Jackall Jockie 120F and Imakatsu Riprizer 130F

In this Fishing Test we will test two large minnow type wobblers, which are still little known in Lithuania. They share a similar working style and fishing technique, but at the same time they have many differences. They are the Riprizer 130F, the pride of the Japanese company Imakatsu, and the Jockie 120F, a relatively new product from the much better known Japanese company Jackall. The Riprizer 130F belongs to the large Riprizer family and is one of the most popular models of this family. Despite the fact that the best-selling models are often of neutral buoyancy, the Imakatsu company decided to keep the 130 size only in its original concept, i.e. during the pause, the head rises up enticingly to the surface. Jackall Jockie has the same "head up" concept, but he does everything much more abruptly, but more on the wobblers later. Let's start the test with the outside of the wobbler as standard.

Exterior and interior

The Jackall Jockie 120F is exactly 12cm long and has a claimed weight of 15.3g, but the scales show a little more. The few wobblers weighed weighed exactly 16 grams each. At first glance, Jockie looks like a classic minnow-type plastic fish with an unusually thin rear end, and on closer inspection there is a small dimple under the tongue. Externally, this is one of the few small differences from a standard minnow, but the internal balancing system makes this wobbler behave quite unlike that type of wobbler. This Jackall wobbler comes with three No. 4 hooks weighing a total of 1.5g. It is worth admitting that the hooks are a bit soft and can be bent by pike, especially when fishing with a braided whale. Another distinctive feature of this wobbler is that its front and head are very massive, the body tapering strongly towards the tail.

The Imakatsu Riprizer 130 is much more massive than the Jackall Jockie. It measures 13 centimetres in length and weighs 21.3g, but the weight on the packaging is much lower at -20g. The Riprizer is armed with three very strong and sharp Nr4 hooks weighing a total of 2.1g. This 130F model has an additional exclusive feature - a metal propeller attached to the tail, but personally I don't really trust this option and don't attach a propeller. The Riprizer looks very much like a large minnow, with a wide massive body with slightly flat sides and a rounded back. A few distinctive features are the slightly upward curled tail and the very wide tongue with a small dimple.

Both wobblers are distinctive when you look inside them. The Jackall Jockie is balanced by two fixed metal balls in the tail of the wobbler and a miniature sliding single ball system in the middle of the wobbler. The ball only moves about 1cm closer to the tail during the cast, because the working position of the ball is not at the head, as in a classic minnow, but approximately in the middle of the wobbler. In the working position, the ball has very little room to move, so the wobbler works with minimal noise. This is because the idea of the wobbler is to have a heavy tail and a light head, so that the wobbler lifts its head up during the pause. As you can see all the extra weight is concentrated in the back of the wobbler, there is no other fixed weight in this wobbler. This balancing system is typical of surface walker type wobblers and poppers.

The Imakatsu Riprizer 130 has a balance closer to the classic minnow, but it does not have a floating ball casting system. It is balanced by 4 fixed balls at the bottom of the wobbler, and there is also a rather massive metal screw in the tail of the wobbler which has two functions, one is to put on or take off the propeller, the other is to weigh the tail down. This wobbler also has a sound capsule with tiny balls, so it makes quite a loud noise when it is working.

The Imakatsu Riprizer colour range consists of 21 original colours. Among them you will find glossy lacquered or foiled colours, as well as a number of transparent, more or less translucent models. As far as the colours are concerned, this wobbler is no exception when it comes to catching pike, and as a standard my favourite colour is the bright matt 45 Mat Hot Tiger, while in clearer water in autumn I use the natural 12 Ayu with a slightly yellow highlighted belly. I have noticed that the bright tiger should be tried more aggressively, while the more natural colours are preferred by the pike when the bait is presented in slow and gentle movements with long pauses.

2012m. Jackall Jockie debuted with 8 very specific and unprecedented colours for Jackall. The first impression on seeing them is that they are all coated with a really thick layer of varnish and are quite pale and dark. However, one colour stood out from the crowd, and that was No.8, which resembles the very popular "clown" colour amongst pike anglers. However, the situation has improved over the years and the range of colours has expanded considerably over the years. As far as the dark colours are concerned, I was pleasantly surprised by the darkest dark brown. This colour proved its worth in the summer-cleaning grasslands on the banks of our rivers' father, the Nemunas.

The quality of the hull, the design details and the resistance of the coating

The quality of both of these wobblers is top-notch and I don't have much to say about them. The paintwork of both is scratch resistant, the Jackall Jockie is less scratchy than the Imakatsu Riprizer due to the thick varnish layer and I would class it as one of those rare Japanese wobblers with a solid finish.

The Imakatsu Riprizer 130, as I mentioned, has no casting system, so it has no place to get stuck and perish inside, whereas the Jackall Jockie's casting system is so minimalistic that there is simply no place for the ball to get stuck or the wall to break through. The resistance of the casing to pike teeth, water and breakage is certainly not a common occurrence with both of these lures, and I have neither experienced it nor heard about it from fellow anglers.

The Imakatsu Riprizer 130F should certainly not disappoint the finicky angler who likes beautiful lures. The design of this wobbler is high class, but still the clear leader here is the Jackall Jockie. The impeccable detail, the stunning finish and the 3D texture of the body, which I have not personally seen so far, create a really special overall picture. And the more beautiful the wobblers, the better the pike. Because what you like is what you believe in. The more you believe, the more you catch.

Playing in the water

The Jackall Jockie 120F is very buoyant and when thrown into the water, it takes an upright position, i.e. head out of the water, tail in. If you give it a harder tug, it dives sharply downwards and when it stops pulling, it rises sharply upwards and just jumps to the surface of the water. It will not be submerged more than 30-40 centimetres by reeling or trolling, and can be taken to a depth of 15 centimetres if necessary. Also, if you wait until the wobbler is completely frozen on the surface and give it a sharp jerk, it will produce a gurgle similar to that of a classic popper, thanks to the depression under the tongue. When pulled steadily and without pause, the Jockie 120F is very active in a sideways action. The faster you pull it with the greater the amount of line released the deeper it will swim.

The Imakatsu Riprizer 130F looks very slow and clumsy compared to the Jackall Jockie. It is also buoyant, but its buoyancy is much lower. If the Riprizer is pulled hard several times, it can dive to a depth of 1,5 metres and slowly rise to the surface during a pause. I can count up to 10 or even 15 seconds before it reaches the surface. This model slowly rises to the surface by wriggling from side to side, but emerges without making any noise. It also disappears without making a big splash.

Throw test

For the test I will use a Tailwalk Fullrange casting rod armed with a Shimano Antares reel and a 16LB 0.33mm thick fluorocarbon shaft. For more objective results I used an average of ten casts. I will also give you the maximum distance I managed to cast both wobblers.

Comparing the aerodynamic properties of both wobblers, there is no doubt about the superiority of the Jackall Jockie 120. Despite being 5 grams lighter, it casts much better and farther. The position of the wobbler in the water already signals that the centre of gravity is in the tail and will allow the wobbler to fly without rolling during the cast, and the good cast is also influenced by the small casting system, which brings the centre of gravity even closer to the tail during the cast. As I mentioned, the Imakatsu Riprizer does not have any casting system and the centre of gravity of this wobbler is obviously not very close to the tail. It has a lot of drag when casting and, despite its considerable weight, it casts only moderately.

Application and recommended casting techniques.

Both the Jackall Jockie and the Imakatsu Riprizer are classed as pike wobblers in this country, and it is hard to disagree with that, as they are massive big minnows that are too rarely of interest to other predators.

Anglers who have tried both of these lures would probably question me as to why I am comparing a virtually superficial Jockie to a seemingly sluggish and slow Riprizer with a decent spawn. The answer is very simple, the Imakatsu Riprizer 130F is designed to be fished on a very similar principle to the Jackall Jockie. This lure is not designed for aggressive trolling. The name Riprizer already means 'tickle and rise' in English, and the manufacturer recommends that this lure be pulled with gentle tugs with pauses so that it moves in the water in a similar trajectory to the way a rubber jig glides, i.e. zigzagging up and down. Jackall Jockie moves in a similar way, but much faster. The Imakatsu Riprizer is a more versatile lure compared to the Jackall Jockie, as it can be fished not only on the surface but also at depths of more than one metre. All you need to do is to start by lowering the rod down, turn the reel significantly and sink the wobbler as deeply as possible, then pause for no more than 10 seconds between sinkers or reel turns when guiding the wobbler. The shorter the pauses, the deeper it will swim. If you are fishing with this wobbler in very shallow water, use short reel strokes or longer pauses. This lure can also be pulled in a steady trajectory with only the reel. Thanks to its very wide tongue, it has a rather aggressive self-propelled action. When trolling and releasing a considerable amount of line, the Riprizer dives to a depth of up to 2.5 metres, and also attracts pike well.

The Jackall Jockie 120F, as I mentioned, is a much less versatile lure, as it can be submerged to less than half a metre when spinning. I would put it in the category of lures suitable for more active pike fishing in the warm season. However, it does the job of catching pike better than most surface lures. Both walker and popper type lures, for me, are not as effective as this Jackall creation.

However, as with other surface lures, this wobbler is something to get used to. Most anglers make the mistake of trying to whack it hard with the shank to keep it from rising to the surface. This tactic can only work when covering large areas and looking for very aggressive pike. However, there are plenty of standard twitching wobblers available for this technique and it is not a lure I would recommend using often. There is no need to strike the Jockie aggressively, and there is no need to troll it at all. A few turns of the reel and a pause, as if you were fishing with a rubber band, is enough for this lure. Cast the lure into a likely pike habitat, wait for the waves to calm down and turn the reel knob sharply. The wobbler dips a little and shocks to the surface, like a small fish splashing or feeding on the surface.

The Jackall Jockie can also be used to fool large areas and as a spot bait. In large areas we are usually looking for active pike, so the wobbler has to be more aggressive. In between short pauses, the reel should be turned sharply and for longer periods of time, so that the lure will give off the biggest possible oscillations and lure the fish away from it. Meanwhile, when fishing in sight of the grasses or in shallow water, the Jackall Jockie is treated similarly to a popper, but the wobbler can be pulled by the reel instead of the shank. Short reel turns and long pauses are good if there is enough room, but if the area is just a metre or less, very short but sharp slashes with the rod are good.

Recommended gears

For large wobblers, we also choose a spinning rod of appropriate power. Standard trolling rods are suitable for these lures. For the Imakatsu Riprizer I would even recommend a more powerful spinning rod up to 28g casting power, for the Jackall Jockie you can use a weaker gear. Long rods are unlikely to help when fishing these lures, so I would recommend a shorter "fast" or "moderate fast" rod up to 2m in length. Both wobblers work well with both braided and fluorocarbon.

Availability and price

Both of these lures are not frequent guests in Lithuanian fishing shops. If Jackall Jockie is available in several colours in some of our shops, Imakatsu Riprizer can't be found in any of our shops, because none of our wholesalers import this brand of wobblers. The price of Jackall Jockie in Lithuania is 19 Eur, and in foreign online shops it is about 15$. Imakatsu Riprizer price ranges from 16 to 19$.

Rating

Jackall Jockie 120F

Imakatsu Riprizer 130F