Welcome to what’s going to become a regular series on FishingMagic; a feature where I will meet up with various anglers and, as we all do when we are fishing, have a rummage through their tackle boxes! The idea is to see what different anglers like, what they catch with and what gives them their little edges. So with that in mind what better place to start than with my own!
Now with me there was a problem – just as there will be with Welchy when we get around to him – because, as my monthly diary series says, there is more to my fishing than just teeth – I fish for a number of species and so have a number of boxes! However, the chances are that a lot of the future features will be with anglers that fish for the likes of carp, tench, roach, bream etc so I left those boxes in the garage and decided to have a look at what has quickly become one of my favourite methods of fishing – lure angling – and so here are the favourites from my lure box.
I ought to start here by saying ‘box’, with my lures, actually means boxes. Like floats, lures hold a special attraction to anglers and I am sure that there are many that are designed to catch anglers as much as fish! I keep my lures in a number of stack and store boxes as, having been a consultant for Fox in the past, means I have a number of these and they are all designed to fit within the Rage range of luggage which I also use so all in all the combination of the two keep my lures stored away safely and organised so that they are easy to find when I need them.
So, what then are my favourite items from within my box, those items that I turn to when all else fails?
Bucher Depth Raider
The Bucher Depth Raider is my absolute favourite crankbait. What does that mean? Well, a crankbait is a type of lure that relies on being retrieved or pulled through the water to activate its in-built action. This is in direct contrast to the more famous jerkbait types of lure that actually need the angler to impart action by movement of the rod. Crankbaits need none of this though it can add a degree of erratic movement and provoke takes when a straight retrieve isn’t working.
So that aside why is the Depth Raider such a favourite of mine? Well in simplistic terms I could say that it’s because I catch on it but there’s so much more to it than that. The Depth Raider seems to be as attractive to pike as to zander, which is important to me. It trolls to a decent depth (around 13ft on a medium line and walking pace speed) and also gets down when needed on a long retrieve in deeper water.
Depth Raiders come in a variety of colours and sizes and you can also get a jointed version, though I have to say that in the full size Depth Raider I haven’t found them as good as the straight, but in the baby version (smaller) they work very well, go figure! I have loads of depth raiders in my box and it’s my American Express of lures – I don’t leave home without one!
Kyopto Reflex Shads
Now this is a lure that very few people will have heard of but amongst jig anglers their abilities are very well known. These shads originate from Poland and it was one of our much maligned Polish visitors that first pointed me in their direction and boy am I glad they did as these are just awesome lures.
With a very soft body and tail they work with the slowest and slightest of movements and so they make great cold water or sleeper lures.
Cheap as chips to boot they are available through various online outlets and are an absolute must for any angler mad on lure fishing for zander and perch.
Rapala Super Shad Rap
One of the all-time classic lures although many lure anglers’ opinions on these are divided. Some say they are useless, others wouldn’t have anything else in their box and I have to say my opinion on them is based solely upon their ability as a trolling lure. Casting with SSR’s has been, for me, a largely fruitless affair, however troll one of these and they literally come alive. They get down between 12-15ft on a medium line and walking pace speed and best of all they catch pike, zander and even perch on a regular basis.
Believer
Now I have a confession to make here. I have only ever caught two pike on this lure – but they weighed 24lb 4oz and 14lb and came on the same trip to Ireland and won me a press match on the mighty Lough Ree.
The reason I hadn’t used this lure before that trip was the fact that it is actually 13in long and to troll it you need either a very good boat rest, or you need to hold the rod with both hands.
My version is a jointed believer but they can also be bought as straight (and smaller) versions and they have a very aggressive, exaggerated side-to-side action that will either annoy the pike into striking or scare the hell out of them! I should also add that my mate bet me a large whiskey whilst we were in Ireland that I wouldn’t catch anything on mine; so you can see why it’s a favourite!
Mann’s Super Shad
My introduction to this lure was somewhat of an odd one. A friend of mine actually managed to catch one on his bait rods from our local river and on the next occasion we were out jigging he used it to devastating effect on the river’s perch population.
Therein lies the ability of this lure because as a catcher of perch I haven’t found anything at all to match it. Nothing seems to matter as regards colour or even weight of jig head, just stick on a Mann’s Shad and if there’s perch there they will nail it with absolute certainty.
Ace Hell Tail
The first jerkbait to make the list, though in reality it would be better described as a hybrid lure as it has a body made of wood with a large grub tail making the lower half of the body. As a consistent catcher of pike this lure takes some beating.
They have their limitations, as being very light they tend to come off bottom quickly in deep water but I have caught on a wide variety of venues and even countries with this lure. Best worked in little twitches pike nail it with gusto and I even managed to catch two pike on it in Norway whilst trolling! Due to its light weight it’s a great drain lure or one for weedy waters where you need to work your lure over the top of weed.
Fox Trojan
Now in their infinite wisdom Fox actually produced two lures called the Trojan, neither of which are currently in production. However the version I am talking about is the older, big version but there’s no chance of confusing them because, like the previous Hell Tail, the Trojan is a hybrid lure; though strangely a hybrid crankbait rather than a jerkbait.
I have just the one of these and luckily had the foresight to buy some spare tails in case of accident. These lures can be cast or trolled and I have had takes on both methods with casting so far taking just slightly more fish. There’s just a tight little wobble to the action but this subtlety is often the difference between catching and not, especially on hard fished waters.
The Bulldawg
First produced in the USA by Muskie Innovations as a Muskie lure the Bulldawg was to many the very first big rubber/ jerkbait that they will have seen or used. Most lure anglers will have at least one in their box if for no other reason than to fish with on the deep trout reservoirs where the Bulldawg has caught seemingly endless numbers of big pike.
I have to say that I have a very soft spot for this lure as my first ever lure caught twenty came on a Cisco pattern Bulldawg a good few years ago from Grafham Water.
Bulldawgs are easy lures to work as all the action is in the tail so they can be worked slow and deep or shallow and fast. I believe it’s this ease of use that is probably behind their spectacular success rather than any other reason but definitely a lure to carry.
Storm Thunderstick
Not the most widely known lure but if you love zander and you want to catch them on lures then this is one not to ignore. Very few lures dive like a Thunderstick does and the large version will easily make 20ft on a slow troll and 12-15ft casting. With zander preferring slim profile baits and liking the depths there are few lures that can match this one for its zander luring abilities.
Don’t neglect them for pike though and the smaller versions are great perch lures in deep water or to troll. All in all a very versatile little lure that you really shouldn’t be without.
Rapala X Rap
My final choice is probably one of the newest lures out of the world renowned Rapala stable. The X Rap is a slimmer profile than the SSR that I mentioned earlier and it is also available as a jointed version. The clown pattern (red head, yellow body) I have found particularly good for both zander and, rather surprisingly perch, considering it’s quite a large lure.
The X Rap is a good choice when trolling more than one rod in conjunction with an SSR as they both work well at the same speed but cover different depth ranges with the X Rap not really getting below 10ft and the SSR up to 15ft. This allows you to cover a lot of the water column – something that should always be considered, especially in the early autumn when the water is still fairly warm.
So that’s it. My box has been well and truly rummaged and these are without doubt the ten favourites from within a cast of thousands that I lug around with me every time I go out.
With autumn rapidly approaching there is no better time to get out and start casting those lures about, maybe I will see you on the bank and you can show me yours…
