River lure fishing advice

[clutch]

Hello there,

This year I have been trying to diversify my fishing, and I want to try and catch my first pike.

I will be fishing the middle Severn, after speaking to a few guys the stretch of river has lots of smaller pike with a few creeping into double figures. There are also some good sized perch in there, so i would be potentially looking to pick up a few of those.

I like the idea of spinning, using lures or twitching a sprat around. As its getting cold, I don't fancy too many days sat behind my rods, so I want to be mobile.

The wide selection of rods confuses me. What should I be looking for in terms of casting weight, that would suit jack pike and perch, with the outside chance of a double? Also, what length of rod would be best? I don't want to spend a fortune, I see shimano and daiwa do some entry level rods, but if anyone has any ideas then that's great.

As for reels, I have a few small shimano 2500 reels. I know they are not designated spinning reels, but will this be ok just to get going?

Finally, If anyone has and opinion/advice on line, rigs, lures, spinners etc then that would be great. Total novice at this.

Cheers.

 

[103841]

Such a huge choice of rods, I’d go for something fairly cheap but up to the job just in case you decide lure fishing isn’t for you. This rod fits the bill, at 9ft with a 22g casting weight it would be perfect for perch and small pike.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Rods - SAVE up to 16.50

Same with lures, the choice is endless, if you took just one type of lure then old school metal spinners like a Mepps should give you some fun sport.

Lure fishing is more suited to the warmer months so you’ll need patience and most importantly make sure you have the necessary equipment for unhooking pike.

Your size of reel is perfect.

Use braid, Daiwa J Braid (20lb) is good and not too expensive.

Enjoy.

 

[john step]

I have been fishing for over 60 years and am in the same position as you. Its great to do something different.
My past experience of lures was the odd day dabbling with a Shakespeare Big S. in the Lea Valley.

This year I have bought some tackle on the advice of others on here. In a sale I bought a delightful little 8.5 ft spinning rod from Drennan called Esox or something similar. They call it a drop shot rod but to me its a spinning rod.

I find it strange that you can use lines between 6 and 15 on such a light little tool.
I have not had anything bigger than jacks and perch to 1.5. However it feels responsive enough to enjoy catching these but feels as if there is enough lower power should I hook a bigger pike.

I bought some trace wire called K2k from AGM products which is very fine. ( Dont forget the crimps)

The rubber soft lures they do certainly attract hits. Even the tiny micro lures are fun for perch.
They sell jig heads which are easy to thread on. (Plenty of advice on youtube)

My experience so far after this first year is that its all about the fun getting takes and feeling the bites as they hit the lure.
It may be me but I certainly dont manage to keep them all on. It doesn't matter. Its all good fun.

I also have tried some Rapala floating lures that sink upon retrieve. Ideal for the shallow drains locally to me. They are very effective.

I have some cheap braid. I do find it gets wind knots rather a lot. Probably down to me. I revert to mono if its breezy.

Whatever you buy get a rubberised net head otherwise you will be hacking your net with scissors to start with like I did.

As it gets colder I will use the same tackle to "lure fish" with a small deadbait. Spratts are too soft so I have built a supply of small roach and perch. Perch are ideal as they are tougher to cast with.

Not knowing much about the technicalities of spinning rods I would suggest you ensure that the rod you buy is designed for fixed spool reels as I think some handles are designed for multipliers and may be different.
Others on here may be more knowledgeable on this.

Tight lines

 

[steve2]

Having never fished the Severn I can only go by what I use elsewhere.

Having a good selection of lure rods to choose from the ones I use most are 8ft with casting weight 25gm. Rod make wise it is up to you. You don’t need to spend a lot of money.
Always use braid 25-50lb and a wire trace.
And you don’t need a dropshotting rod to go dropshotting.
If you have one leave your 40” landing nets at home and get some smaller a 30” will handle most pike. Had pike over 20lb in mine.
Wobbled fish baits work well, I have had loads of pike over the years on wobbled sprats, very cheap to buy compared to lures, also very easy to switch over to dead baiting.
One tip I will give you is to buy second hand lures off Ebay and don’t be afraid to lose a few.

 

[Molehill]

I'm in my first season of perch lure fishing, on the mid Severn, so learning and here's some thoughts!

I have been using old rods to find out exactly what I want before purchasing, currently on an old Sportex rod, 12ft and Avon type with a "nominal" test curve of 1lb - to give you a vague idea of what it is.

I've been having some success with assorted soft lures, jigs and dropshot method (prefer jigging) , they are cheaper than hard lures which is just as well with the amount I lose in snags - always pushing to get a bit closer to that fallen tree mg:

My rod isn't ideal, but gives good sport on all sizes of fish, this Friday I had 3 perch around 2lb and a couple of pike of just under 6 and 7lb. This light tackle has opened my eyes to smaller pike, they are great sport when not being dragged in on a deadbait and heavy gear. Fun fishing.

With some experience now, I am seeking a longer rod than usual, the banks of the Severn (as you must know) is overgrown and lots of vegetation abound, I simply couldn't reach over a lot of swims with a short rod, never mind keep fish out of the rushes and land them. I think most lure rods are designed for stillwaters, canals, boats etc. where you don't have to reach out over weeds and rushes.

My ideal rod would be for casting 1-10grams, lines under 10lb, responsive tip for working the jig and 10ft long; and cheap. No idea if it exists, starting to mull over converting a fly rod blank if I can't find anything.

 

[103841]

Savage Gear have just released a new range of rods, one may fit the bill, don’t know prices but they are usually well priced.

 

[steve2]

have been using old rods to find out exactly what I want before purchasing, currently on an old Sportex rod, 12ft and Avon type with a "nominal" test curve of 1lb - to give you a vague idea of what it is.

It seems to me you already have the rod you need.
If you but a 1-10 gram rod I will say you will soon be buying a heavier one.

 

[Molehill]

It seems to me you already have the rod you need.
If you but a 1-10 gram rod I will say you will soon be buying a heavier one.

Will probably settle with this for remains of the season. I could do with a little more sensitivity in the tip for working the jigs and "feel". So far I haven't used any jigs or weights over 5gr, but obviously will go up a bit in different conditions.
The rod has a lovely playing action and gives some sport with smaller fish and copes with larger ones (pike that come along). The most important thing I need on my waters is the length of rod. For now, but thoughts may change!

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I don't know if these might interest anyone, but I did a series on lure fishing some years ago. Some are screwed up somehow by having photos missing, how that happens I don't know - sabotage! What they miss is the new methods for drop shot fishing, which I now do, but never wrote about it.
There's even a picture of Kevin in the last one with a perch he caught on an old cane rod he'd bought!
Anyway, hope they might help
In a Spin, Part 1 – Introduction | FishingMagic
In a Spin, Part 2 – Spinners and Spinnerbaits | FishingMagic
In a Spin, Part 3 – Plugs | FishingMagic
In a Spin, Part 4 – Choosing a Rod and Reel | FishingMagic
In a Spin, Part 5 – Jerk Baits and Big Softies | FishingMagic
https://www.fishingmagic.com/in-a-spin-part-6-small-time-spinning/

 

[clutch]

Such a huge choice of rods, I’d go for something fairly cheap but up to the job just in case you decide lure fishing isn’t for you. This rod fits the bill, at 9ft with a 22g casting weight it would be perfect for perch and small pike.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Rods - SAVE up to 16.50

Same with lures, the choice is endless, if you took just one type of lure then old school metal spinners like a Mepps should give you some fun sport.

Lure fishing is more suited to the warmer months so you’ll need patience and most importantly make sure you have the necessary equipment for unhooking pike.

Your size of reel is perfect.

Use braid, Daiwa J Braid (20lb) is good and not too expensive.

Enjoy.

Thanks for the advice everyone, really helpful.

Quick question, about the length of rods. This might seem very obvious, but what are the advantages going for a 9ft and opposed to a 7ft rod? Is it just casting distance? Again, I have never been lure fishing before, but from a few videos I have seen when retrieving the lure, the rod is often kept pointing at a downwards angle. Presumably, the longer the rod, the more difficult this will be? I just want to make sure I get the right tool for the job.

I have had a look at those Shakespeare ugly stik's and they seem reasonable and get good reviews. They do a 7ft thats rated between 4-18g and a 9ft thats rated between 4-22g.

I think initially I want to try some smaller soft plastics and target perch. If there is a chance of hooking a pike, i would rather be dealing with a smaller lure with a single hook, then having to deal with trebles. Just until I get confident handling them.


Thanks again.

 

[103841]

My advice would be to go for a longer rod if the places you intend to fish will accommodate it, i.e will you be hindered with overhead trees etc.

You’ll cast further and pick up the line quicker on a strike with a longer rod.

Keep your eyes peeled for bargains tomorrow, Harris sports mail are offering a 17% discount for the day, they normally have a good selection of lure rods.

Don’t get too hung up on the ratings, treat them as useful guide but the jargon is aimed at getting more rods sold!

Good idea to kick off with single hooks.:thumbs:

 

[spoonminnow]

Pike, perch, sunfish and any other species that strike lures pretty much have some lures in common they will strike but others best suited to large fish over 3 lbs. Jeff and others gave great tips and none are are wrong, but each angler has choices based on:
lure size and weight, design, lure action,
technique (presentation),
depth fished,
the longest casting distance needed to cover the most water.

First off, small lures catch big fish.

This 7 lb brute was a challenge to get into the boat, but my 6' light action rod and 8 lb test braid did just fine.

My lures of choice because choices are unlimited are soft plastic. Jighead weights range from 1/32 - 1/8 oz. depending how shallow or deep lures are fished and how slow or how fast I want to fish them.

Large swimbaits such as the one below, catch big fish - including pike:

Even this 14" crappie bit one that was a few inches shorter:

Note: The swimbait that caught the bass was rigged on a weighted hook; the crappie was caught using a 1/16 oz jighead.

As I stated, there are hundreds of soft plastic designs to choose from that catch ALL fish species. Some can be used under a float such as this combo:

It's the next best thing to drop shotting except the jig and lure hangs at a distance you choose under the float which is easily adjustable.

I you suspect large pike are in the area, nothing beats a spinnerbait with large willow leaf blade.

The skirt and bright flash really get them riled up!

For smaller fish, I use what is called a Beetle Spin (named by the inventor over 50 years ago).

It also catches different species using different jighead weights best suited to lure size. As you can see, I carry a range of jighead weights and hook sizes:

Very large spoons like the Dare Devil accomplish the same thing, but make sure you use a swivel to prevent line twist.

Light lures can be cast long distances using a light action rod 5.5' - 6'. Larger lure do better on medium 6.5' - 7' medium action rods.

Check out Jeff's videos. Great tips and along with the above a good start. Just remember: in order to catch fish, you have to find them . Lures never have to look natural or move naturally and in fact very few do. Retrieve lures from near dead stop (float or dropshot) to medium fast (spinnerbait, spoon). Never work a lure too fast and always at the depth you find them by experimentation.