Lure boxes raise money to save bass

BASS - aka the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society - have become a growing force when it comes to conserving one of our greatest sporting sea fish.

Now they're raising funds for the campaign with some new individual lure boxes, which look just the job for the roving angler.

They're just the job for shorter sessions, when you might only want a handful of patterns. Better still, they're only £1.50 each and several will easily fit in your pocket.

Click here for more details on how to order.

Hear, hear - US site on pike lure sounds

We've all heard of buzzbaits and lures which are designed to kick out vibes to attract the pike.

Now Mepps have put some audio clips on their website, to give you an idea of how different lures make different noises.

"It's pretty easy to see the flash of a Mepps spinner blade as it's pulled through the water, but hearing just what it sounds like has been a well kept secret up until now," the site says.

"It took us a while, but we've managed to digitally capture the sound of several Mepps spinners as they are retrieved. And, what we recorded even managed to surprise us.

"Remember, what you are about to hear are the actual sounds produced by Mepps spinners as they are retrieved. These sounds have not been enhanced or altered in any way. We make no claim as to how fish interpret these sounds, but fish do hear them."

Of its Aglia "Musky Killer" spinner, it adds: "The sound of the #5 Aglia blade is steady and deep with a rapid repetitive thump. The Magnum Musky Killer blade sounds similar, but, the thump is deeper and slower.

"Both sound like a slow moving locomotive, and both are very easy to hear underwater."

Click here to go to the sound clips, then just roll you cursor over each spinner to hear what it sounds like.

Smart tip for colouring pike spoons

Here's a tip we haven't seen before - use an indelible pen to colour up a plain silver spoon.



Or Click here.

Dave Pugh kicks off at Cambridge

Dave Pugh kicks off Cambridge PAC's programme of winter meeting with a talk on lure fishing for zander.

It's at Bottisham British Legion on Wednesday, September 3 (7.30pm).

Meetings are on the first Wednesday of every month.

Click here for more details.

Throwbacks and boatside manouevres

Our friends over on Esoxhunter.com have just put up an interesting article on triggering takes from following fish with some natty diagrams. Click here for a gander - NB you have to scroll down bit to find it.

Spinnerbaits - the Rolls Royce..?

Check out this American lure builder's site for some amazing spinnerbaits and tips on how to work them. Linky.

Tip of the day for June 30, 2007

It's topwater time... Plenty of people rate the excitement of fishing with surface lures the biggest buzz in pike fishing. It's true there's little to match the buzz when three feet of angry esox hits a a lure so hard it comes right out of the water.

But it's also a frustrating method, with strikes often far outnumbering successful hook-ups.
Click here for a masterclass on the method.

Get the vibes right to catch on lures

Vibration is perhaps the most overlooked factor in fishing for pike with lures, writes Doug Strange on the US In-Fisherman website.

"The best lures often don't exactly duplicate what a fish eats so much as they create an aura of duplication, an illusion of life," he says.

"Lying there in your hand, a spoon doesn't look like a hapless little walleye, but just the right style, size, and color spoon moving at about the right speed creates an aura of moving color, flash, size, and vibration."

Doug's got an interesting theory on why bigger lures sometimes mean bigger pike too. To read it all, click here.

New weedless lure has retractable hooks

A new lure from America offers retractable hooks which spring out when a fish takes.

US-based Adventure Technology claims the hand-made Slickfish is the first lure with a built-in trigger mechanism, which solves the problem of catching weeds and debris.

More here.

Lurefair 2007 is just weeks away

Into lures..? Then why not check out this year's Lure Anglers Society convention at Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middx, on Saturday, April 28.

Speakers covering different aspects of lure fishing for predatory fish include Andy Lush, Mike Green and Mike Ladle.

There will also be lure making demonstrations/workshops, a multiplier clinic, a host of trade stands offering the latest lures and tackle and a secondhand stall.

Doors open 9am. Admission is £10 for non-LAS members, £8 members; accompanied juniors free.

For more details on the event, click here.

Lurefair 2007 date announced

The Lure Anglers Society is staging Lurefair 2007 on Saturday, April 28, at Brunel University in Uxbridge, Middlesex.

While many of its membership are interested in pike fishing, the society's ranks also numbers those who pursue other species with lures.

Field and Stream's 50 greatest lures of all time

What...? Some two-bob rubber grub comes in at Number One..? And WTF's a Yamamoto Senko - or a Little Cleo..?

Field and Stream, the American outdoor bible published a list of its top 50 lures a while back.

Click here for more.

Matt shells out for bizarre capture

Thames Valley lure man Matt Jahans hooked what will probably go down as one of the more unusual captures of the season today - a terrapin the size of a dinner plate.

Matt nailed the critter on a perch-patterned jerkbait on one of his local gravel pits.

"I didn't weigh it but estimated it at about 3lb," he told the PAC forum. "I did catch a jack a little later but the turtle probably beat it by a few ounces."

The creature - which was later identified as a terrapin - was returned unharmed to the water. It was not hooked, a point caught under the edge of its shell.

Tributes paid to one of nature's gentlemen

Family and friends from the world of pike fishing today paid their last respects to popular London lure angler Gerry Castles.

Gerry lost his long battle with illness in December, aged 62. His 93-year-old father Jeremiah has been comforted throughout his loss by his son's fishing friends.

Trevor Salmon spoke for many as he paid tribute tribute to Gerry, at a thanksgiving service at West Norwood Crematorium, close to Gerry's home in Lambeth.

"I first met Gerry many years ago on a fishing trip and my first real impression was of a true gentleman and over the years that's been strengthened and strengthened," he said.

"We got to be very good friends through his passion for fishing and ours. He was an honest, caring, giving man, he'd do anything for anybody.

"I'm sure he's up there somewhere today looking down on us, saying thank you for everything we had together."

Minister Joan Drury, who conducted the service, told mourners: "The thing that's come over most about Gerry was he was a fisherman.

"His fishing began in Stepney, when he was a little boy and he went on to fish in many, many places.

"The quality of friendship Gerry gave and enjoyed was one of the hallmarks of people who are passionate about fishing.

"He was articulate, intelligent, he had a great sense of humour and he was a friend to many people."

The strains of Gone Fishing rang out as the curtains closed for committal.

Outside, a note attached to one of many wreaths read simply: "To Gerald - one of nature's gentlemen."

Grafham 25lbs pike believed season's best

A 25lbs 9oz Grafham pike caught on a lure by Kev Taylor is believed to be the biggest of the season so far from Anglian Water's trout reservoirs. Story here.

Spoon lore from US lure buffs

To see a series of three articles from In-Fisherman in the states about spoon fishing click here.

New softbait material is 'stronger and safer'

A revolutionary new softbait material lasts 10 times as long as standard soft plastics and is kinder to the environment, its makers claim.

Many rubber lures on the market contain chemicals called phthalates, which have been linked with cancer. These are added to soften the material.

Click here for more.