Last weekend I found myself on a plane heading to a location in Southern Turkey. The expectations were high. It was my first trip of the year and I had many lures to try and catch fishes.
Overall it has been a disappointing trip. I spent two days on several locations and managed only to catch a small size barracuda. Well, this happens in fishing a lot but I wished for some better results after all.
If I must look at the trip from a positive side, I can say that I have enjoyed the company of a good fishing friend, I have seen some nice locations that I plan to visit soon again and, most important, I have tried some of the new lures that I recently got.
The Small Barracuda
My only fish came on a windless Saturday night in a small port. Two orange colored street lights were providing some attraction for small bait. Usually barracudas like this kind of environment. Slow waters filled with small bait fish are an ideal hunting ground during the night. We started casting at 21:00 and didn't get an hit for more than one hour. At a certain point, I started hearing some splashing on the surface and realized that barracudas were in the port for some hunting. At the moment I had a Rapala Maxrap 11cm blue/silver on the leader. I made a couple of casts and got a nice hit just 3 meters from my rod tip. A short battle and the barra was on the boga grip. A took the photo of my only fish that night. I kept casting the Rapala and some other lures including a yellow Seaspin Mommotti and a Daiwa Saltiga minnow. No results and no hits. My friend got a miss hit on a Ima Komomo and that was it.
The following day we went on a nice rocky shore. We spent 5 hours on the rocks with no results besides a nice sized barracuda chasing my friend's Ima Komomo for a couple of seconds. That was a nice sight for sure, but when you see a barracuda chasing the lure you really wish for a violent strike to happen.
The Lures
At least I can write some early opinions on some of the lures I have tried over the weekend. These are initial impressions and I definitely need more time to test them.
Seaspin Mommotti 140
This is a famous lure that is taking nice fishes all over the Mediterranean Sea. I was eager to test it with local barracudas and seabass.
What I liked: The action of the lures is good. It has a nice wobbling and rolling action on a regular retrieve but it really shines when you give good jerks. It looks like a wounded fish and darts left/right. I also enjoyed a very slow retrieve during the night. It has a fine rolling that can induce the strike or a lazy seabass.
The yellow color is very nice. I think it is very visible at night and can be used for barracudas and seabass during night fishing.
What I didn't Like: This is a long cast minnow and it does cast good. However I was expecting something a little better in terms of distance. It still has some good range but comes a little short compared to the Daiwa Shore Line Shiner SL14 and Tide Minnow.
Overall: 3.75 / 5
Duo Tide Minnow Slim 140
I had very high expectations about this lure, and I was right. There are two important aspects in a long jerk lure: great castability and action. This lure has it both.
What I liked: It casts like a bullet. Once it flies, it really flies far away. It just casts like a bullet with no fluttering.I think the designer has gave importance to the lip and body design in order to decrease air resistance.
The action is good. The rolling action is great and it responds very well to short jerks of the rod. I think it has a little wider wobbling action compared to the Mommotti.
The finish: As all the DUO lures this one has a great craftsmanship.
What I didn't like: For now I don't have any complains. It didn't catch anything but only time will tell. There was not enough current so I cannot judge on how good or bad it keeps the swimming action under some strong waters.
Overall: 4.25 / 5
Seaspin Coixedda 100
This was a pleasant surprise. I heard good things about it and after a few casts I understood the reason of all the praises it receives.
What I liked: It casts like a bullet. It is only 100cm but fly really far away. Actually I think it is better than the Mommotti. The lack of the lip is a big factor but I also think the weight moving system gives a better result on the compact body. I think it really shines on that aspect.
The action is good. The tight rolling action is great and it responds very well to short jerks of the rod. It darts like crazy. A twitch with the rod tip and the lure just darts erratically. It is a extra shallow minnow so I think it would work great in extra shallow situations when chasing seabass.
What I didn't like: For now I don't have any complains. I need to test it better in the right environment. Maybe the finish is not as great I would like. After a couple of casts I have seen some scratches already. Anyway it is the action that brings to life the lure so not big complains here.
Overall: 4.25 / 5
Tiemco Sprat 130
I was very curious about this lure. I read great things on blogs and tackle stores.
What I liked: The action is what really shines in the Sprat 130. The big lip and bulky body provides some incredible wide wobbling action. I read that it does a great job in rough waters and it looks perfectly plausible given the action and lip size. Even a straight retrieve is enough to bring the lure alive.
The silver color looks great and seems that it will retain its shine for a long time.
What I didn't like: Despite the size and weight, the lure doesn't cast that great. I think it is normal given the not very aerodynamic bulky body and big lip. Don't get me wrong. It casts far enough but at 20gr. you expect a little more distance.
Overall: 4.25 / 5
