HIDEUP Coike Soft Bait

Our take on the Coike

The HIDEUP Coike looks like nothing else you have fished. It is an elastomer ball bristling with filaments, it vibrates even when it sits still, and it gets bites from black bass and perch that have seen it all. For us, it is THE lure to pull out when they ignore your usual finesse baits!

The Coike at a glance

• Type: creature soft lure, urchin profile
• Center ball: 17 mm (sold individually), Mini version also available
• Material: floating, very durable elastomer
• Appendages: fine filaments that move with the slightest input
• Recommended hook: 2/0 to 3/0
• Colors: Water Melon Seed, Green Pumpkin, Scuppernong, Green Pumpkin Pepper Blue Flake (17 mm) and Gill (Mini)
• Brand: HIDEUP (Japan)

A 17 mm urchin that vibrates even at rest

Which fish, and in what conditions

The Coike is a Japanese lure, but it is fished everywhere now, for black bass and perch (chub will take it too). Its playground is heavily pressured spots and clear water, where a shad or a classic worm no longer gets a look.

The filaments move with the slightest current, even when the lure stays still. So a following fish often ends up cracking. More 17 mm colors are available on the Coike Fish M page.

Wacky, drop shot, neko: the rigs that work

The center ball is dense and the elastomer floats, so the rig matters. You need a sturdy 2/0 to 3/0 hook, such as the Gamakatsu Worm 318 Wacky in 2/0, not a small drop shot hook.

• Wacky, to let the filaments move freely
• Drop shot, where the lure floats above the weight
• Neko rig, with a small weight in the head or at the end of the line
• Free rig or jig head, for a calmer fall
• Weightless on the surface, with small twitches and pauses

Texas rig? Forget it, the ball is very hard to hook. And since it floats, you need to add weight to make it sink.

Small tip: a keeper like HIDEUP's Ami Stopper stops the lure from tearing and flying off the hook on a wacky rig. One last thing, store it alone or in its original box, because contact with PVC lures can deform the elastomer.

It costs more than a classic soft plastic, but it lasts far longer.