REFLECTIONS ON LURE FISHING
Fenland Lure-angler reflects on the path
of his lure fishing over the years.

HEAR ALL, SEE ALL....
In the world of angling, you see, hear and read all sorts of things but when it comes to lures, the truth is that, in good hands, with proper tackle, lots of thought, planning, effort and putting-in plenty of time on the river-bank, almost any type of lure will catch predatory fish: it's really all just a matter of faith, confidence, skill and persistence..... and not being too narrow-minded.

I've been a lure-fishing enthusiast for a good few years now and reading some of the articles on this subject here on Nick's web-site and elsewhere, has prompted me to reflect on some of my own predator fishing and the lures that I use, and to cast my contribution into the e-pond!

Spinners
One of the most exciting things about lure-fishing is that you don't know which type of lure is best for a particular water until you try it out. Spinners work well because you can fish them at different depths and they give-off attractive vibrational pulses and plenty of flash.

Spinners will often flush-out predators when everything seems to have gone quiet! Making several casts with lures of different sizes and colours, and working them at different speeds, will usually bring good results. As for my favourite types of spinner, Wordens Sonic Rooster Tails usually work well for me.

Spinner-baits
Although spinner-baits have their strengths, they do have a reputation for poor hooking-rates but I can't say that I've experienced many problems with them. In contrast, others anglers say that spinner-baits are the best pike-catchers around and they do seem to catch a lot of fish. This can be somewhat misleading though, because the more you fish with the same lure, the more confidence you have in it and the more it seems that it's a catcher.

Spinner-baits are easy to cast and work well in summer and winter: they will often attract a pike or two when everything else has failed! I've also often wondered why predators mainly seem to target my spinner-bait's skirt and not its spinner-blade when they strike.

As far as which commercial spinner-baits I would recommend, as well as those in Matt's catalogue (Bushwhacker - see right), Masterline (formerly Ryobi) have a nice new selection called Toothy Critters.

I usually work my spinner-baits slowly around trees, snags and holes in heavy weed beds. It's often said that they don't easily get snagged and lost but, although I do lose them occasionally, I would not be without them when I am fishing the UK's Fenland rivers and drains. Although spinner-baits are very satisfying in the right conditions, I do find that sometimes fishing with them for long spells can be a bit boring. And then it's time for a change!

Jigs & Worms
For a change of lure type, it's always worth trying jigs and worms: they come in all weights, sizes and colours! They have become more popular in the UK as their availability here has improved over the past few years. The selection of jigs and worms is endless in the big supermarkets in the United States. Anglers over there take them very seriously because great skill is required in using them if you are to get big results.

Jigging is yet another very versatile lure-fishing change-method to try: you can work worms and jigs slowly over logs, in-between heavily weeded areas, through more open areas, and along the bottom. They cast very well, although, like most other lure types, they may work better on some waters than others. (Hot Tail Lites - above left)

Spoons
Spoons are always worth trying on any type of water and they are one of my most favourite types of lure: Kuusamos (below) are the ones that I use mostly and with their rolling flicker, you can work them very slowly just above the bottom of shallow lakes.

I use Atlantic spoons for deeper lakes: they are also very much a favourite of mine.

I have many sizes and colours: I like them with chrome-flash on one side and red coloured on the other.

Short spoons have a tight, side-to-side, zig-zag action while longer spoons flick-over when worked and jerked. You can even make your own spoons from old dessert spoons but check with the wife first!

Plugs
There are plugs that float, dive, sink, rattle and roll! You can also alter them to suit your own requirements: there is almost no end to their flexibility. For example, with some doctoring, many floating plugs can be converted into suspending ones which are very effective for pike and zander.

Commercially, plugs are made from many varieties of wood and plastic. Enthusiasts of wooden plugs such as Creek Chub Pikies say that the action of wooden ones is better than modern plastic types! No doubt these enthusiasts do know what they are talking about: they only fish with their favourite wooden plugs and won't use plastic ones. I have also had some good fish on wooden plugs.

Plastic plugs do seem to have a slightly different action but, as I have found, they too will also catch predators in almost any water. They are also more durable and don't get water-logged but you have to stop them getting leaky - they are usually hollow and you can stop them from leaking by sealing their hook-hanger and trace-link eyes, and any other holes, with high-viscosity, water-proof Super-glue.

While chuggers, prop-baits and jerk-baits are popular plugs for surface fishing, no article about lures would be complete without mentioning those all-time classic catchers, the so-called Alphabet plugs such as Cotton Cordell's Big 'O' and of course Shakespeare's Big 'S' !

One of my personal favourites is an old rattling Shakespeare Big 'S' that I have modified by drilling into its hollow body, adding some more ball bearings, sealing the hole with Araldite and then painting it black. I have found it to be very productive in the summer months especially if I fish it very slowly across the surface.

On Reflection
It has taken me years and years of practice to master my collection of lures. Eventually you get the knack of how to make the best use of their catching abilities because often one type will work better than another on certain rivers and lakes.

As you do more and more lure-fishing on different waters, you soon find the need to add to your collection and there's always some new lure or other available to try-out ..... and, who knows, one day that new lure just might join the others in your collection which are your Indispensables ... so you just have to buy one!

I find that there's always the danger of becoming a magpie, just collecting lures for their own sake - I try to resist the temptation to buy any and every type of lure, but I don't always succeed!

I usually try to purchase lures to extend my collection of particularly successful types; maybe a new colour, a different size, one that rattles or a sinking version with a different buoyancy, diving or sinking rate.

New Lures
How do I judge the performance of a new lure? Well, I like to try-out a new lure for an hour or so, just to see if it will get a few fish but if it doesn't produce results straight-away, I don't pre-judge it - it could be that the waters were not "on form" and there's always the danger of losing faith in a lure when things go quiet. This gets you stressed and tempts you to try every lure in your box.

On the other hand, I once used a brand-new plug and, on its first outing, I caught three pike in three casts - then I was sure I had a winning lure and that I couldn't go wrong with it in the future! Unfortunately its catch-rate soon fell to zero, I lost interest in it and put it away out of sight, soon to be forgotten.

In contrast, we all have our favourite fall-back lures which always seem to get results on our own waters at the times when we fish - they always help your confidence and get you back on the river-bank ready for the next challenge.

And then there's the hoary old debate about the relative effectiveness of different lures sizes! For example, some anglers have suggested that tiny spinners will only catch small pike but in fact small spinners will catch very large pike if you are skilful and persistent. Knowing your waters very thoroughly and casting accurately to likely spots will usually get results.

Speed of retrieval is another subject which causes great debates. At times I think that the slower I retrieve my lures, the better they work but, in contrast, sometimes a fast retrieve is what's needed to get results.

This is all part of the fun of lure-fishing. You can read all the angling books, magazines and websites about lure-fishing but there are no 'rights' or 'wrongs', only things which give you enjoyment and pleasure on the bank..... and when you're not on the bank, what better place to be than browsing the internet angling web-sites!
Tight lines!

"The Fenman"

Editor's Notes
Many thanks to "The Fenman" for taking the time to write an article for our website.

Nick Caine
Editor

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