Artificial

Fishing with Artificial lures is one of my favourite fishing methods, mainly because it's so easy to get set-up for a session.
By Artificial Lures, in this instance I am referring to the good old MEPPS style spinners + also artificial plugs + "spoons"..... not to be confused with Artificial flies used by Salmon & Trout Anglers, which are basically hooks tarted up with various items to resemble an insect of some description.
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.../> The idea of the artificial lure is to mimick the action of a sick or dying fish, which fools predatory fish into thinking there's an easy meal coming past them....... and you've always got to remember the only way this will work is if you constantly cast out and wind in the lure, otherwise the lure is just a piece of Metal / Plastic or Balsa wood. You wouldn't believe how many people I've had to point this out to over the past 11years or so (I ... more

Fishing with Artificial lures is one of my favourite fishing methods, mainly because it's so easy to get set-up for a session.
By Artificial Lures, in this instance I am referring to the good old MEPPS style spinners + also artificial plugs + "spoons"..... not to be confused with Artificial flies used by Salmon & Trout Anglers, which are basically hooks tarted up with various items to resemble an insect of some description.

Setting up to fish with Artificial lures is simplicity itself..... take your spinning rod (I prefer Shakespeare's UGLY STIK + UGLY SAPPHIRE range), and attach your reel to the reel seat if you haven't done so already........ once you've got the line from the reel threaded through the appropriate holes, then your rig can be as simple as a Snaplink swivel tied to the end of your line.

The snaplink swivel is important...... not only does it enable you to change over to a different lure in a matter of seconds, and saving you the hassle of cutting the line and trying to tie on the new lure..... it can also reduce the effects of what is called "line twist".
Line twist is where the line gets twirled around (usually caused by a weight or lure on the line as it's dragged through the water, or something like that)....... and it forms little plaited loops in your line, which if you don't sort them out sharpish usually lead to what is known in the sport as a right bloody tangle. It also weakens your line.

When starting lure fishing, the simplest way to start off is with the humble MEPPS style spinner, which has been in use for the last 50 years or so and is just as effective then as it is now.
They basically comprise of a piece of wire with a hook at one end, and at the other a propellor blade which turns as you reel the lure in. They come in a wide variety of sizes & colours, but to start off the ones with Silver or copper coloured blades with or without red or blue spots in Size2 should do fine.
They aren't really all that expensive, usually costing between £1.25 - £2.75 depending on the shop. Cheaper still, mail-order tackle stores such as MULLARKEY & SONS (mullarkeys.co.uk) and ASKARI Fishing (askari-fishing.co.uk) do them in bulk packs of 25 - 30(ish) for around £15 - £25 which isn't too bad when you consider buying a similar amount of genuine MEPPS spinners would cost you just under £60

The idea of the artificial lure is to mimick the action of a sick or dying fish, which fools predatory fish into thinking there's an easy meal coming past them....... and you've always got to remember the only way this will work is if you constantly cast out and wind in the lure, otherwise the lure is just a piece of Metal / Plastic or Balsa wood. You wouldn't believe how many people I've had to point this out to over the past 11years or so (I was the first person in my old School's short lived Fishing Club to latch onto this fact).

Fish you are liable to catch with them in Freshwater include Salmon, Trout, Perch, Pike, Zander & Chub or even Large Mouth and Small Mouth Bass if you go on Holiday with your lures fishing gear to the States (I think there's also some Lakes over in the Canary Islands where they've been stocked with Large Mouth Bass, but I'm not sure).
If you're fishing somewhere that's known to contain Pike, it is a very good idea to attach the lure to your mainline via a Wire trace (the ones by FOX are usually the best bet)...... and it also helps if you have a pair of forceps handy, to aid with unhooking.
Also useful when lure fishing is a pair of Polarised Sunglasses, which cancel out the sunlight reflecting off the water and allow you to see at least part way under the surface of the water (depending how deep it is + how coloured the water is or isn't)...... they can make quite a difference, and I've seen Brown Trout following my lure in then turn away (lure stopped moving 'cos I could wind in any further).

When the fish do go for your lure, it can be a bit a shock if you're used to fishing with legered or float fished baits..... because instead of playing with it for a bit, as if trying to make up their minds whether or not to eat it..... with the lure, the fish launch themselves at it and CHOMP!
It's a truly awesome experience, especially if you're wearing the Polarised glasses as I suggested because you can be stood there for ages thinking "looks like I'm not gonna catch anything today" or something along those lines, when suddenly almost from nowhere a flash of Silver launches it's self at your lure (though of course it'll be a different colour if it's a species other than a Trout)..... the fight to reel the fish in can be quite spectacular too.

Another question about lures I believe is quite common is "How fast should I reel it in?"......... the answer is pretty much there's no precise speed, it's mostly a matter of playing around reeling in at different speeds until you find the combination of lure & speed the fish want on the day.
Lure fishing is also great because you can be pretty mobile, providing the water you're fishing on isn't too crowded as you can go wandering about with just Rod / Reel / line / Swivel / box of lures / forceps / Sunglasses + a landing net and go exploring the River or Lake.
When doing this, it's probably best to try and imagine you're a fish, and think "where would be a good place to hide and ambush my prey?" Things like Bridge supports, sunken tree branches or roots + Jetties / Boat landings / fishing platforms are often a good bet......... then cast as close to them as you dare without getting snagged up on something, and don't stick to casting out straight in front of you...... try casting right over to your far left, then slightly further to the right each subsequent cast until you've come round in an arc, that way you'll cover more area.

Once you've mastered the humble spinner, you can then start expanding your collection to include Plugs..... which are made of Balsa Wood or Plastic, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes and actions. They too mimick a sick or dying fish.
My favourite kind is the "DIVING PLUG"...... these plugs float on the surface of the water, then dive underneath the water as you reel in because of the plastic or metal vane on the front which acts like an Aeroplane wing in reverse when the lure is pulled through the water.
My general buying advice on these is that if the brand name on the box is RAPALA (www.rapala.com) or STORM (stormlures.com) then they should be alright.

When it comes to storing them, then if you've got 3 or 4 they'll be fine living in a compartment in your normal tackle box.... more than that, and it's a good idea to get a Plastic Lure box to keep them in, which can cost as little as £2.50
Also, if you can find someone who sells them, you can get special covers that slip over the treble hooks on your lures to stop them getting tangled up when not in use + you can also carry the lures in your pocket without getting impaled on them.

To sum up (or do something vaguely resembling that)..... lure fishing is one of the most fun forms of fishing you can have, as it keeps you active (no waiting for any bite alarms to start beeping, etc) + you can also pick up a decent light spinning rod like the ones I suggested earlier(6ft or 7ft) for as little as £20 if you shop around (try www.whitbyanglingsupplies.co.uk) and a reel to go with it for £10 - £15 and load it with 6lb or 8lb monofilament line (about £2.50), packet of Snaplink Swivels (about 65p) and a few spinners (£1.25 - £2.25 each) and away you go.
One last lure fishing tip - sometimes with cheap spinners the blade doesn't rotate too good, and I've found slipping a bullet weight (about 10g) onto the reel line before you put the snaplink swivel on sometimes solves this. 

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