Lure fishing for Bass
Welcome to my website and blog for lure fishing for European Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
Lure clips / links
January 25, 2010
How do you connect your lures, this is the question, some prefer loop knots but I think a small lure clip is the way to go. There are lots on the market, but not so many that are suitable for using to attach lures. It needs to be light weight and small, the last thing you want is a clip that’s going to effect the action of the lure, you also need one that’s easy to open with cold fingers.
The Emerillons J.B. No. 3 (18kg) is my favourite to attach a plug, it’s very small and being rated at 18kg strong enough, opening couldn’t be easier and you get the feeling that it’s not going to open on it’s own and from experience it never has. But why the swivel, it not necessary for plugs and if you want a really compact clip just snip it off. The other great advantage of the JB is it’s overall diameter, being very small it’s easy to fit through all your rod rings allowing it to be left on your leader.
There is one problem with the JB though and it manifests itself as soon as you start using various hooks and jig heads for soft plastics, it doesn’t fit all of them. Some of the tying eyes on jig heads are small but made up with heavy gauge steel and this can cause a problem for the JB.
As an alternative the Decoy Egg Snap Size:4 (90lb) looks good, but they are a little hard to open and seems to be a bit on the hefty side, I may well try these in a smaller size if available. The Flashmer Agrafe “Americaine” Agrafe Double Inox – No.3 (28kg) seems like a good compromise, it’s open design making it easy to fit to various sizes of tying eyes.
I have to say that despite a few problems fitting the JB to some jig heads I really do like these clips, click the read more to see comparison pictures.
Megabass Flutt’a Bait
January 18, 2010

Megabass FLUTT’A Bait, Colour: Sardine
The Megabass Flutt’a Bait is new for 2010, with twitching and flutter lures becoming ever more popular, Megabass have introduced there own. They describe it as a “Dual Action Jig Minnow, Surf Casting – Shallow Model” all I can say is when I first saw this lure I instantly thought this is going to be a winner.
On a slow retrieve it’s unique jointed flat body is meant to perfectly mimic a near death bait fish and on a faster retrieve have the look of a panicked bait fish. When you stop the retrieve it will instantly start to fall, vibrating and fluttering down. At 100.5mm long and weighing 27g this could be a great lure, I can’t wait to get my hands on a few and they have some great colours, I particularly like the orange red and sardine.
Model: Flutt’a Bait Manufacturer: Megabass
Length: 100.5mm Weight:27g Dives: Sinking
Click the “Read More” to see all the colours.
Megabass Zonk 120 Gataride
January 10, 2010

Megabass Zonk 120 Gataride Yoro-Yoro, Colour: HT Sayori
The Megabass Zonk 120 Gataride is a floating minnow with a fragile looking hinged plastic diving lip. There seems to be confusion about why the diving lip is hinged, my Japanese isn’t good (more like non existent) but Megabass seem to be implying that it moves to the inline postion during the cast to reduce the coefficient of air resistance for increased casting distance and then returns to the down position to provide the action on retrieve.
Whereas the Zonk 120 is a sinking deep diving lure the Megabass Zonk 120 Gataride is a very shallow running floating lure, it would seem a lot of people haven’t realised that there are in fact two versions of the Zonk 120 Gateride the Yoro-Yoro which has a rounded diving lip and the Hi-Pitch which has a larger squarer diving lip, I presume the lips give slightly different actions with the larger lipped Hi-Pitch version diving a little deeper.
Update – Lot’s of people seem unhappy with how fragile this lure is but with a little care it will last. Getting it snagged in weed or on a rock will more than likely break the diving lip, also care should be taken when landing fish, if you allow a bass to thrash around the lip will get broken. The thing to do is look at this from a different angle, this lure casts really well for it’s weight, it’s possibly one of the best casting plugs around and it’s action on a simple retrieve drives bass nuts. I can’t stop catching on the Pearl Rainbow, it works great in low light and if there’s a little colour in the water.
Get one in your lure box – it’s already a classic if you ask me.
Model: Zonk Gataride Manufacturer: Megabass
Length: 120mm Weight:18g Dives: 5 – 30cm (Floating) Hook: ST-46 #6
For more info and pictures click the ‘Read More’

Megabass Zonk 120, Colour: GG Iwashi
The Megabass Zonk is a slow-sinking minnow with a thin glass fibre diving lip. If you fish with braid you can feel the effect this lip has on the action of the lure right up the line and through to your rod, in a fast current or with a fast retrieve the vibration is quite intense. The action from this slow sinking lure is a high pitch tight roll and because it dives to more than a meter (nearly 2m) it’s stable in choppy water. The Megabass Zonk is quite a wide bodied minnow, this is because it has a powerful movable double tungsten ball bearing casting system which helps you reach decent distances despite it’s relatively light weight of 21g. A further feature of the Zonk is a water port in the top of the body this is meant to create a water displacement that Bass can detect, I presume with their lateral line.
Model: Zonk Manufacturer: Megabass
Length: 120mm Weight: 21g Dives: Sinking Hook: ST-46 #6
For more info and pictures click the ‘Read More’

