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Lipless lures are rarely seen at the end of the line. Wrongly so, because they are excellent lures when you want to catch active fish or when you want to attack them and wake them up. If you like to fish for pike, your tackle box must contain at least one model!
What is lipless?
The lipless crankbait is a small, compact swimming fish with no lip. The lure is attached to its back and when retrieved, the water presses against it and its slightly bulging sides, causing it to vibrate tightly from right to left, hence the name "hexagon vibration".
In general, these lures are fitted with beads of different tones that create an unrivalled din in the water. You'll often hear anglers refer to these lures as maracas!
Spring is a privileged season
If ever there was a prime season for lipless fishing, it's spring. Pike are at their most active in shallow areas around the patches of weed that are beginning to grow.
In these conditions, reaction lures such as lipless are quick to alert and provoke an attack from predators ambushing under the emerging grass clumps. Try to pass flush and even inside this cover. If you make very dry hooks, you'll tear it out of the weeds and you'll be surprised to find yourself stopped dead in your tracks.
Two contexts of use
I use lipless in two completely different contexts:
- The first corresponds to periods of euphoria or high activity. Simply put, when pike are particularly active and on the prowl, lipless allow you to fish fast, cast wide and provoke clean attacks.
- The second context is diametrically opposed and corresponds to periods of total lethargy when it's impossible to trigger a strike despite all the lures and animations tested. In this case, I use a lipless lure to saturate the area with vibrations and irritate the pike present until a raging attack is triggered.
Three events
Lipless can be used in 3 different ways:
The first and simplest possibility is a fast linear reel recovery.
The second consists of small, disordered shots from right to left at fairly high speed and low amplitude. This animation, like the previous one, works perfectly when pike are in full activity.
Finally, when the fish aren't very active and I want to fish more slowly, or when I'm fishing deeper areas, especially drop-offs, I use long pulls, starting my rod at 30° and finishing almost vertical. During the descent, with the rod semi-tensioned, be careful, as bites mainly occur during this phase.
