Shakespeare Lures

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Davy North

Guest
My local tackle shop is starting to sell a wide range of lures, among them a few from the Shakespeare and Masterline ranges which are quite a lot cheaper than say the Rapala's.

So put simply my question is, are these lures any good or what?

Even though I've never been a lure angler of any commitment in the past I can still remember the Shakespeare "S" and Temptress from donkey's years back, so they must have something going for them?
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Shakespeare Big S is an all-time fish catcher a lot of people swear by.

They also make a cheap n' cheerful slim spoon - BSG or something - which works well on the drains.

You can get Rapalas cheaply if you shop around. Check out Brundall Angling Centre's ads in Pike and Predators or some of the smaller mail order suppliers.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Shakespeare Big S is an all-time fish catcher a lot of people swear by.

They also make a cheap n' cheerful slim spoon - BSG or something - which works well on the drains.

You can get Rapalas cheaply if you shop around. Check out Brundall Angling Centre's ads in Pike and Predators or some of the smaller mail order suppliers.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
The Masterline lures are excellent. Dont let the cheap cost put u off. The Psycho Perch and Pike have been on the market for years, but under a different name..Salmo. I have used them to very good effect. The new jerkbaits look good too.

As for Shakespeare, well, the Big S is famous, but I wonder if its because it was about the only plug you could buy easily 15 years ago. I have never ever caught on it!!...lol It does catch fish though. The other lures seem ok, but watch for the real cheapy lures that shakespeare do. They are about ?3 and the hooks are just held in with normal picture hook type attachments. I have seen these break easily. The Temptress etc seem ok, and I am sure they will catch.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I've never used Temptress but I've also had fish on the Reptile pattern which seems fairly robust. Watch cheapy plastic lures with weedy hardware is sound advice all round, but you don't always get better quality by forking out a bundle. Some of the Rapalas are seriously good lures, but they end up riddled with holes after a few fish. Built-in obselescence, my tackle dealer calls it.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Ahhh..Chris, u have to remember that Rapalas are made of Balsa wood, and are therefore going to puncture as its a very soft wood. Also, they were originally designed for catching Trout and Salmon, which dont have teeth as such. For a balsa lure, I think the finish is fantastic. I dont know if you have used any of the Gordon Griffith lures such as Flippers or Smiling Dogs, but the finish looks brillient, until it hits the water. The paint cracks in next to no time, without the help of a fish. And these things cost a lot more than a Rapala and are made from a hard wood.
 
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Peter Waller

Guest
Shakespear Big S are good, excellent infact. But the only plug that was around 15 years ago??!! Rubbish! As a lure angler, who is going through the 3rd lure revival, I can assure you that 15 years ago the choice was as bewildering as it is to day. Rubber is the only real addition to the market that, if you knew where to shop, wasn't around 15 years ago. Or was it? I have some French Sozzi rubber lures and ABU Cellos of that era. Big plugs have become more refined, thats definately right though. The 'S' is an all time classic that should not be overlooked by anglers who like catching.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Peter, maybe were u were u could get lures, but believe me, the only ones i could get 15 years ago were Big S's, Rapalas and Hi-lo's

I remember reading old mags from the 60 and 70's and saw more lures and crank handled rods then, than I did in the 80's.
 
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Peter Waller

Guest
Fair comment Rob, just lucky up this way that lure fishing has always been an accepted method and was therefore catered for by the trade.
 
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David Will

Guest
I just want to confirm what has been said re Gordon Griffiths lures.I bought a couple of Flippers last Autumn.Ist cast the finish cracked, by the fourth cast paint was coming off. The same happened to the other one.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
David, I have the same problem. What I would say however is that the newer ones have a better finish. I havd a Rainbow trout pattern that has lasted about a dozen fish, and still has not cracked, although i have one of the originals in orange that is bassically wood coloured now
 
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Gareth Lewis

Guest
I am still fishing regulary with old shakespere lures from the Kalamazoo and paw-paw ranges. Which I purchased in the mid to late 70s.
These are really robust and the paint work is still intact.The only thing that I have done to them is to rehook them every year or two. The Pike get-ums and krazy kritters from these older ranges are much better than their modern counter parts which carry the same names. They still take fish for me, but not as many as the modern lures that I now also use, which include Banjo minnows, Gordon Griffiths,Harris means, and Yo-zuri.
 
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Davy North

Guest
Has anyone ever used a Shakespeare Anaconda? Funny looking fella, I suppose a minnow pattern, but flattened along the top and bottom rather than the sides, with rather comical forward facing eyes. The thing I did notice was the diving vane is quite small, with a round recess. The one I bought was about 120mm long, but was the smaller of the two available.

The box seemed quite old, which may be the reason I've never heard of them before. They're not in the Harris catalogue, and the closest thing I would perhaps liken them to that is, is the Nils Master Invincible, without the recess in the vane.

I've also noticed a Shakespeare plugs range called Targa. These include minnow pattens, and the classic duck nosed Temptress/Hi-lo pattens. They are all very gaurdy (not as in Burton) the minnows are holographic raindow & brown trout. I've a sneaky suspicion they are imports marketed under the Shakespeare name, but what do I know. Has anyone else come across them?
 
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Nicky Garbutt

Guest
i tread lures like bait would you used second class bait i would'nt. so i use lures of good quality like rapala and nile masters. the costy when your on ?30 a week but ?7-10 is the same as a days bait for me. and you can use them time and time agine (if you don't lose them)
 
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