Swimfish
The strength of the Shaker, one of Lunker City's bestsellers, lies in its large, domed paddle, which creates strong vibrations.
The Swimfish is based on this paddle, but with a more elongated body and, above all, designed to accommodate a Texan hook.
It has a perfectly sized ventral slot in which a Texan hook fits and holds securely.
Its pointed head adapts to several types of lead heads, but may need to be cut to fit certain models.
The plastic used is dense enough to hold the Texas hook in place, so it doesn't tend to move at the slightest obstacle. What's more, the plastic from which the Swimfish is made is highly resistant to pike teeth. Should it be cut, the cut will not enlarge easily, making it easy to repair with special glue.
90, 125, 190 mm
The Lunker City lure is available in three sizes, 90, 125 and 190 millimetres.
The 95 and 125-mm versions are good for pike-perch, pike, perch, black-bass and sea bass, while its larger 190-mm size is well suited to big pike and vertical sea fishing, such as wreck fishing.
It's also available in a range of colors to suit the needs of European anglers, both sea and freshwater. The color chart is well thought-out, and every color is interesting.
These include the arkansas shiner (6), a classic with a proven track record for pike-perch and sea bass, and the atomic chicken (143), indispensable for pike fishing in whisky-tinged waters.
Which hooks?
Finally, here is the size of Texan hook to use according to the length of the Swimfish used, for a perfect fit:
- 95 mm = 3/0
- 125 mm = 5/0
- 190 mm = 8/0
My opinion
The Swimfish is the worthy descendant of the Shaker. It retains that miracle-working paddle, while benefiting from the possibility of being mounted as a Texan. For many years now, this has been my favorite soft lure to use as a Texan, and it deserves to be better known and used, because it's so effective.
