Tackle, Tactics and Experience

Lures - Not Just For Fun

An Introduction To Lure Fishing For Pike From The Bank For The Experienced Pike angler.

Part 2: Minimum Tackle Requirements

You will need a container for your lures, all sorts of buckets and boxes get pressed into service, I use and recommend a Dart Book Lure

Having used various different lure-fishing set-ups for different species in all kinds of waters I think there is only one choice for serious pike fishing: that is a shortish rod say 6 to 8 feet long capable of casting lures up to 3oz in weight and a multiplier reel loaded with braided line of 50lb test.

I know most pikers will be mortified at the thought of using a multiplier but there really is no choice. Up until a couple of years ago I would have scoffed at anyone who thought they could outfish a fixed spool reel with a multiplier, I was very wrong. It will take practice to get the best from a multipier, you will have a few tangles and overruns but you will become proficient to the point where you will cast as easily and as far as with a fixed spool reel and you will catch more fish!

I will describe retrieve techniques in Part 3 but you will need to be able to work some lures with twitches, pulls and jerks; try this with a fixed spool reel and you will find loose line wrapping around handles and bale arms, a multiplier eliminates these problems and looks after the line leaving you free to concentrate on fishing.

There is a growing choice of rods available in this size and casting range, and making the right choice is vital. Stiffer rods cast heavier lures and work them better but too stiff and they are a pain to play fish with. With a softer rod you will struggle a bit to get some lures to work properly but you will enjoy playing a lively pike hooked at close range. I am happy using DLST rods, and all of my friends use them. Other lure anglers have their own favourites.

Choosing a reel is much simpler, buy an ABU Ambassadeur 5501-C3. There are other reels that are cheaper, but having tried a few I wouldn't buy one. More expensive reels are available offering various features but in practical fishing I am not sure that they really offer any advantages.

Braided line is expensive compared to mono but essential for proper lure control. I have tried various brands and not found one that was particularly good or bad, just ensure that it has a round cross-section. Although 50lb test seems heavy you will see that is about the same diameter as 15lb mono, lures are expensive so it makes sense to protect them. With virtually zero stretch braid is unforgiving, a casting tangle might stop your lure in mid cast, it needs to be strong to withstand the shock. And of course you do not want fragile line to break and leave lures in pike. You will have to learn some new knots for tying braid, either a grinner or, much simpler, a palomar. The grinner (or "uni-knot") looks neater when tied, but I have had no problems with the palomar, although it does seem too simple to be true, it works for me.

Trace wire needs to be beefed up as well, I use 90lb test and my traces last a long time. Lighter lures can have their action spoiled by heavy traces but generally there is not a problem. Thickness does not seem to be a problem, fishing alongside another angler using 50lb test traces there appears to be no difference in our results. I don't worry about such things. Clips for lure attachment must be strong and reliable.

The landing net you use for bait fishing will be alright for lure fishing but you will spend a lot of time untangling the lure hooks from the mesh after landing a fish and it will not last long. Much better is a proper lure-mesh net that hooks will not penetrate.

Long-nosed pliers are essential for unhooking pike from lure-sized hooks and small bolt croppers very useful for cutting hooks that sometimes get in difficult places.

Waders are an essential part of my tackle, getting to places that are out of reach to the bank-bound angler opens up more water. Where banks are overgrown you can sometimes make better progress in the water. They also protect your legs against nettles and thorns but they can be holed by hawthorn or blackthorn spikes.

Polaroids and a peaked or wide-brimmed hat are essential to make fish and snag spotting easier.

A stone or file for hook sharpening.

I also carry a weigh-sling and scales, camera and spare film, mobile phone, lure retriever, spare long-nosed pliers, scissors, a first-aid kit which includes headache tablets and anti-sting ointment, a pen and paper, toilet paper, secateurs, and a small box which contains spare traces, hooks, split rings, a couple of square inches of lead sheet, clear nail lacquer, black and red permanent marker, spare rubber beads, reel lube and spanner.

This lot fits into a large rucksack and the pockets of a waistcoat.

My Tackle

Reel: Abu Ambassadeur 5501-C3, I also use the slightly bigger 6501-C3.

Line: At the moment I have Mason Tiger Braid 50lb b.s. loaded on the 5501 and Power Pro 80lb on the 6501. As I mentioned, I have no strong preference and will replace these lines when necessary with whatever I can find at the right price.

Wire: Brown 7 strand 40kg test from Rok-Max. I like this wire and do not envisage trying anything else.

Landing net: I use a Fast-Net 42" triangular landing net which is easy to carry and quick to open up. I have had this for ten years now and it still works although I remember I had to re-glue the arms to the sliding block not long after I bought it. The original mesh lasted for ages but since then I have struggled to match that quality until recently when I bought a new mesh from DLST which appears identical to the original. They are still available from Friendly Fisherman. Some lure anglers prefer round nets, but I cannot see that they offer any advantage.

Choosing Your Lures - Note: March 2006 the lure list is out of date, I will revise it in the future.

Lets start at the top, you might be surprised to find that pike, including big ones, can be caught on the surface using lures. In fact, from late spring well into the autumn, surface lures sometimes provide the most reliable sport, as well as sometimes spectacular entertainment.

Any floating lure can be worked very slowly at the surface and sometimes they will catch pike, but special surface plugs, sometimes called "topwaters" are best. As usual with lures there are many varieties and hybrid forms but I will stick to just two basic types that I consider most useful.

Stick baits are lipless floating plugs that have no action when simply cranked in but come alive when retrieved with rod-top twitches.
Recommended: Hi Fin Skywalker, Poe's Jackpot

Prop baits are floating plugs that have one or more propellors or blades at the front or rear. These propellors or blades will make a noise, flash and churn up the water when retrieved, usually leaving a pronounced wake that pike can home in on.
Recommended: Poe's Awaker, Poe's Tail

Next let us choose some diving plugs. In the shallower waters considered by this piece - less than 12ft deep - most of the pike will be caught in the top half of the water, our choice of diving plugs will reflect this. You may have come across terms such as "minnow-" and "crank-" baits, these distinctions are not important for us, our diving plugs will float at rest then dive and wobble when retrieved.
Recommended: Rapala Supershad Rap, Muskie Mania Jake 10", Bomber Magnum Long A Minnow, Nilsmaster Invincible, Luhr Jensen Javelin. Muskie Mania Lil' Ernie. Manns 1-Minus, Bagley Monster Shad, Abu Hi-Lo 40g.

Jerkbaits have sufffered from a reputation of being difficult to use, some are, many are not. They are vital lures that often catch pike when nothing else will. Sinking jerkbaits can be used to search all depths.
Recommended: Ace Flipper, Hellraiser Cherry Bomb, Muskie Mania Burt (Shallow and Weighted), Odyssey Pig.

Spinnerbaits are strange-looking metal lures with a spinning blade and a lead-headed hook with a rubber or bucktail skirt. Easy to use and suitable for all depths, they are reliable pike catchers in warm water.
Recommended: D.L. Marauders, one spinnerbait is much like another, look for 1oz or heavier sizes, round blades lift the lure more than thin blades.

Traditional bar spinners are often associated with small pike. Bigger spinners with bucktail trailers are effective for all sizes of pike.
Recommended: Mepps Giant Lusox, Mepps Musky Killer, again one is much like another, look for 1oz plus sizes.

Shopping List 1

1. Poe's Jackpot - any colour
2. Poe's Awaker - any colour
3. Rapala Supershad - silver roach
4. Rapala Supershad - fire tiger
5. Bomber Magnum Long A - silver flash (or similar)
6. Muskie Mania Lil Ernie - Tenessee Shad
7. Muskie Mania Burt Shallow - fire tiger
8. Odyssey Pig 6" Suspending - chartreuse/black spots
9. Any 1oz bucktail spinner
10. Any 1.5oz spinnerbait

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Shopping List 2

1. Rapala Supershad - silver roach
2. Rapala Supershad - fire tiger
3. Nilsmaster Invincible 180mm - red head
4. Abu Hi-Lo 40g - blue pike
5. Lure Jensen Javelin - fire tiger
6. Muskie Mania Jake 10" - Tennessee Shad
7. Hellraiser Cherry Bomb - super shad
8. Muskie Mania Burt Weighted - Tennessee shad
9. Ace Flipper - black/silver
10. Odyssey Pig 6" Suspending - whitefish

Notes

Pike will be caught more often near the surface in warmer water, certainly surface lures are not for winter use. But even in cold water, pike will often prefer lures fished well off the bottom, trying to roughly quantify that statement I would say that in a 10ft deep water I would expect most summer fish to come from 0 to 6ft down, whereas in winter I would expect 3 to 8ft to be best. If there is cover in the water near or on the surface, such as fallen trees or weed, then sheltering pike will be close to the surface as well, even in winter.

Some lures obviously overlap the summer and winter depth ranges, the chief difference between successful cold and warm water lures is that the faster actions of spinners, spinnerbaits and the more "wriggly" diving plugs are less effective in cold water. Quieter actioned lures, even if fished quickly, work best in winter. Notice I have chosen only two colour patterns, either a basic pale/silver fish colour or fire tiger, these are more or less the two most useful patterns for most pike work, and I am keen on white for winter use.

Now read about: Using the Lures