Anglers are spoilt for choice when it comes to lures these days. Some are reinventions of traditional products, while others have taken on an out-of-this-world alien appearance. The commonality is: they (mostly) all catch fish!

This is the second time I have reviewed the Flipper jigs. This time, Black Magic has introduced four new colours to the range – Blumo, Fiery Tiger, Pinky, and Knight Rider – giving anglers a choice of eight livery options.

The latest renditions have a crackle-paint finish which would not be amiss in a beauty parlour specialising in crazy nail finishes! The difference between the nail bar and the tackle store colours is the latter versions have a lumo coating that can be fired up with a UV torch, adding to their fish-attracting capabilities when deployed deep.

I have fished the lures successfully in different ways – vertically and horizontally jigged, as well as bottom-bounced, always on the drift initially. When prospecting, I have been drifting with the MinnKota down and when we hit a patch of fish, I mechanically jig it with the motor spot locked to hold us over the action. On the drop, the lures have a wide, sweeping movement which is particularly useful for horizontal jigging with the lighter 60g and 80g options using conventional soft-baiting gear.

Pinky is one of the new BMT Flipper jig colour options and my favourite colour in the range.

Thanks to their wounded fish imitation, the Flippers are a good option when targeting snapper and kingfish in the ‘exhaust’ of a decent work-up, where the predators are cleaning up the scraps that fall below and behind the melee happening on the surface.

It was in this exact situation that I deployed an 80g Pinky, regularly producing snapper, including a ‘double’ with fish on both the assist hooks. A dab or two of bait additive on the lures helps when the action is slow. The most exciting – and ultimately disappointing – action occurred while fishing in the vicinity of a decent Bream Bay workup, where I was trailing a Flipper Night Rider 100g jig from a rod set in the holder. The sea state was sloppy and swelly enough to impart plenty of action on the terminal tackle at 40 metres when what I can only suspect was a decent kingfish nailed the jig. I played it for a good 10 minutes and was finally making good headway, only to have the hooks pull about 10 metres from the boat. It would have been the ‘money shot’ for this review, but as we all know: “You shouldn’t say it before you weigh it!”

Size and hook options vary throughout the range. For example, four colours have 60, 80, 100, 150 and 200g jigs in the range, armed with hooks varying in size from 1/0 up to 5/0. The remaining four have four weights, excluding the 200g option.

The BMT Flippers give anglers yet another choice in the slow-pitch range. It is great to have options, you can never be sure what might be the flavour of the day. The full range of BMT Flipper jigs are available in stores or online now.

December 2022 - Grant Dixon
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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