I know nothing about them, so all information and pictures provided in this post were obtained from http://www.tackletour.com (http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimano ... eview.html)
Introduction: Shimano is set to revolutionize the way anglers fish yet again with the introduction of a brand new bottom fishing system called Lucanus. Two years in the making this new system revolves around a new type of jig that carries the butterfly jigging concept to the next level.
The Lucanus jigs resemble a small bug-squid hybrid (the lure itself is named after the Lucanus, a well known series of stag beetle, most likely due to the likeness in profile). The lures are surprisingly heavy for their diminutive size and the cores are made out of a lead alloy. The body is compact yet hydrodynamic, and looks like the mantle of a squid or baby octopus.
The massive eyes reminded us of squid eyes and glow in the dark and the jigs come armed with owner stinger hooks, which are basically shorter versions of the ones used on the Butterfly Jigs.
The hooks blend beautifully into the skirts and can actually be changed out through the top of the jig. The actual body of the jigs is painted with a thick layer of paint, and the details look fantastic. The same can be said about the skirts which sport matching silicon and elongated glow in the dark appendages.
The Lucanus jigs are designed to target rockfish, but Bantam told us that he has also tried them for other species with success, including bass. The lures are designed to be especially effective for cold water seasons when fish are not normally as active.
The Lucanus jigs sport areas to tie the jigs on both on top and beneath the lure’s rear section. This allows anglers to rig the Lucanus jig either alone or with another leader tied on the bottom for elevated fishing. With another leader and weight tied below the rig starts to look like an oversized drop shot rig with the Lucanus jigs suspended.
To fish the Lucanus jig simply drop the jig to the bottom and start winding very slowly to move the jig towards the desired water column, then drop the jig to the bottom again and repeat several times. Bantam told us that takes were different and that it wasn’t necessary to set the hook to hard, as the fish really set themselves when they attack the bait. Simply keep reeling as you feel bites and interestingly because of the shape of the lure and the way that the hooks are positioned in the skirt the lure did not hang up often in Shimano’s tests.
The Lucanus jigs are the main component of the new Lucanus system which includes a brand new rod series dubbed Tescata, which is specifically designed with the right actions for the application. The Tescata jigging rod series will include both casting and spinning sticks. The rods will sport a “unique” hook keeper, but we couldn’t pry any further details on the nature of the design out of Bantam1.
