Does anyone remember the name ABU gave to that doggie-faced plug, with the adjustable diving- lip? I used to have them in all sizes and colours. I want to see if I can find any for sale... What are peoples favourite lures, these days?

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shakespeare big s, favourite lure anyday!

Are you talking about Hi-Los? If your dog looks like that, have it put down!! (joke. only I've forgotten how to put them smily things at the end of a sentence cos I've been away).

I've always found Hi-Los poor when fished deep, but excellent as a sub-surface plug. Trouble is the flaming lip often shifts when the bait hits the surface at the end of a long cast and ends up digging deep and snagging in weed (wasted cast).

Incidentally, it's the biggest size (1.5 oz?) floaters that I like best. The smaller one, and the sinkers, are not so good.

Favourite pattern is greenish silver. Blue (BLG is the code, I recall) also good in slightly coloured water.

Fish them DEAD slow. Near weedbeds in shallow water. And hang on.

Hi-lo! Yes, they were the ones I used to favour: never caught many pike, mind you, but it used to be very satisfying to work a swim with the lure, re-set the lip, and work it all over again. Setting the lip for deep-diving used to give interesting information on the state of the riverbed, and the species of weed growing. The surface setting stopped the plugs from wiggling at all...

Pangolin, "wiggling" appeals more to anglers than pike. Try retrieving a Heddon Lucky 13, rapidly, with an even retrieve, just below the surface. It won't wiggle, it will swim near enough straight back at you... but it is the deadliest warm/shallow water lure I've ever worked. Work it slowly, so it wiggles, and you won't catch nearly as many.

Thanks, fenboy! Have you a picture of a Lucky 13? I've just found a Hi-Lo on e-bay...

This is a real old timer lure that has been reborn a few times.

And my absolute favorite for the technique of making a pred so mad it forgets caution.

Toss to a likely spot and wait. At least until all the ripples from the splash are long gone. Twitch slightly and wait. If you smoke, have one. Twitch, wait, ..... If no take within an hour, try another spot.

Not many fish but the ones you do get are usually the big, old, cautions ones that no one else has caught for a few years.

Typical and like the first ones I used


Other color/pattern variations were/are made


[ 28. April 2004, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

Have got (film) pix of Lucky 13s, but still haven't sorted scanner yet. Tomorrow night I will, hopefully, get time to dig out some Lucky 13s and take digital pix to post (although I will probably need nursing through the posting procedure, like I did with the record sturgeon reel pix a few months back).
If you want a quicker Lucky 13 fix, I'm pretty sure Harris Angling still sell them. Try their website?
Incidentally, I didn't realise Hi-Los were no longer in production. No great loss, I know, but they have a certain sentimental attachment, since I've used them for more than 30 years.

I'm pleased to see Newt has beaten me to it, which will save a lot of cursing from me tomorrow night as I face the frustration of mastering digital tech again!!
Newt, I agree the twitch and pause works, but... honestly... try the even, steady retrieve. It really works incredibly well, unlikely as it sounds. No idea why.

Why so many hooks on the 13? Yes, a good lure, but without that middle lure maybe even better.