Fat IKA

[HillbillyGeek]

Has anyone else tried the GY fat ika here in WA?

I heard that they work well in other parts of the country so I tried them last year and didn't catch squat. Not even one bite!

Maybe none of the local stores carry them because they don't work in WA???

Wadaya think?

[HillbillyGeek]

whoops

double-post

(I'm not the sharpest hook in the tackle box... )

[kzoo]

Never used them here, but had good luck in other parts of the country. Has a great profile and very dense to cast a long distance.

[fishnislife]

They work around here for sure. I have caught some nice fish on them. Try other colors or maybe your tossing them in the wrong situation or conditions. But I would not rule them out as a productive bait. Keep tossing them.




fishnislife

[BassDood]

They don't work around here. Those 4-6 lb bass I have caught with them thought it was something else ;) I use em like a jig. I rig them weedless with a small bullet weight and throw em everywhere. Good luck

[Trent Hale]

Sounds like the helicopter lure's, every one was getting big bass all I got was gators.

[ChrisB]

I have caught some fish on Fat Ika's. Not 4-6 lber but it won't be long.

[Kevin K]

I have also caught a few on the fat ika's. Don't give up on them yet. They are fairly versatile. One way they have worked for me is to rig them weightless with the skirt facing the hook eye. On a slack line, they tend to fall away from you. This technique has worked for me when fishing docks and/or pad edges.

[ChrisB]

Thats what they are designed to do Kevin. I'm going to fish it like BassDood said, should work well.

[Kevin K]

Thats what they are designed to do Kevin. I'm going to fish it like BassDood said, should work well.

True. Just mentioning it for HillbillyGeek's benefit as he was not getting bites while using them. BassDood's method should work well as you said. They also work well on a jig head, with a swimming/yo-yo retrieve.

[HillbillyGeek]

Thanks guys. I'll try them again this spring & report the results.

Fat IKAs do have a few characteristics that I like:
1. They are HEAVY (like me ). As a result, you can cast them a mile -- even with 14lb mono. Adding extra weight isn't necessary unless you want to flip them into thick cover and/or get to the bottom quickly.

2. Rigging them backwards really does make them fall away from you on a slack line. (Note: Senkos are also "tail-heavy" and behave in a similar manner. I think this is a key factor that makes senkos so effective for dock fishing.)

This spring I'm going to experiment to see if an IKA can be tweaked to perform better in shallow water. Ever thought about about cutting one in half length-wise, then texas-rigging it with the hook shank on the flat side? Fall rate would be considerably slower because a "split IKA" would be lighter & have more resistance thanks to the flat belly. It might even flutter side-to-side on the way down. Plus instead of having to use a big 4/0 EWG, 2/0 would be fine. The shorter hook would be a better match to the overall length, plus give the bait more wiggle. Heck I could even dip a Q-tip in "Spike-it" dye & paint the flat side with a contrasting color like chartreuse or florescent red.

Hmm... could use a weighted hook & fish the "split IKA" like a swimbait.

Interesting concept.


(I'm feelin' geeky! :geek: )

[racfish]

I know IKA as squid in Japanese.We talking the same IKA?

[bpm2000]

yup. cast em at dock edges, pad edges, etc and let em glide under.