Fans of spinning fishing are well aware of the name of the French brand Mepps - the company offers a wide range of fishing lures. They vary in format, size, and color, which allows you to choose versions for catching almost any predatory fish, and the smallest spoons of size “00” and “0” are often seduced by peaceful fish! They are distinguished from analogues of other brands by the use of proven materials, verified geometry of elements and unique technologies for manufacturing baits. In the water, Mepps spinners begin to work at the first revolutions of the reel, imitating a swimming fish and... fishing is always successful.
Unfortunately, there are counterfeits of Mepps spinners in stores. This is not surprising - many enterprising “businessmen” want to make money on the brand name. Both home craftsmen and those who own a decent production base.
Inscriptions
Mepps is produced on high-quality equipment, with full control of all production cycles, and therefore all inscriptions regarding the format and trademark are clearly visible. On fakes, the inscriptions may be unclear and blurry.
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
But! The correct choice is guaranteed by a combination of factors, and you cannot rely only on the inscriptions.
Design features
If stamping defects are visible on the petals of the spinners you are inspecting, set the product aside. Original Mepps models are manufactured using modern, high-precision equipment.
You also need to pay attention to the front twist of the wire. For a genuine Mepps spinner, this twist is about 1.5 turns. At the same time, fakes may have twists of 4 or more turns. The ring itself, by which you attach the carabiner to the spoon, has a round shape on a fake spoon. In the original spinner, this ring is slightly elongated.
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
Mepps spinners. How to distinguish an original from a fake.
I want to start today’s article with the most banal phrase: “it’s no secret that spinners are one of the most catchy and common spinning lures”...
Of course, dozens, if not hundreds, of articles on this topic begin with these words, but they reflect the essence absolutely correctly. Many of us started our journey in spinning using spinners or spinners. And it should be noted that over the past decades, nothing has changed dramatically, and the spinners have remained almost the same, and the fact that using them is the easiest way to start a spinning career has remained unchanged. But, despite the apparent stability in this area, modern trends have affected it too. Namely, a huge number of counterfeits of well-known brands have appeared. Probably, a copy in itself is not so bad. If some conscientious manufacturer takes an original idea as a basis, reproduces it, modifies it, refines it, and at the end we get a fairly high-quality working product, only, often, for less money. With fakes, not everything is so simple. In most cases, not only the idea itself is stolen, but also the logo. Naturally, when some unknown product is presented as a well-known product, it is driven only by the thirst for profit. In other words, getting maximum benefit. Accordingly, in this case we are not talking about compliance with the technological process, nor about the use of the necessary materials. And if in the situation with copies entering the market under some third-party brand, everything is not so clear, then in the case of fakes nothing good can be expected. And for greater clarity, let’s figure out what the consequences of changing a technology that has been proven over the years are.
As an example, let's take the well-known and most frequently counterfeited French company Meeps , or rather its products and counterfeits.
And we will start with the favorite spinner of our spinners, the Aglia Long spinner (MEPPS AGLIA LONG).
Let's look at photos 1 and 2 and think about what we see here.
And we see two spoons that seem to be very similar to each other, but looking ahead, I will say that their similarity ends with the presence of a well-known logo.
Now let's figure out what's wrong and what it entails.
At the first glance at them, it becomes obvious that the core of the fake is smaller than that of the original. I dare to suggest that it is lighter. Let's check this by putting both spoons on the scales. As you can see by paying attention to photos 3 and 4, the fake is much lighter than the original.
It would seem nonsense, but do not rush to draw conclusions. At a minimum, this spoon will lose casting range. And the point is not even that a heavy bait, all other things being equal, by definition will fly further. And the fact is that the balance formed over the years between the size and, as a consequence, the weight of the core, the overall size of the bait, the size and weight of the petal and the radius of its bend is disrupted. At a minimum, the fake will spin and, as a result, sail heavily when casting, which will inevitably lead to a reduction in its range. If the weight of the petal does not match, the spinner will not work well. Most often this happens when the petal is too light. Also important is the bending radius of the petal. The angle at which the petal rotates depends on it. For Aglia Long it is approximately 45 degrees. If the bending radius does not correspond to the original, assume that it is smaller, then in this case the rotation angle will be smaller and the rotation speed will be higher. But that's not the saddest thing. Such a spoon will work less well and it is likely that such a blade will stick when fishing on rivers with mixed streams or when moving downstream. If the core is too heavy, then such a spinner will also be difficult to work with.
To briefly summarize the above, I would like to note that behind the apparent simplicity of the spoon lies a technology that has been proven over the years and a strict balance of all elements of the spoon. And changes in one element will most likely lead to a loss of the current performance qualities of the bait.
Now let's see how things are going with oscillating spoons using the example of Mepps Syclops .
Look at photos 5 and 6 Here we see the original spoon and its fake.
At first glance, a spinner with a red pattern catches your eye. The problem is that such a spinner is not in the catalog of the French company. There is a black pattern, but not a red one.
Well, as you can see, the fake is somewhat lighter than the original.
Accordingly, these are problems with casting and, what is most unpleasant, is not stable play in the current.
Such spoons go into a tailspin and lose their attractiveness to fish. It's the same story with bending radii. The slightest deviation from the original dimensions leads to a change in the performance of the bait. She stops wiggling her sides or wagging her rear end too much. I'm not saying that this is definitely bad. It is quite possible that in some situations this may turn out to be a plus. But be that as it may, this is a completely different lure that has nothing in common with the original Mepps bait. Buying a fake spoon is always a lottery, since it is not very clear what to expect from it, and given the insignificant difference in price, it is worth asking: is there any point in doing this at all?!
It is also worth considering that in addition to the design features of the bait, there are also accessories that are not always of good quality. Weak winding rings, dull and again weak hooks. All this leads to the loss of the trophy. In the photographs you can see the difference between the original baits and the fake ones.
Let's go back to the turntables again and look at the photo below
As you can see, the fake and the original have different petal mounting arms . On the one hand, it’s a small thing, but as we know, there are no small things in fishing. And the sound made by the bait when rotating will be completely different and something tells me that it will change not for the better.
Also, the sound of the spinner is influenced by the material used. Original spinners use non-ferrous metals , while fakes often contain metal with impurities or completely unknown alloys.
It is worth paying attention to the additional elements of the spinners - these are all kinds of beads, metal cone bumpers , etc. Among other things, they also act as a kind of bearings, which, to a certain extent, reduce the effect of twisting the fishing line. Accordingly, on original baits they rotate freely , but on some fakes they are tightly seated on the wire and do not fully fulfill their assigned role.
By the way, about the wire... On fakes, the wire is too soft and has to be periodically leveled. On the one hand, this is a matter of a few minutes, but, you see, it is not always possible to achieve the ideal and the slightest hump on it can lead to unstable operation of the petal - sticking and so on.
It’s worth saying a few more words about plastic beads. If you look at the photos, you can easily notice that they have different colors. The bead on the original spinner is not entirely simple - it glows in ultraviolet light. A fake cannot boast of such qualities. Moreover, a fake bead is very fragile and very often pricks, practically negating the angler’s chances of a successful result.
How to recognize a fake? What to look for when buying a spinner?
1. A distinctive feature is the front twist . For the original it is approximately 1.5 turns . On fakes, in most cases, the number of turns is much higher.
2. Pay attention to the logo imprinted on the body of the spinner or the petal. In the original, all letters are clear and clearly distinguishable. Counterfeits cannot boast of this. Original spinners cannot have “Made in China” on them; original ones can only have “Made in France” or “Made in USA”
3. If the wire is soft, the hooks are dull, the paint has sagging, don’t buy it.
To sum up today's conversation, I want to say that there are much more disadvantages from purchasing counterfeits than advantages. And remember, a fake spinner is always a lottery...
NHNCH, big fish and quality baits to everyone!
author: Konstantin Shorin
You can buy original Mepps spinners in the online store of goods for fishing and outdoor activities Ugra Sport: https://tk-ugrasport.ru/shop/primanki/blesny/mepps/
Materials
On original models, the petals are made using pure non-ferrous metals, while fakes may use metals with impurities. The range of weight errors depends on the quality of the metal and a very important factor is the sound of the spinner itself. All Mepps spinners are the same weight, but fakes can vary greatly in weight from each other, even from the same batch.
Mepps spinners use high-quality, matte wire that will not bend or break when fishing for a trophy. Fakes do not have such qualities.
Even with the naked eye you can see that all the accessories of fake spinners are of the lowest quality. The same can be said about hooks, which often bend even with your fingers.
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
1. Original
Fake
2. Fake
How and where to fish with Mepps Syclops lure
Depending on the fishing conditions and the expected catch, you can predict the result of fishing. When fishing for pike, you should use a rigid leash, which will prevent overlaps and possible cuts from a flashy predator.
When fishing in clear water, it is advisable to use silver-colored bait, and in muddy water, a fluorescent spinner.
Each predator behaves differently, the asp prefers the fast retrieve of Mepps Syclops, and the pike prefers the slow retrieve. In turn, the perch reacts more to a jerky feed. And when hunting for spoon bait, you need to use a medium-action spinning rod.
If fishing with Meps Cyclops is carried out in August or September, it is better to catch chub. For universal fishing, you should choose the Meps Cyclops spinner number 1, which can revive even the most unsuccessful fishing.
About
Assembly
In the original models, the petal does not “stick”, it starts from the first turn and rotates absolutely freely even at the minimum speed of reeling in the fishing line. Due to poor workmanship, a fake petal may not work at all. In fakes, the twisting of the wire reinforcement can prevent its rapid rotation. The photo clearly shows that the bow on which the petal is attached to the wire on the fake spoon is made of very thin material. Its service life will be minimal. The same can be said about rings.
Color
When selecting colors for specific models, Mepps takes into account the habits of the fish, possible weather conditions, time of day and even the depth at which they will be used. Counterfeits of Mepps spinners can have any shade, even those that were never produced by the Mepps factory. And, naturally, the quality of the painting of the original spinners is quite high. During operation, the coating will last a very long time, which a fake cannot boast of: its paint can simply be scraped off with a fingernail.
Color varieties
In the Meps Cyclops lure, every detail is thought out and precisely calculated to perfectly imitate live fish and attract the attention of active and semi-passive predators. But not only shape and size play an important role in the success of fishing; the right animation and colors can activate even lazy and motionless fish.
The color range of the Mepps Syclops spinner is quite diverse. There are the following categories of bait shades:
- metallic - silver, gold and copper shades;
- bright with a specific pattern - yellow, orange, red, etc.
The color of the spoon is selected depending on the following fishing conditions: noise, lighting, water turbidity, reservoir depth, weather conditions, etc.
Package
There is an opinion that the original Mepps comes only in individual packages. This is wrong. Most of it comes in industrial packages of 12 or 24 pieces. And already in a store or wholesale warehouse they can be packaged, for example, in individual blisters or sold without packaging at all. Naturally, there are some spinners that, due to their design features, require individual packaging. For example, this is MEPPS AGLIA SPINFLEX or AGLIA TW Streamer.
Beware of fakes! Mepps - only the original is on sale.
Spinner "Comet"
“Comet” is very similar in appearance to “Aglia” and is in no way inferior to it in popularity. The difference between them is that the “Comet” petal is painted with blue dots of various diameters, and it rotates, deviating from the horizontal axis by 45 degrees. It is precisely such features, for some unknown reason, 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.
