DAIWA PRODUCT FOCUS: New Saltiga & Morethan Stickbaits – Mark Gercovich

The summer run of Kingfish is well and truly upon us and one my favourite ways of targeting them is visually locating schools on the surface and throwing stickbaits at them. Dawia have a couple of new stickbaits in the range that have successfully joined my arsenal. Kings are renowned for being fussy with what and how they eat so being able to have a few different varieties of stickbaits that are able to be used differently can be important.

The Saltiga Dorado Pencil RS is a stcikbait that comes in two sizes with the smaller 130mm 56g model being the one that suits the local kingfish population the best. It has some excellent design points that make it an effective kingfish stickbait. Its weighted belly makes it sink horizontally an important factor in a burn and kill retrieve which sometimes works well to fire up inquisitive, but non comital kings. The natural finish is also important when a king has the opportunity to eyeball the lure that is paused in front of them.

The Dorado pencil casts like a bullet and a lure that casts well is always an important factor when chasing surface feeding pelagics for a couple of significant reasons. The longer the cast, the longer the retrieve, the more time a fish has to intercept it. There’s nothing worse than running out of room as a speeding pelagic veers away at the last minute, as your lure reaches the boat before they catch up to the lure. Also the closer you need to get the boat to the fish to get a cast in, the more likely you are to spook the school. A lure that casts a long way is a huge help to your stealtiness.

Featuring an open mouth and gill slit design, the Dorado Pencil RS produces an enticing bubble trail through the mouth and gills. Burnt quickly across the top of a school the combination of bubble and splash usually gathers the attention of the cruising kings and triggers an aggressive response.

The DT 4602 treble hooks offer an unusually good combination of strength yet possessing a fine penetrative point usually not seen on trebles used on lures this size. I was looking forward to using the Dorado pencil on the tuna later in the season but with some hanging around the kingfish schools I’ve already had one disappear in a shower on spray as a SBT climbed all over it.

At 85mm the Morethan Switch Hitter is a much smaller stickbait than the Dorado pencil. But as the name suggests it is perfect to have rigged and switch to when certain situations arise. Rather than being a big searching/ attracting style lure it’s perfect for offering to a school that has shied of an aggressive retrieve /approach. The switch hitter also sinks horizontally with a little seductive wiggle. Burnt quickly then sunk through the school it can be irresistible to previously cautious fish. If the school you locate contains smaller fish having a switch hitter ready to go on a slightly lighter outfit instantly puts you in the game before the school spooks.

So while the weather is warm and the kings are biting, get out there with some new Dawia stickbaits, and enjoy some exhilarating and highly visual fishing.