The Art of Lure fishing
reviewed by Brian Barwell

THE ART OF LURE FISHING by Charlie Bettel & Contributing Authors
Not since Barrie Rickards and Ken Whitehead wrote their classic book Spinning & Plug Fishing  all those years ago, have I found a book on lure fishing that brings everything up-to-date, developing and adding to Barrie's & Ken's immeasurable contribution to the world of lure fishing — that is not until The Art of Lure Fishing was published in 1994 in hard-back, and then in paper-back in 2001.

To be honest, to get the full picture you really need to read these two superb books as a pair, because they complement each-other, and although Barrie Rickards' book is now out-of-print, much of it, indeed most of it, is still very relevant and applicable in the 21st Century.

Even The Art of Lure Fishing been around for a decade or more now, and although it has been reviewed elsewhere, I think that it warrants a thorough re-read every now and again, especially to judge by some of the questions that get sent-in to our Ask The Team Section. So, take a tip from me, if you want to improve your lure fishing by quantum leaps, whether you're a novice or a more experienced lure angler, get yourself a copy, and if you already have it, re-read it!

SPECIAL
"What's so special about it?"  you might ask ... well, the really great thing about this book is that although Charlie Bettel is the main author of chapters about his areas of expertise, he has been really smart in enlisting the help of many other angling gurus, all experts in their own fields of lure fishing, to contribute several Chapters which verycleverly make this book one of the most complete works of its kind.

These co-authors include several great anglers such as John Bailey, and those specialising in lure fishing like John Worzencraft, ultralight lure-fishing maestro David Smith (formerly of Quality Fishing Plugs), and the late Steve Gamble ... C'mon! what more could you want when it comes to the nitty-gritty of lure fishing at all levels, from big lures to tiny ones.?!

There are, of course, many Johnnie-come-Latelys to lure fishing many of whom have now tried to make the sport their own, but who are, let's face it in-truth, really just dyed-in-the-wool ex-live and ex-dead baiters when it comes to pike fishing. Now, some of these guys are so much not only on the band-wagon but like to think that they have the reins in their hands, that you'd think that they'd invented the sport .. born-again lure anglers perhaps.

MAJORING ON MAKING YOUR OWN
This book is an absolute oracle for DIY lure anglers because, among many other aspects of the sport, it majors on making your own lures, and is does so in detail but in simplicity too. So, as we get many enquiries about DIY lure making, this is the book to whom we refer everyone!

Every type of plug, spinner, spoon and combination hybrid lures is covered in-depth, and by practically experienced lure anglers of many years' standing — in fact I first came-across John Worzencraft, Steve Gamble, and even Neville Fickling in the days when they were all at the same angling school in King's Lynn in the 1960s/70s ...... not really an angling school, but it seemed like it, with all the Fen drains etc., that we had available to us. I was particularly lucky as my parents lived right in the middle of the Fens. Even then I remember that John Worzencraft was always experimenting with his own DIY lures and at that time, especially spinners. He covers these very thoroughly in the Chapters that he wrote in The Art of Lure Fishing, added to which is a more recent delevopment, fixation even, that of his hybrid combination lures ... but I'll let you check them out for yourself in the book!

To my mind, Neville has always been a livebait/deadbait piker at heart, while John & Steve are true lure anglers .. I say "are"   but I should add that sadly the world of lure fishing was robbed of Steve Gamble, ironically, during the preparation of the book, and so, very appropriately, it is dedicated to him, a gentle giant of the East Anglian lure fishing scene.

DIY PLUGS & SPINNERS
I don't know if Charlie still has time to make lures for himself and for sale, as he used-to, as these days he is so busy with his Guiding Business on the Broads, but at the time of the writing of the book, DIY plugs and spoons were a big part of his lure fishing life, and this is covered in very great depth and detail on the book. This is very good because with the passage of time many commercial lures have, for reasons good and bad, have disappeared or at the very least are very difficult to find (even on eBay!). Indeed, I would without hesistation go as far as to say that I don't think any other book has such in-depth coverage, so much so that, like Barrie's book in its day, this book is more of a classic reference book rather than light reading about lure angling.

When it comes to DIY spinners and hybrid combination lures for that matter, there are a couple of excellent Chapters by John Worzencraft on how to make and get the best out of your spinners, DIY or shop-bought. In his book, Charlie nicknames John "SpinnerMan"  because in his very early days of lure fishing, when few decent plugs were commercially available, John spent years developing spinners and making his own variants and hybrid combination lures.

Spinners are often mistakenly viewed as "chuck it & chance it" cheap and cheerful lures that only catch small predator species, but nothing could be further from the truth ... so, do yourself a big favour, as I did, and read John's Chapters thoroughly .. in fact, I would now go as far as to say that if I only had the choice of one lure for my desert island (with lots of inland rivers & lakes!), it would have to be a spinner!

LIGHT LURES
Talking about light  brings me to the subject of light and ultralight lure fishing of which Dave Smith, formerly of Quality Fishing Plugs, is in my opinion and that of many others, the undisputed master.

Apart from his use of tiny lures to catch giant pike, perch, chub, trout, and bass & pollack, what impresses most fellow anglers such as myself, is to watch Dave's unequalled casting ability, and by this I mean, distance, direction and difficulty — no wonder he catches more than the rest of us .. but then again Dave's been fishing some of the finest rivers in England for 40 years, lucky chap! And if you want to know what's it's like to get right on the back foot within minutes, go fishing with Dave! .. and a nicer guy you couldn't wish to meet, modest and generous in the extreme.

LURES, TECHNIQUES & SPECIES ALL
I guess you've been wondering which predatory species are featured in the book .... well, pike, perch, zander and chub, and trout of course; but then there's also a extra bonus chapter on salmon by John Bailey. As you will have gathered, the book is predominantly about fishing for freshwater predatory species with lures, big and small.

When it comes to the lures themselves, DIY and commercially availably, they're all there, as are the various different techiques for fishing with them day and night, winter and summer.

More importantly there are chapters on fish welfare and the essential equipment and tackle that you need to have to ensure this.

FINAL TOP TIP
What more can I say? If you haven't got this now classic reference book on The Art of Lure Fishing, get it! If you've already got it, re-read it! Better results and more fun quaranteed!

Brian Barwell
Deputy Editor

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please contact me Brian Barwell (Dep. Ed.)
or Nick Caine, (Editor)
email us at: NickCaine @ Talk21.com