The new Glowbite jigs out of New Zealand are certainly the most advanced I have ever seen. They feature water-activated flashing lights, rattle chambers and scent-dispersing cavities. It’s a lot of tech packed into your normal metal jigs. I was sent two styles from what’s a fairly extensive range for a new and small company – a kabura jig as well as a slow-pitch jig. Both styles are extremely popular and will catch a range of fish species. I tested these jigs in far north Queensland where a range of pelagic and bottom species are found.
The Jack Flash is shaped like a standard leaf-shaped slow-pitch jig and was the first to get tied on. I worked the Jack Flash from the bottom all the way up to the surface, targeting areas where I know pelagic fish hang out. These jigs were quickly eaten by pelagics such as trevally and Spanish mackerel. While they do possess great features such as a strobing light, rattle chambers and scent-dispenser cavities, they also have a great action and quality hooks and assists. I noted that the strobing of the light as the jig sinks seems to really draw the midwater fish in on the drop. This wasn’t good for the jig supply and these jigs were quickly bitten off by Spanish mackerel on the drop after landing a few trevallies on them. They seemed like a great jig for targeting pelagic fish, just not when there’s lots of toothy mackerel around. These are centre-weighted jigs and produce a good flutter on the drop.
Next up was the Grumpy Fish – a kabura sliding weight jig – and with these I planned to target reef fish by working them in the bottom third of the water column. These jigs were also quickly picked up by a variety of bottom fish such as emperor, fingermark snapper and nannygai. I’m not sure if it’s the flashing light or rattle chambers but they certainly attracted fish quickly. I caught a range of nice reef fish on the jigs and everything held up well.
The jigs come fitted with Owner assist hooks that are up to the task of smaller reef fish but if targeting trophy fish or really large pelagics, you may want to upgrade. I’m not sure how much volume the rattle chambers emit through the water, but again, the jigs were very effective. It’s a great and innovative concept if the fish can detect it and regardless, they do add even more action to the jigs. The finishes and paint jobs on the jigs are great and were fairly wear-resistant. The flashing lights built into the jigs are fixed into a plastic eye that is glued and recessed into the jigs. These lights are water-activated and flash a range of colours. These worked every time when exposed to water and stayed glued in place after multiple fish – the Glow Bite website claims the battery will last 70 hours, which is impressive.
On some of the jigs the lights kept flashing, but I noted that if you gave the two activating pins a wipe it turned them off. Further testing showed that fish slime would keep them flashing and it just needed a wipe.
All in all, these are highly effective jigs with technology and design that provides an extra edge. I think they could be amazing for some deep-water species such as pearl perch and trevalla in 100m-plus of water where light is limited. At around $15-$20 they are very well priced so the added benefit of lights and sound in deep or dirty water has to be a win. I’m looking forward to further testing on different species at greater depths. If you’re into trying something new, give them a go, they are priced very well for what you get and they certainly catch fish.
Words & Images: Colby Lesko
