After my last session guiding at the Club Esox in Ireland, I really wanted to share with you why I like this swimbait so much. This best seller GUNKI is one, if not the lure with which I have had the best and most constant results.
It has become a reflex for me as soon as I target specimen pike and the least I can say is that it really helps picking out those big fish. It may not be the lure with which you will get the most bites, but it is
definitely the one that gets the biggest fish to react.
The great thing about a lure with little density is that you can tune it by adding some extra weight whereas the opposite is impossible. That, paired with the speed you reel it in, is a key factor to get the pike to attack. You just have to find the right pattern in-between depth and speed to trigger them.
ITOKA 210 and G’FLIP heads: how to face any situation !
If you get hard bites with lures that have almost disappeared, then the fish are active.
When the fish take a lure like this, they are feeding.
Adding a weight can enable to fish faster and therefore trigger active pike.
The low density of the ITOKA almost makes it a floating lure which will enable you to fish it really slowly, this is ideal when there is little water above the weed beds. A classical linear retrieval with stops and a few "on the spot" twitches is an absolute killer animation.
Killer animation, an un-weighted ITOKA fished slowly above the weed beds.
So when do you add a G'FLIP head on the front treble hook?
First situation :
To fish faster and a bit more aggressively above weed beds or shallow spots.
Or
You have bites, but the pike seem to be reacting more through aggressiveness rather than hunger (the fish are hooked outside their mouth).
In these cases, try and speed up a bit to try and "surprise" the fish and get them to react even more aggressively.
I had a client that tried this once. He was fishing hi-speed retrieval above dense weed beds, when his lure suddenly disappeared, literally swallowed by a pike. And that was to be the pattern of the day. To make things easier, we added 10 grams to the ITOKA and fished as fast as possible. The fish just rolled in, whereas before, with a classical animation, it was as if there was not a single fish out there!
A weighted ITOKA fished above the weeds... watch out, the bites can be ultra violent, make sure your brake is set hard enough!
Second situation :
To fish a bit deeper when sub-surface action is not the flavour of the day. I like to use the ITOKA in depths ranging from 20 cm to 10 meters!
Last autumn I fished with with it on spots 12 meters deep packed with bait fish and where a soft lure had not worked, but fished 50 cm under the surface on the edge of the shoal, the ITOKA got the predators to react.
Most times when the pike are holding deep, you need to go and fish for them where they are. That is when the G'FLIP head is a real plus as it enables you to weight your ITOKA. Depending on the depth I plan to fish, I will use a weight ranging from 7 to 10 grams.
A pike caught on a 9 m drop-off.
The ITOKA does not only catch pike!
You can fit the G'FLIP to the front of the lure or to the front treble hook. I usually opt for the second option as it helps the lure glide as it sinks when you stop reeling. In order to be sure the weight does not slip off, I add a clip or a screw.
A G'FLIP on the front or the middle of the lure.
The key to fishing is essentially finding the fish and analysing their activity. No need to try every lure in your box, but try and adapt the colour to the conditions and find the optimal retrieval speed and depth. Go by the rule clear water + light = natural colours (ex : Red Ghost, Salty Ayu...) and murky water + low light = flashy colours (ex : Mat Fire Tiger, Mat Trout Feel…). Even so, if that does not work, try the opposite!
Pike fishing is a question of "who dares, catches!" so grab your rods and stay focused, dedication always pays.
Gear used :
- IRON T C-225 XH rod
- BCR 400 HD reel
-Braid : 0.28 to 0.33 mm
-Terminal leader : HARD MONO PEZON & MICHEL 0.80 mm
If you catch a nice fish with our gear and share it on the Facebook Gunki Group and Pages. If you have any questions, just contact us via Facebook : www.facebook.com
See you soon
Aurel Lagarrosse
Fishing guide in France and Ireland
