Jackall

Jackall at Charlie's Fishing: Japanese swimbaits, topwaters and finesse lures

Jackall was founded in 1999 by Seiji Kato and Toshiro Ono in Otsu, on the shore of Lake Biwa, Japan's most famous bass lake. They started the company to make lures they were satisfied with themselves, developed close to the water and fast, and the name comes from the jackal, a smart hunter that is even better in a group. Jackall became known for big, realistic swimbaits and for clever finesse baits, and both work just as well on European pike, perch, zander and chub. At Charlie's Fishing we stock the Jackall lures that fit our water: the Gantarel and Dowz Swimmer swimbaits, the Flat Bone Clicker and Swing Mikey, the Vividus and Deraball soft swimbaits, the Slick Bait topwater, the Driftfry finesse softbait, the Live Darter and the Chubby Bug. Below you find what each one is for.

Jackall Gantarel and Dowz Swimmer: jointed swimbaits for pike

The Jackall Gantarel is the iconic one: a floating three-section swimbait of 16 cm and 70 g with a bluegill-style profile and an S-curve swim on a slow retrieve. Sharp twitches make it turn 180 degrees, two line eyes let you choose a wider or tighter action, and feathers on the hooks keep it moving on the pause. The Jackall Dowz Swimmer 180 SF is an 18 cm, 57 g three-section swimbait with a natural S-curve on a straight retrieve and an erratic action when jerked; its dense body casts far and lands softly. Both run shallow, and an Illex John Weight takes them deeper. More in Swimbaits & Glidebaits and Pike Hardbaits.

Jackall Flat Bone Clicker and Swing Mikey 115: big baits just under the surface

The Jackall Flat Bone Clicker is a 22 cm, 48 g floating jointed big bait with a long elastomer tail. Walk it like a topwater without it drifting far off line, or reel it straight for a strong roll, around snags, shallow cover and pressured water. The Jackall Swing Mikey 115 (11.5 cm, 28.5 g) is a three-piece floating hard swimbait that runs from 0 to 0.5 m with a wobble-and-roll action: slow like a wake bait, faster for reaction bites, for pike and big perch along weed edges and bankside cover.

Jackall Vividus, Deraball and Magnum Deraball: soft swimbaits for shallow cover

The Jackall Vividus is a floating soft swimbait of 14.5 cm and 51 g that wobbles even at very low speed. The hook sits on a rolling swivel against hook pulls, tungsten inserts tune the balance, and the hook can be moved to the side to fish through weed. The Jackall Deraball (8.1 cm, 26 g) is a hybrid between a crankbait and a shad, a compact sinking swimbait that wobbles over weed beds, lily pads and bankside cover from 5 to 30 cm deep. The Jackall Magnum Deraball (10.2 cm, 51 g) is the big version for pike and big perch down to about 1 m. Both use the Line Thru system, so the hook moves freely in the fight. See all Pike Softbaits.

Jackall Slick Bait: topwater that walks sideways

The Jackall Slick Bait is a 12 cm, 15 g floating surface lure that imitates a small baitfish struggling at the top. Its slide-walking action can be steered left or right by how you run the line through the body, while silicone gill strips and glass beads add movement and a soft rattle at slow speed. Fish it over weed beds, along jetties and shallow margins for pike, perch and black bass. See all Topwaters.

Jackall Driftfry: elastomer finesse softbait for mid-strolling

The Driftfry is a slim, realistic minnow in soft, buoyant elastomer that comes alive with the smallest movement of the rod tip, made for mid-strolling, hover-strolling, drop shot and light jig heads in clear and pressured water. The Jackall Drift Fry 2.5" (6.3 cm) is the small one for perch and trout on jig heads from 0.3 to 2.7 g, the Jackall Drift Fry 3" (9 cm) the all-rounder for perch, zander and pike, and the Jackall Driftfry 4" (10.2 cm, 5.2 g) has a molded bill and twist tail for a rolling action, for bigger perch and zander. Store them apart from other softbaits. More in Zander and Perch Softbaits.

Jackall Live Darter and Chubby Bug: small hardbaits for perch, chub and trout

The Jackall Live Darter (5.2 cm, 4.5 g) is a sinking darting minnow: short, sharp twitches make it dart wide from side to side and up and down, and its tinsel tail keeps waving when it slows down. A double hook close to the body keeps the action free. It works for perch, chub and trout, also on a slow hover-strolling presentation in cold water. The Jackall Chubby Bug 35 (3.5 cm, 3.7 g) is a floating super shallow crankbait shaped like a beetle, with silicone wings and legs that keep moving on the pause, for chub, trout and perch under overhanging trees. See Crankbaits & Twitchbaits and Chub.

Which Jackall lure for which situation

• Big pike on a slow, realistic swimbait: Gantarel or Dowz Swimmer 180 SF.
• Pike just under the surface and around snags: Flat Bone Clicker or Swing Mikey 115.
• Shallow weed beds and lily pads: Deraball, Magnum Deraball or Vividus.
• Topwater over weed and along jetties: Slick Bait.
• Pressured perch and zander: Driftfry on a drop shot or mid-strolling.
• Darting for perch, chub and trout: Live Darter.
• Chub under overhanging trees: Chubby Bug 35. See Pike, Perch, Zander and Trout.

Why buy Jackall at Charlie's Fishing

We choose the Jackall lures that work on European water and fish them ourselves, from the big swimbaits for pike to the finesse baits for perch. Every lure ships from our own stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we can tell you which model fits your water. The Charlie's Fishing Giftbox regularly contains Jackall lures too.

Where does Jackall come from?

Jackall is a Japanese brand founded in 1999 by Seiji Kato and Toshiro Ono in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on Lake Biwa.

Gantarel or Dowz Swimmer for pike?

The Gantarel (16 cm, 70 g) has a tall bluegill profile and turns sharply when twitched, ideal around cover. The Dowz Swimmer 180 SF (18 cm, 57 g) is a longer baitfish profile that casts far and swims a smooth S-curve over open water and weed beds.

How do I fish the Jackall Driftfry?

Mid-strolling on a light jig head, shaking the rod tip while you reel slowly, or on a drop shot. The elastomer floats, so it stays alive even when you barely move it.