The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I do a fair bit of lure fishing for pike, although recently I haven't managed to get out as often as I used to. I prefer to use lures made by myself and pleasingly they accounted for both the 'twenties' I caught this pike season and also a 27.10 for a friend when we shared a trout water boat together None of these lures could be classed as 'traditional' or 'ultralight' but they do work for me

Thanks everyone for the posts. I have spent a good many years lure fishing, more recently with a cane light caster rod and yes I can vouch for the power of small rapalas 3-5 cm range for chub. The Loddon has been a good river for that. It many ways it reminds me of the Teme and my homeland.

Back to serious fishing matters. I catch very few Perch on the small Rapalas. I have much more success with Mepps spinners and I tend to use blue on silver in murky water and red on gold in clearer water. I have this theory that too much flash can be a problem. I'm willing to pay the extra for Mepps-these work out about half the price of small new rapalas-at least if bought new. The Mepps spin is very good. We seem to be in a period where the Perch are growing big again. There are some substantial, big shouldered fellows growing in places like Frensham Big pond, Surrey. I think we should seize the opportunity, before we see another Perch population crash-they come around every so often.

That brings me to what I call Mepps syndrome and its the little matter of deciding how to vary the retrieve. Yes you can go fast or slow, but it can get a tad mechanical. So I start doing figure of eights with the rod tip. Anyone else wonder about this-how to mix it up a bit? Its easier with plugs that seem to look good when being jerked about a bit.

Good evening gents , do a lot of lure fishing in the sea and just recently after sea trout and salmon . Have used a device called a LINEDANCER for ages clips on the rod above the reel promotes the lure to vibrate and dance very effective , good with rubber sand eels , have a look on the net , can make your own out of wire , saves all the hard wrist action , Kindesr regards . Woolly Bear .

I love the ones with bits of wool on them they seem to attract the perch

For me it depends how cold and deep the water is; for both I use a slow to very slow retrieve! Have you tried deep diving Salmos like the Hornet in perch? Must be one of the best small plugs out there for perch and chub. Using a medium retrieve to get it deep works a treat. First time I used this lure I kid you not I lost count of the number of 1 to 2lb perch it fooled in one evening session alone!

Thanks gentlemen! I'll try the salmos soon. Most of the waters fished are quite shallow, but its very important to experiment! I've seen line dancer advertised too- and that does sound useful as a occupational health aid to the wrist as well as something that might help catch fish.

The Salmos come in shallow diving and deep diving. From 1' to about 8' depending on the model.

After floatfishing lure fishing of any description i find hugely enjoyable. Last summer i put together a modest collection of LRF (Light Rock Fishing) gear which has not only served its intended purpose but has proved great fun for the perch on the K&A canal.

Pike wise i still like to use my baitcaster rod for them whenever possible, lovely rod to play even a jack on.

Lures to numerous to mention, but plenty of golden oldies such as Mepps, Ondex, Heddon and Gudebrod to name but a few.

We must remember that Mr Crabtree was a great exponent of Lure fishing. I still use traditional tackle, Heddon cane, ect. A photo to remind us of the great Lure fishing section in his wonderful book " Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing".

It tried it for the first time last week as trout fishing is slow and we have had more and more striped bass in the river mouths and ocean. Lots of fun on a light rod. I caught a lot of small( I mean very small ones) and past the rod to my friend who had not caught a single fish on his fly rod. He then proceeded to catch a lovely 5 pound striped bass on his third cast and I was called into action to take a photo, which I did with pleasure!