Lipless, crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits…are some of my favorite baits to use when fishing for pike. I’m not just going to list the different Gunki hardbaits, there is the one line catalogue for that! Be sure to check it out, I’m sure you’ll find a lure or 10 that will look great in your tackle box and even better in that dream fish’s mouth! Pezon & Michel 2014 catalogue
So, which hardbait to chose? How and where to cast them? I will try to give you a few pro tips as to how to make that day on the water using a hardbait, one that you’ll never forget!
The Itoka: the n°1 pike lure
Launched in 2013, this swimbait has already caught many trophy pike, and in becoming a reference in the swimbait world. The Itoka exists in 4 sizes:
The 155F, first of the range in 2013, thanks to its clip-in lip, is a 2 in 1 lure.
The 125S, new for 2014, is a slow sinking lipless swimbait.
The 95F, new for 2014, is a floating swimbait that will interest fish of any size
The 210S, new for 2014, is the big brother of the range, ideal for trophy pike and other predators
Pike on the Itoka 210 caught by Damien Bourgeais
Check out this video on the Itoka and its deadly swimming action!
It’s the perfect lure for swallow water, margins, weeds and lily pads, where pike wait, sunbathing as the water slowly warms.
To use it, simple, cast a bit further than the zone you want to fish, and slowly retrieve rod tip down, alternate accelerations, pauses and little twitches…
This 1m10 pike makes the Itoka look tiny!
The Mothra: fast water expert
Springtime plus warm weather and any fast water becomes à choice zone to fish, and its 2-3m deep, the Mothra is the lure for the job. This is how I fish with it: I cast down stream and simply retrieve the lure slowly with a few twitches, violent bites guarantied!
The Gigan: the all terrain lure
This compact crankbait will face any situation you can cast it at! With 4 sizes and swimming depth, silent or rattling it’s an excellent lure to cover water.
The Gigan 39F ideal for 1m deep zones.
The Gigan 50F ideal for 1-1.5m deep zones.
The Gigan 55F ideal for 1.5-2.5m deep zones.
The Gigan 65F ideal for 3-4.5m deep zones.
Easy to use: cast, retrieve, if you hit the bottom, stop, wait, retrieve…
Nice pike victim of the Gigan
The Gamera 50SP: for the perch aficionados
If the pike don’t want to play, don’t forget the perch, dead easy to use: cast, jerk and twitch. It the ideal way to wait until the pike wake up, and don’t forget, small lure doesn’t necessarily mean small fish!
Perch are fun to fish also
The Kaiju: the bottom runner
Like the Gigan, it’s declined in 4 sizes, silent and rattling and also a blade, to be used to fish the bottom like a crank or jigged under a boat.
A nice perch caught on the bottom
What size lure to choose:
“Big lure, big fish or small lure, small fish” is not a rule to go by. To decide what size lure to use, start by finding out who is eating who under the surface. If the predators are after small fry or tadpoles, no point in trying to fish them with a big bait!
Technicolor or monochrome:
In amidst the massive choice of colors, here’s a rule I go by to help me choose:
Tainted or dirty water: flashy or fluo, like the Fire Tiger color
Clear water: natural, like the Ghosts Ayu color
Sound system or sound of silence:
Most of the hardbaits are fitted with rattles, and when the season starts, it is often a more productive option. But as the fishing pressure increases, silence can be best way to catch their attention! It is for those situations that we have designed the Gigan 55F and the Kaiju 70S, but sssshhhhhh don’t tell everyone!
Don’t just downsize your lures:
Adapt the diameter of your line to the size of lure you use so you don’t alter the quality of their fish appeal!
Pros’ tip: the thinner the line the deeper the lure will swim!
There you go, I have given you (almost) all my fishing secrets, it’s up to now to go and catch some fish!
David Bourdet, Gunki and Pezon & Michel Pro Team
