Savage Gear
Lure Type Softbaits
Length 13cm
Price around £4.99

Well we promised you we would bring you a review of the Savage Gear Recoil shad when we posted the Fox Rage Fork Tail Review. Just like the Fork Tail, the Recoil Shad is primarily a vertical jigging lure. However the Recoil has a significantly different silouhette, even if it does have a similar forked tail. So we were interested to see how it shaped up by comparison.

The recoil shad has a slim forked tail very much like the Fox Twin tail and the Fin-S Fish, but it has a significantly deeper belly.

First Impressions

At first sight, the Recoil is very similar to a good number of split tail softbaits, including the Fox Twin Tail and the Lunker City Fin-S Fish. However the main obvious difference is the deep belly and flat “cut off” head. They also all come with a 3 layer colour scheme that usually incorporates a light belly with a dark back and glitter layer in between.

The Recoils feature a range of nice looking 3 layer colour scheme

Before you get around to fishing with this shad, you’re going to need to mount it on a jighead, and so the first thing we did was see how it worked with a standard ball jighead.

The Recoil has a pre-moulded insertion hole making hook location easy and ensuring that the jig head collar doesn't split or warp the lure

At this point you quickly notice that Savage have pre-moulded an access hole for the jighead to enter, not only does this make centreing the jighead easy, but it also means that the jighead collar is less likely to split or deform the front of the shad. The big flat surface at the front of the shad means that a standard ball jighead looks a little awkward when mounted. I was tempted to trim the shad a little to leave less falt space around the ball head, but I figured I should fish it as it’s meant to be and put my trust in the R & D guys at Savage.

A Ball Jighead works fine on the recoil, but it does look a little awkward.

As well as the standard ballhead I also tried rigging the Recoil with one of Savage Gears Specialist “Blade Jigg” heads. The Blade Jigg adds extra movement to a vertically fished lure, especially on the drop as the blade shaped head has a kiting action in the water. The Blade head was designed for use with the Recoil and as soon as you mount it on the shad it all looks a lot neater than the ball head jig.

The BladeJigg head looks a lot neater

TESTING TIME

To test the Recoil we took it out on Grafham Water  in search of a monster Zander. With a deeper than usual belly the recoil was going to offer a nice meaty meal which we hoped would appeal to a big Zed. As usual before we motored off into the deep water, we had a little play in the clear shallow water to see how the recoil moved in the water. The first thing that is obvious is that the Blade Jigg head does make a difference. On the drop it tilts and makes the lure give a terrific amount of belly flash. It also seems to help the lure have a more erratic action with minimum rod inputs. The tail of the Recoil is super mobile and it was easy to get it waving around in an enticing way. One last thing which was very worth noticing is that the lure really stands out when it is layed flat on the bottom. That deep belly and flat sided jig head work together to really have a presence and it was fun making the lure lie flat then jerk a few inches before lying flat again like a dying fish. Something we were definitely going to try once we were over sound fish.

We Like the "Blood Gut" colours cheme as a dark back and a bit of red always seem to be fish catching colours

Out in the deep water we kept a close eye on the finder for signs of fish, and worked the lures hard for hours. Unfortunately the Zeds just weren’t playing ball. I managed a couple of fairly pathetic looking perch but we just couldn’t find any Zander. We chatted to a few other boats and everyone agreed the fishing was hard, there had been a few fish caught..and good ones too, but there were more blanks than fish. Finally acting on a tip off from a friend of mine who fishes Grafham a lot, we moved to a new area and I started using the “lie it on the bottom like a dead fish” trick. Three of four seconds of lying still on the bottom were followed by a few seconds of gentle lifting and moving. The third time I moved the recoil there was a lovely thump and a good zed was on. I was desperate not to lose this fish, but thankfully as it slowly emerged from the deeps I could see it was well hooked. At 7lb 4oz it wasn’t a giant, but it was a nice fish all the same.

Not the giant we were hoping for, but a lovely solid fish that proved the worth of the deep bellied Recoil Shad

CONCLUSIONS

The Recoil offers a nice alternative to the more standard slimline twin tail soft plastics. It’s well made in a very nice soft material with a good selection of colour schemes. It will work fine with standard ball head jigs, but we much prefer it teamed up with the Savage Blade Jigg heads which just feel neater and help get the most from the big belly flash that the recoil is capable of giving off. We loved the lures ability to stand out when left stationary on the bottom and felt it was easy to rig and use. What’s more it caught us a beautiful big zander on a day that was very hard going, which is surely the real test of any lure.

The Zander Like them and so do we ! The recoil will be in our vertical jigging lure box from now on.

Build Quality nice soft plastic and we like the pre moulded location hole (8/10)
Quality of finish The triple layer finish is real quality and we actually quite like the smell (9/10)
Performance They have lovely tail movement and a terrific belly flash and the ability stand out when fished static really gives them an edge over other twin tails. (9/10)
Value For Money Very well priced and well packaged (9/10)
Variety of Options Available 6 colours including two “glow” versions should provide ample options for most anglers, a couple of other sizes would be nice though (8/10)
TackleTart Factor We may be biased but we always think lures designed for vertical jigging have a bit of a Pro-angler feel. (8/10)
Overall Even more than the Fox Twin tails we reviewed recently, these offer something a bit different from other split tail lures. We love the deep belly and the semi static alternative it gives you. Good Job Savage Gear ! (8.5/10)

 

The Savage Gear Recoil Shad was awarded  a gold medal by LureTour.com

 

 

 

Full Details of all Savage Gear lures can be found at Savage Gear

 

If you are quick you might just manage to get some recoil shads in the Harris Sportsmail sale at just £2.49 a pack !!

 

 

 

 

 

Share

Deal of the Week

Posted: 17th January 2012 by admin in News

 

Ok after a little Winter break, we’re back with Deal of the week…

DEAL OF THE WEEK !

Daiwa Dead or Alive Topwater Swimbait… Was £14.99 NOW JUST £9.99 from  Harris Sportsmail

The Dead or Alive is one of the coolest lures available, it can be used as an out and out surface bait or ripped in just under the surface with an amazing dying fish action. beautifully built, these were one of the first lures we reviewed here on Luretour..read the full review below

DEAD or ALIVE Review

 

NUMBER 2

Quantum Thunder Tail… WAS £1.20 NOW JUST £0.95 from Art of Fishing

 

Grubs are great lures at this time of the year as they can be worked slow and deep and will pick up all predatory species. These Quantum grubs are a bit different as they have a paddle tail on the end of the tail, giving them an even lazier action, perfect for cold water.

 

Number  3

Gary Yamamoto 4″ Shad Shape Worm… Just £5.95 from Lure Heaven

Perfect for drop-shotting this is the sort of lure that will catch you perch even in the coldest conditions. Gary Yamamoto baits are world renowned as fish catchers.

 

 

 

 

 

Share

Native Manta Ray 11 Angler Kayak – Review, Part 1

By Andrew Hoyle

 

Here at LureTour we are getting seriously into our Kayak fishing. As you probably know, we have bought ourselves a FeelFree Moken 10 last year that we are busy doing a long term test on. However it wouldn’t be much good if we just reviewed one type of kayak, so we got in touch with Yak fishing enthusiast Andrew Hoyle and asked if he could write a review of his Manta Ray. When we did our research to decide which kayak to buy, the Manta Ray was right up there with the Moken, so we were very keen to hear how Andrew has got on with his fishing Yak. It’s worth noting too that Native specialise in fishing kayaks and even have an Endorsed Fishing Guides scheme in the USA. Anyway..on with Andrew’s review..

I purchased my Manta Ray 11 foot kayak back in October last year.  It was my first solo kayak purchase after eighteen months kayak fishing from a tandem kayak.  I enjoyed fishing with my fiancée from the tandem but sought the independence that a solo kayak had to offer. There are a few practical criteria to consider before parting with your hard earned money, simple but nonetheless very important.

There is a vast number of Kayaks to choose from so ask yourself some important questions about where, when and what you will use your new purchase for.

 

  • Where do you intend to fish on your kayak, sea, large reservoirs, rivers or maybe small drains or canals?
  • The ability to load your solo kayak onto the roof of your car without assistance.
  • Stability – Kayak angling is all about fishing safely within your own comfort zone and the right kayak that allows you to feel confident whilst afloat, will ultimately get you hooked on kayak angling.
  • Practicality – Try and envisage how you will go about the actual process of fishing from your kayak.  Where will you store fishing rods and tackle?  Where will you unhook fish?
  • How does it feel whilst paddling in it?  Does it track well, keep a straight course? How dry is the ride, is your bum wet?

Please think about the colour you choose.  Fluorescent yellow, orange & greens are perfect at sea but more subtle colours are better for freshwater venues.  It makes no odds to the fish but helps you blend in more with the environment that surrounds you.

Being located in Manchester, not a coastal city for those poor at geography; the majority of my kayak angling is carried out on freshwater.  A good mixture of medium sized lakes (2 miles long), medium sized rivers and canals.  This is combined with my summer trips to the coast, probably equating to 70% freshwater and 30% sea.

Now I know where I am going to paddle, the next step was to locate a kayak dealer so that I could touch, feel and sit in a kayak.  My initial experiences engaging with kayak dealers are favourable.  The two dealers I visited provided outstanding service and invested the time to talk to me in order to ascertain how I was intending to use my kayak.  I was guided towards three products; Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 11 Angler, Wilderness Tarpon 120 Angler and my cherished Native Manta Ray 11 Angler.  With hindsight I can make the following statement ‘All of the three kayaks are excellent and worth looking at’.

 

If at all possible ask to "test drive" your chosen kayak before you buy, to make sure it does what you want it to.

After an hour sitting in, lifting and play role fishing from the kayaks within the showroom I selected the Manta Ray and took her for a paddle.  I paid £25 deposit, refundable on the purchase of a kayak and strapped a demo model onto my car.  If a dealer does not offer this type of service shop elsewhere!  It is essential to take a kayak onto the water before deciding if it is right for you.  I paid particular attention to how comfortable the seat was, how well it tracked and most importantly its stability and general practicality for fishing.  The rest is history, below is a picture of my 11 foot Manta Ray slightly modified with anchor trolley and additional fittings.  Kayak modification is an article on its own, so I will not cover anything on that subject within this review.

First Impressions

Boat Name Manta Ray 11 Angler
Manufacturer Native Watercraft
Boat Type Sit On Kayak
Length 330cm 11 foot
Weight 22kg (48 lbs)
Price Around £800

Specifications:

  •  Carrying handles on sides also on bow and stern.
  • Large storage hatch in the bow of the kayak.
  • Adjustable strong plastic foot supports.
  • A pre fitted Scotty accessory mount in the centre console area.
  • Attached, removable scrubber bungs for the decking area.
  • Accessory mount rails on either side of the kayak.
  • Permanently fixed luxuriously padded kayak seat made out of tough DVC water proof material.
  • Two flush mounted rod holders.
  • A stern tank perfectly designed to hold a large plastic crate.
  • Also included in this comprehensive angler’s package are a 0.75kg anchor with rope, a small Scotty rod holder and a paddle leash.

A premier angling kayak, which boasts an awesome specification list.  Let’s have a closer look at the goodies.

The storage hatch on the Manta is more than adequate

Not a huge hatch but more than adequate for storing my trolley wheels, sandwiches & spare drinks plus non essential spare fishing tackle.  The Manta Ray mark one kayak had some negative feedback from sea anglers regarding a leaking front hatch.  I am pleased to inform that Native took on board the comments from anglers and re designed the hatch in the new version (2010 onwards).  The hatch appears to fit snugly with an excellent seal; I do not have any worries regarding its integrity.

Front Decking area and footrests

The front decking area boasts a centre console that sits between your ankles and two adjustable foot rests with a smooth flat decking surface.  The adjustable foot rests seem well constructed and hopefully should withstand the rigours of heavy handed anglers use.  The Scotty mount pre installed on the central moulded plastic console will accommodate any of Scotty’s vast range of rod holders, sounder fittings or multi appliance holders.  You will also notice the four attached scupper bungs used to push into the four scupper holes in the main deck area.

Now that's a proper seat ! Your bum will thank you.

Boasting a fitted luxurious padded seat, this is what sets the Manta Ray apart from its rivals and yes it is as comfortable as it looks!  The seat can be altered with straps either side to obtain that perfect fit. The main decking area is flatter than other manufacturers, with minimal recesses in the plastic, handy for holding little items of essential tackle or a drink container.  Surrounding the moulded plastic decking area is a triangular fitted bungee cord useful for strapping small boxes down onto the deck.  Fitted onto both upper sides of the kayak are two accessory mounts and to the left a tough but flexible moulded plastic paddle holder.

The stern hosts two flush mounted rod holders fitted to allow rods to point at a slight angle towards the stern when held in place.  The moulded tank has been designed to perfectly hold a large plastic crate, genius!  Within the stern tank are two scupper holes to drain away any water that may splash into the tank.

 

Plenty of space for a crate under the Bungee at the back

Overall this kayak has the credentials to be a top class freshwater kayak, however I will report on its performance in both freshwater and on sea.  My initial launches have given me a wonderful feel good factor, essential when building confidence whilst angling from a new kayak.  Every kayak has its own little benefits and equally its own little quirks.  Over the past twelve months I have got to know her well and look forward to sharing my findings with you.

I bought my kayak from: www.brookbankcanoes.co.uk

Read more about Andrews Exploits on his facebook page 

You can read more about Native kayaks at nativewatercraft.com

 

 

 

 

 

Share

 

Ok, Ok you're right, that's not our intrepid reviewer Eric. It's a nice shot though !

“Creature Comforts” A review by Eric Weight

Lure Name Trigger X Softbaits
Manufacturer Rapala
Lure Type Softbaits
Length 100mm/125mm
Price around £5.99

 

Introduction: Softbaits are my thing I have to admit and when John offered me these I  was very happy to give them a run out. They come from the Rapala stable with the backing of some pretty famous US anglers, namely the Lindner brothers. That they are well known for their pursuit of walleye (an American zander-like species) just added one more compelling ingredient to the mix. These were a bit larger than I habitually choose but well within the range of sizes that my usual quarry (perch and zander) can cope with so I was looking forward to flinging them about. If American Walleye will take these baits then so will UK zander and in fact I do use walleye jigs and lures in the course of my normal fishing. I received two packets of baits, one containing eight 5” Little Moe lizards and the other, ten 4” twintails

Nice detail shot of the Little Moe Lizard

 

First Impressions: 

As with all things Rapala the packaging was spot on, smart and glossy in the range’s livery of black and lime green. Personally I don’t get hung up on packaging but these will look smart and attractive on the dealer’s shelf and I was as positively pleased with their appearance as the next man would be. They will be easy enough to find in the largest lure caddy that’s for sure. Initially I was a bit disappointed with the colours I had received. I never normally choosing drab ones for my lures and these were both in variations on dirty olive with metallic flecks, but in practice they were actually far more visible than I had expected, particularly the pumpkin green flake. The metallic flakes caught what little light we had when I was testing them very effectively.

Personally I believe that predators rely more on sight than any other sense when attacking their prey. Vibration and smell are undeniably relevant, but if the reduction in the number of takes we get in dirty water is anything to go by, then lure visibility is key. I wouldn’t usually choose green pumpkin or emerald oil for anything but ‘change’ baits, so I wasn’t expecting a lot to be honest.

Without a doubt these lures were well made, but then softbaits nearly always are. On taking them from the packet one quality struck me immediately. The tails were nice and limp which promised a good action and one other benefit that I will cover shortly. Nevertheless, only showing these to the fish would offer any idea as to their genuine worth, so off to the canal we went .

 

The Main Review:

I had two patterns here to test; twin tails and lizards or creatures as the Americans sometimes refer to them. They are both curly-tails and I use curly tails in two main ways. As baits in their own right mounted on jigheads of one kind or another or as trailers attached to spinners and spinnerbaits. As trailers, both these patterns are very useful. A single tail can often exaggerate the spin of the main lure causing excessive line twist, especially if the material from which it is made is not particularly soft and flexible. I am happy to say that both lures were just fine and did not interfere with the stability of my spinners at all.

The twintail ready for action

The lizards however stood out for me. They are very well balanced due to the ‘legs’ moulded on each side being so accurately placed and acting a stabilizers. In short the lizard was my preferred lure of the two, simply because it moved so subtly and steadily through the water; the tail working enthusiastically at the back. It may seem counter-intuitive to prefer a lure that is stable, but I do like my lures to be predictable; it is just a thing of mine. I like them to do what I want, not what chance dictates and if I know what they are going to do I can manipulate them in the water as I see fit. A lure that moves steadily and predictably through the water is easier for a predator to hit; why would I want to make it harder to catch? It is certainly one of the reasons that spinners are already one of, if not the, most successful lures ever invented.

The Lizard and weighted worm hook combo

I don’t know why the Americans thought of making fake lizards for use as bait. Lizards seldom go near water at all, except perhaps in the Galapagos islands and in England they are creatures of dry heath and moorland. I can only assume that they are really meant to represent newts or salamanders. I can’t say I have ever heard of or seen a fish eating a newt although of course it is always possible but as very few of our lures actually all that realistic it hardly matters. What does matter is that a lure looks like it ought to be edible. If it looks potentially edible, then the only way that the fish can find out whether it is or not, is to get their chops around it and that will do us very nicely.

It didn’t take long for the first schoolie zander to latch on to the lizard. I mounted them on weighted worm hooks as you can see from the accompanying photographs. Rigged this way I can use them as a ‘change’ bait when other lures have ceased to attract takes and I can offer a different behaviour/retrieve by dragging them slowly across the heavily littered beds of my local canals. When fish aren’t chasing and I am in a known fish producing area, I like to drag lures into them as they loaf around on the bottom. In short if they won’t play I use lures that can get right in their faces forcing them to make a choice; hit it or flee. I am happy to say that enough zander and perch hit these baits to make them a useful addition to the armoury. Despite being 5” long, they have produced some nice perch the best around two pounds and I can honestly say that I haven’t missed a take on them yet. Once a fish has made up its mind to take this bait, it seems to take them right in which is a bonus and suggests that to a fish at least they definitely look like food, which is all you can ask of any lure.

Mounted on a weighted worm hook the lizard is relatively weedless and hooking rates are excellent

I fished them in short bursts allowing them to hit bottom after every couple of turns and I also tried steady retrieves, but the former method was marginally more effective. They wobble nicely on a slow sink and I had takes on the drop as well. In dirty water, that is probably as much to do with landing the bait right on a fish but in clear water the gentle, wavering fall would undoubtedly be a very effective fish catcher. They are not great casters, too many dangly bits, and that has to be overcome by adding weight if you need to get well out, but for what I do they were more than adequate. It might seem that  dirty canal is not the best place to test so many lures, most anglers finding them too difficult to bother with but it is worth noting that I have always found that any lure that is successful for me in these testing circumstances will work far better still in easier, more favourable environments.

A little Schoolie Zander can't resist

 

Overview: 

One of the most under-appreciated factors in lure angling is the importance of change. So often the angler perseveres long after every fish in the area has seen, tested and/or rejected his lure simply because it is his most successful to date or his favourite for whatever reason.

A lovely perch falls for the lizard

I will continue to carry these lures, the lizard particularly, because it gives me the option to show the fish something they are unlikely to have seen before and because they are such a useful trailer lure for my spinners. I wouldn’t choose these colours again because while they work well enough at times I think they restrict lure visibility to the point where they are really a disadvantage, not a positive aid to catching more fish. Dirty, insignificant colours are ok if you are putting the bait right on the fish and making it easy for them, or fishing in clear water, but I don’t often have that opportunity. Even so I would tend to choose them as a change bait for those odd occasions when the fish are starting to grow wary of more obviously artificial color schemes or on a hard, over-fished water where they have seen everything else already. In these conditions particularly, the lizard may be more effective than the twin-tails; otherwise I doubt there would be anything to choose between them. I would love to tell you that the manufacturers claims to the effectiveness of the “bio-salt infused softbaits featuring a precise blend of aggression and fear pheromones” was a lure angling breakthrough, but I can’t. As far as I am concerned it is all so much old pony or these lures would have fished the pants off all my others which of course they didn’t. Don’t let that marketing hype put you off though these are very good lures and quality wise I have no problems here at all. Worth having in the box? – definitely. Perhaps the biggest problem that these lures face is where you can buy them.. At the moment it seems that Rapala Normark UK will not be distributing them in the UK. Andy Lush at The Friendly Fisherman does have some Trigger X softbaits available, but not the lizards, so it looks like most UK buyers will have to place an order stateside to get their hands on them, which is a shame.

Another Zed is the victim.

Testers Kit:

Dragon destiny 10-30 grams (now broken) rick clunn baitcaster ( now defunct) and spro passion ultra light (now lost/stolen) pfleuger micro reel (ditto) Not a good month on the tackle front !! All the takes I had were bold and positive and I am sure that anybody’s favourite set up would work fine with these.

Build Quality flash free, nicely balanced and nice soft plastic giving a good action to the tails (9/10)
Quality of finish Decent finish without being exceptional. Could do with some brighter colours (8/10)
Performance Good change baits but otherwise not particularly outstanding. Right up there with the best of its kind however (7/10)
Value For Money So far Trigger X products that have been available in the UK have ended up with a medium price of about £6.00 a pack (7/10)
Variety of Options Available The Lizards come in 8 colours and one size, we would prefer a few more bright colour options (7/10)
TackleTart Factor These are simple softbaits and will never compete in this category with some of the more exotic hard lures, but fishing with a Newt is kind of cool ! (7/10)
Overall They won’t be replacing all the Fin-S fish in our tackle box yet, but we will definitely be suing these again. There are some UV colours available that we like to give a try as well. (7.5/10)

The Rapala Trigger X Lizards are awarded a Lure Tour Silver medal.

For more info about Trigger X lures check out Trigger X

Share