ESCA

Historically speaking, two-legged fishermen have nothing on their finned counterparts of the sea. For millions of years, predators of the brine have been luring prey within striking distance, whereupon in the blink of an eye, or more appropriately the snap of jaws, the tables are turned and the would-be predator is gobbled up in a flash. This is not accomplished by wares with a fancy paint job, hydrodynamic design or scent impregnation, but often with the power of light. This is the essence of Esca!

Hold the shiny, 1/4-ounce, 2-inch Esca lure in the palm of your hand and you’ll probably think “robo-spoon.” It won’t be readily apparent just what purpose the electronics inside the clear bubble at the center of the lure serve, but that’s where the magic of Esca takes place. Crammed in this bubble are electronics that, in concert with a pill-shaped metal conductor that protrudes from the bubble, produce light and a field of electricity that attracts fish.

Sea organisms from plankton to fish have evolved the ability to produce light and electric current to serve a variety of purposes, including communicating with others of their kind, attracting food, and escaping from predators. Well-known examples of this phenomenon – lumped under the term bioluminescence – are exhibited by squid and members of the anglerfish order. When excited, some species of squid give off pulses of light, perhaps to confuse their prey or to communicate with other squid. However, predators of squid have learned to hone in on that light, knowing that fresh calamari awaits. Anglerfish, including the monkfish species that is commonly found off our coast, have an elongated dorsal spine that has evolved into a fishing rod of sorts. At the end of this “fishing rod” dangles a fleshy “lure” – called an esca – that harbors bioluminescent bacteria. Small fish are attracted by the light created by the bacteria and find the lure irresistible, which ultimately leads to their undoing as they are quickly swallowed whole. A great video of this awesome spectacle can be viewed on the Esca website.

Culturing bacteria for the bioluminescence of a mass-produced fishing lure would not have been feasible, so the Norwegian techno-wizards from Esca decided to create a similar effect courtesy of electronic gadgetry. Amazingly, you’ll find no batteries in the Esca – the current that drives the lure is produced by the metal button, which reacts with saltwater to drive the micro-circuitry and produce the light. (The Esca will not work in pure freshwater.) Remove the Esca from the sea, and the light automatically shuts off. You can expect 60 to 80 hours of active use from the Esca.

All this electronic sophistication is little more than geek hand-rubbing if it doesn’t catch fish, but the Esca is nothing if not a fish catcher. I vividly recall my first experience with the Esca. It was in preparation for the opening of cod season in Massachusetts, which in the modern era usually means sometime in April. Knowing that Stellwagen Bank would resemble a boat show, I was looking for an edge on the competition. Inquiries made to a number of friends in the bait-and-tackle business did not lead to buzz about a new Norwegian Jig color but rather to a new word – Esca.
Outfitted with an assortment of Escas, I crushed the cod on my very first outing. Unbeknownst to other deck mates, I slipped one to a buddy and he soon joined me as the other top rod of the day. I began experimenting by switching the position of the Esca between the teaser and the jig, and I could actually predict which offering a hooked fish was on – the cod would hit the Esca-enhanced lure nearly every time!

Similar outings have led to similar results with flounder; in fact I caught the largest flounder in the state of Massachusetts in 2010, and last year I won a hotly-contested flounder tournament in Boston Harbor. To be fair, I owe much of it to my friend Captain Jason Colby of Little Sister Charters for putting us in the thick of fish, but I’m convinced it was the ESCA that put me in the winner’s circle.

I’ve had similar success with our beloved striped bass. On my very first outing three-waying eels for linesiders, I attached an Esca mid-leader between the eel and the main line and I significantly out-fished the very accomplished anglers I was next to. I turned a couple of big bass chasers onto the Esca attractor and they have racked up personal-best striper catches by placing an Esca just ahead of oversized wooden swimmers and free-spooling the tandem into current rips at night. An unexpected advantage of the Esca in this situation is that its light allows you to see exactly where your lure is located, completely taking the guess work out of the equation.

Others who pursue offshore pelagics such as tuna and swordfish swear by the Esca. The only caveat is that the split rings are rated at 50 pounds, so if you intend on waging war with real behemoths, I would steer clear of tying directly to the stock split rings. A better bet would be to clip it on or rig it in such a way that it hangs on the line with no direct tension on the split rings.

The Esca is available in four varieties depending on light wave color and frequency pattern. There is blue light multi-blink and blue light fading as well as green light multi-blink and green light fading. A starting point to consider is that generally organisms give off green light in shallow water, where more particles and algae are present, while blue light has the advantage in deeper water since blue light waves are the most visible in the deep. But there are no givens out there, and part of the fun is experimenting. My first luck with the Esca came courtesy of the blinking green in the chill of April seas and 180 feet of water, and I’ve taken nice stripers with the fading blue light on a mid-summer night while three-waying eels. The Esca is ideal for those who love to tinker.

Although the Esca comes equipped with a treble hook, and Esca offers squid and shrimp bodies that slip over the Esca, most eschew the hook and employ it as an attractant to another offering. The essence of the Esca is that it attracts fish, which will in turn take notice of your bait or lure and hit it. There is no magic bullet in fishing, but Esca has been a game changer for me. I’ve had such good luck using the Esca that I seldom fish without it. I’m betting that if you give it a try, you too will see the light!