Part 1 – Getting started
There’s no doubt at all that after stuttering along for most of the last century lure fishing is now here to stay – and in a big way. I’ve just come back from the Lure Angler’s Society annual conference in Derby, and to say that the sport is going places would be an understatement. Excellent talks on offer, literally thousands of lures and tackle at very competitive prices, and lure fishing ‘stars’ available to chat to. If you fancy taking up lure fishing, here’s what to do:
1.Join the LAC. That way you meet people in your region who will help you – anglers are like that. You get a good magazine, an annual conference with all its good deals and information, and regional meetings. 
2.If it happens that there isn’t a region near you – and that’s unlikely – then join the PAC (Pike Anglers’ Club) instead (Ian Maguire, 66 Navigation Road, Altrincham, WA14 1NF). Whilst members lure fish for pike many of them lure fish for other species too.
3.Read some lure books quickly! Authors to look for, apart from myself and Ken Whitehead(!), are Charlie Bettell, Mike Ladle, James Holgate, and Mike Pritchard.
So there are three good ways to take on board advice quickly. One other way is to contact The Harris Angling Company. This is run by two very experienced lure fishers, Sue and Chris Harris, and it has the advantage that you can buy lures from them. I’d do all of that, personally, in order to get up to speed quickly. In a matter of weeks you’ll be catching plenty of fish with the best of them.
Now, I want to deal with something else all budding lure anglers need to appreciate fairly quickly, if they are to get maximum enjoyment from the sport. It’s this: you can fish for almost anything using lures, be it sea, game, big game or coarse. Lure fishing does not begin and end with pike. It’s often convenient to begin there, but my recommendation is that you progress quickly and try real variety. Before I go on to deal with a basic set of equipment I need to deal with one more important matter, and that is the number and type of lure you will need. It’s easy: you cannot possibly have too many. Whatever the pundits say about the lure catching the angler, not the fish, take no notice. The more and varied lures you have the more fish you will catch. Trust me!
Rods
Let’s look at rods. Get something about 9ft long, test curve around 1
