Salt Water Lure Fishing, UK – Part III.

Storm shads are a fairly new invention and the latest design in the Jig Head style of lures.

There are a few differences in the design and set up of these lures compared to the original lead heads, the most notably of defences is that you cannot change the rubber lure part of the jig. The metal head is actually moulded inside the rubber part of the lure and cannot be changed. Also these lures look fabulous in the water due to their fat flat rubber paddle at the end of the tail. This paddle shifts from left to right in the water and gives the lure a swimming like motion creating the realistic effect that it is actually alive.

People think that Storm Shads can only be used form the boat but I have been out a few times myself and seen the results these lures can have when used from the shore. The hook of a Storm Shad is positioned on top of the lure so you can actually let the lure drop to the sea bed and then bounce it along the bottom without fear of it getting tangled or snagged.

 Also you should be aware of the amount of colour and size variations that are available for these fantastic lures. Red Head and Blue Mackerel are very popular and the 4” version is great from the shore, whereas the 6” version is killer from the boat.

Last but not least we see the Yo Zuri range of lures. Much like Rapala, Yo Zuri are a high gloss hard body lure company that specialise in producing lures to suit various different depths of water.

The Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow pictured above is the most popular lure in their range and by far outsells any other. They have a reasonable price of around £10-£12 and are very well made.

Yo Zuri have just launched their classic Crystal Minnow range in Holographic colours and they look amazing! However they have been priced at £19.99 but I have seen them for sale for as much as £25 in some shops! Not cheap if you are fishing near snags.

Thanks for reading, Al.

Salt Water Lure Fishing, UK – Part II.

There are many types of artificial lures on the market today from Hard Body Plastic lures to Rubber Body Jig Head lures and everything in between.

Each lure has its own specific use for various angling situations for example: if your prey is in the surface layers of water there is no point using a Rubber Body Jig Head as it will fall below your target area and away from the fish. This is why lure anglers usually turn up to the water carrying a large variety of lures to suit any angling situation that they might encounter.

The first company I would like to talk about really needs no introduction, Rapala lures was the brain child of commercial fisherman Lauri Rapala a Finish fisherman that frequently used long lines to catch the fish that he sold to market. He made a startling observation ‘Big fish eat little fish’.

After observing a large predator fish darting into a shoal of smaller fish and singling out the injured or slower swimming ones, Lauri realized that if he could craft a lure that mimicked the movements of a wounded or dying minnow, this way he could catch more fish than he currently did as baiting hundreds of hooks at a time was very time consuming and not cost effective.

Nowadays Rapala are a very big deal in the world of lures and currently have factories in Finland, France, Ireland, Estonia, and China. Rapala lures are sold in over 140 countries around the world.

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Next on the list is the big US favourite known as Berkley. Berkley produces a wide range of rubber baits that are to be attached onto the back of jig heads.

Jig Heads are a bent angle hook that has lead moulding around the eye to represent the fishes head. These leas are normally plain silver but can be painted to match your choice of lure colour. At the hook shank end of the mould you will often see a small ‘barb’ of lead, this barb is designed so that you can push your rubber over it and have to barb grip the rubber lure so that it does not slip down the hook during the cast.

Jig heads lures are often used for species that are deeper in the water in the UK such as Pollock, the lure can be retrieved higher in the water simply but reeling faster as soon as the lure hits the water. Obviously if you are interested in Wrasse or Pollock you can leave the lure to sink a while after it lands and then draw it back slower keeping it lower in the water.

Look out for ‘Salt Water Lure Fishing, UK – Part III.’ Coming soon.

Thanks for reading, Al.

Salt Water Lure Fishing, UK – Part I.

Salt water lure fishing on the South Coast of the UK is making a comeback in a big way. There is always a rise in the amount of lure anglers during the summer months due to the weather and the suitable fish stocks that venture closer to our shores at this time of year.

Some are saying that the rise in popularity of Kayak fishing in the UK over the last couple of years is closely linked to the amount of lure fishing activity, also the anglers understanding now of how lures really work thanks to advertising and articles could be responsible for the sudden interest in using imitation baits to catch fish.

As a nation we are never going to reach the dizzy heights for lure fishing of somewhere like the Florida Keys for instance due to their multitude of fish species that are willing to take lures and although I do get reports and pictures of some unlikely species in the UK taking lures around our coasts, a lot of our fish species are more scavenger than hunter.

The common species such as Pollock, Bass, Mackerel and Gar’s all love to take a lure if it is presented correctly in front of them and these are the fish that most of our lure anglers target.

One common lure/imitation baits that has been used around our coasts for a number of years is the humble Mackerel trace, these rigs are very effective for catching Mackerel and although they do not feel like a traditional lure because of their arrangement that it exactly what they are.

 A lot of people are not confident using hard bodied plastic lures such as Yo Zuri’s or Rapala’s on our coasts but imagine finding the correct state of the tide at the right time of year and catching Bass with the same success that you catch Mackerel. This is what is happening more and more often. All you need is the correct gear and a bit of water craft and the results will be well worth it.

Catching fish using single lures on light tackle is very rewarding for a number of reasons.

Excitement: If you fancy a spell of lure fishing it will take you away from staring at your rod tips and waiting for the action to come to you, the excitement of a bite while lure fishing will almost certainly get your pulse racing.

The Fight: The fight will almost certainly be improved while lure fishing as opposed to beach casting or bottom fishing from the boat because for a start your rod will be light and flexible which makes the whole experience a lot more fun also you do not have any heavy leads on your line to deal with, it is just you and the fish.

Your prize: When you have your picture with a 5lb lure caught Bass for instance it carries a certain weight with it, some serious ‘kudos’ or ‘lad points’ if you will.

There is something magical about an angler with a large Bass posing for the camera with a plastic lure in its mouth.

Competition: I have experienced it and I’m sure some of you will know what I’m talking about when you have waded out into the warm-ish water with a companion and you have located a shoal of fish, the weather is looking fine and you are both throwing lures secretly trying to outdo each other with a sneaky lure change or two to try and gain an edge... excellent fun!  

In the latest edition of Angling International Magazine (Issue 54) there are 72 pages of information on all things fishy, out of those 72 pages a massive 28 of them are focused on lure fishing! It is fun, it is cheap and it is well worth a go.

Maybe it’s time to got your lure rod back out!?

Look out for ‘Salt Water Lure Fishing, UK – Part II.’ Coming soon.

Thanks for reading, Al.

Calshot Beach Is In Full Swing.

Local angler Steve Richards had a great day at Calshot Castle yesterday with 5 Smoothhound’s, 4 Dogfish, 1 Thornback Ray and a 3lb Silver Eel!

All of the fish came to large bunches of Ragworm fished at 40 yards range on a pulley pennel rig.

Steve had this hound at 12lb early on in the session.

Then this Thornback Ray also at 12lb later on in the day.

The section of Calshot Beach that he fished is part of Calshot Club and is private.

For more information on joining the club contact Calshot Activity Centre via their website link below.

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/calshot.htm

Boat For Sale.

Call Ray on Tel: 02380 841676.