Mick Brown
Angling Services
Angling Services
Posted on January 7th 2012
| BAIT OR LURE? |
Many pike anglers are not sure whether to use a bait fishing or lure fishing approach. There will be times
when one or the other is the best option but if you are not sure, or wish to find out, I suggest you do both.
It's no trouble to have both types of tackle with you and a bit of careful planning could see you catching a
lot more pike. Whichever tactic you use, it's usually best to keep on the move unless you know that the
swim you are fishing holds lots of pike. A nice situation to be in but it doesn't happen often enough for me
so I'm constantly searching new water. As I enter a new swim, I might fish it for ten minutes with lures.
Even if I don't catch I might feel a hit or see a follow. (Don't forget your Polaroids). Many follows do not lead
to catching a pike, especially when the water is very cold. The pike looses interest and won't bother to
chase your lure again. When this happens, I drop a deadbait in the swim, or even better a livebait, and sit
back and wait. This approach has caught me lots of fish that I wouldn't have caught on lures.
when one or the other is the best option but if you are not sure, or wish to find out, I suggest you do both.
It's no trouble to have both types of tackle with you and a bit of careful planning could see you catching a
lot more pike. Whichever tactic you use, it's usually best to keep on the move unless you know that the
swim you are fishing holds lots of pike. A nice situation to be in but it doesn't happen often enough for me
so I'm constantly searching new water. As I enter a new swim, I might fish it for ten minutes with lures.
Even if I don't catch I might feel a hit or see a follow. (Don't forget your Polaroids). Many follows do not lead
to catching a pike, especially when the water is very cold. The pike looses interest and won't bother to
chase your lure again. When this happens, I drop a deadbait in the swim, or even better a livebait, and sit
back and wait. This approach has caught me lots of fish that I wouldn't have caught on lures.
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of interest.None of
this is valid today
but might interest
anyone following
my work.
If I am getting plenty of follows in an area, I'll
settle down and fish it for a few hours with my
bait rods, casting out a lure every now and again
to check if they are still about. Theres no hard
and fast rule to this approach and on another
occasion I might spend a few hours lure fishing
and return to the swims which I have seen pike
follow in. A good ploy is to have some chopped
deadbait pieces with you and groundbait the
swims after lure fishing them. Returning to them
at a later time in the day will see the pike well
primed for taking your hook baits.I hope you are
beginning to see the sense in this approach. It's
a lot more interesting than just sitting behind
bait rods or spending the day lure fishing when
they are not going to take them. If you don't
succeed with the lures you have with you, they
might not be suitable for the water or
conditions so try a few others next time. Don't
forget that if you see a pike follow, it can
probably see you as well so stealth and
concealment is vital, a point that most pike
anglers I see never even consider.
settle down and fish it for a few hours with my
bait rods, casting out a lure every now and again
to check if they are still about. Theres no hard
and fast rule to this approach and on another
occasion I might spend a few hours lure fishing
and return to the swims which I have seen pike
follow in. A good ploy is to have some chopped
deadbait pieces with you and groundbait the
swims after lure fishing them. Returning to them
at a later time in the day will see the pike well
primed for taking your hook baits.I hope you are
beginning to see the sense in this approach. It's
a lot more interesting than just sitting behind
bait rods or spending the day lure fishing when
they are not going to take them. If you don't
succeed with the lures you have with you, they
might not be suitable for the water or
conditions so try a few others next time. Don't
forget that if you see a pike follow, it can
probably see you as well so stealth and
concealment is vital, a point that most pike
anglers I see never even consider.
Always be on the lookout for followers.
I always carry a few lures with me.