DAIWA PRODUCT FOCUS: Take ‘em from the Top! Silver wolf – Slippery Dog By Andrew Badullovich

Catching fish on surface lures appeals to most anglers. This extremely visual technique is not only an exciting way to catch a fish, but can also provide an angler with an alternative method to entice a fish to strike! I’ve experienced situations where the fish were all over the flats; however, were not responding to my crank-bait. So, I decided to swap my crank for a surface lure; and WHAM – a reaction was provoked!

Most assume that surface fishing for bream is typically a summertime phenomenon; nonetheless, I have had great success with surface lures as late as July! The trick is to offer the fish a surface lure when natural food sources such as prawn & baitfish stocks are prevalent. There will be times where surface fishing isn’t always going to be the best method; however, it is worth a shot if all else fails.

Lure of choice:

Those who know me will be aware that I’m a surface fishing junkie, and have certainly favoured a handful of different lure type as my “go to” weapons of choice over the years. There is no denying that my favourite profile is a pencil shaped surface walker, and I’m stoked that Daiwa have introduced one of the best profiles of this lure type that I have ever used. The Slippery Dog casts like a bullet, walks with ease, and catches fish! It weighs 3.8gm and measures 65mm in length, and comes in all the best colours. I have really favoured the Orange Suji Prawn colour of late, but don’t tell too many people as they’ll sell out fast!

Tackle:

The new Ballistic X Spin 702LS is a great rod for working surface lures. This rod has a line rating of 2-4kg and conveys a fast action which renders it perfect for the job. The fore grips, reel seat, and butt assembly make this rod very comfortable to use, and it also boasts some funky graphics…it’s a cool stick! I’ve married my BLX702LS with a Ballistic EX 2000 spin reel, which is a match made in heaven. Naturally, I’ve spool my Ballistic EX with 6lb J-Braid, and I always use nylon monofilament leader as opposed to fluorocarbon when surface fishing, as nylon mono’ floats.

We still have a few months left before the surface bite shuts down, so gear up, and take ‘em from the top!

One final tip – work your lures a little slower with plenty of pause-time when surface fishing later in the year as opposed to the summer months where your retrieve may be fast and erratic. AB