Lost a little faith in lures

[Houseplant]

I've been lure fishing a little stretch of river near my home for sometime. Mainly used soft baits, small plugs and spinners, but have tried everything with limited success. It got to the point where I thought there were few predators present.

 

Last couple of trips I've been after silver fish and have put a pike rod out just to see what would happen -deadbaits ignored, but small lives resulted in run after run. Nothing big, but I'm happy to catch jacks. In fact, the only limiting factor in how many pike I land is how many livebaits I can catch.

 

I've fished very livebait-orientated waters before, but they always responded to lures. This doesn't seem to be the case on this one. I don't claim to be a master lure angler, but I'm normally pretty confident with a lure rod in my hand. The river is about 30 feet across, 15 ft at the deepest, deep margins slow moving and usually coloured.

 

Any thoughts?

[Leon Roskilly]

On some waters only livebaits will do.

 

On some waters, at certain times of the year, only livebaits will do,

 

That is something that the anti-livebait brigade simply cannot get their heads around

 

For my part, on most of the waters that I fish, lures and/or deadbaits will normally fish quite well, in fact I regard live-baiting as 'cheating', requiring little skill or knowledge of watercraft.

 

But it's not the same on all waters, and a blanket livebait ban would deprive many anglers of their sport.

[gozzer]

I've been lure fishing a little stretch of river near my home for sometime. Mainly used soft baits, small plugs and spinners, but have tried everything with limited success. It got to the point where I thought there were few predators present.

 

Last couple of trips I've been after silver fish and have put a pike rod out just to see what would happen -deadbaits ignored, but small lives resulted in run after run. Nothing big, but I'm happy to catch jacks. In fact, the only limiting factor in how many pike I land is how many livebaits I can catch.

 

I've fished very livebait-orientated waters before, but they always responded to lures. This doesn't seem to be the case on this one. I don't claim to be a master lure angler, but I'm normally pretty confident with a lure rod in my hand. The river is about 30 feet across, 15 ft at the deepest, deep margins slow moving and usually coloured.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I used to fish a tributary of the Swale that sounds very similar to your river, loads of small jacks.

We (dare I say it) removed some (with the owners permission), and in a couple of seasons the fishing improved, better quality pike, roach and some good perch. The pike were still caught on live-bait, more often than lures though.

[Newt]

Nothing on lures or deads is interesting and has to be frustrating.

 

About the only other thing I can think of to try is the various lure scents and it sounds like this time of year, the fish-scented products would be the best starting place.

 

Adding scent may not help but it is certainly a thing I would try before giving up lures on this water.

 

For Hard Baits and this time of year, I think Threadfin Shad would be my choice.

 

Soft Lures and this Walleye scent may do the trick for you. Maybe Minnow or Nightcrawler (lob worm).

 

They may not help but I'd really be tempted to give it a try.

[Peter Waller]

In practical terms, unless the weather is really dead and flat, I would still favour lures. Okay, so it becomes a different ball game, you will need to work at it. Okay, on a crisp and frosty day you might find shallow divers useful, but in the main I believe that you really have to work at it. You will need to work hard against the bottom, using a deep diving lure that trips its diving vane along the bottom, even if the waterway is not that deep. Ideally work along rather than across a river or canal.

[StuMac]

In practical terms, unless the weather is really dead and flat, I would still favour lures. Okay, so it becomes a different ball game, you will need to work at it. Okay, on a crisp and frosty day you might find shallow divers useful, but in the main I believe that you really have to work at it. You will need to work hard against the bottom, using a deep diving lure that trips its diving vane along the bottom, even if the waterway is not that deep. Ideally work along rather than across a river or canal.

 

 

My last three pike fishing trips have all been on cold days with frost in the morning. On the last one half of the loch (including my favorite spots) was covered in ice. Each time I tried the accepted method, and used weighted lures in deeper areas, concentrating them on keeping them hard on the bottom - nothing. I then tried small tobies / shads retrieved quite quickly over shallow (2 - 5 feet deep) areas and started getting follows / hits straight away.

 

The first trip produced seven small pike and a 2 lb perch, the second was colder and I was dubious about my chances of catching anything, but got 9 jacks and 3 trout. The third trip, when the loch was half iced over, I really thought I was just going to be going through the motions but got 9 pike up to 8 lb and a trout.

 

Somtimes the fish just havn't read the rule book - that's what makes fishing so fantastic!!

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

i fish a river,its not particuarly pressured,most of teh fish come out on lives,infact there are alot of days you lure fish ya heart out for one take,sma ewith deads you might get one take.

put a liv'o out and bang,it will go off,again and again think our record is about 8 or 9 fish one after teh other all on lives up to about 8lb,it is liek this most days,take lives you will catch without its a struggle.

 

but all my bigger fish(doubles) have come to big sea deads none to a livebait ,a 1lb+ chub might get one!,but then a jack will hit it first know doubt!

[The Flying Tench]

Ideally work along rather than across a river or canal.

 

Peter, a few months ago you gave details of a device you put on the line that makes the lure go parallel to the bank. I finally realise I need to get one! Could you say what it's called, and then I can use 'search' to find the thread.

 

John

[WickerDave]

Peter, a few months ago you gave details of a device you put on the line that makes the lure go parallel to the bank. I finally realise I need to get one! Could you say what it's called, and then I can use 'search' to find the thread.

 

John

 

This thread?... http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/index.p...4192entry534192

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks, Dave, that's the one.

 

John