A lot of people ask me how to retrieve one of the most popular asp baits, the Salmo Thrill. As with almost all asp lures, the faster the lure moves the catchier it is. Here, let me give you a few tips that can help you become a successful asp angler. I’ll also recommend a reliable setup to you.

It might sound surprising, but fish can swim unbelievably fast. Naturally, predator fish have to be faster than other fish, if they want to survive. This is particularly true for predators like the asp which don’t ambush their prey.

Everybody who has caught a big pike, has firsthand experiences of the explosiveness of apex predators. Your reel can hardly keep up when there’s such a fish on your hook. Just like the pike, the asp also attacks its prey suddenly. The difference between the two species, however, is that the pike is an ambusher, whereas the asp pursuits smaller fish with sudden rhythm changes. We know from experience that a fast moving prey is particularly attractive to the super sensitive sense organs of asps. The Salmo Thrill is aimed at exploiting this characteristic. With an average reel, you have turn the handle as fast as you can if you want to achieve optimal speed. Of course, this is very tiring, especially when you fish for a long time. That’s why it’s worth using a reel that retrieves a lot of line with one single handle turn. To attain this, you have two options. You can enhance the size of the spool, which of course makes the size and the weight of the reel bigger too, or you can use a reel with a higher gear ratio. As heavy reels are not the best choice for spinning fishing, the latter option is better. These considerations were taken into account when creating the Wizard Asp reel, which features an outstanding 7.1:1 gear ratio. This reel has been designed especially for predators like the asp that can be caught with quick baits. The size 40 reel has an elegant appearance. At first glance it looks like a size 30 reel, but still, you can recover more than 90 cm of line with one single turn of the handle. This unique feature makes it a perfect reel for the Thrill.

With the help of the 7,1:1 gear ratio, you can achieve optimal speed with slower reeling.

If you want to catch huge asps, long casts are very important. For this reason, you should use the thinnest braids. On a normal spool, you can put hundreds of meters of thin braided lines. However, most of this line will never even touch the water. It’s basically backing line, quite an expensive one. Fortunately, the Wizard Asp has a shallow spool, which is an economical solution. But what exactly does this mean in practice? With the 150m, 0,06 mm L&K Micro Braid you can fill up the spool perfectly. It’s just the right amount of line for this reel, so you can cast longer.

Apropos casting distance! Naturally, to achieve asps that are far from the shore, you should choose your rod with great care, because the strength and length of the rod are essential. In this case, 240 cm or longer rods are the best. The Wizard Asp Spin might be a good choice. It works in perfect harmony with the Wizard Asp reel, and can launch the lure to enormous distances. It is available in three lengths (240, 270 and 300 cm). The casting weight of all three rods is adjusted to asp fishing (14-60 gm), so choosing the right casting weight won’t be a problem. Choosing the right length depends on several factors. I usually fish from a boat, so I prefer the 240 cm version, but if you fish from the shore, it’s better to use the 270 cm rod. In the case of bigger waters, the 300 cm rod is the best choice.

The three asp musketeer.

Every important data can be found on the rod. There is a difference between them only in length.

With a thin line, casting further is easier.

I have one more tip for you that has helped me catch quite a few asps. If the fast retrieved bait is catchy, try to retrieve it even faster from time to time. I spare neither the reel nor my hand, because this additional effort brings fish quite often.

Here is the result, grabbed on the back.

Forrás: Lukácsi Béla