HOW TO MOVE THE KITARA
Entire treatises have been written on the retrieve, being the basis of the entire spinning fishing technique.
By retrieving our bait we will set it in motion and, aided by the friction of the water, we will give it the action that will allow it to appear alive to predators.
We will delve into the various fishing techniques in detail, in the meantime we will give those who have recently approached spinning the knowledge necessary to catch their first fish with our soft baits.
BASIC RECOVERIES
The main recovery types can be roughly grouped into broad categories:
- linear recovery
- jerks due to sudden blows of the barrel, more or less pronounced (the so-called "jerk" and "twitch")
- the bottom jig, or the stepped retrieve.
LINEAR recovery
In its simplicity, it is one of the most attractive recoveries and suitable for any type of fish. We simply cast our Kitara, let them reach the desired depth and start turning the reel.
The speed of recovery has a decisive influence on the depth of action: if we are slow the bait will work in depth (which depends on the weight with which we have weighted our softbait), if we are fast the bait will move towards the surface, up to the extreme case in which we will make it splash above the surface of the water (the so-called topwater ).
This retrieve can have an infinite number of variations , slowly raising and lowering the rod as we turn the reel will add vertical action to our softbait, moving the rod horizontally will change its trajectory significantly, small accelerations and decelerations often cause the attack of suspicious predators.
Experimentation is the key to success!
JERKS and TWITCHES
Linear retrieve movements are smooth and slow. When we instead impart dry and sudden movements, more or less accentuated, to the rod or to the tip alone, the action of our bait changes significantly.
Kitara are designed to have a strong horizontal and vertical action, as well as possessing a typical oscillation (wobbling) during swimming.
By giving light flicks of the wrist during the retrieve we can literally make our soft bait dance. A slow recovery with pauses, small twitches, restarts and slight speed changes is, for example, deadly in still waters or with little current.
If you think of your recovery as a song with its own rhythm, you can invent, and above all remember, an infinite number of variations.
The BOTTOM JIG
Almost unknown in Italy , the bottom jig is a technique that comes from Eastern Europe, it was in fact born in Russia together with the Cheburashka. Its unstoppable advance has already affected all of Northern Europe and will certainly be increasingly used in Italy too.
It is a very simple technique which has as its particularity the layer of water that it explores. Unlike the recoveries we have talked about so far, with the bottom jig our Kitara will literally be in contact with the bottom and will be animated with the sole aid of the reel, without movements of the rod.
We explain step by step this technique which for many will be completely new:
- we launch our bait, weighted enough to be able to reach the bottom without being carried away by the current or the wind. In concrete terms - in a low river (about 3/4 metres) with a relatively slow current a lead of 8/12 grams could be suitable, in a small lake without current 5/7 grams could be enough, in a large river in flood with less than 16/20 or more grams we will never reach the bottom.
- we wait for the bait to touch the bottom (don't be afraid to wait even 10 or more seconds). If your rod is sensitive enough you will see the tip return to its rest position, otherwise you can rely on the line, which will be tense during the sinking phase and slow once it reaches the bottom.
- once you have reached the bottom, make two or three quick turns of the reel, without moving the rod. The bait will jump forward and fall to the bottom. The ideal fall time is between two and three seconds - just select the most suitable weight of your chebu.
- repeat the sequence of turns of the reel and falls until the end of the recovery.
We absolutely recommend you try this magical technique !
We will certainly return to this very important topic, but already now you have a considerable wealth of techniques at your disposal. Try them all and don't be afraid to vary them or mix them together - a classic retrieve is for example to start with a bottom jig in the middle of the river, switch to a linear retrieve for the last 3-4 meters and then finish with a very slow twitching with pauses a few centimeters from the bank.
