A lure for an old "geezer"!!!

[dave_h]

Does anyone have Harris number, logged on to their website but could not find it,i would much rather talk to them in person .

Cheers in advance

[Peter Waller]

Eel sections, my god Dave, you're taking your life in your hands admitting to using them on this site!

 

Take my advice, don't try and mix lure and bait fishing, it just doesn't work.

 

Work hard at lures, it'll pay off I assure you. 40 to 50 in a day is not unheard of on lures! Don't think you'll find many bait anglers who can say the same.

[Richard Harvey]

Hi Dave-H,

Harris on 01692 581208 8.30am - 6.30pm Weekdays

From the Harris range i would try a 'Northland Reed Runner' spinnerbait, Chartreuse Sunrise has been my best catching colour in these.

Also to get you started on rubber/soft plastic baits they do the 'Mean Headhunters' which gives you one jighead and 3 shad type bodys, available in several lengths and with either a lighter plastic jig head for shallower waters and/or slower retieve or a metal head ( lead?) for deeper or faster retrieve.The spinnerbait and the jigheads have only one upturned hook which will make it less likely for you to snag them, which is also a help on your learning curve with lures.

Theres so many lures Dave , but if you take some of all the above peoples advice and then ask Chris and Sue Harris then i don't think you can do much more to get yourself started in the right direction.

By this time next year you will be giving others advice and probably heading back to the broads without your deadbaits

Oh, and good luck! keep us posted

[Newt]

dave_H - the ugly stik will work fine. It will never be a finely tuned lure casting machine. They aren't made for that. But it will certainly do the job.

 

If you like it, you will probably add specialty rods at some point but that one will do nicely to start.

[Paul_D]

I've got loads of expensive type lures now but I always seems to go back to my favourites, the cheap and very effective Big/Middy 'S' from Shakespeare.

[Steve Burke]

Newt:

As to the rod length thing, I guess I'm gonna have to watch Steve Burke at some point. He has several times said that lure fishing with a long rod isn't tiring. And he knows fishing so I gotta believe him. But I've tried it a few times and it darned near killed me.

I wonder if it has to do with casting styles, casting distance and handle lengths?

 

Firstly, I use double handed rods in the longer lengths, and these are a lot less tiring than single-handed ones.

 

I've also noticed on US videos that the anglers commonly sharply flick their baits out, which I certainly find tiring. My casting style is part flick/part throw.

 

With short rods the lures generally don't go very far, whilst with the longer casts I need to do on my waters there is a longer rest period for the muscles whilst the lure is in the air.

 

Most of all, I find that as I can't cast as far with a short rod I put more effort in. By the end of the day I'm then really exhausted. With a longer rod I find I can keep going a lot longer and I'm still able to make long casts then, especially if I have regular breaks.

 

Of course it may all be down to the muscle-weakening illness I have, and thus I may not be typical, even if I do tire much more quickly than others. However, other anglers have also written that long rods can be less tiring, for instance James Holgate in his excellent lure fishing book.

 

At the end of the day it probably comes down to personal preference. But whenever long casts are needed give me a long rod any day!

[Newt]

Steve - I can see how if you could use two hands, a longer rod with longer handle could be comfortable.

 

And certainly if you need to do mostly long-distance casting where pin-point accuracy isn't needed and you just need direction-control.

 

I frequently fish so if I toss a foot too far, I will catch a tree. A foot too short, I will catch not much of anything. For this, the long rod / two hand technique isn't so good.

 

I usually deal with hand/wrist fatigue (which is getting worse as I get older) by keeping 4 or 5 different rods near to hand. Multipliers and fixed spool. When the hand/wrist gets tired, changing the rod will usually help out. As will switching from a large-lip crank bait to a soft plastic that can be fished slowly and doesn't offer resistance unless there is a fish on.

 

I also get less tired using anything other than crank baits, with a fast or extra-fast action rod rather than a medium or, worst for me, a slow/thru action rod.

 

For the crank baits, a longer (to 8 ft) glass or carbon/glass medium action rod with a multiplier reel is easiest on the wrist.

 

My next step I think is to add one or two of the UK style multiplier reels to my arsenal and try to get used to cranking with the "wrong" hand.

[Steve Burke]

I know what you mean with crankbaits, Newt. The deep divers are especially tiring! I can't fish these for very long these days, although there's no problem trolling them. In fact, because of the precise depth control I find them by far the most effective allround lures for trolling.

 

I agree with you too when you say changing lures can help with fatigue. Changing rods too, although I don't have that option when bank fishing as I take only one.

 

Jerk bait fishing I find very tiring, hence I no longer do any. By jerk baits I mean pike ones, not what I believe are called jerk baits

by US bass anglers.

 

Turning back to handle length - in the UK double handed rods often have overly long handles. Partly this is due to balancing the rod, but it's mainly due to many of our anglers being used to very long handles for long range carp fishing etc.

 

I much prefer a handle length of about 20 inches as this doesn't get in the way when playing fish. However, only a little over an inch or this is a foregrip as this allows my forefinger to touch the rod blank and feel vibrations better.

[steeplejack]

just a quikie,sorry peyer waller,i never got back to you about the anti kink viens.i use lure wire,it is stiff,but shapeable.an audio cassette case is ideal to make the vien with,it's stiff and will hold it's shape with a big spoon(lucky strike,my favourite)

[Peter Waller]

Thanks 'Jack. Good idea, have got loads of old cassette cases since CD's took hold.