Contents
The natural habitat of the pike is thickets and snags. The predator finds hiding places that serve as camouflage when hunting prey. Fishing in such conditions increases the chances of finding a trophy, but due to the specifics of the bottom relief, it can be difficult to use artificial lures. Lures constantly cling, often without the ability to return the lure. To protect against hooks in the areas of reservoirs that are overgrown with water lilies, there are baits that have been modified with a special mechanism that prevents hooks – non-hooks.
Features of the use of non-engaging baubles
The sting of the hook at the non-hook is “hidden” by special shock-absorbing strings, which protect the bait from hooks during wiring. The hook is exposed when biting, when the fish swallows the bait. Basically, such a mechanism is used on ordinary vibrators.
The metal antennae that protects the sting can be either in one copy or in several on one hook. When wiring, the protective mechanism (antennae / wire) first of all touches the obstacle. And the property of elasticity allows you to expose the sting precisely at the moment the bait is captured by the fish.
Non-engaging baubles are used in a number of cases:
- in shallow waters with dense vegetation;
- in snags and in places with protruding branches;
- between the windows in the reeds and cattails;
- on the shell rock (dumps, spits, shallows).
A bait with a closed hook goes through “strong” places more easily, but it has a worse degree of serif. If a predator comes across an ordinary tee even when attacking a body without opening its mouth, then when fishing for a non-hook, it is important that the pike completely swallows the bait. When the jaw is closed, the antennae are folded and the hook is exposed.
This type of bait is used in summer, when aquatic vegetation rises and grows stronger. Spinners are used on rivers, in bays, upper reaches of lakes, swampy reservoirs and other water areas with an abundance of vegetation.
Due to the location of the hook, the non-hook has its own game, which differs from the animation of the classic jigsaw. It easily passes through the growing hornwort and other types of higher plants. If there is any obstacle on the way, then the spinner rests on it, after which it goes on. With any contact, it is important to hook, because the pike, especially in a passive state, may not attack with a blow, but simply hang on the bait.
Photo: easytravelling.ru
The undercut must be powerful so that the mustache is folded, and the hook is stuck into the mouth. Unhooks allow you to tear yourself through dense thickets. The Americans, when catching largemouth bass or bass, have a whole fishing technique when the angler approaches the carpet of vegetation in a boat and tries to break through it with a lure in a plumb line. To do this, use the heaviest models, including vibrations.
In our realities, this technique is also applicable in situations where water bodies are covered with a dense carpet of duckweed. The non-hooking one perfectly overcomes it without picking up grass on the hook. The only thing that the bait can not cope with is filamentous algae. They envelop the product from all sides, and the oscillator loses its attractiveness and its own game.
Small-sized loose hooks have become popular in tight fishing conditions:
- narrow streams;
- overgrown bays;
- swamps;
- cattail wall.
In spring, during floods, pike often enter small streams, where they remain until the next season. In cramped conditions, fishing is possible with the help of short spinning rods, accurate casts and non-hooking baubles. The advantage of the oscillator is to work from the first turns of the coil.
The brook pike chooses parking in a variety of shelters:
- under fallen trees;
- at the blockages of branches and snags;
- under a water lily and in the shade of vegetation;
- on bottom drops, small pits;
- with sharp bends in the river.
Any change in the relief of the bottom of the stream indicates the prospects of the place of fishing. You can check many areas with a non-hook until the pike shows up. The slightest increase in depth, even by 10 cm, is a point for the parking of a predator. Of course, stream fish do not have trophy sizes, but this kind of fishing helps to change the situation, to try something new. Since the food base in the streams is weak, the fish there are hungry and the bite will be provided even on the hottest summer day.
How to choose an unhook
All baits can be conditionally divided according to the main characteristics. Wheels are selected not only for the conditions on the reservoir, but also for the time of year, the size of the predator.
The main parameters of the spinner:
- the size;
- the form;
- the weight;
- Colour;
- material;
- number of hooks;
- the presence of a mustache.
Most often, non-hooking spinners are equipped with one or two hooks coming out of the back of the body of the structure. The size can be different: for catching pike, the length of lures is from 7 to 15 cm. The most popular size of artificial bait is 8-10 cm. In summer, small spinners are used, which better pass through a dense carpet of vegetation. If fishing on a non-hook is just a precaution against a possible hook, then large sizes can be used.
The mustache acts as a spring, hitting a branch, it bounces back, keeping the hook and lure intact. Each hook has its own mustache. It is usually soldered to the front and wound by the hook. Mustache made of metal.
The pike has a large mouth that opens wide and is able to swallow large prey. The shape of the spinner can be different: both narrow and wide-bodied. For fishing a toothy inhabitant of reservoirs, wide baits are often used, the weight of which is in the range of 8-15 g. For fishing in deep sections of reservoirs, heavier specimens are used that quickly reach the desired horizon of the water column. In the pits, the predator stays in the bottom layer, so it is necessary to lead the unhooking precisely there.
Photo: forelmius.rf
Modern metal spinners are made of stainless steel, brass or copper. Various alloys are also popular, providing weight, gloss, and structural density.
Spinners can be natural or bright colors:
- painted in dark colors;
- with a bright coating;
- with holographic sticker;
- in natural metallic color;
- in a combination of paint and bare metal.
On a clear day, dark colors or metallic shades are used, on cloudy days, bright colors and models with a sticker are used.
Some non-hooks also have a movable plastic tail, although they have a hook on the inside of the structure. The tail serves as a target for a predator and attracts it from afar.
Top 15 best spinners for pike
Let’s take a look at 15 of the best non-tackling spinners that have proven themselves excellently when catching pike with a spinning reel in overgrown and snarled areas. The rating includes the following baits:
Kuusamo Professor 2 
The non-hooking version of the legendary pike lure features an elongated fish-shaped body that flares out at the front. “Professor” is equipped with a double and two metal whiskers, it passes through obstacles perfectly, but also detects fish well.
The model is available in two sizes to choose from. Products have a wide range of colors: from metallic coloring, to baubles painted in bright or dark shades. This model is used in snags, areas with blockages and high vegetation. If fishing is carried out in clean areas of the reservoir, the bait can always be converted to a regular tee for a more confident hook.
Mepps Timber Doodle
The metal lure has a curved shape, which provides it with a sweeping game in the water. A single hook is rigidly fixed on the inside of the structure, has a metal mustache to protect it from snags, plants and other hooks. The spinner works on slow wiring in the upper and middle layers of the water column.
The manufacturer recommends equipping the hook with silicone twisters for greater attractiveness. The best types of postings: uniform and Stop’n’Go. The lure is especially successful at catching pike in still water or in a weak current.
Condor Boat
Inexpensive lure with a double and anti-hook system in the water. The model has a wide body and a wide amplitude of oscillations. When posting, the spinner emits a vibration that attracts fish from afar. Products in variegated colors are used in conditions of dense grass or high turbidity of the water area, when the visual effect plays an important role.
In clear water, it is recommended to use natural shades or metallic colors. If necessary, the double can be replaced with a regular triple hook.
RB Atom
Russian spinner is a popular manufacturer of fishing lures, which presents to the attention of spinners the classic Atom model in the form of a non-hook. The bait has a long body with an extension to the back of the structure. The model is equipped with a single hook, which can also be equipped with silicone. A metal mustache is directed from the front of the product to the tip of the hook, providing free passage through thickets of reeds, water lilies or other obstacles. The range is represented by a variety of colors.
Spray Sakiru Spoon 80
Qualitatively made metal oscillator, reminiscent of the shape of a fish. In the outer part there is a colorful coating with rough bumps. Inside there is a mustache that covers a powerful single hook from snags and hooks. The hook also masks the red feather tail.
The bait performed well at depths up to 3 m, in conditions of poor visibility and high vegetation. The oscillator works with many basic types of postings, tempting a predator.
Rapala Minnow Spoon
Spinner-oscillator, has the shape of an elongated and bent to the side, spoon. The hook is single, located at the end of the bait and protected by a metal antennae. In practice, thickets of water lilies pass well, play well in water, with various types of wiring. It is considered a good option for pike fishing in shallow water, up to 1-3 meters. Rapala Minnow Spoon is available in three sizes – 5,6,7 and 8 cm. A variety of colors allows you to adapt the lure to different pike habitats.
Northland «Live Forage» Weedless Spoon
The Northland Live Forage lure features a patented holographic coating that mimics the look of a real fish. The bait works in shallow water, with a significant number of obstacles (snags, water lilies, algae). The manufacturer produces baits in two weight categories – 14 and 21 gr. The bait uses a v-shaped hook.
Gator Weedless Chrome Plain
Lure with the possibility of mounting additional silicone lures. Used in high-speed wiring with a high level of obstacles. In practice, justifies the expectations of anglers. Gator Weedless Chrome Plain is comfortable for spinning in grassy areas and encourages pike to hunt. Available in three colors: silver, gold and black.
Aver
Designed for a passive predator and slow wiring. It has two stings, which are protected from hooks by metal strings. Good for fishing from overgrown shore. The Akara Aver lure plays in different types of retrieve, both slow and fast, changing the intensity of the swing. Made in one, but the optimal “pike” size – 7 cm.
Johnson Silver Minnow
Has proven to be a catchy bait. Made in several colors: from silver to red-white, in the form of an elongated spoon, which makes it look like a fry. 
The bait has a single hook, which looks like a buttoned hairpin. The eye protects the sting from hooks, but lends itself to being captured by a predator. Lure Johnson Silver Minnow has such a ratio of shape, weight and size, which allows you to match the movements of a small fish in the aquatic environment. Weight 12 gr., but due to the observance of aerodynamic proportions, casting can be carried out far enough, as well as when casting a feeder.
Kuusamo Viiksi
Spinner of the Finnish manufacturer, made in a classic form, with a mustache-fuse. Shows good results in thickets and snags. The instruction-advertising says that the test of artificial bait was carried out in natural conditions. A bait weighing 18 grams is made, suitable for trophy specimens hunting at a depth of more than 2 meters. It showed itself well in fishing in heavily dense places, with “impassable”, at first glance, vegetation.
Rapala Weedless Shad
The lure model from Rapala is positioned as a lure and is designed for classic work with this type of lure, despite its appearance, resembling a wobbler. Lure with a single hook, which is protected from snags by a soft material (wire) mustache. In practice, it has been noted that such protection contributes to fishing without hooks in the presence of obstacles of medium saturation, but at the same time, effective bites with a minimum probability of coming off. Works in any type of wiring.
Siweida ANK
Budget catchy lure. Designed for long-distance casting and work at depth, in the hunt for a large aquatic predator. Its weight is 29 grams, with a size of 8,5 cm. The classic combination of silver and a small red “tail” is similar to the outlines of small perches or rudd, which are eagerly hunted down by large pike. The spinner as a hook has a tee, from which it is very difficult to break.
Blue Fox Lucius Weedless
Lucius Weedless series of lures from Blue Fox. Here is a line of various colors and sizes that can be selected for different conditions according to obstacles, depths and “tastes” of a predator. The bait differs from analogues in optimal elasticity of protection, which allows you to bypass obstacles and, at the same time, minimize predator gatherings.
XPS Stomper Weedless Spoon
This is a lure with an additional “plumage”. The main difference from competitors is an unusual design. The hook is hidden by a classic metal rod and protects well from snags. According to anglers’ reviews and the manufacturer’s statements, this is an excellent bait for a predator in the thickets.
The price of all these models varies depending on the manufacturer. Which of the presented models to purchase and try in practice is up to you. And yes, you can always pick up analogues that are more budgetary in price, but at the same time they are not inferior in catchability to “brand” baits for spinning.