Tackle, Tactics and Experience
Lures - Not Just For Fun
An Introduction To Lure Fishing For Pike From The Bank For The Experienced Pike angler.
This piece, as the title largely
explains, is aimed at helping the angler who has caught plenty of pike
using live and/or deadbaits and is wondering what this lure fishing
game is all about. It presupposes that you understand pike handling and
conservation issues, as well as being familiar with aspects of pike
location.
In three parts dealing with:
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Where & When? - good conditions and waters for lure fishing
-
What? - minimum tackle requirements
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How? - using the lures, techniques and strategy
I will not waste space raving
about how much fun lure fishing is, such terms are subjective, and if
you are prepared to sit for hours behind deadbait rods then your
concept of fun will be rather different from mine. I hope to show you
the conditions under which using lures will offer a practical and
successful option, and explain about the tackle and lures you need, and
how to use them.
Part 1: The Right Time And Place
You must be aware of waters
where lives are better than deads or vice versa, and where these
preferences change according to season or weather. In the same way some
waters are good lure waters and some are not, especially where
bankfishing is concerned.
Luckily there are a few
guidelines that can indicate whether a water might offer good sport
with lures. The following is a list of important considerations for the
new lure angler.
(1) Pike Population Density
You might be prepared to sit
behind 2, 3 or 4 deadbait rods all day and consider it a success if you
land a "twenty" on your only run after 8 hours fishing. But if you are
not catching fish fairly regularly on lures it is difficult to
concentrate and stay focussed. After 3 or 4 hours of fruitless casting
and retrieving you are merely going through the motions, and not
fishing properly. Lure fishing is not the right approach for waters
with low numbers of pike.
(2) Casting Range
If you have to cast a
half-mackerel 80 yards to get a run, then lures are not the right
technique. Many lures can be cast no more than 40 yards in still air,
some good ones maybe over 70 yards with a following wind. Then as soon
as they are out there you start to retrieve them - away from the pike.
Choose waters where pike are caught relatively close to the bank.
(3) Water Depth
Pike are easier to catch using
lures from the bank in shallower waters, say less than 10 feet deep.
The reasons for this phenomenon are complex, and beyond the scope of
this article. Trust me, and search out shallower waters for consistent
sport with lures.
(4) Water Clarity
Despite many lure writers over
the years getting very excited by rattling and vibrating lures, pike
are primarily visual hunters, with excellent eyesight. Waters that are
badly coloured can be very hard for the lure angler (although there are
exceptions), very clear waters, though, can make you very visible to
the pike. Pike, despite their propensity to follow lures sometimes, are
extremely wary about bank disturbance. Good habits like keeping quiet,
using bankside cover and minimising movement will help you catch more
pike.
(5) Banks
You need a lot of bank space for
lure fishing, waters that have only a handful of swims amongst the
bankside jungle are not good choices. The type of banks: whether steep
or flat, clear or overgrown will have a significant bearing on your
success. If you are exhausted from scrambling up and down muddy cliffs
and bitten, scratched and stung by the assorted wildlife then you will
not fish well, but your own level of fitness and tolerance of
discomfort will have a big bearing on this. (I bet you have never heard
of fitness being discussed in a fishing article before!) On the other
hand the quality of fishing in overgrown and underfished waters can
make up for a little pain, it is a question of balance.
(6)Weed Growth
Waters with heavy weed growth
often provide good sport, providing cover for the pike and for the lure
angler. Many waters that are virtually unfishable with bait tackle can
be fished effectively with surface or shallow-diving lures or
"weedless" designs.
(7)Fishing Pressure
Waters that have seen a lot of
serious lure fishing pressure will contain educated pike, such pike can
be caught, but they are harder than the sucker fish from waters that
have never seen lures other than an occasional Big 'S' or spinner.
(8) New waters
When you first discover a new
venue you can gain a lot of knowledge of the water by fishing it with
lures. You can cover a lot of bank and using different lures learn
about the depth of the water, location of weeds and (sometimes
painfully) major snags, and with experience even the composition of the
lake/river bed. You will also meet everyone on the water as you work
your way around it and see what methods and locations other anglers are
using, as well as how successful they are.
(9)Short Sessions
If you only have a spare hour or
two for fishing then lures enable you to make the most of that time,
with only a rod, net and bag to carry, you can get to the water and be
fishing in no time, and lures can produce results at times of the day
when baits are very slow.
(10)Weather Conditions
You can, of course, catch pike on lures in any weather conditions
except for when the water is covered in ice! A breeze usually makes
things easier, and low or mixed light. A clear sky and no breeze is
usually hard going, and persistent rain seems to kill sport, although
showers do not. The weather is more important in its effect on you,
rather than the pike. Wet and slippery river banks can be treacherous,
bitterly cold winter winds can make life unpleasant, and really hot,
humid conditions can be very wearing.
(11)Rivers
Many rivers offer interesting,
often under-exploited, piking with a variety of swims that require
different approaches. Weirpools are always pike holding areas but there
are disadvantages such as snag-ridden depths that eat lures;
treacherous banks, often steep and slippery; other anglers fishing all
the best spots, rapid changes in level and colour in response to rain,
and lure fishing restrictions in the salmon season.
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