A lonely Dancer on the Water, Lureel Pencil
Today, I'd like to share with anglers about the Pencil surface lure. In the lure fishing community, we often call it the "devil" of the water! So, why is it called the "surface demon"?
The Pencil is a floating lure from the surface lure series. As it sways on the water's surface, it displays an enchanting "dance," stirring up waves. It may appear like a graceful water snake, but in reality, it's an untouchable demon.
Because the Pencil usually swims alone on the water's surface, weaving back and forth across rivers and lakes, it's also known as the Solitary Dancer. So, what kind of lure is the Pencil surface lure?
1. Let's first understand the Pencil surface lure.
1) Physical Characteristics
The Pencil lure has a slim, long, and slender body, resembling a pencil. From the outside, it looks like a lifelike fish. Pencil lures vary in color, and single-tailed lures can vary in color from 2 to 3 or more. Very few single-tailed lures have the same color.
2) Overall Structure
The head of a floating pencil lure, near the fish's mouth, has a metal ring for attaching the bait. There's also a metal ring at the tail and below the body, near the belly. These two rings are used to attach the hooks. Some pencil lures have two rings and two hooks underneath, but these are usually larger lures.
3) External Hook Type
The hook on the pencil lure is crucial. Pencil lures are typically used for aggressive fish, often aggressive and aggressive. A treble hook with a barbed tip is recommended.
4) Suitable Fishing Environment
Floating pencil lures are widely adaptable and can be used in freshwater areas, including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, as well as in inland waterways and ponds. Pencil lures can be used year-round and can be used during the day or at night, where they retract at the surface, making them a popular choice among anglers.
Why are floating pencils, often called "surface demons," so captivating lure fishing enthusiasts? What is their appeal?
2. What species are lures primarily targeted with pencil lures?
The graceful, lifelike movements of the pen lure lure trick carnivorous fish into falling for it. The pen lure lure is specifically designed for these fish and performs remarkably well.
Black Carp
The reason why using a floating pencil lure is so effective for catching black carp is closely related to its behavior. Black carp are both tolerant of cold temperatures and enjoy high temperatures, resulting in a voracious appetite year-round. Even in the cold of winter, they forage for food, but typically stay in deeper waters and only approach the shore once temperatures rise.
Black carp lures are pelagic fish, adept at swimming, known as "traveling a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles a night." They swim at exceptional speed and prefer to prey on fish and shrimp at the surface. Black carp also follow the wind and waves, immediately pursuing small insects and fish floating on the surface. They are more active in windy and rough weather, and in the morning and evening, often swimming in schools.
Blackbait
Using a pencil lure to fish for blackbait differs from fishing for blackbait. Blackbait are highly intelligent and prefer to chase fast lures due to their fast-paced nature. Also known as freshwater tigers, blackbait are exceptionally ferocious and have few natural predators in freshwater. Wild blackbait primarily inhabit rivers, lakes, and large reservoirs.
Blackbait are pelagic fish, adept at swimming and extremely fast, making them agile predators. They are large carnivores that primarily feed on fish and are also a valuable freshwater species. Blackbait are adept at attacking and pursuing other fish, making them even more aggressive than familiar species like snakehead and mandarin fish.
Bass
Using a floating pencil lure can yield even better results for fishing for blackbait than for blackbait. This is because blackbait are aggressive and prefer to inhabit areas with dense vegetation and dead, submerged shrubs. Specializing in ambush predators, when a pencil lure dances across the water, a bass, upon detecting it, will deliver a fatal strike.
3.The key to whether a pencil lure is a good fishing tool lies in its handling.
Although pencil lures, like other surface lures, are similar to surface lures, they are unique. This is because they have a unique movement: as they dance on the surface, they follow a zigzag pattern, a gesture known in lure fishing circles as "walking the dog" or "dog walk."
This movement not only makes a sound on the surface, but also simulates the fleeing movements of a startled fish. After casting the pencil lure (using a spinning reel or a water reel), wait until the lure hits the surface. Then, lower the rod tip in the direction of the lure and reel in any excess line until the main line and the lure are in a straight line. At this point, you can gently shake the lure to alert nearby carnivorous fish to its presence, which can sometimes lead to a "dive-in" kill, with a sudden burst of bite and a splash of water. Wait a few seconds. If no fish bite, then manipulate the lure.
Controlling the lure is the most crucial step in the entire fishing technique. Use your wrist to shake or press down on the rod tip, then return it to its original position. Simultaneously, the reel reels in the line as you manipulate the rod tip. However, when you press down on the rod tip, you don't need to reel in the line; when you lift the rod tip, you reel in any excess line. While controlling the lure, you can pause briefly. Repeating this process will allow the lure pencil to smoothly move in a "Z" pattern across the water, often referred to by anglers as a "dog walk." The specific rhythm of controlling the lure pencil also determines how you're fishing for different fish. So, how do you control it?
4. Attention to Details in Lure Pencil Operation to Target Different Fish
When operating the lure pencil, distinguish between three techniques: continuous small twitching, pauses and small twitching, and a combination of fast and slow twitching.
Continuous small twitching. By continuously twitching the rod tip, the surface lure pencil will move like a water snake. This swimming motion imitates the frightened, scurrying fish that scurries across the surface. This technique is extremely attractive to bass. In good waters, you'll see bass following you, followed by a sudden explosion of water. Pause and twitch. This technique is quite simple: after casting the bait, pause for about 8-10 seconds, then twitch slightly, then pause again for 3-5 seconds, then twitch again, repeating this pattern. This technique is extremely attractive to black bass.
Normally, fish won't bite when twitching, but the pause and initial twitch are when they're most likely to bite. Combine fast and slow twitches. As we mentioned earlier, black bass are very intelligent and won't be interested in a pencil lure if it moves slowly through the water. Therefore, after the lure enters the water, twitch it quickly. After a series of quick twitches, slowly twitch the lure in the water for a while, creating a sense of movement, before twitching again quickly. The purpose of this method is to trick aggressive mullet into spotting the pencil lure and causing them to twitch faster, mistaking it for real.
Finally, while the pencil lure is both a demon and a dancer, its use in the wild should be tailored to the time of day. When fishing for black carp with a pencil, morning and evening are typically the best times. These are when small fish, including black carp, surface for fishing. Therefore, these are the best times to use the pencil lure.
During rainy weather and at sluice gates, pencil fishing can be used throughout the day. At the entrances of river tributaries, wait until dusk when mullet will flock to these areas to feed. During this time, use the pencil lure to quickly scan the surface, pausing briefly while manipulating the lure. Once the mullet and black carp spot it, they will strike.
If you see the water ripple, be very careful and don't rush to hook the fish. Sometimes, even though the surface fish bite the pencil lure and ripple the water, they won't take it. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the curvature and routing of the fishing line and fishing rod. If the fish has already entered the mouth, you only need to use a little force to pierce it. Do not use too much force to prevent it from rebounding and stabbing you.