Beetle bobblers for golavl. Part One

Among the many baits suitable for catching chub, there are quite a few wobblers that their realism and special quality of drawing all the details, often down to the smallest detail, look almost real bugs and other insects. There are some that are almost perfectly represent a copy of the insect, not something so rounded with fish eyes, as in most crankbaits.

This is about these beetles and will go narration in this article. Surely in the storerooms of mature golavlyatniki will find a couple or two of such cute baits. But most often you can meet such things at the beginner hunters on bareheaded, because it is difficult to resist buying such cute little things, so similar to live bugs. They all their appearance inspire hope for success, well, what kind of chub can swim past such beauty? For example, here is a handmade bug like “May bug” from the manufacturer Chafer 37.

What kind of a chub can swim past such a beauty?

Getting Started

If we remember how we started our fishing way, it was back in the Soviet times, when no wobblers were on sale, and not all of us knew such words at that time. Usually the formation of the fisherman then went upwards, – first it was a float rod and some kind of dunking rod with zhurlyitsy, and then gradually we evolved to spinning and fly fishing. And in this, by the way, there was a common sense, because practicing in float fishing, we also caught chub, and on a variety of tips and baits. And even then we learned how he relates to different kinds of bugs, finding out gradually that first of all from all boogers he is interested in May bugs, especially during the period of their activation. In addition, on these pretty beetles and chub were caught not just any, but more often large, mature.

But catching these beetles before fishing is not the easiest and fastest thing in itself, besides, it was necessary to keep them somehow. And on the fishing trip itself there was a lot of fuss with them when putting such bait on the hook. Unfortunate bugs sometimes died and did not swim to the coveted golavl, being nibbled by all sorts of small things like ducks and other minnows, or even broke off at the throw. Red tape with such bait was enough and, to be honest, such cute bugs were always a pity to destroy, even for the sake of catching such a beautiful fish as chub.

The very catching of these bugs before fishing is not the easiest and fastest thing to do

That’s why all of us, whose hands grew from the shoulders, little by little engaged in homemade manufacture of various artificial insect-like baits from improvised materials. We used pine bark, Styrofoam, wine bottle corks, wood of different species … These crafts we painted with paints and pens and, equipped with crooked hooks of some Kolyubakinsky plant, tested on the river, adjusting buoyancy to the desired norm. And then already went fishing, where quite successfully caught on these beetle golavly, to the envy of competitors. Probably because now we have a lot of skillful craftsmen in our country that create real masterpieces in the form of all sorts of bugs, which even on fishing afraid and sorry to take because of their incredible beauty.

Bassday wobblers

We will consider here quite earthly baits factory in-line production. And although most of these wobblers were created not for the sake of catching our chub, and more for Japanese and American bass and trout fishing, nevertheless, many of them turned out to be quite suitable for chub fishing. In general, everything is quite usual, as with many other wobblers – we adapt them to our conditions and our fish. It is sad, of course, that we ourselves can only manually create the wobblers we need, as well as half a century ago, so we have to look for and adapt different imported lures.

If I’m not confusing anything, then probably one of the very first beetle wobblers of Japanese production to our market came lures from Bassday company. At once two variants of one model – bigger Bassday Bun 30F weighing 4,5g and smaller Bassday Kobun 20F weighing only 1,3g. It is hard to say from which of the real live beetles Japanese masters drew these creations, but they look like bronzefish.

Two variants of the same model

Both wobblers are distinguished by a very high quality of performance, they are equipped with a reliable tee and are offered in a variety of colors. The younger of them Kobun perfectly catches not large catfish, especially on the splash, especially if you get to carefully put it throwing under the bushes of the opposite bank. And on a leisurely even wiring on the drift in an arc, he also brings results, moving almost under the surface. The older model – Bassday Bun is a little more interesting in the sense that it flies farther and brings trophies bigger. Catching techniques with it are the same, except that it is deepened if necessary deeper – up to 25-30 centimeters. That is, the younger wobbler will be suitable for the smallest rivulets, and the older is already for the rivers polozolidneya, where the fish is bigger inhabits.

Catching techniques with it are the same, except that it dives deeper if necessary

In the assortment of these beetles from Bassday I personally lacked an intermediate model of medium size, so to speak, the golden mean. But I found a beetle-wobbler of Tsuribito, a subsidiary of this brand. Their cute beetle-wobbler Tsuribito Mushi, was just what I wanted in all its dimensions – 28mm length at a weight of 2.4g.

I found a beetle wobbler of the same size from Tsuribito, a subsidiary of this brand

In the control of this beetle-bobler was not the same, it was more demanding to the speed of wiring, in which the slowest was necessary. In addition to the same techniques as with Bassdeev bugs, Mushi was very good when fishing by rafting, when in impregnable places for throwing it was possible to raft it downstream under the branching crowns of coastal plants and there under this shady canopy to include the wobbler in the work.

Mushi is very good when fishing by rafting

Salmo wobblers

Alas, but beetle-like parodies of the May beetle are not so many among serial wobblers, especially Japanese. But there is a European variant from the company Salmo, which in its two sizes is perfect for catching chub – Salmo Lil Bug 20 and 30mm, respectively weighing 2.8 and 4.3g. Depending on the color variant, wobblers from Salmo can depict different beetles, from May and bronze beetles to different fancy ones. The older model is characterized not only by large mass dimensions, but also by the presence of a long throwing system, which makes it preferable for fishing on wide rivers.

The older model is characterized not only by large mass dimensions, but also by the presence of a long throwing system

Both models are good at catching smallmouths, mainly by rafting and standardly on the drift downstream. In addition, the younger bug from Salmo is often grabbed by chub “on the spit” at the moment of docking.

Both models are correctly catching catfish, mainly by rafting and standardly on the drift downstream

River2Sea and Raiden wobblers

Successful fishing with this my first team of beetle bobbers led me to buy and test other interesting baits of similar type. Gradually arsenals were replenished with new fighters in the form of bugs of different types. One of the most interesting in this company I can call a wobbler, which almost perfectly copies the floater beetle. Initially I purchased them under the brand River2Sea, the model was called Beetit Crank 35. The color schemes of this wobbler are many, from natural beetles to different fancy ones.

One of the most interesting in this company I can call the wobbler, which almost perfectly copies the floating beetle

In addition, in the design of these baits used one interesting technique – in the belly of the wobbler on the sides glued at an angle feathers, one on each side. And this is not a design extravaganza, but the elements involved in the game of the bait, they not only imitate the working in the water feet of a real floating beetle, but also participate in the stabilization of the wobbler when moving.

With a length of 35mm weighs wobblerok 3.5g. Wobblers are very catching, they work well when catching evenly slow wiring in an arc on the drift on a slow current. Beetit Crank are especially good near snags, where the most vigorous golovlyuga are hiding.

Wobblers are very catchable, work well when catching uniform slow wiring in an arc on the drift on a slow current

Unfortunately, the production of these baits stopped, for some time I could not make up for the lost bugs on the hooks, but then they were again on sale under the sign Raiden, model Sea Beetit 35. And apparently it is the same wobbler, as I found no difference in them. Of course, non-Japanese origin always makes itself known in wobblers, first of all, it is expressed in unstable quality, which leads to various problems, for example, in the form of water leaks inside the body, and it is better immediately after purchase all the likely places of leaks treated with layers of water-resistant varnish.

Imitations of different water beetles – plavuntsy and vodolyubov, should be recognized as one of the most effective for hunting for chub. Water beetles are in many ways similar to plavunts, they also reach very large sizes, both species are predators and underwater successfully hunt various small animals, including fry and tadpoles. That’s why one of my friends even has a certain theory, according to which the minnows react differently to these beetles and accordingly to wobblers representing them, because some may well have been bitten by these insects in an unsuccessful attempt to catch such a beetle. I quite admit that this is possible, since in one and the same river some shovelnose actively attack such beetles, and others bypass them.

Lucky Craft wobblers

The Japanese company Lucky Craft has a couple of beetle wobblers, very reminiscent of water beetles. They are available in sinking and floating versions. I am talking about the Gengoal model, which is well known to advanced minnows.

The model is well known to advanced anglers.

These beetle wobblers with a length of 35mm weigh 3.5g floating and 4.8g sinking. The wobblers are equipped with two double hooks, which is slightly better to prevent snags. In my opinion, the best use of them in a pair, when the sinking one complements the floating one and it is possible to fish both beetle wobblers in different layers of the reservoir. Color solutions are very interesting and there is a lot to choose from. Flight data on both bugs at a height, but the sinking long-range. They work on typical wiring across and on the drift current, on fishing can sometimes quite do with this pair, all day getting golavlya then on one, then on the other.

Flight data of both beetles are at a height, but the sinking one is more long-range

This is, so to speak, the main backbone of my beetles for chub hunting. In the next article I will try to tell about other, not less interesting insect wobblers, depicting not only beetles, but also some other bugs.

Author: Bob Nudd is an expert fisherman with over 20 years experience and winner of many competitions.