Austackle Shinku Stick Minnow Lure Review

Introduction: Austackle has recently expanded its lure range with another four great tournament style lures, including a stick bait lure called the shinku, this lure is 38mm in length and weighs in at 3.5 grams, being 3.5 grams you are able to cast the lure a good distance to reach any fish holding structure with ease. the SHINKU is also fitted with razor sharp quality VMC hooks and rings. The shinku is a sinking style lure with a perfect flutter on the drop that perfectly mimics a prawn or a wounded bait fish. There are a few styles of stick baits on the market but the shinku being the only stick bait under the 40mm in length with an action that is as good as any other stick bait on the market, also matched with a very affordable price tag for such an affective lure. The AUSTACKLE SHINKU has 10 great colours to choose from that will cover any situation when needing to "match the hatch"

TIPS AND TECNIQUES: There are several ways to fish the AUSTACKLE SHINKU, this lure is perfect for structure fishing such as pontoons, boat hulls, rock walls, bridges, Wharfs and jetty's. To get the best action out of these lures I prefer using 2-3lb fluorocarbon carbon straight through matched with a nice 1-3kg rod , for the reason the fluoro has a much better sinking rate, where using braid it tends to restrict the flutter of the SHINKU that the bream and other predatory fish find irresistible.
When fishing pontoons, wharfs, rock walls and jetties casting the lure as close to the structure is vital as its slow sinking flutter means the SHINKU will be in the strike zone long enough to attract the predatory fish to hit the lure, once you have casted the SHINKU into the strike zone its important to watch your line at all times looking for any movement indicating a fish has hit the lure, with the lure being 38mm and having two sets of needle sharp trebles its almost impossible for a fish not to be hooked when the fish strikes the lure. If the lure has hit the bottom its important to raise the rod tip to feel if a fish has hooked itself without indication through the line, if the weight of a fish isnt there the lure can twitched or slowly drawn of the bottom using the rod tip then left to flutter back to the bottom, as it also has a great upwards flutter when lifted.

My favourite way to fish the SHINKU has to be moored boats. the visual side of this fishing can be very exciting and can pay off with some very nice fish being caught, the best way to fish the moored boats is to find the shaded side of the boat, but getting to close to the boat or hitting the boat hull with the lure can spook the fish. the way I fish the lure is to get a good cast up against the boat hull and let the lure sink under the boat, most of the time you will spot the bream feeding on the barnacles and getting a cast in you will usually see the bream follow the SHINKU as it sinks giving you a indication that the fish has seen the lure, again watching for the "tic" in your line indicating a fish has hit the lure or feeling the wait of the fish when you lift the rod tip to continue the retrieve back to the boat. I have found fishing older boats with the most barnacles always produce the most fish as they have a lot of food for the bream to eat. I make around three to four casts at the boat hull making sure I cover from the front of the boat to the back, if I haven't got a fish within those casts I move to the next moored boat

Lure: AUSTACKLE SHINKU SB38
Length: 38mm
Weight: 3.5 grams