Fishing with Lucanus Jigs

When new products hit the fishing scene most of us Kiwi's are sceptical about their ability until proven. And Lucanus jigs are no exception. Lucanus slow jigs arrived on the market last season and although they had the initial eye appeal, most anglers were apprehensive as there was limited knowledge of the history behind them and they were not proven in NZ waters.

Slow jigs are for saltwater boat fishing and were developed in Japan by the commercial fleet. At first inspection you would correctly assume they are designed to imitate that favourite of food, small squid or similar type of baitfish. With the large variety of predatory species of fish here in NZ the Lucanus jigs have during their first year, accounted for possibly every one of these species, but more to the point are now proven to be extremely effective on Snapper!

Realising their fish catching potential for recreational anglers, Shimano have produced a comprehensive range, in fact there are 35 Lucanus jigs varying in seven colour options and five weights from 60-200gm. Selecting the correct jig weight depends on where you are fishing and what the conditions are. Like soft baits, you need to use as light a weight as you can, because the minimum of line drag allows the jig to portray the right action. Having said this, your Lucanus needs to be heavy enough to ensure you are fishing on the sea floor, where it will work best.

One of the first comments I hear when fisho's pick up a Lucanus jig is 'look how small those hooks are!' But don't be fooled as these small hooks are lethal! The pair of Owner assist hooks mounted on Kevlar thread, are able to swing freely hooking fish from whatever angle they attack from. I've seen fish hooked firmly with one hook inside and the other on the outside of the mouth! A good trick is to have a pair of long nose pliers handy to remove these deadly hooks. And another tip, re-jig it once the jig starts to look worn out from catching too many fish, Shimano have spare hooks and skirts available, no need to throw out the actual lure.

Lucanus slow jigs should not be confused with soft baits or hard jigs where action is required to get the full effect of the lure. They can be used at anchor but seem to be more effective when the vessel is on a slow drift, often a drogue can assist you to keep boat drift to a minimum.

The most effective method we have found with the Lucanus jigs is to simply let your jig sink directly to the bottom, once you are on the sea floor slowly wind in. When you feel that you have wound far enough away from the sea floor or from where your sounder indicates there are fish, release the jig back to the bottom and start again. When you feel a bite, resist the urge to strike as you are only pulling the hooks away from your target. Just keep winding slowly, gently lifting the rod which then agitates the fish and makes it more determined to eat it - and hook up! It's that simple!

Don't only limit this new method to fishing the sea floor. Lucanus jigs also work very well when targeting fish at certain depths. Because of their nature they sink very quickly and with the use of Sufix Matrix Pro (braid line that is coloured differently every 10m) in conjunction with a good sounder you are able to target fish at designated water columns. After a year of experimenting, we’d have to say that for us we have found that the Lucanus jigs work best when fishing over sand or mud areas. When they hit the bottom they create a disturbance and entice your target species. The use of fluorocarbon or a wind-on leader is always helpful as it keeps the visible braid away from the realistic looking Lucanus. This is not to say you can't fish them over reef or foul structure of course. As they are valuable, and often seem to become your favourite lure, you don't want to be hooking these things on the bottom. So we recommend that the use of a sacrificial sinker tied 30- 60cm from the lower eyelet of the jig will help you locate the bottom and keep the jig above the kelp or foul to prevent it from snagging. Adding extra weight like this is also a handy method to assist in keeping the Lucanus near the bottom when fishing in areas with a lot of current.

Another frequent question is 'can I use these on my regular 10-15kg bottom fishing gear?' The simple fact of the matter is yes you can but the jigs may not work as effectively. Lucanus jigs have been proven to fish better on longer more sensitive rods and on lighter tackle. Smaller overhead sets such as the Shimano Corvalus 400 matched to the Raider Extreme 7' 2pce spooled with 8-10kg braid is a well priced slow jigging combo. Or in relatively shallow locations using the lighter jigs, your existing soft bait combo can work adequately well. Lucanus Jigs are manufactured by Shimano themselves, so it is logical that Shimano have developed tackle specifically, or can recommend from their existing rods and reels the combos best suited for this effective method of catching fish. You can check these combos out on page 11 of the latest catalogue (Spring/Summer 09/10).

Like Softbaits, Lucanus Jigs are a clean no mess way to fish from boats. The drifting or just slow lifting technique means anyone onboard can use them effectively. One of the main attributes I have noticed with Lucanus jigs is that they not only increase the average size of the edible species you catch, but they decrease the amount of undesirables! If our experience is anything to go on, I'm positive Lucanus will increase your success rate when you're out on the briny. Hopefully some of our recent photos do the rest of the talking, and this summer we'll look forward to hearing the success stories other anglers will uncover using these amazing Lucanus Jigs.