The Kandlefish is a natural reproduction of the candlefish, a member of the smelt family. It?s a baitfish, highly prized by many gamefish around the world, and is highly effective in both fresh and salt water. Its lively action, and deadly sonic vibration, imitate the frantic and erratic action of many other species of injured baitfish such as smelt, shiners, shad, anchovies, sardines, herring, needlefish, and sandlance. Its wide range of sizes enables the Kandlefish to be effectively fished from just below the surface down to 300 feet. It is extremely versatile and can be cast, jigged or trolled. When cast, or jigged, most strikes will occur on the fall. The K-Fish has a swimming-darting action on the retrieve, or when trolled, and a strike-triggering erratic fluttering and gliding action on the fall. Practice with your Kandlefish in calm, clear water to become familiar with its action.
CASTING: Spinning tackle is most effective when targeting fish in shallow water or when casting to fish feeding near surface in deeper water or when suspended in deeper water. The retrieve can either be continuous or with a lift-drop rod action to give the lure a swim-flutter action. To maximize the strike-triggering downward flutter of your lure, always lift your rod vertically from about a 9 to 11 o?clock position?never sideways. Cast crosscurrent, when fishing over a snag-free bottom, for a more natural action as the lure flutters downward through the water column. This is extremely effective especially in saltwater (i.e. casting perpendicular to kelp beds, on a taut line, along the Pacific Coast including Alaska & British Columbia. The resultant lure action is deadly!) When drift casting to rocky structure, cast straight (never cast sideways) into the direction of your boat?s drift. For deadly results, bottom-bounce the lure through the rocky structure back to the boat. This method results in rarely spooking the fish and being able to retrieve your lure, if snagged, as your boat passes over the snag. When casting to surface-feeding fish, such as Spanish mackerel, coho salmon, white bass and schooling large mouth bass, strikes can be savage and the action non-stop. A 1/2 or 3/4 oz chrome K-Fish is an excellent choice in this situation. Conversely, a bottom-bounced K-Fish is most effective when fish are positioned on or near bottom. Except for long distance surfcasting, or ultra light outfits*, a good, all around rod choice is a medium, or med.-heavy, 6 ? 6 1/2 footer with a fast-action tip. Spool the reel with 12-17 lb. braided line such as PowerPro, Berkeley Stealth or FireLine (to maximize your casting distance) attached to about 2 ft of clear or fluorocarbon leader. It?s not necessary to add a swivel when casting with braided line (unless when trolling) since line twist is usually not a problem. "Deadsticking": This term is used for a passive form of casting and can be very effective under the right conditions?a) Moving water; b) A large school of baitfish; c) Diving birds; d) Predator fish actively feeding on those baitfish. This technique is especially effective next to shoreline structure such as kelp & weed beds, islands, walls and rip rap. Water current and wind drive concentrations of baitfish against these structures which in turn attract the predator fish. Once the lure hits bottom in shallower water, try jigging it back to you. Otherwise, speed-retrieve and repeat your cast. Simply cast the smallest (smaller lures suspend longer than larger lures) K-Fish to reach your target, which should be slightly beyond, and upcurrent, to the feeding fish. As soon as your lure hits the water engage your reel and hold your rod, on a tight line, with just an occasional slow lift and drop. This causes the lure to fall slower through the water column with high sonic vibrations and a flashing, erratic flutter that gamefish find hard to resist. In most cases, the fish will hook itself because it hit a small lure on tight line. *Note: Especially for the smallest sizes of K-Fish (1/6 & 1/4 oz), 5 to 5 1/2 ft ultra light spinning outfits are a joy to use on smaller fish under 8-10 pounds. Spool with 8-12 pound no-stretch FireLine for superb casting and hook-sets.
VERTICAL JIGGING: This is consistently the most productive of all artificial lure presentations available in sport and commercial fishing. The reason is twofold?a) the fluttering action of the lure as it falls (a basic trigger that causes fish to strike) and b) the lure remains in the strike zone far-longer than that of any other presentation. Please remember this very important analogy. Which is more effective? Casting to fish next to structure (i.e. a dock or bridge) vs. vertical jigging while on this same structure? Vertical jigging will always beat casting because the lure constantly remains in the strike zone. In comparison, a cast lure quickly passes through that critical strike zone. Vertical jigging can actually provoke neutral or negative fish into biting. This is the only technique that also permits you to precisely fish in hard-to-reach places such as around dock, pier and bridge pilings, in kelp & weed pockets and timber. Vertical jigging?s basic principle is, the more vertical your line, the better the lure action which results in more strikes. Conversely, the more the line angle the less the lift of the lure. It?s the critical LIFT of the lure that gives it the energy for its action on the fall. Spinning tackle generally operates best down to no deeper than 75 ft. and baitcasting tackle is best beyond that. Baitcasters are far-more effective for line control when jigging to suspended fish and for bottom bouncing. (Levelwind reels: Predetermine the amount of line that spools off your reel when the level guide moves from one side to the other. You will now be able to effectively reach suspended fish by using the levelwind as your depth gauge.) Line selection is critical especially in deeper water. For superior hook-sets and sensitivity, with less line drag on a drift, use no stretch braided line and not monofilament. Rod lifts range between 7 and 10 o?clock. Since vertical jigging can be used for most fish around the world, rod selection is dependent on fish species and water depth. Larger fish, and deeper water, require the use of rods with heavier action and heavier jigs. Vary your presentation until the fish respond to the one they prefer. TIPS: 1) Since the K-Fish is loaded with built-in action, it is not necessary nor recommended that you jig with forceful rod lifts. Even in extreme depths, forceful jigging is not required especially when using braided line. 2) Thinner line results in truer action and more depth.
ICE JIGGING: This is the most subtle form of vertical jigging in which K-Fish can be used as the primary lure or as an attractor. Jig with the smallest lure that effectively reaches your target. When used as a primary lure, replace the single hook with a fine wire treble and tip with bait of your choice (a fine wire treble hook or double hook can also be added to the wire eyelet on the nose). When used as an attractor, remove the hook & split ring. Attach a 2 inch long, 4-6 lb. fluorocarbon leader directly to the tail wire then add your bait or lure to the loose end. Snap jigging, and bottom bouncing, the primary lure will attract fish. But, it?s the subtle presentation of working the lure with very short lifts, twitches and pauses that result in a strike. (Slow and deliberate is how the fish respond in their icy environment. So should you with your presentation.) Deadly on many species including perch, walleye, sauger, crappie, kokanee, bull trout, rainbow trout and lake trout. Effective finishes include glow in the dark, pumkinseed, chrome, gold and pearl/chartreuse back. Our new black KandleFish simulates a leech and is deadly thru the ice and in open water.
TROLLING: The K-Fish can effectively be fished off downriggers, planners, planner boards and when flat-lining. It is very effective when trolled behind a downrigger, by itself or behind a flasher or dodger. Whatever method is used, it is important to attach a quality ball bearing swivel, between the mainline and leader, to prevent line twist. Unlike conventional spoons and other trolling lures, the K-Fish?s basic strike-triggering action is in its unpredictable darting to either side, imitating a baitfish attempting to elude a trailing predator fish. Basically, the more often your lure "hesitates" and flutters downward, the more the likelihood of a strike. Whether slow or speed trolling, vary your speed and do not run in a straight line. As with jigging, the downward flutter is critical when applied to slower trolling speeds. To significantly increase your strikes, slow-pump your rod while on a slow troll to permit the jig to periodically hesitate then flutter downward. Since it is difficult to fish with a hand-held rod when speed trolling, run a zigzag course to change the jig?s action. Your top speed is dependent upon the lure not skipping on the surface. This is very effective for marine species such as barracuda, mackerel and wahoo. Look for diving gulls and other surface activity to eliminate trolling blindly. Also, locate wrecks that are holding fish near the surface. For explosive excitement, it is hard to beat the savage strike of a 25-40 pound barracuda as it engulfs a speed-trolled K-Fish. Barracuda, in large schools, become very competitive, as do most other species. Days of 50-100 hook-ups are not uncommon in this situation. Most strikes will occur on the K-Fish that is on the inside turn. The inside lure hesitates and flutters downward while the outside lure speeds up without any hesitation. The 1, 1 1/2 & 2 oz K-Fish are excellent speed-trolling sizes. Always use colored wire leader to avoid cut-offs from sharp-toothed predator fish.
