We all know that the sport of fishing is constantly evolving and the technology being applied to some of the products on the market today is so incredible that given a quick glance, humans might mistake them for real fish. Heck, some of the fish finders out there practically scream at you “Fish 30 feet down, drop your line now”. In the next decade, I can see us with our robotic swim baits and remote controls on our fishing rods maneuvering and swimming our lures right into the fish’s mouth. Every year more and more of these innovative products make their way to the market and magazine publications, claiming more fish to the purchasing angler. But how do you know which ones really work? Do they all work? For anglers that haven’t been exposed to a network of product testers or trial and error outings, how do they know that they are buying the right lure for the species and conditions they fish?

I will admit that I have boxes of tackle in closets covered in thick layers of dust which have never caught a fish, just caught the fisherman who bought it; me. A year ago I was introduced to a lure called Esca. The angler showing off this little contraption is very well known in the New England fishing scene, so my ears perked right up. He went on to say that he caught stripers, cod and flounder all by enhancing his rig with this attractant. Hmmm, a lure that works for multiple species…..he was reeling me in now. He explained how the lure worked and how he rigged it to his line. He handed me one of these lures and assured me that I would quickly become a believer. Well that is how I came to have boxes of “dusty” collector’s items in my closet, but for some reason, I was really hopeful with this one. I’m not sure what happened to me as a child, but I love lights. Anything sparkly, shiny and bright grabs my attention. Maybe this is why I was immediately intrigued and drawn to the Esca. See, when this lure makes contact with saltwater, it triggers the unit to produce light waves that act as attractants that are said to trigger the feeding and biting instincts of fish. The ocean is filled with light producing creatures that use their “flash” to attract prey or protect themselves. So the concept behind this lighted lure stands to explain its success.

The first species I tried this on was Winter Flounder. There was no method behind my madness, just the species I was going fishing for that day. I rigged it to my line with a 4 foot leader leading to my flounder rig. Esca has 4 different choices of lights: Green Blink, Green Fade, Blue Blink and Blue Fade. I was told that the Blue lures were for depths of 100 feet or more. Green blink was the one I was given, so it was my product tester. I only had one, so my husband was fishing without it. I can easily say this with confidence and all the love in my heart for him…I always out catch my husband. It’s either the extra patience or attention to detail that women have or dare I say, just the way it goes, but this time was different. I killed it! I out-fished him to the extreme. I believe that was the first time my husband fished with my pink rod. He wanted to see what was happening.

What happened? What happened was we went out and bought more Escas. We bought one in each color. I know what you’re thinking and I am sure it’s the same as what we thought. One time use doesn’t prove anything. It could have been our relative positions to each other on the boat. Was my husband changing out his bait as much as me? Was his bouncing technique different than mine? So we tried again. We mirrored each other on our next trip except for the Esca. Within 30 minutes, my husband added his Esca to the rig and he was quickly approaching my stats. Flounder are sight feeders. We have been fishing for these flatties for 3 years. When the wind is howling and the sun is nowhere to be seen, waves are 3-5 feet in the harbor and the rain is beating down, we don’t catch them. We may catch a couple after a large number of drifts, but for the most part, those types of days…no one is out fishing for them. Well no one but GoPogy. This year we went out in those conditions using the Esca and I caught my largest flounder to date. I can compare this to previous years going out in the same conditions and catching a couple small, aggressive feeders. The Esca is key when visibility is a challenge, especially for sight feeders. This lighted gem produced results on a terrible weather day, as if it were bright blue skies, 0 waves, and the most beautiful day of summer.

We then moved this lure into our night-time striper fishing and I had the same results. I won three derbies last year using this on my rigs. I used to be strictly a bait gal. I fished live and dead bait. Last year was my first year really getting into plugs, lures and plastics. Each year I try catching new species, fishing in new locations and trying different methods to catch. Since the Esca hit my line, this is one piece of tackle that STAYS on my line. I enhance whatever I’m using with it. If you are fishing plugs at night, not only is this lure great for the fish, it’s great for the angler. Even though you can use depth colored line, the Esca helps us watch how far out our lure is going. This is crucial for plug placement. This has been one of the biggest advantages of night-time fishing for me. Seeing the exact placement of my lure before I send it down to the fish is a bonus and value-add that alone makes this one of my favorites. This lure requires no batteries and has 100 hours of life; that’s a lot of fishing.

My goal has always been to share what works for me. Over the years we have learned many things from friends and professionals that have propelled our game in ways that would have taken us years to figure out, so when I can pay that forward I will. Esca also believes in their product so much that they have a money back guarantee. When I’m getting ready for a fishing trip and prepare my rigs, I hum the Debbie Boone tune “You Light Up My Life”. I know that song wasn’t written about the Esca since it came out in the 70’s, but I think if a remix comes out, it should be. This product has definitely brightened my game. Check out their site http://www.usa.escaglobal.com/ for more information and details. Their dealer directory will help locate a tackle store near you that carries it. If there isn’t one near you, you can order directly online. GoPogy gives the Esca 5 fins up!