D
ear lure anglers, let me introduce you to
one of the less known artificial lure
producers, the IDRA company from Croatia.
The business was
established in 1990, in
the City of Karlovac,
Croatia, by its owner Mr.
Ivan Ilijani. Since Mr.
Ilijani worked at a local
company, with materials
like iron, steel, stainless
steel, copper, etc. he was
well experienced with
specifications of those
materials. He started a
handmade trial production
with only a few machines, in his father
garage, in a small village near the city of
Karlovac. Why he choose lure production?
One of the reasons was that he loves fishing
and the other reason is that there are a lot
of anglers in the area, since the city of
Karlovac sits on four rivers - Kupa, Korana,
Dobra and Mrežnica. It is a real heaven on
earth! Anglers paradise...
Over the next 24 years, something that
started so small grew into a serious
business. Today, in the same old garage,
now filled with all the necessary
equipment and machines, Mr.Ilijani
produces a signifient amounts of metal
lures, mostly for Croatian market. One of
the main advantages of IDRA lures is the
high quality materials used in production.Every spoon, every wire,
every blade is made from
a high-quality material
and finished by hand.
Today, IDRA produce
their metal lures in more
than 100 different models
and sizes. Lures are
basically divided into a few groups; classic
lures, spoons, special lures, double lures,
weedless lures, spinners for trout fishing in
a fast running waters, classic spinners,
spinnerbaits and, the cream of the crop –
the EBRO series. What is so especial about
EBRO series? The EBRO range is special
group of big and heavy spoons equipped
with special, extra strong treble hooks,
made for for a big catfish. Lures from that
group catch some nice cats in their
namesake - Ebro River in Spain.
Another real jewel of the IDRA range of
spinners are special spinners, made for
fishing for trout in a fast running rivers.
Models like abranka (very unique shape of
blade), Dobra , Vitunj, Slunjica, with blades
from base models, but with weighted anddifferent bodies than classic spinners,
which allows angler perfect presentation
in a difficult circumstances. That type of
lures is very popular between members
of Croatian National Team when fishing
for predators from the shore, FIPS/CIPS
competition discipline.
IDRA is a general sponsor of Croatian
National Team. The company also
sponsored a lot of different competitions
in Croatia. With Mr. Ilijani’s innovative
ideas and engineering experience, advice
from dedicated anglers and company
moto “Quality is on our side’’ only the
sky is the limit!
Find out more at http://www.idra-varalice.netTo win a selection of IDRA lures simply
answer the following question:
NAME THE IDRA SPOON DESIGNED
SPECIFICALLY FOR CATFISH?
Please post your answer to
IDRA Comp, 3 Leggatt Drive, Bramford,
Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 4ET.
Winner will be drawn on April 30th,
LAS members only.Competition
IDRA LURES
by Božo Povijaþ
Review
A
s many readers know, I
just love fishing weighted-
weedless lures right
through the winter, the method
enables me to present my bait
tight to the bottom and at low
retrieve rates, just right for
those slumbering giants. When
I first saw the Red Gill EvoStix
lures I just had to place an
order. Although these soft-baits
are primarily designed for
the saltwater market there is
no reason why our freshwater
predators won’t take a liking
to them.
The main attraction is, of
course, the proven Red Gill tail
which flutters enticingly even at
low speed. Combine this with a
very tough body, incorporating a
top groove for weedless rigging
and you’ve got yourself a truly
versatile lure. The long tail is
susceptible to nips from perch
but due to its lack of substance
(like a jigfly) it will easily
collapse when engulfed by any
sizable fish. Each kit contains
five 14.5cm lures, three nose
weights (5, 10 and 15g) for
Texas/Carolina rigging and
two Mustad weedless hooks.
Personally I find weighted-weedless worm hooks more
versatile and less inclined to
pick up weed than Texas rigging.
This season I have been using
the Lazer Trokar Magnum
Weighted Swimbait Hooks just
to see if they have that edge on
hook-up rate. They are
surgically sharpened with a
triple edge point which is said
to penetrate twice as easily as
conventional hooks.
These hooks are certainly
sharp and I had a number of
upper-single jacks in the summerwhere the hook went clean
through the roof of the mouth.
Six months on and they are
holding their edge so maybe
there is a benefit to this new
design. Confidence is a key factor
when fishing weedless lures and
using a premium quality hook is
vital to success.Red Gill EvoStix lure kit available
from http://www.veals.co.uk RRP £6.98
Trokar Magnum Weighted
swimbait hooks available from
lurelounge.co.uk RRP £4.78RED GILL EVOSTIX LURES AND LAZER TROKAR
MAGNUM WEIGHTED SWIMBAIT HOOKS
By Keith Edmunds
i
SOON
AVAILABLE
FROM
UL SPINNING