Is it just me cant catch a fish whilst lure fishing

[Tree123]

Is just me that is rubbish at lure fishing for all predators. ( pike perch and zander)

I can count one hand the amount of lure caught fish iv2 had in the last few years on a lure. I really like the idea of being really light moving a lot and just grabbing stuff and getting out the door.
But my results are awful compared to baiting appoarch.

Is just me that finds this.. I mean company would have you believe that its the only way to catch them. But granted they will make a lot more money selling you shads ans jig heads then just floats and line

 

[John Aston]

It's all about getting confidence in the technique. It is a vicious circle as no fish means reduced confidence , which in turn means reduced chances and so on . I really struggled when I started light lure fishing in 2012 - I'd fished plugs and spinners for decades but light lure fishing is a different discipline altogether - much more subtle .

Take a step back and maybe reflect about these points; I am no great expert but I've caught a decent amount of fish on lures
.

- choice of lure is not remotely important compared to other factors . You don't need much to catch - on my waters (river and canal) a selection of jigs from 3.5 to 5 g , a few dropshot weights. some hooks between 6 and 2 and (eg) some spikey shads in various colours, some curly tailed lures and you're in business. And try some lobs on dropshot too - that works well

- treat lure fishing more like fly fishing than conventional coarse fishing , which means keeping on the move (your first cast into a swim is your best chance)

- location is key , then presentation. Fish methodically , and probably much slower than you imagine. If drop shotting , remember to 'work the worm , not the weight' as they say in the US . In other words, impart movement to the lure but keep the lead on the deck - it isn't old school sink and draw

- don't slavishly follow the advice in the mags that you must always fish to features, that lock gates and bridges on canals, and weed beds and cover on rivers are always hot spots - they can be , but they can also be poor . Fish anywhere and everywhere , ideally as far away from other anglers as possible , if they walk ten minutes to fish , walk 40 !

Stick with it - as a method I rate it as every bit as much fun as fly fishing (and you don't get a higher accolade from men than that)

 

[Ray Roberts]

As Grayson said, keep moving to find the fish. When you bait fish you attract the fish to you. With lure fishing you have to find the fish. Also some people try a lure as a last resort and that in itself can give a false impression as there are days when the fish aren’t really having it and if that’s the time you decide to try a lure then your results will understandably be poor.


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[Tree123]

Yeah. Of I'm going lure fishing. I'm only going lure fishing.
I have only really Fished features then all the water that I can.
I have had a tendency to chop and change between colour shads and technique.


Maybe I'm the problem then. And should be my goal fit then to get confidence in lure fishing and a select few lures and techniques and just try to catch thing on them rather then decent fish

 

[bullet]

Get a few lures that you know work in the waters you fish, by asking others if necessary, and stick with those. This will immediately give you confidence, and you can learn the most effective way to fish these before trying others.
IMO you don't need lots of different ones, I use about 3 different lures for 90% of my Bass fishing, if they don't hit those, they're not in the mood!

 

[David Rogers 3]

On my local canals (Macclesfield and Trent & Mersey), the perch have seen (and been caught on) lures so often over the last 3 or 4 years that they've wised up to the point where it's almost impossible to catch on them. Worms and maggots, they never wise up to. Pike are still being caught on lures, though.

 

[steve2]

The way I got into lure fishing was to leave all other tackle at home and don't treat it as a last resort method. Biggest problem I have is not being able to lure fish for anything on some of my club waters because they still have the out dated pike close season.

 

[john step]

Firstly features. Not always apparent. The deepening bottom of the shelf is probably the biggest feature on a lake. All the way round the lake!
Secondly I too consider myself lacking in the lure department.

The most success I have had going back many years has been on those lures that were called plugs yonks ago.
My favourite go anywhere plug was something called a Shakespeare Big S. Often derided by the lure snobs who would spend more than a days wages on a plug.
The reason is they floated until retrieved then had a seductive wobble and a ball bearing that made a rattle sound. I did catch pike,perch and chub on them. I did catch on the mini S series but never like the Big 'un.
One could hold them in the flow on a river and they would hover and wiggle on their own accord. Easy peasey.

I dont think they are still sold. However there are still "plugs" that float until retrieved sold . Whats more they can be shallow divers(canals etc) or deeper divers (lakes). I must say they are better than the old Big S.

I am no way connected the the company just a customer who was recommended by another dave on here.

Have a look at AGM TACKLE but a warning is to keep your credit card somewhere safe until you decide because their range is extensive and dangerous to the thrifty!

PS. The biggest pike I caught last winter was on a light lure rod a jig head and a small dead roach fished like a lure very slowly, cast, sink, wait, twitch, wait rise up and sink and so on. Worth getting some tiny deadbaits??

 

[Tree123]

Yeah I looked at agm before. And the choice was mind boggling. I've caught on orange and natural "fishy" patterns before.. so I'm thinking I'll just start there. So I can get confidence in the method.

 

[steve2]

The Big S is still available and is still a good plug. Caught many chub on the Small S version.
Lure collecting is addictive you only need to look in my shed and find boxes of them.
The old copper and silver spoons still also work well. Just get some old spoons and cut the handles off drill two holes put on a couple of split rings for the hook and swivel. Cheap and cheerful and they work.

 

[waldi]

IMO you don't need lots of different ones, I use about 3 different lures for 90% of my Bass fishing,

I got dozens (and dozens) of lures, and also use just a small handful regularly.
Most of the waters I fish are quite shallow so a surface or sub-surface lure is usually the order of the day.
Lure pattern (as in stripes etc) I find less important than colour (dark or light) and retrieve speed.

Despite the large financial investment in plugs and so, I still catch about 3/4 quarters of my fish on small mepps spinners in either gold or silver.
They will often bring the bigger fish out of cover just for a look-see.

Best and most fun fish so far was a 17lb pike on a J05 rapala and 1-7grm rod but also lots of good chub and pike to about 10lb on small 0/0 to size 2 mepps.

 

[David Rogers 3]

The Big S is still available and is still a good plug.

I don't know if it's a fault with my casting, but 9 times out of 10, a Big S comes back with the rear treble tangled with the main line. Doesn't do a lot for the action (which is very good when it's not tangled). Any ideas?

 

[steve2]

It could be the trace is too flexible I switched to single strand titanium for most of my lure fishing and it helps to stop many tangles.

 

[David Gane]

I don't know if it's a fault with my casting, but 9 times out of 10, a Big S comes back with the rear treble tangled with the main line. Doesn't do a lot for the action (which is very good when it's not tangled). Any ideas?

You're not alone. It happens to everyone sometimes, and I have some lures that do it more than others, so it's obviously lure design at fault to some extent. However one tip that works well for me to reduce the frequency is to feather the lure just before it hits the water. Just touch the spool of your reel with a finger of your right hand (assuming you're right handed) just before the lure splashes down. It straightens the link between the lure and the line so that the lure lands facing you rather than in a heap and that in turn stops the hooks from tangling with anything else.

 

[David Gane]

Is just me that is rubbish at lure fishing for all predators. ( pike perch and zander)

I can count one hand the amount of lure caught fish iv2 had in the last few years on a lure. I really like the idea of being really light moving a lot and just grabbing stuff and getting out the door.
But my results are awful compared to baiting appoarch.

Is just me that finds this.. I mean company would have you believe that its the only way to catch them. But granted they will make a lot more money selling you shads ans jig heads then just floats and line

I won't repeat the good advice that others have given. One thing worthy of note though is that this is not the best time of year for lure fishing. Nobody catches as much in winter. Rivers are currently in flood and that makes fishing in moving water extremely difficult. In static water the fish are also less active. Two things that are worth giving a go though. Try experimenting with different colour lures. I seem to do better with bright green lures in winter than I ever do in summer (the green firetiger pattern is worth a look). Secondly, try looking for for lures that work well at low speed. Something with a good, realistic action that can be retrieved very slowly is much better than a lure that has to be retrieved quickly.

Another idea. Have you tried drop-shotting? Give it a look.

 

[Tree123]

I have tried dropshot. Had one one fish then take a big break. I think my issues with DS was river was flooded and I had way to long a tail on it.. as in like 2 foot.

 

[ian g]

I'm glad you started this thread , I also struggle with lure fishing but really enjoy it . I used to fish a local mere that was crystal clear and had loads of perch . I used to catch on pretty any type of lure during the summer . I've not got access any more and find it tough going on the local canal and Severn . I think the focus advise is probably very good I tend to cheat and take some lob worms with me

 

[Tree123]

Good to know that the mepps style are good. As they are so cheap. Maybe they have just fallen out of fashion compared to like of ds ned and cheb rigs and shads

 

[keora]

Is just me that is rubbish at lure fishing for all predators. ( pike perch and zander)

I can count one hand the amount of lure caught fish iv2 had in the last few years on a lure. I really like the idea of being really light moving a lot and just grabbing stuff and getting out the door.
But my results are awful compared to baiting appoarch.

Is just me that finds this.. I mean company would have you believe that its the only way to catch them. But granted they will make a lot more money selling you shads ans jig heads then just floats and line

I think the best time for lure fishing is September to November. It gets a bit harder for the remainder of the winter, but predators are still catchable.

You can get some good advice by reading this:

Lure Fishing UK

There's also other articles about lure fishing on the site.

 

[John Aston]

A couple more thoughts . I am no tackle tart but if you are going to lure fishing properly the right gear will increase your enjoyment and help the catch rate. A custom light lure rod is a very different and much more responsive and lissom rod than a spinning rod. I use three - an 8-6 Fox (for when I am having to fish over rushes and bankside weed ) a 7-6 Drennan Drop Shot ( my go to rod for rivers and/or if pike are expected ) and my favourite, a 6ft Shimano Zodias - incredibly light , but I've had carp and pike to low doubles on it . A joy to play even a 4 oz perch on !

Small reels and braid are essential, and don't believe all that old tut about how you won't get bitten off by pike on flurocarbon. You will. Not every time, but often enough to make wire a sensible choice when pike can be expected . I use wonderful knottable wire called Surflon - infinitely better than the other brands of knottable I have tried .

But the gear is not important compared to mindset. Light lure fishing takes a lot of learning , and if it's treated by the angler as a harmless bit of fun to try when all else fails it will end in tears. Practice , practice, practice - and try to fish where most anglers don't .