Choosing
a lure :
Choose your lure mainly by the diet
of the fish you are targeting bearing in mind that their food preference
may be affected by the season
and of course, choose a size suitable for the mouth of your expected
catch. Be aware of the fishing
conditions and water clarity in which you are working to enable
you to make the final colour and weight selection.
| LURE
CHOICE BY FOOD TYPE
The whole point of a lure is obviously to imitate the prey
of your target fish so as to tempt them into feeding.
So,
when selecting your lure first identify what you are fishing
for and therefore what your chosen prey feeds on. Here are
a couple of pointers :
For
Bass, try lures resembling :
Shads or Sandeels such as 4-7 inch artificial eels, chrome
coloured spinners and silver or black jointed plugs. All
white or all black or a mixture of red and black...
For
Pollack, try lures resembling :
Sandeels and other small fish such as feathers for a shoal
effect, muppets, pirks, redgills and other artificial eels.
For a full list, click here click
here to take a look at our prefered bait section.
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LURE CHOICE BY SEASON
Look at the season in which you are fishing as a means of
narrowing down your lure selection even further as this
will identify a more specific food preference for the type
of fish you are after.
It
also helps you in identifying the habits of the fish and
the level in the water at which they are most likely to
be feeding. For example :
Bass
- April/May and August to October (bottom feeders)
June, July and August (higher level)
If your chosen species is feeding on the bottom you will
naturally alter your lure choice to accommodate the fact
that there is less light available at lower levels and dark
lures may therefore not be seen. For more details about
lure choice by conditions
read on...
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LURE CHOICE BY CONDITIONS
You
need to identify the conditions in which you are fishing
by water colour and clarity which obviously affect what
the fish can see. Another consideration howevere are the
weather conditions. High winds may hamper your casting efforts
and so a heavier lure will aid accuracy of placement and
distance.
If there
is little light penetrating the water there will be little
light reflecting off your spinners and reflective lures
to attract their attention and of course the amount of light
will decrease somewhat with increased depth. There are luminous
lures on the market in conditions of very poor light penetration
or maybe just selecting bright colours such as lurid pink
and white might be sufficient. There is also the thought
that choosing lures with a high colour contrast offers a
positive contribution in muddy waters with poor light penetration
and natural, lighter coloured baits in clear waters. You'll
need to assess the conditions when you arrive at your spot
so take a selection of lures so that you're not caught out
when you get there!
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As you get going you'll
get a feel for the mood of the fish on the day so if you have no joy to
start with, try varying your lures using the above pointers to help guide
you and try different sizes too. It may simply be down to the fish being
overly fussy about the size of their dinner!
There are also many articles written about fishing techniques and the
action of your rod when attempting to imitate the swimming action of your
bait and these articles are always worth a read but over time you'll build
up a style which works for you and you'll no doubt adopt a favourite lure
in which you place your confidence. As with most things though, it often
just comes down to being in the right place at the right time with the
right bait so always do your research before you go. It is still safe
to say however, that experience will teach you the most!
Boat
