Illex

Illex at Charlie's Fishing: Dexter Shad, Dexter Eel, Freddy glidebait and John Weight

Illex is one of the best-known predator brands in France. It brings the Japanese lure designs of Jackall to Europe, in colours chosen for European water, and develops its own softbaits for the way we fish here. Its soft shads and eels are known for a soft but tough rubber, flavoured to the core with Nitro Booster shellfish attractant. At Charlie's Fishing we stock the Illex lures that work on our pike, zander and perch: the Dexter Shad from 110 to 250, the ready-rigged Dexter Shad Tip Up, the Dexter Eel, the Dexter Tip Up Head, the Freddy CW Noisy glidebaits, the Momouse and the John Weight. Below you find what each one is for.

Illex Dexter Shad: the rolling soft shad

The Dexter Shad has a supple but dense body that survives pike teeth and a paddle tail that starts working at the slightest movement, with a strong rolling action and lots of water displacement. Fish it on a jig head, a screw-in head with stinger, or vertically. The Illex Dexter Shad 110 (10.5 cm, 10 g) was developed with zander in mind and also catches perch, pike and sea bass. The Illex Dexter Shad 150 (13.5 cm, 19 g) is the all-round size for pike and zander, the Illex Dexter Shad 175 and Illex Dexter Shad 200 are the pike sizes, and the Illex Dexter Shad 250 (22 cm, 88 g) is made for big pike around sunken trees, along vegetation and under overhanging cover. More in Pike Softbaits and Paddle Tails.

Illex Dexter Shad Tip Up Rigged and Dexter Tip Up Head

Want to fish straight out of the pack? The Illex Dexter Shad 150 Tip Up Rigged comes on a 7 g Tip Up head for slower, shallower presentations along weed edges and drop-offs, and there are the Illex Dexter Shad 175 Tip Up Rigged and Illex Dexter Shad 200 Tip Up Rigged for bigger pike. To build your own, the Illex Dexter Tip Up Head screws into a Dexter Shad or Dexter Eel: its back plate fits the flat front of the bait, the head shape adds roll, and the bottom ring takes a belly stinger or a blade. More heads in Jigheads.

Illex Dexter Eel: long profile, deep vibration

The Dexter Eel has the same tough, flavoured rubber as the Dexter Shad in a long eel profile, with a curled tail that sends deep vibrations and a tight roll. The Illex Dexter Eel 150 (15 cm, 21.5 g) fishes on a jig head, an offset hook, a Texas rig or as a trailer on a blade jig or bucktail. The Illex Dexter Eel 210 (21 cm, 64 g) is for specimen pike and catfish, weightless on a screw and stinger or on a Tip Up Head. See all Rigs and Stingers.

Illex Freddy CW Noisy: two-section glidebait with rattle

The Freddy is a sinking two-section glidebait with a smooth S-action on a straight retrieve; short twitches make it glide left and right, and stops give following fish their moment. The Noisy version adds sound for low light, coloured water and pressured fish, and integrated rolling swivels keep the hooks in place in the fight. The Illex Freddy 130 CW Noisy (13 cm, 20.9 g) suits smaller water, the Illex Freddy 170 CW Noisy (16.8 cm, 44.5 g) is for big pike on larger water. Both run shallow and go deeper with a John Weight on the belly eye. More in Swimbaits & Glidebaits.

Illex Momouse: mini wakebait

The Illex MoMouse is a 7 g floating mini wakebait with a 42 mm mouse body and a supple 92 mm tail, and a spare tail in the box. Fish it slowly for a clear wake, just under the surface with the rod tip low, or faster for following fish, along banks, obstacles and stone groynes, for perch, pike, trout and chub on light tackle. See all Mouse and Bucktail Lures.

Illex John Weight: clip-on weight to fish deeper

The Illex John Weight clips onto a lure near its centre of gravity, so minnows, jerkbaits, glidebaits and swimbaits run deeper without re-rigging. It comes in 2 to 28 g, five per pack, and also works as a compact drop shot weight. We use it on the Freddy, on the Frapp Rowdy Head and on the Jackall swimbaits. See all Weights.

Also in this collection: Jackall

Because Illex brings Jackall designs to Europe, you also find the Jackall Dowz Swimmer 180 SF swimbait and the Jackall Vividus soft swimbait here. See the full range in our Jackall collection.

Which Illex lure for which situation

• Zander and perch on a jig head: Dexter Shad 110.
• All-round pike and zander: Dexter Shad 150, loose or Tip Up Rigged.
• Big pike: Dexter Shad 200 or 250, Dexter Eel 210.
• A glidebait in coloured water or low light: Freddy 130 or 170 CW Noisy.
• Perch and chub on the surface: Momouse.
• Getting a lure deeper: John Weight. See Pike, Zander and Perch.

Why buy Illex at Charlie's Fishing

We fish the Dexter Shad and the John Weight ourselves and stock the Illex range in the sizes that work on our water, with the heads and weights that go with them. Every product ships from our own stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we can tell you which size and head fit your water.

What is the connection between Illex and Jackall?

Illex brings the Japanese lure designs of Jackall to Europe, often in colours chosen for European water, and develops its own softbaits such as the Dexter Shad for European predator fishing.

Which Dexter Shad size should I choose?

The 110 for zander and perch, the 150 as the all-round size, the 175 and 200 for pike and the 250 for big pike.

What is the Illex John Weight for?

It clips onto a lure near its centre of gravity so it runs deeper, without changing your rig. It also works as a drop shot weight.