Jerkbait and Lures

[flick]

I'm interested in using lures to catch pike.

I have been catching pike on dead and livebaits for years and would love to do something different.

 

I have been told that i need a 6ft-7ft rod with a trigger-grip rather than a 11ft dead-bait rod

 

Any recomendations?

 

I have fixed spool reels but have been advised to use a multiplier or baitcasting reel.

 

Any recomendations?

 

 

thanks for any help

 

Flick

[Ken L]

I'd stay clear of specialised baitcasting/jerkbaiting gear until you know whether lure fishing is for you.

If you specifically want to catch pike (rather than chub, perch and pike) then get yourself a spinning rod of about 8 feet (or a carp stalking rod) and stick one of your existing reels on it. Load it with braid, tie on a wire leader and clip on a lure.

To stand a chance though, hold off until the weather warms up a bit.

[Neil G]

Jerkbaiting is a pretty specialised part of lure fishing that does require a short, stiff rod of around 6/7ft and a multiplier loaded with very high BS braid (50+)

 

TBH a good lure setup covering 10/15gr to 50/60gr lures with a fixed spool would be a more suitable option to start out as that would be quite versatile. I've got a 9ft Drennan spinflex which will throw a small mepps spinner but will also (just about) chuck a Rapala Shadrap but an added bonus is I can use the rod for small baits as well....not so much control as a longer rod but still good if the fish aren't taking lures.

 

Good luck with it, fishing lures in winter can hard work but plenty of people especially the dutch and swedes manage it all year round in colder weather than we ge here with a lot of success so give it a shot.

[Peter Waller]

Lure fishing is an attitude, you'll either take to it or you won't. Done well it catches and you will become the hunter rather than the trapper. There is far more to successful lure fishing than just casting. I do use a 8' carp stalking rod, and a very fine lure rod it is too, for heavier baits. However, I would suggest that you forget jerk baits for the time being, that is a whole new ball game. Lures in the 20 to 30gm weight range will catch you plenty using reels and maybe rods that you already have. Yes, a quality small multiplier on a 7' baitcaster is an absolute joy to use, especially when it becomes an extension both to your arm and your brain. There is an instinctive form of artistry in lure fishing that is missed by the average, inactive dead baiter. If you get it right you'll rarely feel tempted to use deadbaits, and you'll end up spending a fortune on lures, most of which you will probably never use, but that you will buy 'just in case'!

[Rigg'd]

Lure fishing is an attitude, you'll either take to it or you won't. Done well it catches and you will become the hunter rather than the trapper. There is far more to successful lure fishing than just casting. I do use a 8' carp stalking rod, and a very fine lure rod it is too, for heavier baits. However, I would suggest that you forget jerk baits for the time being, that is a whole new ball game. Lures in the 20 to 30gm weight range will catch you plenty using reels and maybe rods that you already have. Yes, a quality small multiplier on a 7' baitcaster is an absolute joy to use, especially when it becomes an extension both to your arm and your brain. There is an instinctive form of artistry in lure fishing that is missed by the average, inactive dead baiter. If you get it right you'll rarely feel tempted to use deadbaits, and you'll end up spending a fortune on lures, most of which you will probably never use, but that you will buy 'just in case'!

 

Sorry to interrupt but i need to ask, Peter, i fish on the river Thames now and it's packed with weed. I would think there's no way of lure-fishing there?

[AndyY]

I'm interested in using lures to catch pike.

I have been catching pike on dead and livebaits for years and would love to do something different.

 

I have been told that i need a 6ft-7ft rod with a trigger-grip rather than a 11ft dead-bait rod

 

Any recomendations?

 

I have fixed spool reels but have been advised to use a multiplier or baitcasting reel.

 

Any recomendations?

 

 

thanks for any help

 

Flick

 

 

what kind of water sare u fishing? are u fishing from boat or bank? is there any wadable bays by this i mean larger areas where the water is around 4ft. what size are the pike in the water just an average will do.

[Peter Waller]

Rigg'd, weed is great for holding the pike so yes, there has to be a way of lure fishing it otherwise you'll miss valuable opportunities. Newt would, I suspect, recommend Texas Rigged worms and grubz, google away for that one. Me, I'd use either 'weedless' lures, of which there are many, or I'd use spoons or soft bodied shads rigged with 'circle' hooks. These hooks show a remarkable ability to be worked through weeds and obstructions without becoming snagged. Since winter weed rarely comes to the surface it is also possible work a lure just above it. I did that on Xmas Eve for a couple of hours in the morning, not a bad result although nothing big. I read somewhere or another that if your lure comes out of the water without weed on it then you are fishing in the wrong place. I don't entirely agree, pike do feed in open water, but it is a valid comment. With the advent of braid, 30lb minimum, weed has ceased to be a problem. Just yank your snagged lure out of the weed.

[Newt]

In addition to the lures Peter recommended, you can usually do well with jigs provided you use a heavy jig head (around the 1oz size) so it will quickly sink through the weed. The lower levels are usually much clearer than higher in the water and if you don't get a take on the fall, you can work the jig after it is under most of the salad. Tip the jig with a 4-6 inch 'tail' and it will look large enough to a pike to be worth the effort of moving quickly in cold weather.

 

[Steve Burke]

I'd echo what others have written about the type of lues to use in weedy swims.

 

I'd also reccomend crankbaits that float at rest but dive beneath the surface when retrieved. Each model in a given size will dive to a set maximum depth, depending mainly on the length of cast and the diameter of your line. You can thus get them just "tickling" the top of the weed.

[Neil G]

Rigg'd, weed is great for holding the pike so yes, there has to be a way of lure fishing it otherwise you'll miss valuable opportunities. Newt would, I suspect, recommend Texas Rigged worms and grubz, google away for that one. Me, I'd use either 'weedless' lures, of which there are many, or I'd use spoons or soft bodied shads rigged with 'circle' hooks. These hooks show a remarkable ability to be worked through weeds and obstructions without becoming snagged. Since winter weed rarely comes to the surface it is also possible work a lure just above it. I did that on Xmas Eve for a couple of hours in the morning, not a bad result although nothing big. I read somewhere or another that if your lure comes out of the water without weed on it then you are fishing in the wrong place. I don't entirely agree, pike do feed in open water, but it is a valid comment. With the advent of braid, 30lb minimum, weed has ceased to be a problem. Just yank your snagged lure out of the weed.

 

Spinnerbaits also a great lure to fish over weed and lilly pads in the summer as they very rarely snag up