Yak hard-body lure starter pack recommendations please.

[Marc N]

I just got these two lures and I have to say, I'm impressed, I can't wait to try them, heavy rig, I think.

[kingiFiddler]

We may have hit the jackpot boys and girls.

I'm close to having available a selection of new lures and colours thereof to circulate amongst keen KFNZ members so we can all work out what works and what doesn't. Cost is nothing but postage to the next person on the list when time's up.

The way I see it, the risk is whoever you give your addy to is an axe murderer/stalker masquerading as a fine upstanding member of the KFNZ forum. If people are worried about that, we could always have one person we trust enough and send the lures back to them to send onto the next person on the list so you can all rest assured that not I nor anyone else you don't know will be caught sniffing your Mrs knickers hanging on the clothes line or leaving burley bombs in the letterbox, or drilling tiny holes in your yak, etc?

Perhaps another risk is that a particular lure stands out as so successful that we'll just have to take a member at their word that they lost it on a big fish that broke the leader after maxing out the drag and threatening to pull the yak under.

The supplier is willing to flow us some lures if I pick up the postage cost (from Oz), which I think is a pretty darn good deal. Supplier gets feedback about which lures work and the chance to make sales if some stand out as working really well for us. We get free lures and the chance to leverage the KFNZ community around NZ to learn what's working and hopefully why before we part with our cash and buy our own.

Can anyone see any problems with this approach please?

I'm as keen as mustard to kick start the 'tackle library'. Anyone else keen to go on the KFNZ 2018 lure test-pilot list?

[kingiFiddler]

I just got these two lures and I have to say, I'm impressed, I can't wait to try them, heavy rig, I think.

they look like the Proberos lures. Perhaps a generic type of design? Looking forward to reading how they work out for you. I've thought of reshaping the bib on mine to give it some corners on the front to see if it will help the lure rock sideways.

[Marc N]

I just got these two lures and I have to say, I'm impressed, I can't wait to try them, heavy rig, I think.

they look like the Proberos lures. Perhaps a generic type of design? Looking forward to reading how they work out for you. I've thought of reshaping the bib on mine to give it some corners on the front to see if it will help the lure rock sideways.

I got them from here: https://www.banggood.com/1-Pcs-14cm-Bai ... 55599.html

Looks like they're called Zanlure on this site.

"Reshaping the bib", I was thinking about, how if they wobbled, they wouldn't look like they were squid, so I'm looking forward to see, if they just sort of glide, like squid do

[dedant]

Kingifiddler where do I sign up! Keen to drag anything that might work. Heading out next Monday or tuesday ..weather permitting,

[kingiFiddler]

Kingifiddler where do I sign up!

You just did.
Will post details of the lures once I know what's coming.

[dedant]

Kingifiddler where do I sign up!

You just did.
Will post details of the lures once I know what's coming.

Cool.

[kingiFiddler]

"Reshaping the bib", I was thinking about, how if they wobbled, they wouldn't look like they were squid, so I'm looking forward to see, if they just sort of glide, like squid do

Good point, thanks. It makes me wonder if the KFNZ tackle library + members can help us all work out how important the different aspects are. I mean, does the action and colours have to imitate bait-critters exactly, or just be enticing enough to generate a strike. Maybe we can get to the stage we strip the colours completely off a well-performing lure and see if it still gets hit. Or if a particular colour stands out amongst others of the same style, then we change the bib shape to change the action and see if it still gets hit. So many questions, so little time.

Oh to win lotto.

I bet there is a bunch of highly experienced fishos reading these posts chuckling to themselves. They've been here and pretty much asked the same questions and spent years, and $ figuring it out.

[AndrewRawlingson]

Re: trials: I would concentrate on an area where you know there are fish on the bite. On my recent Dr Evil test, the spot I was fishing was giving me a fish, or at least a strike on every cast with soft baits beforehand. It’s never a scientific process, but it helps to remove as many variables as possible.

[WEE WILLY]

Quit Now!

[kingiFiddler]

LOL.
That right there is the rabbit hole we are trying to avoid.
I'd be ex-communicated if the addiction took hold to that degree.

*editing to add*

Of all those you've tried, which is clearly many, do you have any stand-out models, sizes, colours, bib shapes you could tell us please?

[AndrewRawlingson]

Yeah, that's pretty sick! In another life, I had a large collection of hard body lures, most have been sold now. They certainly catch the angler, if not the fish.

[WEE WILLY]

Although I have & try quite a few different tow lures, some always seem better than others, & catch more fish, I beleive that a lot is due to the vibration & rattle of the lure & less about the size & colour.
Also depths that lures run at, speeds that they are towed, hook types, species of fish tageted, area you are fishing & terrain.
The ability to tow certain hard body lures for long distances is also a factor, this is where I personally think a pedal type kayak would excell.
In an experience last winter, there was another harsh lesson I learnt, not all hard bodied lures have solid connections between tow points & hook connections!!!

So armed with all that I will select a lure not long after launching, generally based on past experience, that will safely swim at a depth wihout getting snagged on the bottom!
GPS & Sonar are important, as well as knowing where your lure is swimming, Keeping an eye on depth & structure, when fish sign appears on screen, it is not uncommon to hook up as the lure passes that sign, althogh I've had good hookups when there is no sign & no takes over plenty of activity, If the latter is the case then I will check the lure for debris & if none usually change the lure, use the GPS to go over the same track from a different direction, as I have a suspicion that there may be an ability for certain fish to detect a lure as it is not behaving like a fish ie: swimming the wrong way?

I am not solely a trolling yak-fisher it is generally between other types of fishing, I run only 1 lure at a time, In front on a Railblazer with short extension. Jigstar 120 & Tyrnos 8, 14Kg J8 Braid, FG, 30lb leader, Genie Clip!
Keep an eye on rod tip, watchout for trebbles, learn from your mistakes, Listen carefully to ST advice.

Latest favourite: Savage Gear Manic Prey Deep Diver.
Wilson.

[kingiFiddler]

Thanks very much for that info. Will read it a few times.

[kingiFiddler]

Hi all,

I've got in a bunch of lures from Oz and have started a KFNZ gear library and donated them to that. You can find the thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23306

I've only had the chance to try one lure from the range and it caught a few kahawai and 4 undersized snapper in the first serious outing. Plenty more to learn about how and when to use them but if anyone is keen to help try them out, get stuck into the library

[Marc N]

I didn't want to open a new thread for this, the following Youtubery is an impressive example of ingenuity, making a shrimp lure for Cuttlefish/Squid fishing, though no doubt this would work in other conditions with a variety of species.

23 minutes, so take your time viewing.

[AndrewRawlingson]

Check this guy out if you haven't already, he is a genius!

https://www.youtube.com/user/paulpadam/featured

[Marc N]

Thanks for that link, that guy looks very interesting, way out of my league, craft wise, but very interesting.

I got some stick on eyes though, that I've been tarting up my old lures with

eye.jpg (18.13 KiB) Viewed 2253 times

[dedant]

I can endorse the Savage Gear Manic Prey Diver as a snapper catcher. Bought recently and tried it on last weekend's club trip. Yes. Worked well . Attracted some big strikes in water to 8m deep. Dropped two good fish one after the other when the hooks pulled ( trevs maybe ? ) multiple snapper . Easy to troll compared to the old faithful Dr Evil.

[WEE WILLY]

I can endorse the Savage Gear Manic Prey Diver as a snapper catcher. Bought recently and tried it on last weekend's club trip. Yes. Worked well . Attracted some big strikes in water to 8m deep. Dropped two good fish one after the other when the hooks pulled ( trevs maybe ? ) multiple snapper . Easy to troll compared to the old faithful Dr Evil.

Were you using singles? & what do you do when you get a strike?