The Gantarel Jr. is the smallest in the series
Impressions:
The Gantarel Jr. is
only one and a
quarter inches
shorter than the
standard Gantarel
but it looks quite a
bit smaller with a
more compact
profile. It weighs
one ounce less than
the original at
1.5oz. and has all
the same basic
features as the
standard Gantarel,
including a
swiveling line-tie,
swiveling hook
hangers, and an
extra hanger to
attach weight to
modify the rate of
fall. On the
opposite end of the
spectrum the
Gigantarel is
whopping eight
inches long, which
is nearly two inches
larger than the
original, and weighs
in at 5.4oz., making
it truly a big bait.
Also new across all
the lines are new
more realistic RT
patterns which range
from carp to
ultra-realistic male
and female bluegill
finishes.
Compared to the
original the
Gantarel Jr. has a
significantly
smaller profile
Real World Tests:
To test the new
Gantarel lineup we
fished the two new
sizes in a variety
of Northern
California
Reservoirs and the
California Delta.
Almost all of the
bodies of water we
fished in were
inhabited with
bluegill or sunfish
with similar
profiles. Due to the
size and weight
differences between
the baits we fished
the Gantarel
swimbaits on a wide
range of rods
including heavy
casting, frog, and
swimbait rods. We
also fished all of
these lures on
Sunline Supernatural
monofilament and
braided lines.
The Gigantarel is 8"
in length and weighs
5.4oz.
Operation: It
is hard to believe
it has already been
two years since we
reviewed the
original Gantarel
which won our
Editor’s Choice
Award. When Jackall
announced that they
were introducing new
sizes my original
plan was to test
them and simply
write up a follow-up
article but what I
found was that these
new baits differ
enough in terms of
application and
performance that a
deeper look was
warranted.
Starting with
casting the Gantarel
Jr. is an absolute
delight to cast.
While the original
required a
reasonably stout rod
the Jr. can be
fished on general
purpose medium-heavy
rods, and frog and
flipping rods are
also excellent
choices. The
Gigantarel on the
other hand is the
first Gantarel that
really is best
fished with a true
swimbait rod with
plenty of backbone.
The Gigantarel is
best fished with a
rod specifically
designed for tossing
mid-sized swimbaits
Like the original,
the Gantarel Jr. and
Gigantarel are
designed to imitate
sunfish of various
types and can be
fished with either a
straight retrieve or
with quick handle
turns and rod
twitches to create a
more erratic
movement and even
180 degree turns.
This behavior
remains the same on
the Jr. size but I
found it definitely
took a bit more rod
movement to produce
the same movement on
the Gigantarel as
the larger profile
bait exhibits
greater water
resistance.
Bend and send.
Fishing the
Gigantarel takes
some muscle but in
contrast the
Gantarel Jr. is
pretty effortless to
cast all day
During the field
tests I tried to
cast the various
sized baits into the
same water,
switching rods, one
after another. I had
just worked an area
with the standard
size when I switched
to the Gantarel Jr.
and proceeded to
cast the bait into
the same region that
I had just worked
and that is when the
magic began. Not
more than a few
cranks in did the
bait get absolutely
hammered. Four
pounder! I unhooked
the fish and sent it
right back to the
same spot and
cranked it back only
to almost stop
breathing at the
sight of five more
fish, all in the
three to six pound
class, chasing the
bait and competing
for it. I twitched
the rod and it was
railed. Five
pounder!
The Gantarel Jr.
draws a lot of
strikes, and quality
fish do not hesitate
to strike what
likely appears to be
an easy meal
That was an
exceptional day but
over the last three
months I have had
numerous occasions
where I had numerous
followers and was
lucky enough to see
viscous strikes as
the Gantarel Jr.
neared the boat. The
Gantarel Jr. is just
that right size that
bass love to snack
on, and is small
enough that it
likely represents an
easy meal for
predatory fish.
Once in a while you
will get that crazy
one or two pounder
that tries to choke
down the bait but
for the most part I
caught mostly
quality fish with
the bait.
There are a wind
range of patterns
ranging from
ultra-realistic to
flashy like this
"Scale Gill" pattern
