It’s no secret that I like spinning for pike and, if I’m lucky, perch. When The Mangler from Cox Lures arrived from the States, therefore, I was forced to visit the river to give it a go. Yippee!
First things first, though, time to crush those barbs. I prefer barbless treble hooks myself, both for the sake of the fish in the water and the ease of unhooking it in the net or on the mat. I was a bit concerned, however, that the hooks looked a bit thin for the task in hand. Oh well, time to try them out and find out the hard way.
I only had about 90 minutes to fish in, which is a bit unfair for a review, but this is often how I fish – quick sessions before or after work. Following a recent downpour, I was looking forward to seeing the river with a bit of colour and flow in it. What a disappointment! If anybody from Suffolk is reading this, please tell me what on earth is happening to the River Gipping at Sproughton these days!!
Anyway, the clear water meant that I could really get a good look at what The Mangler was doing. It’s a weighted spinner, so it sank fairly quickly – an attribute that would bring it towards the top of my lure list already, as my favourite spinner of all time, The Rublex Ondex, is not great for fishing deep venues.
True to its word, The Mangler does start spinning straight away and I thought that perhaps I was letting it sink a bit too deep, as it kept catching. A couple of casts later revealed that it wasn’t the bottom bumping the lure, but a series of small perch really hammering it. If they had been a bit bigger, I’m sure that I’d have caught one!
Further up the river, I did manage to winkle out a small pike, which surprised me given the condition of the river. Not a monster, but on a day like that and in such a short time, I was glad of any fish!
Then the real test came – I had a tangle in my braid and allowed The Mangler to sink, with the inevitable result that the lure stuck into something ‘solid’. I then proceeded to amaze myself and two passing anglers who gave me a hand (cheers, lads!) as I pulled in a huge section tree! So much for the hooks being doubtful – they weren’t bent in the slightest afterwards, which was quite incredible!
The Mangler isn’t available from a UK outlet yet, I’m told, but you can request prices by emailing coxlures@themangler.com Take a look at their site, also, at www.themangler.com
Sometimes it’s the simplest things in angling that work. The Mangler is not a complex lure. It’s a basic design that works and when you want to catch fish, that matters. I look forward to adding it to my arsenal and giving it a more thorough workout soon.
Tight lines,
Elton
