Mini lure fishing.

[john step]

I have noticed that there are a few on here posting about catching all sorts on mini lures. I have done minimal lure fishing and am not conversant with the current trend of these mini lures.

I know its a bit premature to be considering my winter piking but with the demise of the Witham I am considering alternatives as I don't want to keep on at the same old venues. I have perch fishing at my disposal and one or two places to consider where mini pike may be available as well as chub etc. which could well be fun on light tackle. A useful diversion when the going gets tough.

Could any of you give info on how to start, what tackle and what type of these mini lures are best. I presume my Tress hook traces would be OK?

Although from the South originally my genes are from further North so the "Don't spend too much" blood still courses through the veins.:wh

 

[rich66]

I started a few years ago, my normal go to set up is 3g jig head with a 7.5 shad, 8lb fluorocarbon leader. Since I started catching pike I’ve started using a trace but the majority of pike I caught have been with the fluro leader so I may just carry on not had any bite offs My son bought me these off eBay
Ripper Kopyto Soft Fishing Lures Bait 7.5cm 3'' Jig Heads Perch Pike Drop Shot | eBay

And to be honest I’ve caught more pike and perch on them than anything else. Gold glittery one seems to pick the perch and the yellow/orange one the pike like.

Extremely good fun on light tackle

 

[stillwater blue]

My rod is a 7ft 0-7g with a fast action paired with a shimano 1k sized reel. I use a braided mainline and I'm currently using 9lb dawia J braid x8 in chartreuse tied with an albright knot to a 6lb fluoro trace. I rarely use trebles or lures over 2" and if I do I use a wire trace, although in the water I fish pike are rare beasts. Jigs heads are anywhere between 1g - 5g depending upon flow and wind, I always fish the lightest jig head that I can keep in touch with, and somewhere between size 6 - 1 depending upon lure size.

As for lures I don't have thousands of different types just a few types I'm confident in. I use generic grubs, reins rockvibe shads, eco-gear grass minnows and relax kopyto shads the most. I generally carry a natural pattern, a dark pattern and a couple of bright patterns of each type of lure, I find brighter patterns better for me.

 

[Aussie Bob]

I bought a pretty cheap Daiwa ultra light lure rod (2-8 grm) a few months ago 6'6"have a shimano reel and 6lb mono straight through (me and braid do not get along) . Mainly been fishing very small spinners and spoons for perch. No Pike in Australia so don't need a trace. Have cast some small shallow running hardbodies with some success as well. Lots of fun and most of the fishing is at short range casting around structure and above and around weed beds. Would recommend if you can dumping trebles and going to single hooks on lures I don't see any significant difference in hook ups between singles and trebles. Much better in weed and releasing fish , less snagging of hooks in the landing net as well. If you want to start off cheap then spinners and soft plastics are a lot cheaper than hardbodies.

 

[Another Dave]

John, are you looking for an entire setup including rod or just looking to pick up a few cheap effective lures to give them a go? Just trying to get a feel for your budget here.

I only have a year's experience of this type of fishing but i already have favourite lures and have also wasted a lot of cash of lures i'll probably never catch on.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

Your set up doesnt matter too much, I use a heavy pike rod for most of my lure fishing with 20lb braid and a LONG wire trace.. Im always in contact with my lure and have no problems catching perch, pike, chub, trout and the illusive zander. I must admit I normally use swimbaits in some form or another (baits that you essentially just reel in with an occasional pause or jerk along the bottom) so "imparting action" in my lures is not something i look for in a rod. I have found that a heavy rod allows an amazing hookset where as these flimsy 10gm rods lack backbone. I guess my advice to you would be:

*Dont get carried away, you dont need any fancy gear, just buy some cheap braid and some small swimbaits

* Dont wait until winter! Lure fishing is at its best in the warmer months (its actually pretty diabolical in winter)

I must say the biggest perch I have ever caught in my life was on 10lb mono with no trace in the height of summer.. Food for thought maybe?

A picture of a tiny little Z (with the most delicate bite you could imagine) I caught with aforementioned set up: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

 

[103841]

A heavy pike rod for catching perch? Bit like using a carp rod for roach fishing. As in all methods of fishing, setup does matter.

 

[john step]

John, are you looking for an entire setup including rod or just looking to pick up a few cheap effective lures to give them a go? Just trying to get a feel for your budget here.

I only have a year's experience of this type of fishing but i already have favourite lures and have also wasted a lot of cash of lures i'll probably never catch on.

Dave, I have a light carbon tele spinning rod somewhere in the back of my rod locker. I guess I could get away with that and my Shimmy 2500.
Its more about the tiny rubber lures I have seen posted on here. I think you have put pictures of a lure with 2 cute little curved tails?
Do you put your own hooks in them or do they come ready hooked?

More about the best small lures really. Also have you found braid better than mono.

 

[stillwater blue]

Also have you found braid better than mono.

Braid is alot better than mono in my experience, it casts better than mono particularly with light jig heads and the lack of stretch is a massive boon in detecting subtle bites. Personally I like the bright colours that are easier to see as some bites you can't feel but you see the braid jerk or move to one side.

The zander below picked up a static 2" Rein Rockvibe shad in the margins. The braid jumped up an inch or so and that was the only indication of a take, as I was fishing bright braid I saw the take.

 

[Another Dave]

Dave, I have a light carbon tele spinning rod somewhere in the back of my rod locker. I guess I could get away with that and my Shimmy 2500.
Its more about the tiny rubber lures I have seen posted on here. I think you have put pictures of a lure with 2 cute little curved tails?
Do you put your own hooks in them or do they come ready hooked?

More about the best small lures really. Also have you found braid better than mono.

John, i'll get you links to the relevant lures and jigheads when i get a moment, right now i'm a little busy at work (have a cornershop / off license).

I have enjoyed using 6lb braid but today i was out with 4lb mono and it was fine.

 

[Another Dave]

You're basic soft plastics for mini lures are going to be curly tail grubs, twin-tails and various creature lures, and paddle-tails aka shads. There are others, such as various worms but these are your starting points. The lures themselves are soft plastic, it's up to you to match the right jighead - just offer the jighead up against the lure and you'll see if the hook size looks right and where the hook needs to come out of the lure. Make a mental note of this point on the lure and thread it on. Crush the barb down if you're practicing, i crush them all down anyway.

agm is a good site, i spent ages shopping around and they seem to be the best on price for jigheads. The site is very user friendly too. Jig Heads - sorted by HOOK SIZE

Size 6 is usually small enough, size 2 at the upper end for me most of the time. Weight-wise a 1g is good for not making a splash under your nose in this summer's ultra shallow water, 3g is hefty enough to cast a bit further. Heavier heads seem to work the lure a bit better, helps you feel the wobble of the lure through the rod too, which is a pleasure in itself. The finesses range are a good start and cheap at less than 30p each.

Getting a bit late but tomorrow will link you some lures i've had some success with, but to be going on with you could do worse than something like this

AGM 3" Curltail Grub - Glow (10pcs)

Pretty cheap and easy to see the action.

 

[Another Dave]

Similar thing but more natural colour for perch Twister 55mm - Ultra Light Lure Predator Fishing

The green looking twin-tail i've been using Mannipulator Twin 4,5cm - Ultra Light Lure Predator Fishing


That twintail looks best on a size 6, for those grubs i'd use a 2.

My advice is to not buy too much of anything, just a few compatible bits. Then have a play with putting the jigheads in the lures and also get a feel for the action in some shallow clear water. It's the action that will inspire your confidence and you'll start getting your own ideas straight away of how to use them on your waters.

For the record, i have as much luck with a steady retrieve as i do with anything.

 

[Philip]

I guess like allot of people my biggest concern when mini lure fishing is around what trace to use. I have settled on Fluro but I still stress about what diameter to go with. I say diameter rather then breaking strain under the assumption its the thickness that is going to prevent a bite off from a rouge Pike for example.

Obviously in a water with allot of Pike I think its best to go with wire but within reason what diameter Fluro do people consider becomes Pike Proof(ish) ?

 

[stillwater blue]

Obviously in a water with allot of Pike I think its best to go with wire but within reason what diameter Fluro do people consider becomes Pike Proof(ish) ?

In the diameters that suit mini lure fishing I don't think you can get any fluoro that's anywhere near pike proofish. Bite offs from pike seem to be luck of the draw, most I win but some I lose. I justify it to myself by using barbless single hooks on fluoro and presume the pike will rid itself of the hook quickly, so no harm done. If I use trebles then I always use wire.

 

[spoonminnow]

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[spoonminnow]

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[john step]

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REPLIED. CERTAINLY A LOT OF INFO TO GET ME STARTED.

Another Dave...PM on way.

 

[john step]

I guess like allot of people my biggest concern when mini lure fishing is around what trace to use. I have settled on Fluro but I still stress about what diameter to go with. I say diameter rather then breaking strain under the assumption its the thickness that is going to prevent a bite off from a rouge Pike for example.

Obviously in a water with allot of Pike I think its best to go with wire but within reason what diameter Fluro do people consider becomes Pike Proof(ish) ?

Philip,For the last 2 or 3 years I have been using Cannelle Wondertress (I think thats the spelling) for much of my piking traces. When I try mini lures soon I will try using it for this type of fishing. It behaves like a braid. It has wire fibres woven into it and is extremely durable. Its flexible and knots like braid.
It outlasts wire by a multiple of times which negates the greater cost.
I have a thinner example of 8 kg bs which I think will be fine for this as opposed to the beefier stuff for piking. The 8kg strength I use for deadbaiting for perch where pike and eels are a possibility.
I get it from pecheur.com in France who mail order it.
There are a few videos on youtube about it.

 

[Another Dave]

spoonminnow - your post there has really got me thinking you could teach me a thing or two. I'm at the stage where if i can't see, and indeed feel, some kind of wobble in the tail action then my faith in the lure just isn't there. Your pics prove i'm wrong, there is so much to master. i was out today with a 1.5" hard plastic and had interest from chub, little perch and a solid take from a jack where i fluffed the strike but in the 1 hour i was out there were so many 'could have beens'.

john step - i'm using 6lb knot2kinky, fancy swapping a trace in the interests of fishing science?

 

[spoonminnow]

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