LURE SLINGER

Inside info from Top Water’s Nick Roberts

A look at the new Fiiish Black Eel.

ICAN’T SLEEP. My samples of the new Fiiish Black Eel have arrived, together with copies of the company’s 2019 catalogue. I’ve already spent hours staring at the lure, its colour, profile and sleek lines. I have no shame in admitting to having had a little sniff too. It’s got a distinctive aroma, not dissimilar to the Black Minnow, but perhaps more like its Crazy cousin. The plastic mix is slightly harder, that’s for sure. I’m not allowed to say much more at this stage. So, what’s exciting about the Black Eel, and what could be better than the popular Black Minnow? Well, the profile of the Black Eel is eel-like, the tail appears upside down, the hook is hidden, the belly is almost translucent and the body is, well, quite flat. Most captivating, however, is that this new lure from Fiiish has fins.

EUREKA

I think about the staff at Fiiish pondering for hours and weeks and years about how the new lure’s tail should be designed. I saw a prototype of the Black Eel in 2013 and remember the main designer was not convinced by its design at the time, so it was back to the drawing board. Six years later and I’m laughing to myself about the eureka moment when the people at Fiiish in France realised that the solution was, in fact, simply to turn the tail upside down. The Black Eel, I feel, is going to be a fantastic new lure released this spring in 120mm length, and 20g and 40g weights. The lure will be available in the tried and tested khaki colour and also a very appealing Cloudy White. I will be monitoring this product carefully as I know many Fiiish fans have been looking for this new model for some time. Loads to come from Fiiish this year too – Sunrise, Purple Impact, Dark Eel, Gold Rush, Wine Glitter, Sleepy Green and Mojito will be unveiled in the coming months – exclusively in Sea Angler. Trade enquiries to info@ topwaterlures.co.uk or visit www.topwaterlures.co.uk