Perfect Asp Lure
By diemai
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Just read a comment by one of our European members , adrignat , saying , that he's hoping to catch some asp(European predatory fish , but belonging to the carp family)on his latest crankbaits .
So I decided to display a simple , but yet a first-class-for-the-purpose metal lure , that has the perfect appeal for the hunting behaviour of this species .
It is more suited to cast into rough river waters rather than stillwater lakes .
Asp dash into schools of minnows on the surface , slapping around with their tail to hit the fry to afterwards gather them , or they chase directly after fleeing minnows .
Also often they'd stay far out on the river , outta reach to cast lighter lures .
This lures casts incredibly far , one has to start a rapid retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water .
It would then skim the surface due to it's sharp angled nose and change direction every few yards or any time , that it is pushed around by hitting a wave , also pulling a trace of small bubbles and spray .
So it perfectly resembles a small minnow on the surface swimming for it's life .
The lures are simply made of 10 mm or 12 mm copper tubing just cut off at their angles at nose and tail , after the cuts are filed smooth and the egdes rounded with a triangular chisel or an old knife .
The attachements holes are drilled at deepest/highest point of the angled cuts .
It is a bit tricky to fix the front splitring , but if it is chosen in approbiate size , it does work .
The two swivels are essential for proper swimming action .
One could also use brass or SSt tubing , but copper works best due to its higher weight , only disadvantage is , that one must not cast it on hard surfaces , the lure would then deform and be spoilt .
The chrome plated tubing is available in the bathroom compartments of tool marts , but it is cheaper , to gather old tubing from scrabyards(though copper has turned pretty expensive nowadays) .
Lures can be painted(sand/brush off corrosion layers) or plated with decal foil , due to the memory effect of the foil it should be applied in two to four lengthwise narrow stripes , not to come off due to the curved surface of the tube .
I haven't used that lure a lot , since I do not often fish for asp , but on one occasion I have caught four bigger ones within one hour downstream of a dam in the "Elbe" river close by my hometown .
It can also substitute a jigging spoon , but the rod tip has to be constantly moved , since it does not have any built in underwater action , still have caught walleye(Zander) and perch that way .
In this case better rig a single hook to avoid too much snagging .
greetz:yay: , diemai
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