Reading all about your catches it just occured to me to ask..... are all bait fishing or does anybody catch much on lures and if so what and what with?
A very green (novice & envy)
Sarah

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Sarah,it all depends on which fish you target + from shore or a boat?

If you can give us some idea of the areas that you want to fish from, I'm sure someone on here, will gladly help you.

To increase your chances, also ask your local anglers.

From my boat i always use lure rigs feathers etc, but from the shore i will use bait.

I tend to agree a good fresh bait does seem to do the trick. However, its always a good idea to have some lures with you especially if the water is real clear, remember the likes of pollock and bass are all predetors and if you can kindle their urge to catch food as oposed to scabble around the bottom the better the sport will be.

I deep spin with Jellies and get good Coley and Polllack, feathers (self tied) for macky when they are around, and bait for cod, doggies, bass and whatever else fancies a nibble. All done from the shore/pier/rocks.

On my boat I tend to make up rigs like feathers but with Jellies on and do very well, Pollock Cod and Coalfish seem to go for them and you get less small fish than using feathers. You do get the odd take from Mackeral and if this happens I swap over to get bait and good food.

I also spin with Jellies from rocks I tie a snap link swivel on my line with a 3oz lead clipped directly to the swivel. A 2ft snood to a 4/0 hook with a jelly also goes on the swivel, very good for Pollock.

Very rarely use any other lure since jelly worms seem to do it all.

If I am beach fishing or putting a lead on the bottom I always use bait.

Bob

Thanks all. No specific plans at the moment but after totally blanking the last 2 years on hol up in NW highlands and seeing reports of all your catches, I just wondered if I was being totally stupid mainly lure fishing (shore/rock). Guess I should just keep on trying. May be we need to get up to Lewis ?

When I went to NC this summer they were using lures with a "sweetener" of bait, a bit of squid or fish strip pricked on the hook. This works well with bucktails, hokkaies and feathers. This may interfere with the movement of more sophisticated lures but the additional scent may trigger an attack whereas an unscented lure may result in a curious follow that you never see.

Hi Sarah,

I'd say it all depends on what fish you are after

From the shore I would use baits always apart from when going after the likes of Pollack, Mackerel, Coalfish etc

From the boat - it depends on what the sea bed is like and what you are after, over soft sandy/muddy ground ... baits are a must, where as over rocky/kelpy hard ground I would go with lures ... except when species like targeting Wrasse, Ling, Tusk ... and depening on strength of tide, use baits for Cod.

Baited lures proved succesfull - though Im not a big fan of them. Often see Anglers putting on feathers or hockeyes with a chunk of Mackerel on each hook ... and can work very well.

If things are really tough over hard or soft ground - stick on a "Scratching Rig" ... seen a three hooks Scratching Rig in the summer used by a poster on here made up of small Aberdeen hooks (1 or 1/0) ... of a boom (1 up 2 down, or 3 down), using a single small luminous bead above each hook ... it works well for mini speices, and the odd curious larger fish jumps onto it.

The kind of baits and lures are really really important also - with many outfishing the other time and time again.

Gillies

You are very observant Gillies!!