Lures & Spinners

Dutchy · Sep 11, 2006

HELP.. Can anyone suggest the best light lures and spinners to use on a canal, I want to fish as light as possible even though i know the canal in question holds some decent perch,pike and a few chub.
Any suggestions on tackle,tactics would be welcome, as my 3 year old grandson is driving me insane......

keora · Sep 11, 2006

Mepps spinners are good -get a variety of colours and sizes up to half an ounce.

Small fox chubby shads.

Small shallow diving plugs.

Small spoons.

If the pike are only small then I'd use 10lb line and a wire trace of about 15lb.

Paul H · Sep 11, 2006

Ondex spinners are light weight and very effective Dutchy, Ron Thompson also makes various lures / spinners some of which I have had a few decent Perch on.

You are right to look at lighter lures as most stretches of canal are not deep enough for the larger diving types.

Make sure you use a wire trace if the Pike are present and they usually are.

Under bridges (and any other overhanging structures) is a good place to start, near reeds or bankside trees etc... Perch will sit under moored boats Pike will sit anywhere they are hidden so areas of shadow or snaggy cover.

Lure fishing is excellent to do while walking the bank as the more water you cover the more likely you are to find some fish.

Good luck.

Matt Brown · Sep 11, 2006

If you want perch, try right down the side of concrete structures - I mean a foot away. Just cast in, let the spinner sink (I've been getting on well with small Ondex spinners) and retrieve as slowly as you can without 'stalling' the spinner.

Most takes will be at your feet as the spinner nears the surface, so pay special attention at the end of each retrieve.

ingy · Sep 11, 2006

why notake your own out of small teaspoons and then colour them great when you catch on it

Budgie Burgess · Sep 11, 2006

Rubber worms are also good for the species you mention.Mr Twister Split tails are one of my favourites.

Dutchy · Sep 12, 2006

THANKYOU I didn't expect so many replies so quickly, i certainly intend to try them all.
THANKS again for the advice on tactics aswell.
All the best.

keora · Sep 12, 2006

Harris Sportsmail sell a good range of lures on their web site.

Phil Heaton · Sep 12, 2006

20lb braid is a better option than mono as the 'feel' of the lure or spinners action is transmitted better to the rod making a more sensitive set up. Set up like this slow retrieves are a doddle as the stall speed of the lure is easy to detect, also small 'nips' of the lure from perch are felt better.

Paul H · Sep 14, 2006

Definately agree with the braid suggestion, mono gets horrendous line twist too with lures and spinners.

Dutchy · Sep 15, 2006

The Braid option seems to be a really good
idea, can anyone suggest the best choice of
braid 100m - 150m spools, at the most reasonable price.
I understand that this can come down to a
personal preferance, but i will look into
them all.
Thanks again.

Phil Heaton · Sep 15, 2006

20lb / 30lb braid is ok for small lures and spinners, thicker braid tends to stop the light lures going as deep as may be required.
Even though braid is much more expensive than mono to buy, it is more cost effective in the long term.
It does not deteriorate and 'pigtail' like mono and does not get deformed deeper inside the spool, which allows you to re-spool the inner braid out and double its use.
The amount of braid you actually need on a spool is minimal, especially with light lures on a canal, as your maximum cast will probably be in the region of 25m. Which means that a good quality 150m spool can be halved with 75m put on the reel, so even if you changed ends each season you would get 4 years service from the full spool.
I have found both Power Pro & Tuf Line XP to be reliable, but each persons preference will differ.

Paul H · Sep 15, 2006

I've got 20lb Fox Gravitron on my lure reel at the moment (it's supposed to sink quicker than other braids) and I've had no problems with it.

If you get braid make sure you load it onto the reel whilst it's wet, it shrinks as it dries and will grip the spool better.

Put the line spool in a bucket of water as you wind it onto the reel.

Dutchy · Sep 15, 2006

Many thanks to Phil Heaton and Pikey Paul for your advice on Braid the tip about loading the spool whilst the braid is wet is one that i will definately remember.
Thanks again for all your help and advice.
All the best.

ingy · Sep 15, 2006

braid direct is good on the net for braid cheap as well have a look , if i remember when i got mine 2 years ago 1000 metres was about ?20 that was floating braid

Chris Bishop · Sep 15, 2006

Hi Ingy - how about posting a link up mate..?

I wouldn't go as light as you might want to ue the set-up somewhere you have a chance of a bigger fish and on a canal you don't have to chuck it that far.

Budgie Burgess · Sep 16, 2006

"Shrinks as it drys" News to me after over 15 years of using it! Will have to look into this!

"grips spool" You need to put on a few feet of mono on the spool before you tie the braid to this and wind it on under tension.

ingy · Sep 17, 2006

sorry chris but are you taking the mik or do you rearly want a web site

Paul H · Sep 17, 2006

That's what I was told, why else would it be better loaded whilst wet?

Serious question...

Budgie Burgess · Sep 17, 2006

Not knocking you Paul its just not something Ive ever noticed.Never tried loading it wet but this is mainly as Ive never had a problem loading it dry!

The most common problem I see is anglers who have loaded their reels up with braid and not put some mono on first.When under pressure the whole lot just turns on the spool as it hasnt got any stretch to grip the spool.Incidently Ive had loads of pike anglers (er some quite big names as well!) ask me to "repair" the drags on their reels due to this!Maybe this is why people wet the braid? dont know if it works or not but it certainly isnt necessary.Or maybe just a kick on from the days of loading up mono from buckets? Once again not an issue with braid as the lack of stretch/elasticity means line twist isnt a problem?

Been using braid for over 15 years (both personally and proffesionally)and never had a problem using the method I mention.

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