To wrap up the testing of the old whipping lures I had from 2019, I stood on the side of a harbor, mid-day, to video how they cast and swim. The wind at my back was blowing hard at times, so casting them out with my small bait caster wasn’t an issue. This was only the second time casting lures since 2019 so I was a little clumsy; on the kayak I have just been bottom fishing or live baiting. There were sardines on the side of the harbor where I was standing, and small aha (needlefish) were patroling outside of that school.
It was interesting to me that the aha ignored most of the lures but chased certain ones, and 2 white papios (juvenile GT) chased 1 particular lure that has worked well in the bay off the kayak.
Please let me know if you find these types of tackle tests helpful.
JDM Lures with video timestamps
IMA Popkey 0:00 Slant faced top water lure that walked and rolled fairly convincingly. 120mm and cylindrical, so a slightly larger bait fish profile. Got intercepted.
Maria Chase SW 1:04 Floating shallow diver with realistic tight rolling action. Casts well and got chased.
Palms GIG 100s 2:07 Only 100mm (4 inches) yet 30g (1 oz) so it’s a small, narrow, heavy stickbait. Didn’t get bit but will be deadly for bigger papio and small pelagics in deeper water.
Zetz F-Lead 90 3:02 Only 90mm (3.5 inches) yet 26g (almost 1 oz) so it matches the size of the small bait and sinks down quickly to their depth. This was the only lure to get chased by white papio (juvenile GT), and was chased twice! It’s killer in the bay for suspending papio off the kayak.
Domestic Lures with video timestamps
Shimano Waxwing Boy 0:00 Zig zag swimming action that may look too bold to mimic a bait fish. Slowing down the retrieve slows down the zig zag to a less aggressive pace. Casts well.
Vudu Mullet 3.5 inch 0:43 Very lifelike swimming action. An aha thought it was a dying bait when I just dropped it in the water, and would have inhaled it had I not lifted the lure out of the water reflexively. So the aha continued its path and attacked the sardines! The light weight and flexing body makes the 3.5″ lure difficult to cast, at least with my bait caster. A long spinning rod would have an easier time. There is a 4.5 inch Vudu Mullet that is heavy enough to cast well.
Rapala XRap Sub Walk 1:50 Has been hard to cast into the wind on previous outings. Rolls and wanders just under the surface.
Rapala XRap Twitching Minnow 2:40 Has been hard to cast into the wind on previous outings. Erratically rolls and flops on the retrieve.
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