Lure Fishing Tackle

Last Updated
30th Mar, 2009

Rods

Spinning rods need to have a good amount of flex, especially in the tip, so as to be able to cast the lure a decent distance. Most modern spinning rods come with a rating letting you know the range of lure weights for which they are suitable. This makes choosing rods easier - but everyone still has a different casting style and this will (should!) affect your final decision.

Most spinning rods are from about 8 to 10 feet long. You will need to consider where you'll be fishing; a shorter rod can be an advantage if there are lots of hazards to avoid when casting. A longer rod can usually cast further and allows for a longer trace - which can be a huge advantage when the water is clear.

Consider the seat for the reel. Is this big enough for the reel you intend to use and does it lock firmly. You will be casting more frequently when using a lure, so make sure that vibrations will not loosen the reel.

Friction from the rod-eyes does have an impact on the distance you can cast. More important is that these are strong enough, and of a suitable material so as not to get damaged. Even the smallest burr can cut through line in an instant when it's under tension.

Reels and line

The open face spinning reel was designed to make lure fishing easier. Release the bail and cast away. Still - some anglers prefer to use baitcaster reels because they offer more control for the experienced angler. The choice is yours.

Make sure the reel is loaded up with the correct amount of line. Excess line will fly off too early and cause tangles; too little line will reduce your casting distances. Reels should come with a guide as to their capacity for different line strengths/diameters. The diameter figure is more accurate so use that if you can.

The line obviously needs to be matched to the size of fish you intend to catch. Monofilament line is best for the main line. We'll discuss options for the trace section below.

Connections

Something has to connect the main line to the lure. In the most basic form this can simply be a knot. Most anglers prefer to use other tackle to avoid tangles and to make the lure appear more natural.

Avoiding tangles

Many lures spin - either during casting, during retrieval or after hooking into a fish - either by design or by bad luck. This spin can cause a single thread to wind up on itself and that gets messy.

The most common solution is to include one or more swivels in the system. These rotate so that your line need not.

Swivels come in many sizes and shapes. The most useful are ones that can be attached, detached and re-attached to a loop in the main line easily. These are generally known as snaplinks though there are alternatives.

The alternative to a swivel (though sometimes used in conjunction with a swivel) is a vane. A vane is a flat piece of metal or plastic placed a few feet up the line. The surface area should be large enough to resist the spin created by the lure. The spin is not eliminated though and a long retrieval can lead to considerable twist in the short length between the lure and the vane. This can lead to unnatural movements of the lure or tangles.

Weighted vanes can help sink a lure to the correct depth (see the next section) and are therefore worth considering as part of your armoury - for those occasions when nothing else seems to do the trick.

Making the lure appear more natural

Most baitfish do not swim around with a great length of line protruding from their mouths so the first step that the lure angler needs to take is to make this essential connection less visible. Thinner lines are less easily seen but are, of course, that bit weaker. Achieving a balance is usually a matter of taking experience into consideration; the less experience you have the more you should weigh in favour of a heavier line. Then again - if the fish aren't taking it may be worth dropping down to a lighter line and seeing if that makes the difference.

Making sure you don't lose the big one

Since the target species are predators it is fair to assume that they will have big, sharp teeth. In some cases it is appropriate to use a section of wire trace next to the lure to ensure that these do not simply slice through your line and free the fish. You will need to use your experience to determine when such a trace is necessary. In most cases a fish should be caught by the lip on the hooks trailing behind the body of the lure. You might expect the teeth to come into play only with a specimen fish so big that it can swallow the lure (and all its protrusions) completely with ease.

The lures

The main types of lures will be outlined here. Other more specific lures will be added on the left-hand side.

Spinners (spoons)

A spoon-shaped piece of metal will spin vigorously when pulled through water. The vibrations produced attract predators from a distance, and then the resemblance to a baitfish in distress up close can produce a strike. Normally, the spoon is followed by a triple hook to catch the fish firmly by the jaw.

Plugs

Plugs are fish-shaped lures of one or more pieces with a vane on the head. This vane determines whether the lure will dive when retrieved (used with buoyant plugs) or rise.

Fishing with plugs is an art in itself. The retrieval must deliver the plug to the feeding zone in a natural manner. Plugs are set to work best within a range of retrieval speeds that matches those of predator fish. There is therefore no point reeling a diving lure in fast to get it down to deep fish; they simply wouldn't be attracted by the fast-moving object even if it got down far enough.

The solution in such a case would be to choose a heavier rising plug and retrieve it up into the fish from deep. It is hard to know exactly what is happening under-water but the general principle is to vary the speed of retrieval so as to create a more natural swimming pattern for the lure. Nothing too jerky, nothing too boring. If that's not hard enough you have to avoid obstacles too. These things usually trail two sets of triple hooks - and are great for getting snagged at every opportunity. On that, let's consider the fish here. More than two sets is overkill and is only likely to lead to lots of foul-hooked fish. Give them a sporting chance.

Feathers

Anglers wanting to catch mackerel for bait quickly often put on a string of feathers. The idea is that a dyed feather bound along the shaft of a hook has an enticing flex when pulled through water. With several of these strung off a main line the effect is that of a small shoal of eels swimming along and, though one lure might be resisted, such an opportunity is too good to miss. Multiple strikes are common, as are minor tangles.

Nowadays, imaginative tackle manufacturers use a variety of materials to produce a string of lures in various sizes and some of these can be used in freshwater as well as salt.

Another advantage of using multiple lures is that you get to see if any particular colour is the favourite for a session. Once identified you could swap to one larger lure of that colour and go for a specimen.

Another form of feathers that will not be discussed here are flies. For more on fly fishing see Fly Fishing Tackle.

Look-alikes

All of the above try to imitate some form of foodstuff for the target fish by mimicking look and motion. I'm using this title to gather together all the other miscellaneous lures which focus more on look than motion.

With a wide range of modern materials available it is now relatively easy for fishing tackle manufacturers to make a lure that resembles a prey creature in terms of shape and colour. You will find grasshoppers, crabs, worms, eels et cetera.

Success with these lures depends on suitability (there's little point trying to attract a fish with something it doesn't normally eat) and delivery. As with other lures, the delivery must mimick the natural behaviour of the real prey.

For example, if using a floating grasshopper, and these are mostly floating lures, you will need to jig the line a little at times to produce the vibrations that a live grasshopper would emit when it finds itself caught up in the surface tension after an unlucky leap.

Some of these lures benefit from adding a suitable smell. This can hide any unnatural ones, and bring the fish close enough for its eyes to see the resemblance, and hopefully strike.