tactics

bigsean · Oct 10, 2011

ok so i've been lure fishing a few times now, all short sessions of 3-5 hours, mostly on a canal and i'm already seeing a pattern in my fishing (its not a catching loads of fish pattern btw lol)
so following some very good advice on here, i am now a spinnerbait convert ... and i find myself setting up and starting off with spinnerbaits on the canal, i follow more advice from here by casting along the near bank on either side, then around in a fan shape till i've covered the water in front of me, casting 2 or 3 times on each line so as to give the pike a good look at the lure.
then moving on and repeating this .... on a canal i can cover a fair distance in 3 or 4 hours in this way
however i've noticed i'm so intent on searching the area in front of me that i stick to the spinnerbait, as its so versatile at searching different depths with reduced snagging problems, altho i did lose one on my last session, god knows wot it snagged on but it wouldnt move at all (sorry derek)
so basically i hardly try any of my spinners, spoons or other lures other than maybe 5 mins each on my way back to the car,
i was wondering should i search an area with spinnerbait, then repeat with a spoon, and repeat again with a crank or swimbait, before moving on and repeating?
any lure alternating tactics or ideas would be most welcome

keora · Oct 11, 2011

This is the best site I know of for Lure Fishing advice:

Lure Fishing UK

The link shows a list of dozens of articles written by the site creator, Dave Pugh, and other anglers.

Most useful articles are nos 5, 11 and 15.

It's interesting to read about your success with spinnerbaits.I first tried them about 25 years ago, when I bought some in the USA while on holiday there. I've used them on and off since then, with limited success. I think they are look attractive wriggling through the water, but are not very effective at hooking pike when it takes the lure.

Jeff Woodhouse · Oct 11, 2011

Hard to say Sean. You enjoy using the spinnerbait and it's catching you some although not lots, you say?

At each stop I would try the spinnerbaits and before leaving try at least one other, say a spoon. Someone else who was really successful at lure fishing also taught me this trick, cast the spinnerbait (pref one with Colorado blades as they swim higher in the water) and retrieve back fast enough to draw it noisily across the surface, then cast again - same spot - but draw it back really slowly to go deep. The first cast annoys or alerts the pike and the second gives it a chance to grab something.

Sounds like you're hooked though if not always the pike.

bigsean · Oct 11, 2011

Nice pun Jeff

Yes I am hooked on this type of fishing now and really enjoying it, I read the bit in ur article about buzzbaits and ripping them through fast once or twice and then drawing it back slow , and I've been trying this with the spinnerbaits with some success as well (mostly follows, without actually taking)
I think my next session will involve using at least 2 lures on each section before moving on, I suppose its the thought that if I switch lures too often and get no action, my mind will say I should've stayed on spinnerbait .... Human nature I guess.

And Keith, thanks for that link, had a quick glance and will deffo read through it properly later on.

greeny1321 · Oct 11, 2011

bigsean said:
Nice pun Jeff
Yes I am hooked on this type of fishing now and really enjoying it, I read the bit in ur article about buzzbaits and ripping them through fast once or twice and then drawing it back slow , and I've been trying this with the spinnerbaits with some success as well (mostly follows, without actually taking)
I think my next session will involve using at least 2 lures on each section before moving on, I suppose its the thought that if I switch lures too often and get no action, my mind will say I should've stayed on spinnerbait .... Human nature I guess.

And Keith, thanks for that link, had a quick glance and will deffo read through it properly later on.

If you are getting follows on a spinnerbait mate resist the urge to slowdown, try speeding up the last few meters of your retrieve. I got this tip from Phil Blakey and it has been responsible for takes from follow fish on numerous occasions. Like anything in fishing though it isn't a dead cert just another thing to try.

I tend to only use a couple of different lures in swims I know hold pike, and even then I usually just try a completely different style of lure and if I still get nothing after a few casts I move on. Swapping out a spinnerbait for a swimbait or vice versa has done me no harm on a few occasions.

Tight lines.

bigsean · Oct 11, 2011

cheers greeny, i've seen some of phils pics on savage and u cant argue with his catches, i suppose cos i'm fairly confident with the spinnerbait and at least 1 spoon i have, it makes me wanna stick to it
not really given my plugs enough time to gain confidence in them .... altho when i went fishing on sunday the canal was heavily coloured, probably due to the heavy rain ... and that made me stick to the spinnerbait cos of the vibration .... i didnt think my other lures would work so well in water like that.
if the water is clear next time out i'll deffo be varying my lures more

Eric Edwards · Oct 11, 2011

Spinnerbaits are great for raising fish but it is very common to get followers that do not take. I guess they just can't resist tha commotion a spinnerbait causes but then they get confused by them. The simple answer is to have a second rod set up with a different lure attached. Use the spinnerbait to raise the fish then when they turn away hit them with a shad or a slug-go or even a megamouse.

bigsean · Oct 11, 2011

thats a simple solution if ur carrying 2 rods eric .... however i only have 1 rod so i gotta make the best of it however i can.
if i carried 2 rods i'd probably have 2 very different set ups anyway ... like a medium-light set up for smaller lures and then a heavier jerkbait set up.
how wise that would be i dont know ... just a thought

Eric Edwards · Oct 11, 2011

In that case have a standby lure to hand and slip it on when the need arises.

The biggest pike I ever saw followed a spinnerbait I was retrieving but didn't take. It was a long time ago and I wasn't so good at lure fishing then and didn't know what to do. It wouldn't happen to me now of course

mg:

bigsean · Oct 11, 2011

well thats the point of this thread ... i'm inexperienced and have been focusing on just a couple of lures

greeny1321 · Oct 11, 2011

Eric Edwards said:
Spinnerbaits are great for raising fish but it is very common to get followers that do not take. I guess they just can't resist tha commotion a spinnerbait causes but then they get confused by them. The simple answer is to have a second rod set up with a different lure attached. Use the spinnerbait to raise the fish then when they turn away hit them with a shad or a slug-go or even a megamouse.

I was discussing this on another forum a few weeks ago Eric. I was saying that spinnerbaits are usually my first port of call because although they don't always catch me fish they almost always find me fish. I usually have a savage gear 4play close to hand and more often than not if a pike is following the spinnerbait but not taking switching to the 4play results in a take 1st cast.

bigsean · Oct 11, 2011

intersting greeny, i'll have to try that, all info welcome

gazguildford · Oct 12, 2011

i lost all faith in everything but spinners at one time until a friend of mine brought a lure recommended by mick brown it was huge bright pink and possibly the worst looking lure ive seen, we had a discussion about it being more likely to be recommended to try and sell the lure. to my suprise after having limited success and only catching 1/2lb jacks that all fell to the spinner he stuck on this ugly bright pink thing "that will never work" i said while laughing my head off..... first cast and took the biggest pike of the day only 5lb but a monster compared to the others. it certainly restored my faith!
i think many things go toward making a session succesfull with the biggest factors being location, technique, rousing the pike and most important in my view is feeling confident in ur lures its hard work but once u have had a take on a lure it doesnt matter what type it is you know it works hence the confidence is there.
good luck with ur future sport

greeny1321 · Oct 12, 2011

It is easy to lose faith in a lure that doesn't seem to work for you. For example I spent about £50 on a few salmo lures in february and to date I have had 1 hit that didn't hook up on one of them and not even a follow on the other two, yet I have a few mates who won't leave the house without them. I suspect when I finally catch a few on them they will suddenly be much higher up my priority list.

It's also strange what works on certain days, I was fishing a local gravel pit in the winter, gin clear water so I was working natural colored lures all day long without a sniff. I changed over to a Deviator in a pattern called "isotope" which is abotu as bright yellow as you can get with a few black decals on it and bang first cast an 8lb pike whacked it as soon as it hit the water. We can read up what works or doesn't work til the cows come home and it certainly helps but don't think that because you read that something wont work that it wont. Pike can't read

If you are lucky enough to find that pattern of deviator anywhere grab it with both hands and dont let go!!! I have unfortunately lost my 2nd one and cant get hold of another from anywhere

Lucky I know where theres a shopping trolley with one stuck to it lol

Steve Weaver · Oct 14, 2011

I know it is a controversial subject but I have found the colour of the spinnerbait can make a lot of diiference. I would have at least two - I carry one black/red and one firetiger and often find one will outperform the other.

greeny1321 · Oct 15, 2011

sweave said:
I know it is a controversial subject but I have found the colour of the spinnerbait can make a lot of diiference. I would have at least two - I carry one black/red and one firetiger and often find one will outperform the other.

Colour can definately make a difference on the day. I have often been casting a lure and had no interest only to change to a different pattern of the very same lure and bang! first cast it gets nailed. That said, from my quite limited experience I don't think colour always matters, some days it seems like they'll hit anything that moves.

gazguildford · Oct 16, 2011

greeny1321 said:
Colour can definately make a difference on the day. I have often been casting a lure and had no interest only to change to a different pattern of the very same lure and bang! first cast it gets nailed. That said, from my quite limited experience I don't think colour always matters, some days it seems like they'll hit anything that moves.

i think the disturbance a lure makes is just as important as colour?

Derek Gibson · Oct 16, 2011

greeny1321 said:
Colour can definately make a difference on the day. I have often been casting a lure and had no interest only to change to a different pattern of the very same lure and bang! first cast it gets nailed. That said, from my quite limited experience I don't think colour always matters, some days it seems like they'll hit anything that moves.

Yes that is definately one of the keys,(on the day). When the pike are on the rampage, they'll chomp almost anything, but such days are relatively rare. For what it's worth, my own opinion is that the essentials in order of importance would be. Working depth of lures, action, which includes the lure frequency,(sound), colour someway behind. Having said that, I do admit to having favourite colour combinations, arrived at over many years lure fishing. Perhaps influenced by certain weather/water conditions.
And speaking of quirks, I was asked recently do I always fit a stinger hook with trailing teaser grub on a spinnerbait, my answer was a definate YES. And I have done for thirty years or more. I wouldn't want to be without them.

Any of you guys feel the same.

greeny1321 · Oct 17, 2011

I have just got 5 new spinnerbaits Derek but I have yet to try a grub on the stinger, I'll have to pick some up and have a play

Derek Gibson · Oct 17, 2011

greeny1321 said:
I have just got 5 new spinnerbaits Derek but I have yet to try a grub on the stinger, I'll have to pick some up and have a play

Let us know your findings/conclusions after a good go with the teaser grubs mate.

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