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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:

  1. Where & When? - good conditions and waters for lure fishing
  2. What? - minimum tackle requirements
  3. 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.

Part 2: Minimum Tackle Requirements