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Pike & Soft Plastic Lures


Newt

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US anglers seem to think highly of soft plastics for Northern Pike (called simply 'pike' in the UK but the same species). Not as the only lures by any means but excellent under many conditions.

 

UK anglers, at least from what I read on AN since it is my only regular UK angling forum, don't. There seems to be a feeling that they simply won't work. I have no idea if this is based on, "well I tried them extensively and they never produced" or if it is more, "well no one uses them so they can't be good".

 

I live where it is too warm for pike so can't offer any first-hand experiences but I do gotta wonder

- they just don't work

- you never tried

- you tried, they worked, you ain't telling

 

I do have to warn some folks though that when we manage to get over for a visit and some fishing in 2006, I'll be packing some large 'plastic worms' and plan to have one hell of a lot of fun trying to find out for myself.

 

If they do work for me, I intend to yell, "I TOLD YOU SO, NAAA NAAA NAAA" loudly and often.

 

:D:D:D

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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Soft plastics are about the biggest thing in pike fishing! Bulldawgs, Castaics, Storm swimshads, mag grubs, twin tail grubs etc are about the most versatile, effective and widely used pike lures today. The trouble with a lot of large sized "bass" plastics is that they are designed to be used without a wire leader, whereas the ones listed about are either prerigged or can be easily used with a jig head which can be attached to a wire leader. Those big bass worms would undoubtably catch pike, but are more problematic to rig up in a pike safe way.

 

Where are you going to be staying when you come over Newt?

Tim

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Come on then boss post me some across the "pond". Will send some of my specials in return!

 

 

Fishing digs on the Mull of Galloway - recommend

HERE

 

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Me when I had hair

 

 

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Tim - I'd expect these to do fine with wire leader.

 

Posted Image

 

MrMatthew - no reason I could think of that soft plastics would be a 'boat only' lure. While lure angling is certainly easier from a boat for all types of lures, if a plug/jerkbait/spinner will catch for you at a certain lake from shore, then I'd expect the soft plastics to do so as well.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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Not sure where you got that feeling from Newt, most regular pikers on here talk about grubs and shads over everything else. OK we've had a few copper spoon moments but its largely soft lures. I would go with Tim Kelly's views. Bulldawgs have not only changed the way lure anglers fish the big deep reservoirs but have turned died-in-the-wool bait fishermen into lure anglers. My favourites however will always be the 8inch mag grubs, they changed my luck for over two years and whilst they are beginning to fade a little on the waters where I think the pike have 'seen it and done it' I had days when an orange 8inch mag grubs went on the trace and stayed until it it was too mauled to go on. My regular boat partners were no different.

These days I use scented eel imitations as well as grubs and twintails. not too far removed from the original grubs that I originally used, just a little more sophisticated.

'I've got a mind like a steel wassitsname'

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'Tim - I'd expect these to do fine with wire leader'

 

Newt these are way too small. Great for perch and zander and canal jacks but not for pike.

I dont mean to suggest that they wont catch pike, along the way they will. But there are far more successful pike rigs. The acid test from a US perspective is that if you'd use them for muskie then you'd use them for pike. I doubt if many muskie fisherman would use a soft bait mounted on a texas rigged 4/0 Its more likely a 7/0 or 9/0 leaded jig head or two size 4-8 trebles on a wired mount via a hitchhiker screwed into the head.

'I've got a mind like a steel wassitsname'

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Newt

 

I recently had a 18 and 20lb fish in one day on a very similar lure. Similar but about 3 times the size! I catch a lot of perch and some zander with slim 5" tubes too. They do work well, but bass sized baits are possilby not the best choice if you're looking for larger pike.

 

For most Americans a 5lb pike is a good one, and for fish that size bass baits are very good, but if you want to try to increase the average size of pike you catch bigger baits help. A 5lb pike over here is almost considered nuisance size!

Tim

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In fairness to Newt's question I would point out that there has been some debate recently about working a deadbait similarly to a lure. Although some of us have promoted the idea of soft bodied shads there has still been some retinance at their use.

 

Yes, they have become big in the UK as lures in themselves, some years after the US discovered them. Granted that both Rubex and ABU did soft bodies back in the 1960s but the UK, as a whole, didn't seem that enthusiastic until very recently.

 

Whahey folks, why can't you use a wire trace with a Texas or Carolina rigged worm? Stands to reason that you simply tie the trace (10lb multi-strand) direct to the hook.

 

And why are we always talking pike? Chub, perch and zander are worthy of our attention, surely?

 

The bulldogs have caught on, as have a few other soft bodied lures, but we don't, as a generalisation, use soft baits as the Americans do. Granted that over the last three years the more enlightened ones amongst us, Argyll, Budgie, Tim and a few other regulars have realised the real value of soft plastics.

 

Infact Argyll has tirelessly encouraged his friends to their use. I know his friend, Charlie Bettell, has also promoted them, especially the mag grubz which, in fairness to Charlie, owes much of its eventual popularity to him.

 

But I can remember a conversation to Charlie about soft bodied shads a few years before I met Argyll. Charlie was a bit sceptical at that time, but eventually he wrote about them in Coarse Fisherman. They still didn't catch on though, not until the BullDawg was 'discovered'. Strange though, how things that go round eventually come round.

 

But how many UK tackle shops can you walk into and buy a circle hook or a worm hook, or even a mag-tail grub for that matter? Its only now that a few are stocking jig heads for heavens sakes! When it comes to hooks for plastics UK retailers haven't got a clue.

 

On AN we are blessed with the likes of Newt who is prepared to spread the gospel back from the US. The US is way ahead of us in lure fishing. Granted that we have to adapt to our conditions. The Fox Micro Jerk is an obvious adaption from the mega US jerks developed for muskies.

 

I have just been watching a DVD that an exceptionally warm hearted and kind American gentleman, Newt, sent me called 'Wormin' with Woo'. Okay, so it is all bass orientated, but so much of it applies to conditions very similar to the Norfolk Broads where I live. It really is an eye-opener to snag fishing.

 

It's snag fishing with soft bodies that the US has got us well and truly beaten on. I can't wait until tommorow when I'm off out there trying scaled up bass rigs! In the past I've used 5/0 circles and these have been ideal for pike to big size.

 

As for those big worms that Newt has mentioned, by the time he gets here they will be well and truly tried, and hopefully proven! Just you see!!

Newt has also given me a link to a site with some great information re pike and soft bodied baits. It was the Muskie & Pike Plastics site Newt. Just checked, its www.gameandfishmag.com/muskiespike/...e/gf_aa086203a/

 

Yer average UK piker is sceptical enough about lures without thinking about soft baits!!

 

<small>[ 12. December 2004, 01:09 AM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]</small>

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Even though I am slightly different to Peter by prefering a natural dead bait for wobbling (simpley so I can leave it inactive on the bottom for periods) I certainly cant fault soft plastic lures for lure fishing.I have said it before that I prefer Dawgs,Super Sandras and Mag Grubs to Shads but I still use them!.

 

As Peter says though they have been slow to take off in this country untill just recently.This can be said to a certain degree for lure fishing in general.Qne of the main factors that has played a part in this is the availability of suitable size lures.For many years the serious lure angler had to shop abroad ie the US most of the lures easily available here were small "bass" (Black Bass not our sea Bass size lures.Yes they still catch but they are no where near as effective as the larger sizes.When bigger "Musky" size lures became more available here the growth in lure fishing (no doubt down to their effectiveness) came about.The same is now happening with soft baits.As said the likes of the easy to work Bulldawgs have helped a lot here.Lets remember that it isnt that long ago when trying to buy a 5"+ lure was extremely difficult.Thanks to the likes of Fox you can buy a Jerkbait in most shops now.The Bulldawg is following suit.

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

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Agreed that your average coarse angler or even deadbaiter don't use soft plastics, but then they very rarely use any lure at all. The lure anglers in this country have taken soft plastics on board with open arms though. If newt were to look at a pike or lure fishing forum instead of a general coarse fishing forum he would have a very different impression of how UK anglers fish.

Tim

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