The Young Sportsman's Guide to Ultralite Lure Sport
(Part 1)
by Bob Price
Sad to report that back in my school days that library records attest that Zwirz and Marshall's The Young Sportsman's Guide to Fly Fishing was taken out a total of 43 times, forty of which were courtesy of yours truly. Shameful to report that this was only the tip of the iceberg because I borrowed it unofficially on many other occasions, and when it came up for sale at the end of its library days, I begged the librarian to reserve it for me. Why I'm telling you all this is not because I'm trying to convert you to fur and feather flicking, but to explain the origins of my own way of thinking about lure fishing. You see, I was brought up on the Welsh border, fishing fast running streams for trout and Chub. Messrs Zwirz and Marshall assured me that such fishing was always best with 'the long rod' (fly rod) and over the years I soaked up the ambience of their thinking, but with a lure rod in my hand. There was a poetry in their work that needed applying to other adversaries than trout and large mouth bass. I wanted to catch Chub, Perch, Pike and other fiends in a certain way, and with a particular attitude of mind.
They say that the best sex is to do with what's in your mind as well as what's a happening down below. Perhaps fishing's like that to. There have been days on the river or canal when the catch has seemed modest indeed, but your memory is engraved with the other things that have set the day up. That's where the approach comes in. Whilst I have the greatest respect for the monster hunters amongst us my bag is all about catching modestly sized prey in the most exciting way possible. For me it's the one on one situation, using tackle that conveys the lunges of a bronze shouldered Chub or a vigorous jack Pike up your pectorals and into the pleasure centres of your brain. This little piece is all about how you set that situation up. The game plan is to introduce you to a different creed, which for me at least gives value added factor to my time on the water.
Kitting out
So what does it take to set yourself up for this sort of fishing? Well, if you're starting from scratch you'll do well to look out for a seven or eight foot ultra lite lure rod, casting lures of between 2 and 5g. They're not easy to find and your local tackle den is likely to advise you that you should go for something heavier- just in case you hook a big one, or because lures come heavier than that on the shelf. Don't be put off-sift the angling catalogues and remind your man about the option of ordering in something. Sure the lures on his shelf come heavier than that, because he's catering for the occasional lure fisherman- but there are specialist suppliers who will service your appetite for dinky little lures and they're pretty efficient at getting the stuff to you (try Harris Angling [email protected] or www.harrisangling.co.uk ). Rest assured too that the new ultralite lure rods are quite capable of handling bigger fish, providing that you use your common sense in the way that you play them. There is an art in setting your reel drag and understanding the mechanics of applying pressure at the right moment. Modern materials are incredibly strong- so you've a better chance now than ever before of landing your fish, and feeling every run, duck and dive en route. My own preference for such rods are Japanese, Daiwa and others produce some useful tools. Beyond that Harris offer a 'Black Beauty' spinning rod, casting 1- 3.5g lures for around thirty quid.
If you already have a lightish spinning rod, say casting a lure of 5-10g then you can certainly make do pro temp. This rod, which could be up to nine foot long serves as my number two choice, and I'm going to use it when I fish bigger waters where I have to make the longer cast and where I need the extra muscle to set a hook at a distance. But for the small stream, local canal, intimate pool fishing that gets me up in the morning, I think you will enjoy your fishing that much more if you get your wand requirements right.
What's next? Well first I want to argue that to start with your rig should not be a bait casting configuration. However much I enjoy using these rods and a shimano multiplier sitting proud on top they're not good news for the beginner, casting small lures into cramped spaces. You're going to be catching more birds than fish and meantime the nest will be on your reel drum rather than up in that oak! Better to start with the conventional spinning rod configuration and a smooth running fixed spool reel. There are excellent reels from most of the tackle manufacturers now, but remember this. Your reel is going to outstrip the sedentary anglers tool in terms of work effort 10 to 1. You'll cast dozens of times each trip so you need a precision tool that is built to last. For that reason its worth paying a bit more on the right sized reel that balances off your rod, and which is capable of taking a good wadge of eight or ten pound (old language) line. I cough up the extra sheckles for a Shimano and don't regret the outlay. As I write several of these little reels sit beside me and though they're a bit worn round the edges they have shared my waterside battles over many seasons.
Lines are a matter of much debate these days, with increasing recognition of the better hooking and handling sensations possible with braided products. You face a limitation however in that most of these are still aimed at the 'grossen fishen' boys. They often come in at 15lb breaking strain or better (e.g. power cable), so I stick with a good quality monofilament line with as little 'memory' as possible. I use three strengths of line on the basis of a careful analysis of the fish I might encounter and the conditions where I fish. Start from the fish's point of view. You don't want master Pike sailing off into the dark deep hole with a jaw full of plug or metal. He's going to die of it, or at least, suffer inconvenience next time he wolfs back a Gudgeon. Your angling club will in any case have rules about minimum breaking strain lines for pike fishing, so be considerate and work with a line that minimises the risk of loosing, and killing the fish that give you sport. My standard line is 10lb breaking, but I will go up to 12 or more lb breaking strain where the fish are known to run larger or where the snags suggest that I might be battling a Pike named 'roots'. I go down to 8lb line only where Pike are uncommon and very small and in very modest streams, where the adversaries are likely to be Perch and Chub with the odd brown trout left over from the put and take fly fishing festival last year.
Lure time! Don't you just love the catalogues? Don't you just hate the prices? Let's be sensible about this, the pocket isn't bottomless and in the end you're going to venture to the waterside travelling light. Remember the philosophy of this? I suggest you start of with three working rules to ensure that your good lady friend doesn't lose patience with your attack on the bank account.
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Try working with a limited arsenal of half a dozen lure types, but in two or three different colours.
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Think about the waters you plan to fish. What is the predominant water colour and depth. Work with materials that perform best in such conditions.
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Chose products that are well made. The cheapest lures have poorly secured hooks and they don't wiggle, rattle and roll. You can't see the lack of that action on the tackle counter but your fish will sense the shambles in the water.
Once upon a time I carried batteries of lures and ringed the changes when fish weren't taking. Over time I learned to watch the weather and feel the temperature of the water in particular. Your catches are confounded more by these matters than the colour of your lure. Yes colour can make a difference, but it's significance is nothing compared with the prevailing conditions.
My own survival pack of lures would feature the following. I'd start of with a couple of Little S type lures in a couple of colours, one because they are stunningly good value and two because in the smallest sizes they really do look the most nonchalant of small fry. I'm sure the wiggle drives predators crazy and have caught Chub to 6lb and Pike to 12lb on these small brethren. Next I step up to the counter for a super minnow of the rapala type. I tend to fish quite shallow rivers so I like the floating versions which will dive sharply if I give the reel a good sharp crank. Yo Zuri do a nice version of this in translucent orange, which works wonders with some Chub under shady overhangs. I love these lures with their big beady eyes and their fine finish. OK they cost nearly as much as their big brothers, but think of the pride of ownership. This little guy is taking on goliath- the four pound chub or mega Perch- and what a shock the big guy's going to get! After that I'm into plastic and I buy a selection of worms and frogs in the smaller sizes. These are great, although what a fish thinks when it sees a 'worm' doing the samba through the water, God only knows. I find they work best in snaggy weed bed areas and guess they look like leeches or even lamprey. Working a frog through such snaggy holes is a delight. I like the ones with the floppy legs and jerk the rod tip up and down so they do a lively breast stroke kick, before tumbling down in exhaustion and into the maw of master Chub.
What else? Well, what about the smaller Mepps spinners (two swivels recommended to minimise line twist). These are great. Even better if you can find or make up what I call a tear drop spoon- the ones with a single hook and split ring to swivel. These are premiere Perch lures in the faster water. The Mepps is killing on their way down stream for Chub who will often turn and hit the lure that appears to have slunk by them with the flow. My final selection is a small spoon or two. These usually are a bit cheaper to buy and because I'm not worrying about the cost so much I will pop one of these into the most inaccessible holes, and jiggle it amongst the eddies for bigger Chub. With due caution during manufacture, tea spoons, sawn and drilled after collection from the car boot sale make excellent lures of this type. On one red letter day on the Basingstoke canal I took 17 Pike to 5lb using just such a lure.
Lure colours- briefly. I like browns and greens, the natural colours for brighter days and something silver and flashy for the darker days and more murky water. I like orange and red somewhere if the lure is meant to provoke aggression rather than hunger. I always use a wire trace where there is any chance of Pike and find that it doesn't completely wreck the action of the smaller plugs, although the new ultralite bug selections seem to suffer more under these conditions. Don't use the 28lb wire traces though- they're far too heavy. 15lb wire should suit most of your needs.
Selecting the waters
Here's a hint- don't buy your fishing club card until you've learnt more about their waters. This sport is all about working with the right sort of waters to produce results and to try out your tackle and skills to most satisfying effect. Good sport is going to be found where the following conditions can be found:
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Small rivers with interesting topography and varying pace of flow. The ideal is a river that offers pools and runs and a fair range of snags and overhangs where your quarry can hang loose.
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Canals that have been renovated and which offer some degree of shade and weed. The busy canal with minute by minute cruisers is less attractive. Smaller waterways (the Basingstoke canal is not only productive, its damned beautiful as well) often provide relatively clear water conditions and then you can watch the Pike hit your lure or even cast to an individual fish.
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Modest ponds and lakes which aren't considered match worthy. Such under valued venues can provide great sport. Beware however the gravel pits and lakes where Carpman goes camping and stretches lines half way across the lake. He doesn't understand movement- yours or the lures and seems to believe that you must have guessed where his submerged line lay! Brothers in angle we may be but the stalkers and trappers are different breed's folks.
If the banks are heavily covered with bramble and bushes, this is still a plus. The trapper is unlikely to tackle such waters and big fish doth lurk there. Wearing waders and rugged trousers (I use moleskins) you can squirm your way into the right places and try out your casting skills. Suddenly all those crack pot days in the back garden as you dropped your mepps into a bucket at the end of the lawn seem to pay off. A) you have a better bank balance and B) there are fish on the bank. You're in there with Mr Crabtree and there's this shoal of Chub. One of them goes 5lb whilst the escorts are one or two pounds at best. You're going to drop that lure beyond the shoal and sweep the mepps up past her flank. How can she resist?!
Because this style of fishing is an atmospheric/aesthetic past time its worth getting to know just one or two venues in your first season. Stick with them and get to know them in all their moods. This is a game not about chasing your first 20lber, but about tackling an adversary on home ground under different conditions. I add to my pleasure by drawing maps of the rivers that I fish, naming the pools and holes wherein lie fantastic specimens. I'm eccentric enough to keep a notebook about fish that have come from each. By the way, I don't name them or kiss them- sensing that this can be safely left to the trappers. A few of us come to share the names we give to the pools and there forms a calm appreciation of the challenges of each. How do you get a lure under that far willow? It's not easy fishing this one up stream because of the near side weed growth. When you cast into the head of the pool the flow can pick your lure off downstream so fast, you need to work it deep and quick, to make the action. These are matters that make angling more than catching fish. They are coloured by the sunsets, the memories and the pleasure when you have fished well as well as caught quality fish.
In the next edition of Young Sportsmen's Guide..(and subject to demand!) we'll be covering water craft and tactics with the ultra lite lure rod. We'll sneak a preview of some tricks that can get you connected to big Chub and how to find big brother Perch. Lure work isn't just about cranking that critter in- there's an art in the way you work David through Goliath's den. Until then, tight lines, minimal thorns and sunsets over pools where the Chub clobber bait fish in the shallows!