RAIDERS OF THE LOST PIKE
by Nigel Owen
When I first saw a picture somewhere in a lure
catalogue or on a fishing video cover of Joe Bucher himself holding up the most
massive pike I’d ever seen, straight away
I decided I must have some of his lures because he obviously practises what
he preaches and it seemed that his plugs just might be able to catch some pike
that perhaps other lures can’t, and so which are otherwise “lost” to non Bucher
lure anglers which I was then.
OK, so Joe's an American and the pike he's holding in the picture is a massive North American Muskie, but thats of no matter to me because I know that there are some very large and very elusive pike in my local reservoirs and rivers (in England!) and I was quite sure that Joe’s Raider lures would help me find and catch some of these “lost” pike that've been ignoring my other lures to date. Those monsters were there for sure, as they've been coming out on baits.
Early days
Joe Bucher makes a lot of different lures
and I didn’t really know which one to start with. Then I read an article or
review somewhere raving on about using Bucher’s 'Countdown Raiders' for deep
water pike fishing in England so I thought I'd try one. After having to save
up for it (!!) I finally got one.
Results
It turned out to be a very well built
lure, sank a treat and resulted in a few pike up to 18lbs fishing from boats,
but to be honest didn't produce one of those “lost” mega-pike I was after. I
soon discovered that fishing deep water isn’t that easy - even with Joe Bucher’s
Raiders.
Then I decided to go for a Shallow Raider instead and was simply amazed at the results. The first time I fished one of Joe’s 7¼ inch Shallow Raiders I had 15 pike in a day to 24 lb, Absolutely Brilliant! I'd finally found those lost pike!
Big Waters
I've been very surprised and pleased about how
many decent pike come from the margins and shallows from big waters in my neck
of the woods. Fishing offshore from a boat requires a different and quite serious
approach, really needing a fish/depth-finder to locate those underwater islands,
peaks, bars and the like. Trolling Depthraiders is a top method for pike as
well as big trout. These are best fished on a long line or downrigger, diving
to 20-30ft depending on trolling speed and settings. The takes are 'full on'
- so use the right gear with the right adjustments - or say goodbye to your
tackle!
Tackle
A 'quickie' regarding my set-up for fishing with
Raiders: you'll need the right rod for these biggish plugs, something to handle
lures up to about 3 oz . I use a 6 ft'er called a "Predi-Stik Equalizer" made
by Abu with an Abu "UltraCast 6501C" multiplier reel.
For main line
I use 50 lbs BS Herculine, PowerPro or Fireline and 50 lbs BS wire and a rod’s
length of shock leader made from 60 lbs BS Sufix Tritanium sea fishing mono
between the main line and the trace - having no problems with crack-offs, yet!
It's a good method and lots of my sea fishing pals have pioneered this approach.
I've heard a lot about people cracking off with jerkbaits, perhaps they're using
much stiffer rods than me and maybe that's half the problem. The
Bucher 300lb test split rings are, by the way, about the strongest and best
replacements for any big lure split ring you'll find anywhere!! the days of
straightening out a split ring on a mystical '30' are over, should you choose
to use them .
Cost of Lures
When you’re buying expensive lures like Raiders you’ve got
to be very careful indeed not to get 'ripped off', which can happen easily if
you’re not wised up to things - which I wasn't at first!! Now I always compare
prices from at least three different companies before deciding who to buy from.
By doing this I have discovered that some companies
charge £1 or more than others for Bucher Raiders, would you believe! - to my
mind those guys are another type of raider alright ! (They’re the ones I'd really
like to see get lost in an ark!) Some companies don't charge for postage &
packing and others do, so basically watch that 'end price', OK!
Other Lures
Of course,
like almost everybody, over the years I've tried quite a few other big plugs
like 6 inch Creek Chub Pikies and Slammers etc. Also I quite like the old Grandma
lures which I seem to remember were originally designed by Pete Mania who's
a big competitor to Joe Bucher. Pete's building other plugs now which are in
the same league as the ol' Grandmas. I've had a crack at jerkbaits without a
lot of luck, but instead quite a lot of expense. Essentially Joe's lures do
the business so that's where I hang my hat.
Since then I've
tried out the Jointed Raiders which are just as good, if not better. They tend
to have a much bigger, slower rolling action, which I'm sure a lot of you big
pike heads will know is the action above all actions. I hear the TopRaider and
Dancin' Raiders are getting a lot of attention in the US - ol' Joe's been pulling
out the big ones again!
And Finally
I really rate Raiders of the “lost” pike so
I’m very grateful to Joe Bucher for helping me find so many nice fish.
Maybe they’ll do the same for you and who knows ‘til you try some....so get
Rip Roaring with those Raiders !!!!
Nigel Owen
POSTSCRIPT
Thanks for that article, Nigel ! Please e-mail any comments or feedback to me,
Nick Caine, the Editor NickCaine
@ Talk21.com