Lure Fishing Articles

Lure fishing really is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours and if the predators are in the mood, it can be even more productive than bait fishing for them!  By frequently moving swims – and of course by fishing a moving bait – a lot of water can be covered in a relatively short space of time, meaning you’re sure to be pulling a lure past a fish before too long and if it’s hungry, it will generally have a go.  The range of freshwater species you can target with lures in is amazing; besides the usual suspects pike, perch and zander, you can also catch chub, trout, salmon (if you’re really lucky!) and if you get really adventurous, even carp, barbel and bream! Lure fishing in the UK has been a massive sport for a few years now and seems likely to continue to grow in popularity, but knowing where to begin can be bewildering.  As with any faction of angling, everyone has their own preferences toward methods, tackle and of course, lures; so with this article I’ll try to cover some basics of lure angling, so if you’ve never tried it you’ll get an idea of …

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Smallmouth bass, catfish, snakes & canoes! In 2003 I went over to America for the wedding of one of my oldest friends.  Gaz had met an American girl and was moving “across the pond” permanently.  I’ve since heard stories of the kind of lifestyle he lives over there and I must say that at times, I’m jealous!  Despite living in the “city” of Fairfax – just outside Washington DC – within half-an-hour’s drive he has access to several large National Parks and recreation areas (not like a “rec” over here; just a piece of grass and a swing!) which either contain well-stocked lakes or free-to-access rivers. I used to fish a lot with Gaz when we were kids, but in recent years he hadn’t really fished much.  The distance between us means that we don’t get chance to meet up often, so when I saw Gaz at Christmas and he told me he’d got the fishing bug again, I was delighted!  He and his current girlfriend (now wife! – Ed), Liana, had both bought fishing rods and they’d even invested in a canoe!  I’d had an open invitation to go back and visit since I was last there, and upon …

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With the river season fast approaching, my thoughts have turned to the myriad options and challenges which running water offers. During the Summer months, I enjoy nothing more than finishing work and heading off for an evenings fishing. I love Summer lure fishing, but I also enjoy sitting behind a couple of barbel rods, knowing that any minute I could connect with a bronze torpedo! This joint Summer passion left me with a bit of a conundrum – do I spend these short sessions fishing for perch & pike, or barbel & chub? After a bit of thought, I realised I didn’t have to make that choice – if I refine my tackle I can carry enough with me to fish for both! My general plan is to lure fish until it is almost dark, then swap methods altogether and cast out some leger/feeder rigs for the first couple of hours’ darkness. This allows me to make the most of the key feeding times for both predators and barbel! My tackle for such sessions consists of a 2-piece spinning rod with front-drag reel loaded with 50lb braid, and a handful of proven lures. I wear a fly-fishing waistcoat which holds …

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Since catching my first pike eight years ago on a tiny gravel pit, I have become more and more fascinated with this species and their ability to thrive in a variety of contrasting habitats. The versatility pike show has led me to constantly evolve my own pike fishing, in both technique and venue type. Along the way I have tackled rivers, drains, large & small lakes and canals in search of pike, and although I haven’t exactly mastered all of these waters, I can approach the majority of smaller venues, confident that I can make the most of the conditions I’m faced with. One type of venue I had not yet attempted was one of our many large trout reservoirs. When you look at the statistics of large pike caught in the UK from the past 20 years, an astounding proportion of 35lb-plus fish have been captured from trout reservoirs. These immense, deep, mysterious waters – constantly re-stocked with protein-rich, naïve, farmed trout – provide any resident pike with a near-perfect environment for attaining huge weights. In fact, with the sheer volume of water in these reservoirs, you’d be forgiven for getting carried away, when trying to quantify their pike …

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Spurred on by my recent capture of 3 x perch over 2lbs, and confident there were more fish to be caught, I returned to the same area for a few evening sessions lure fishing. Being so late in the year I could only arrive on the bank with about an hour of daylight remaining, so I had to make the most of what little time I had. I armed myself with a selection of my most successful perch lures of the past few years, along with a couple of wildcards, just in case. When lure fishing, you’re bound to have your favourite lures, but there are always going to be days when your favourites don’t work. So it’s always worth carrying a few patterns which have never caught you a fish before. All lures have their day, and you never know for sure when that’s going to be! One lure I was glad I had taken along was a Storm Naturistic Perch, which is a soft-bodied swim bait. This style of lure has a soft rubber outer body, with a heavy internal weight. They sink quite quickly and all the action comes from the tail, which is shaped to move …

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Big perch can be truly enigmatic characters. At times almost impossible to track down; at other times they giving themselves away with gleeful aplomb. Ignoring baits is an infuriatingly perfected big perch pastime. But get the timing right they’ll take anything you throw at them!

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Until around four years ago, my only real experience of perch was catching the occasional small fish on maggots or worms as a youngster. I’d never specifically targeted the species and a fish of over 2lb was something I could only dream about. Then one day’s pike fishing on a small drain changed all of this. I was wobbling a mackerel deadbait for pike, without success, when I noticed a group of perch following the bait in. I immediately grabbed my lure rod and caught a phenomenal number of perch from the swim, including a fish of 2lb 7oz. It was one of the most spectacular creatures I’d ever set eyes on, and it set me wondering what a 3lb perch must look like. Since then, perch have become one of my favourite species to target and I’ve had my eyes set on landing a perch over 3lbs; on bait, or preferably on a lure. My previous PB perch of 2lb 7oz I’m now quite experienced at catching perch on lures, and it’s surprising just what a range of lure styles they will take. I target perch on all sorts of venues, and lure style generally depends on whether I’m …

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I’m sure that if I told another angler that I knew of 2,000 miles of mature, hardly-fished water; much of it with specimen potential – they would either think I was lying or be eager to hear more! Well it’s true. Right here in Britain we have a huge network of unexploited angling waters, which aside from a few matches, rarely see any angling pressure at all. They are easily accessible, with comfortable banks suitable for disabled anglers and chances are that wherever you live in this country – even in the centre of a city, you live just a matter of minutes away from one of these waters. If you’re still wondering where on earth I could be describing, I’ll spell it out to you… CANALS. Whilst canals have long been regarded by many as sparsely populated, infertile waters, where you might be lucky to catch on a pinkie and size 24 hook; there are a number of species which have managed to thrive on neglect and grow in both size and numbers, virtually unnoticed. I’m talking about species such as carp, tench, chub, bream, perch, pike and even zander. You only need to read a few canal match …

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Just recently I managed a days pike fishing on the River Trent and found the fish in a feeding frenzy! I started the day off lure fishing, using a home-made lure which had so far been my most successful home-made pattern. This time out, it wasn’t to disappoint. On my third cast, I felt the familiar ‘bump’, signalling a take from a pike. Before long, I had played my first fish of the day to the bank. Seeing that the hooks were held in a safe position, I decided to hand-land the fish, which I quickly returned. I estimated the weight at around four pounds. The new homemade lure I was using soon rewarded me for my hard work! On the very next cast, I had turned the reel handle only a couple of times when the resistance went solid. Upon striking, the rod took on a healthy bend and the fish stayed deep, signalling that I’d hooked a good fish.Because I use barbless trebles on my lures, I always keep a tight drag, which means that not many of the fish I hook on lures actually take any line during the fight. This fish, however, managed to power away …

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October 2005 arrived, and with it my first serious piking sessions of the season. The deadbait rods came out to accompany my lure rods as I prepared for what shall hopefully be a very successful Autumn and Winter’s pike fishing. Sometimes pike can seem like one of the easiest fish to catch, but very often they can seem almost impossible to catch. Just when you think you’ve got the species worked out, they turn things on their head and leave you scratching yours. If you haven’t pike fished before, but would like to have a go, then please first go with an experienced pike angler, the main reason for this is pike welfare. Everything from the timing of your strike to the unhooking of pike must be done correctly because an angler can pose a serious risk to the pike’s life if they do not know what they’re doing. I can tell you that already this autumn I’ve had some success with my piking, but to find out exactly how I’ve fared, you shall have to read on! Due to the inconsistency of the weather, I have fished a variety of venues with my regular fishing partner, Matt. The first …

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