Step-Counter Type Balancing System (SCT)

SCT is our “know-how”. This is a metal cylinder locating broadwise the lure’s body. The side’s covers of this cylinder are… big lure’s eyes (we like big eyes). One big ball moves inside this cylinder across the main body axis provoking the lure to roll to the left-n-right sides at each jerking – this makes “dog-walking” action wider and more stable. Also the knock of ball on the “eyes” creates a specific sound, similar to the step-counter – and we called this system Step Counter Type.
The series with SCT: Loco Perro, Loco Perrito

MagForce Balancing (MFB) System

The magnets for the internal balancing systems are used in fishing lures for a long time. The differences are locations of the magnets, the types of magnets, the types of materials and shapes of moving weights. The choice depends on the internal free space, the type of lure and, of course, on the ideas of R&D Departments.

We in Pontoon21 use a simple while effective balancing system with moving weights – it’s called MagForce Balancing System. Our magnet is fixed, while the stainless steel balls move. The number and sizes of balls are different depending of the lure’s model because the key point is to find a balance between the magnet power and inertia power created by moving weights (balls). The power of magnet should be enough to keep moving balls at working position during retrieving to stabilize the action at any speed and kind of twitching or jerking. At the same time the power of magnet should not prevent the moving balls to reattach at casting process and to move to the lure’s tail for more precision and long cast.

Everything is important to find the balance between the power of magnet and the inertia power of moving weights: the weight and shape of all components as well as the form and volume of the internal space of lure’s body. That is why we calculate MagForce Balancing system for each model in each series separately – and all Pontoon21 lures with MFB have very high reputation thanks to attractive action, high responsibility and excellent casting distances.
The series with MagForce Balancing System: Bet-A-Minnow, Bet-A-Shiner, Bet-A-Shad, CrackJack, Deephase, GreedyGuts, Marionette Minnow, MobyDick.

TMB (Tungsten Moving Balls)

Tungsten is a metal with the specific gravity higher than usual steel or lead (and more expensive). The tungsten weights used in the fishing lures help to make the internal balancing system less in size while the same in total weight. It’s especially important for small lures, which must be rather heavy, and for slim models because of small internal space. The tungsten weights are used to achieve longer casting distance and more stable action.

The moving balls made of tungsten can have smaller diameter than steel ones – but keep the same (or heavier) total weight. Accordingly, the center of gravity of tungsten balls locates lower – this is good for stable action. Also smaller balls move closer to the end of the narrow tail of lure’s body – this improves the casting distance.

At starting the retrieving, the tungsten moving balls rolls back to their working position and help to stabilize the lure’s action.

Several smaller balls allows realizing the additional feature (if it’s necessary) – the sound, because they can knock each other if the construction gives them some “freedom”.

Note: the number of tungsten balls and their sizes are different depending on the model and can be combined with the balls made of other materials to achieve the best working balance of balancing system.
The series with TMB: Agarron, Cablista, Chaos, Hypnose, Kalikana, Kalikana DUN, Shallow First (SP version)

GUMEXIM® (the plastic compound with special characteristics)

GUMEXIM® provides the necessary durability to keep the shape as well as flexibility for a long time under the exposure of UV-rays and other aggressive environment. At the same time Gumexim does not evolve it’s ingredients into nature for a long time.

RINCOAL® (unique coloring system)

Special compound of pigments and additional coloring matters create the impression of “slight light”. Thanks to Rincoal “gleamy coloring” Pontoon21 Homunculures don’t look like “just colored”, but like a natural alive target.

SFT® (original composition of scent, variations of flavors and taste)

Special formula impregnated into the structure of material is a composition of scent, variations of flavors and taste. It is a “true-to-life”, and fish does not spite it out, but keeps Homunculures in the mouth for time enough to make successful hookset. The cases when fish swallow Homunculures, being sure that this is a real food, are usual, but this does not endanger to fish’s further life – of course if you are ready to follow the principle “catch and release”…

Jointed body

The traditional type of joined (multi-pieces) fishing lures creates a simple action: almost unmoved head piece with “shaking” tail piece. They look like… heavy soft plastic lures with thin tails. We dislike such action (as everyone using our Homunculures knows – our soft plastic lures roll and wobble by the whole body).

We improved the jointed lures’ action by making special shapes and connections. The tail piece looks like a triangle input into the same shape cave in the head piece with up view (actually the shapes are more complicated, but this is our headache). Because of such shapes the connecting metal loops are almost invisible since they are “hidden” in the each piece of body.

What does such construction provide? Much more natural swimming action and much more responsible lures. Why? Look, in our construction the “tail” always can push the “head” because one is “inside” another. The impulse created by “tail”s movement transmits to the “head” without loss (like it happens with the traditional shapes of jointed lures) – and wobbling action is wider.

What’s more: the “tail” pushes the “head” under the certain angle. The direction of this power impulse moves the “head” to lay to the left or right sides. This is why our Pacer has so bright rolling action (and this is why we called it “Pacer”). This is absolutely unique action for jointed lures.

Thanks to our construction of jointed lures, their movements are alive with the combinations of rolling and wobbling of the WHOLE BODY and they are very easy managed by any rod’ manipulations.

Aerolip

The lip is important part of fishing lure because it influences on the power the frontal resistance and accordingly on the lure’s movements both in vertical and horizontal axis. The thickness, shape, angle and lip’s square determine the lure’s action. Aerolip has a combination of these characteristics providing the necessary frontal resistance in the air (at casting) as well as in the water (“alive” lure’s action).
The series with Aerolip: GagaGoon

PBD (Prism Body Design)

Having excellent action, such body’s shape is well-visible under any angle of view.

GE (Gaga Eyes)

Specially made eyes create the impression that GagaGoon constantly looks on you (or target fish) from any position – this provokes predator for attack not less than action of lure

Fiberglass Lip (FL)

The usual material used for hard plastic fishing lure is ABS. But we also use fiberglass lips for some series. Both materials have the advantages as well as disadvantages. For example, while fiberglass has a higher load-bearing strength, ABS has higher impact strength. Also it’s easier to make any form of lip from fiberglass to achieve the necessary frontal resistance and accordingly the type of action.

Usually right and left sides of lure’s body are injected together with the halfs of lip and then they are glued. In case of fiberglass lip, the body is injected without lip, which is made separately, and then the lip is input with the glue into the head part of body.

Why do we choose fiberglass lips for a number of our series? Because these lips could be thinner while durable enough against the water flow. Fiberglass lips create less frontal resistance in the air and in the water. In the air it helps to improve the casting distance. In the water it doesn’t damage the active lure’s action and makes the lure more responsible on any, even slight rod’s tip movements – accordingly, fiberglass lips are excellent choice for the lures used for spot fishing, when you want it to play at the same place as well as when you want the lure to show attractive wobbling&rolling at straight retrieving. Thanks to lower frontal resistance you can manage not only small, but also middles-size lure by rather light rod.
The Series with FL: Bet-A-Minnow, Bet-A-Shiner, Bet-A-Shad, Kalikana, Kalikana Dun, BullyBoo (F versions of sizes 60&75), Danzante (F versions), Mojarrilla.

Mirror Insert (MI)

The lures’ color we can see is a derivate factor of light. Fish can see too (if it has eyes since some fish has not), but differently than human. The light power decreases with depth increasing or in the muddy water. Also as deeper – as less number of colors stay visible. Simply saying, the color is electromagnetic wave of certain length.

When we want fish to note the lure by color, we try to catch the sun ray by lure’s sides. Some painting or holograms also may create the flashing effect. Various technics can be used to “catch” the sun ray and transmit it into the same effect, and one is the mirror insert (MI). MI is a polish metal thin plate fixed inside the body, usually along the middle axis. The outside painting is thin, half-transparent in order not to prevent the sun rays to “switch on” the flashing mirror insert.

Pontoon21 colors with mirror inserts are marked by “MI” in the color’s name.
The series with MI: GagaGoon, Loco Perro, Loco Perrito.

Reinforsing internal metal frame

Fishing lures developed for hard conditions should be durable. One way is to increase the thickness of plastic walls – but this decreases the internal space, which could be used for various weight or/and balancing systems. The other solution saving the internal space while improving the durability is the metal frame. It adds weight and becomes a factor influencing on the action – but protects the lure rather well. The key point is the balance between the type and thickness of metal frame, its location in the body (to keep the necessary center of gravity on a proper place) and lure’s action. We achieved this balance by the special shape of metal frames.
The series with internal metal frame: DeepRey, MobyDick

Sound systems

Sound is a very important feature of fishing lures since fish “hears and feels” the mechanical fluctuations (sound is one of fluctuations types), because it has “internal ear” and “sideline”.

The sound can attract as well as scare. But nobody can tell you exactly and in advance how certain fish reacts on the certain sound in the certain environment. At the same time one detail is clear: there is no absolutely silent fishing lure if it has terminal tackles (split rings, hooks and etc) and moving components inside – because they shake and knock the plastic body. So, we determine if lure is noisy or not by our ears mostly. But we are not fish, and when we decide which sound is needed for fish, we have to base on our fishing experience…

We had developed several sound’ systems – depending on the lure’s purpose as we understand it (we know that anglers use our lures differently depending on Earth continent, traditions and water type – we are happy with this because it means world’s anglers evaluate our lures with us showing us new targets and solutions!)

KKBS (Koto-Koto balancing system): traditional Japanese type of sound usually is created by rather big balls with limited freedom of movement (half-moving balls). Its low frequency waves are attractive both for floating and sinking lures. Rather massive (compared with the size or/and weight of the lure) half-moving balls – in addition to Koto-Koto sound – provokes the body’s shaking during retrieving and especially at pause. So, our KKBS creates the specific sound and adds nuances to the lure’s action.
The series with KKBS: Cheeky, GagaGoon.

Nano Sound: a specific soft sound we had input into our vibrations lures. We developed vibs both for ice-fishing and casting purposes. Our vibration lures have unique action’s pattern at ice-fishing: they move rathe far to the side at free falling, then reverse course and return back to the initial point – without any anglers’ managing, just by themselves. Some other vibs can do this, but not always, mostly vibs don’t play so at all. But we knew this is important for ice-fishing – and we did it! Usually fish is passive under the ice because of cold water and limited oxygen. Loud sounds are not needed, but some mechanical waves can be useful to provoke fish attention. We call the sound of our vibs Nano Sound because if it soft for human ears… but it’s enough for winter fish. At the same time we have the same models without the sound system marked traditionally as “Silent” (though as mentioned above, there is no purely Silent hard plastic lures because of terminal tackles).
The series with Nano Sound: Bet-A-Vib, Kalikana Vib.

Noise Sphere: Pontoon21 ”know-how”. It’s our “play of mind”, experiments with sound variations. The hollow metal sphere contains of 9 small balls. They have the same diameters, but different specific gravity because they are made of different materials: 3 of tungsten, 3 of stainless steel, 3 of brass.. And their “head-on collisions” inside the sphere create mechanical waves of different frequencies and amplitudes. No one lure has the same sounds polyphony. And it’s very attractive for cranks fishing as we found.
The series with Noise Sphere: TabaTao.

Tail Hook Eye

What is a usual problem of small lures? The size and location of trebles… Some small models are equipped with one treble only. But we know many anglers preferring 2 trebles. And these 2 trebles cling with each other because they are too close. What is the solution? To use very-very small trebles… but how to make successful hook set and fight with fish by micro hooks? We use different way: we had moved the eye of tail treble so that it does not cling with the belly treble. Seems easy. But it was not easy to find the location “not too far and not too close” – and we did this!
The series with Tail Hook Eye: Baby RedRag