The Jackall Dunkle Swimbait Offers Anglers More Rigging Options (continued)

What makes the Dunkle so unique is the ease in which the bundled dual hook can be rigged either on the belly, or on top of the bait, depending on the type of cover you are fishing. For example if you are targeting fish in the middle of the water column the standard belly configuration will work just fine, but if you know the fish are on the bottom you can crawl or jig the bait without it snagging up by rigging the hook on top.

Once fish strike the Dunkle the hook swings free and is designed to help keep fish pinned. This system works well as long as you use this style hook. If you rig the bait with a traditional treble hook you will need to bury one point into the plastic body

The way the system works is by using tension between the hook wire sandwiched around a small metal fins that are built onto the harness and extend out of the plastic body. For straight retrieves when the hook is rigged on top we did notice that adding a 1/4oz. dropper weight on the chin is critical to making sure that the bait swims properly without rolling over. This also allows it to be jigged in a more controlled and even manner. I primarily fished the Dunkle in the standard belly configuration because I wanted to see what the strike to hookup ratio was with the bait but I do really like amount of flexibility in configuration that the bait offers.

The Dunkle has a much more tapered profile from the bottom

With a straight retrieve the Dunkle really comes to life and exhibits a controlled head wobble with the paddle tail rocking very aggressively side to side moving the entire rear section of the bait in what looks like a genuine hard kicking action. I found this bait most effective when fished at moderate to fast speeds, and while fish will hit it when fished slow there were other soft bodied swimbaits that are better suited for that slower more subtle bite, including Hudds and Defiants. When the fish are aggressively feeding on baitfish is when the Dunkle really shines.

When fish hit the Dunkle the hookup ratio is very good, and the strike to land ratio is excellent. The free swinging harness on the Dunkle does a good job keeping fish pinned and preventing them from using the mass of the lure to break free during the battle. Hookup and land ratios are much better on this lure than swimbaits with a single top hook configuration, and we experienced similar with the Magdraft.

 
Strike to hookup ratios are good with the Dunkle, and hookup to land ratios are excellent

Price & Applications: It is hard not to draw comparisons between the Dunkle and the Magdraft as they bear many similarities. Both lures are offered in a range of patterns but the Magdraft is available in more patterns and sizes. The 7" Dunkle is a good mid-sized option and I can see why the company focused on this do-it-all size but it would be nice to have a smaller 6" option to match the hatch, or downsize when the bite requires it. The Magdraft has a much wider range of sizes and patterns available.

The Dunkle's thin paddle tail swings hard and drives the baits tight wobble action

Both the Magdraft and the Dunkle go through structure reasonably well when the hooks are pinned flat to the body. The Dunkle's main advantage is the ease and flexibility of configurations to target fish at all depths. Another benefit of this adjustable hook system is the ability to run a dual hook stinger configuration, the bundled dual hook, or embedded treble, on the top and a dropper weight on the chin and a free swinging treble using split rings off the bottom. This is a popular configuration for targeting inshore species in other countries, and good when fish are short striking the bait.

The Dunkle is a great option for targeting fish deep with a dropper weight or fishing quick in the shallow water when fish are aggressively chasing baitfish

I feel the more slender profile of the Magdraft does help it navigate the really weedy stuff a little better, and it also can be rigged with a dual hook configuration, though not quite as easily as the Dunkle. Between the two the MagDraft is the more stable swimmer as it doesn't require a chin weight for certain configurations as it benefits from two protruding side fins that help act as stabilizers at higher speeds, and that flatter profile also makes it the easier bait to skip or slide under tight spaces.

One final area where the Dunkle excels is when fished at slower speeds due to the tapered tail and round paddle design which will kick at very low speeds, and even slower than the Magdraft, making it very effective for keeping the bait in the strike zone or when fishing during the winter when a slower and often deeper retrieve can yield more strikes.

Both baits offer excellent durability and after fishing the Dunkle swimbaits for just over a season they have held up well with only some cosmetic scratching from contact with bass teeth and rocky structure.

The Dunkle's flexibility gives it the ability to effectively target fish with multiple presentations and at various depths

The Dunkle is also priced similarly to the Magdraft and since it measures right in between the 6" and 8" Magdraft swimbaits it really is no surprise that it is priced right in the middle at $19.99 dollars. (The 6" Magdraft retails for $14.99 and the 8" Magdraft retails for $24.99).

Conclusion: There are a lot of good swimbaits on the market and we could argue that the Jackall is more than a little fashionably late to the soft-bodied swimbait party. Megabass has a proven bait with the Magdraft and with so many sizes and patterns to pick from there is sure to be a lure that matches the hatch. With such stiff competition why should anglers even consider tying on a Dunkle? This was a question I asked myself when I started fishing this bait but with each fish that the lure delivered it started to make a case for why it belonged in my soft-bodied arsenal.

The Dunkle faces fierce competition but can hold it's own thanks to a natural fish attracting swimming action and an innovative rigging system

This Dunkle performs very well when fished at moderate to high speeds, and the ability to add weight, configure hooks to minimize snags, or even add hooks to increase hookups, all adds up to a deadly tool for targeting fish at multiple depths. The Dunkle is also a swimbait that fish are less likely to have seen before, and the excellent flexibility is what makes this lure worthy consideration. At twenty dollars the Dunkle is a solid value and offers anglers a swimbait with a differentiated profile, quality kicking action and rigging flexibility that is second to none.

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