Lure fishing on Rivers

[spamhill]

Just got back into it recently [Pike fishing] and as is probably the norm have done most of my pike fishing in winter with deadbaits. So lure fishing tended to be a bit of a side show whilst waiting for a buzzer. I live really close to the river Tees and will be targetting this come open season, but I want to do a propper job instead of casting and hoping. I have invested in a Gord burton 30-70g Jerkbait rod and have a six shooter reel, I aslo have a range of old plugs and a few Shads which I think are meant for sea fishing but are sold as pike lures. I've loaded the reel with fox driftmaster 30lb braid. I've used it on the still waters and caught 7 so far but nothing above 6lb, it's the river I really want to concentrate on come june. Any tips would be more than welcome.

[john]

don't know about the tees mate, but i do a lot of lure fishing for both chub and pike on the derbyshire dove. i carry two rods, one a light outfit for the chub and a heavier one for pike. for me for the pike its cast across, let the lure work round to the near bank and then twitch back. 90% of my fish come from the nearside bank. look for the little slacks near fast water. four chucks then move. also i find a change of lure can bring a result.( heddon meadow mouse is my fav. lure) good luck.

[jeepster]

which stretches of the dove do you fish john? are the the DRAC ones? after a few years of derwent disappointment, i think i might give the dove a go this year

[Croix]

jeepster:

after a few years of derwent disappointment

Disappointment in terms of size or quantity Jon ?

I've always found it OK for quantity but a bit lacking on size.

[jeepster]

both to be honest, i've never had a good day, i've fished from the weir at whatstandwell to belper, and i've never had much

[spamhill]

I'm not familiar with the H.M.Mouse is it a surface bait? and what size of pike does this type of lure attract. What do you make of the new jelly types available

[jeepster]

the meadow mouse is indeed a surface lure. don't be misled though, different sizes or types of lures do not attract different sizes of fish, if a pike is hungry, or you wind it up enough it will take whatever you put in front of it. if by 'new jelly' you mean the soft plastic grubs and similar, they are very very effective

[Newt]

Heddon Meadow Mouse

[argyll]

Dont know a thing about the Tees, but if it were the Thames I'd probably concentrate on first and last light to avoid the boat traffic. look for features just like you would on a stillwater. Sunken trees, bays, old jetties, abandoned boats etc...anywhere that a pike can hold up waiting for food to pass. Dont be afraid to cast tight to cover, you'll snag a few lures but you'll possibly find a few fish.

 

The central boat channel is a good place to look too, if there's no traffic going through.

 

If you fish later into the day, the pike will have moved very tight into cover and whilst they dont mix with whirling propellers its surprising how much they get use to passing traffic. Hot sun overhead is a killer, try to pick an overcast day.

 

The Gord Burton rod and six shooter is a chunky old outfit and will work better with heavier lures, at least 60 grams. Big softbaits like super sandras, bulldawgs, big grubs and shads are working for me at the moment but I'd upgrade your line to 50-80lb braid at least and put the 30lb stuff on a second lighter spinning outfit that you can carry for the smaller lures. It'll also make a good topwater outfit. Its surprisingly easy to crack off 4-5 ozs of softbait with 30lb line.

 

Topwater lures... loads of choices.... I like softbaits, pike hold on a fraction longer. Try the Manns Phat Rat at http://www.lureshack.com or any of the frog imitations. They worked very well on the Thames and Broads last year particularly the Phat Rat. Spinnerbaits seem to work for most people, they may work for you too.

 

If you're fishing from the bank then get used to casting parallel to the bank not straight out unless you have a good target spot straight ahead and use a bit of stealth. Keep your upper body off the skyline as much as possible.

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

The new ranges of piking jelly shads, with bright and sparkly patterns produce good results (I use Conrad). Rattle shad versions work well, espcially for smaller pike.

 

Trying to think outside the box though can be productive. We were getting nothing last year on spoons one day and by chance tried firetail worms (for sea fishing - we had them in the boot of the car) with a few split shot which worked out great (black worms, bright red tails). I took a few on the old hard plastic frog-type lures last year. If it doens't work fairly quickly, change the lure - with snap tackle it's a fairly quick process.