An imitation bream
Before explaining how I use the Vatalion, let's have a quick look at the lure itself. It was designed by Megabass at the request of Ultimate Fishing to imitate the profile of a bream. The idea was also to offer an "all-purpose" lure that could be used by everyone without the need for heavy, technical equipment. The gamble paid off in every respect, as the Vatalion is a flat-sided lure like bream and carrass. This makes it ideal at the start of the season, especially when whitefish are approaching the edges and weedbeds to spawn!
It is articulated in two separate parts which snap on retrieve like a swimbait. There are also two balls in the first joint. These balls move slightly in their place, giving the Vatalion a distinctive, low-pitched sound. As I said, this lure looks like a small swimbait. However, it's the perfect compromise between a swimbait, a glidbait, a jerk and a lipless. It supports all types of animation, from slow to very fast "cast and drag" (it never stalls), with small jerks, with long pauses...
My use of Vatalion
I might say it's my favorite early-season lure, but in reality, I fish with the Vatalion all year round, and not just for pike! In fact, I love using it at the start of the season. Where I come from, the fish get closer to the bank as soon as the water starts to warm up (mid-April to mid-May, depending on the season). As temperatures rise, crayfish begin to moult, followed by whitefish spawning.
In both cases, the Vatalion has regularly made the difference. It's a lure that stirs up a lot of water, so it's very effective when fish are spoilt for choice in terms of prey. A lure that stands out from the crowd and gets noticed. Of course, whenever I find crayfish in the water I'm fishing, no matter what color it is, the SS WILD CRAW is my must-have! When the banks are crowded, I really try to go as deep and as close to the bank as possible, right up to the point of snagging.
It's a strategy that regularly pays off. It gets the fish stuck in the bank out of the water, and sometimes all it takes is two or three turns of the reel followed by a hard jerk to trigger the attack!
As I said, I like to use the Vatalion all year round, even when it's cold and the fish tend to sink into the water. The trick: lead the vatalion on the first triple! Sometimes fish just don't want to be bothered! In this case, the vatalion plays its role once again. For animation in such circumstances, I overhang the lure and let it sink, even if it means making it touch the bottom. Then I bring it back quite dynamically. This will enable me to fish quickly, but relatively close to the bottom.
A pike-only lure?
The Vatalion is a formidable lure for pike, but I also use it a lot on catfish! Our moustachioed friends are also fond of bream and crayfish, but above all they have very poor eyesight. The Vatalion therefore has all the characteristics required for this species: a lure that stirs up water, makes noise and resembles their menu! Watch your bite!
Having recently moved to Brittany, I also intend to use it on sea bass. Some of my colleagues use it regularly with very good results, but that will no doubt be the subject of a future article.
Vatalion 115F
- Brand: Megabass
- Length: 11.5 centimetres
- Weight: 38.5 grams
- Type: Glide bait, swimbait, lipless
- Density: Floating
- Swimming depth: 50 cm to 2 m below the surface
- Price: ?43.95
- Distributor France : Ultimate Fishing
