Among the many manufacturers of fishing accessories, the French company Meps occupies a special place. For more than 60 years, it has been a leader in the market of fishing lures, leaving no chance to competitors.
Today, in the arsenal of any lover of predatory fishing, there are several spinners of this company. They work in any conditions, and legends go about their effectiveness. What is the secret of such popularity?
Meps company
The founder of the company is French engineer A. Melner, who once worked at one of Peugeot's factories. Having access to high-tech equipment, he made lures for himself in his spare time. Over time, his products fell into the hands of other anglers, who were very surprised by their unique geometry and subtlety.
In 1938, A. Melner left Peugeot and founded his company Meps, specializing in the production of fishing gear.
The popularity of goods grew exponentially. Already in 1951, the company entered the American market, and 10 years later it conquered the whole of Europe.
Today, products with the Meps logo are sold in more than 80 countries, including ours. French lures hit the Russian market back in the mid-70s of the last century, but it was almost impossible to buy them. Meps products got into mass sale only in the 90s.
Design Features of the Meps Spinner
Absolutely all spinners are made of a high-tech alloy of our own design, the basis of which is copper. It is not subject to oxidation and deformation. Each Meps spinner has a frame made of high-quality stainless steel. Its loading has its own unique shape, thanks to which an independent load creates its own vibration.
Lure petals are stamped on high-precision programmable machines, which allows you to apply any texture to their surface.
A distinctive design feature of the Meps spinners is also the articulation of the hooks, which minimizes the likelihood of a predator coming down.
Popular Meps spinners on pike
The most popular products of the company are, of course, spinners. Today on the Russian market there are more than 30 varieties of spinners for fishing for pike, perch, pike perch, trout, etc. But we will only talk about the most popular of them. So, the following models are most in demand among Russian “pikers”:
- "Cyclops".
- "Aglia."
- "Aglia Long."
- "Comet".
- "XD".
Spinners of the Cyclops series
The Meps Cyclops wobble lure is one of the most popular pike spinning lures. Looking at it, you can immediately see that the developers worked hard on its geometry. The game of the Cyclops in water is truly unique. With slow wiring, this spinner vibrates beautifully, creating the illusion of a leisurely movement of peaceful fish. At high speed, the Cyclops behaves like a victim, fleeing from pursuit, now deepening, then jumping to the surface.
Each lure "Meps Cyclops" has an original color. Most models use natural colors: gold, silver, copper. But there are spinners with a bright acid coloring. For these purposes, use a special varnish for metal red, green, pink and blue.
Silver baubles are more suitable for fishing for pike on rivers, where its main food is narrow-bodied fish that have a similar coloring: tops, bleak, crucian carp, roach, etc. “Copper” and “gold” are preferable for lakes where yellow crucian carp are found, rudd, perch. But acid colors are best used in troubled waters, regardless of the type of pond.
Cyclops are classified by size and weight, as follows:
- No. 00-0 - ultralight spinners for fishing on rivers on a small predator (4 and 5 cm weighing 5 and 8 g, respectively);
- No. 1 - medium spinner for small pike and perch (6 cm weighing 12 g);
- No. 2 - a classic mid-sized oscillating spinner on a pike (7.5 cm weighing 17 g);
- No. 3 is a large model for fishing for trophy pike and pike perch (9 cm weighing 26 g).
Spinners of the Aglia series
“Aglia” is one of the best developments of “Meps”. Spinner with a rotating petal. Depending on the species, it can have several petals, plumage and even a small wobbler on a tee.
Spinner Meps Aglia is the best-selling model in the world. The classic spinner allows fishing in any body of water under any conditions. It is used for catching grayling, perch, asp, trout, salmon, zander and, of course, pike.
Lure “Meps Aglia” is available in 7 sizes with a weight of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12 g:
- No. 0, No. 1, No. 2 - for fishing on grayling, trout and perch;
- No. 3, No. 4 - for humpback, pikeperch, medium-sized pike;
- No. 5, No. 6 - for catching trophy pike, taimen and salmon.
On sale "Aglia" is presented in 4 colors: black, silver, golden and copper.
Spinner "Aglia Long"
"Aglia Long" is one of the varieties of the usual "aglia" from the company "Meps". The spinner also has a rotating petal, but its shape and size are more like a long willow leaf. Due to its increase, the bait visually seems larger, which is why large predators more often react to the "long". In addition, the petal has a larger size, the angle of its deviation from the horizontal axis of the baubles does not exceed 30 degrees, which allows you to protect the hook from hooks on the bottom covered with algae, as well as to catch it at great depths.
For its catching power, the Meps Aglia Long bait has earned a reputation for poaching. At least that's what fishermen joke about.
Aglia Long, like the classic Aglia, is available in 7 sizes with a weight of 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 17, 29 g. The basic colors are gold, copper, silver and black.
There is also a weighted version of this bauble - “Aglia Long Heavy”, which has a heavy bullet-shaped weight-core, as well as a tail in the form of a bell. This design provides maximum stability during horizontal movement of the spinner.
The model has gained popularity for its high rates of asp and pike fishing at great depths. Lure “Meps Aglia Long Heavy” is available in two sizes with a weight of 16 and 24 g.
Spinner "Comet"
"Comet" in appearance is very similar to "Aglia" and is not at all inferior to it in popularity. The difference between the two is that the “Comet” petal is painted with dots of blue color of various diameters, and it rotates, deviating from the horizontal axis by 45 degrees. It is precisely such features, for some reason that are not clear, that perfectly attract a predator.
Meps Comet is available in weights of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11 g. Usually, the petal is made of silver or golden metal.
Spinner "XD"
“XD” is the Meps heavy spinner on pike and pike perch. The abbreviation XD itself stands for "extra deep", which is translated from English as "super-deep". These baits have proven themselves not only in deep fishing, but also for fishing in conditions of very intense currents.
Spinner “XD” consists of two mating parts, and the petal is attached to the body without using a bow, i.e. put on the axis through the hole in the upper part. This solution allows the bait to quickly go deep and behave stably with horizontal movement.
Meps XD are made in two colors: silver and golden, and can also have 4 different weights: 2, 3, 5, 7 g.
The best lure "Meps": reviews and opinions
Studying the popularity of Meps spinners designed specifically for pike fishing, you can make a kind of list according to fishermen’s reviews.
In the first place of the rating, despite the fact that the oscillator is considered to be a classic pike lure, Aglia is located. This model is most popular among predatory fishing enthusiasts. It is applicable to any body of water and any conditions, and even if there is no pike in it, large perch will certainly react to it. Most often anglers use models of size No. 1 and No. 2.
The second place of honor is occupied by Cyclops. This is a classic of pike fishing, which has gained popularity for its simplicity and unique behavior in water. "Cyclops" - the only narrowly focused (pike) lure "Meps". Reviews of the fishermen about it indicate that it is not advisable to use it for catching perch, pikeperch or asp. But for pike, the bait is better than the Cyclops, no, especially when it comes to a pond without a current in early autumn.
“Bronze” in our ranking receives “XD”. According to anglers, it is this lure that best copes with pike at great depths and in strong currents, without threatening to tackle with frequent hooks and cliffs.