2 new lures per year

[Mr. X]

On his website, Dr. Mike Ladle reckons you can get by with a very small collection of lures & will usually need only buy, perhaps, 2 a year to replace the odd lost lure. From what I have seen, it looks like he would be happy to fish all season and across the world with a single lure (e.g. Maria Angel Kiss Mackeral).


Anyway, as a discipline, in line with that ethos, I have aspired to buy only 2 new lures each year - and failed miserably so far. We can but strive. So, if you were to buy only 2 new lures this year, which would they be?

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Even though I don't get to use them very often, I have a pretty decent collection now and have even started to sell off a few (including a classic black/silver Rapala J11 last year - the lure against which all others are compared!). [Would like to get a Rapala J13 blue if anybody is interest in swapping something.]

Some favourites that I have I tend to carry with me currently include:

- Maria Angel Kiss 130mm Mackeral pattern(it glows in the dark ) - Mike Ladle's lure of choice the year before last. Japanese made, moving weight system allows it to cast beautifully. Available from Veals.co.uk

- Heddon Saltwater Super Spook in silver mullet. Fairly big, casts far & fun walk-the-dog style surface lure.

- Heddon Zara Spook in Rainbow shiner. Similar, slightly smaller, figure this colour scheme has it all, silver mirror sides, pale blue back, red head, gill detail, black spot detail (ala minnow)

- Rapala X-Rap 10cm black/silver my small, medium diver (Atomic Haggis loves these)

- Storm Jointed Thunderstick in blue-chrome(The right colour, finish, size & movement & AMD's choice, say no more)

- Daiwa TD pencil - small, slim surface popper - perhaps too subtle?

- 140mm clear Maria Angel Kiss - big big & being clear not particular easy to see, casts well but perhaps only good for the clearest of conditions? (Looks just like some clear bait fish I saw near Torbay). I don't like the 3x treble hook configuration - I hook myself too much.


- 3 weighted silver-white 6" gel sandeels with single hook for Christmas -- they look quite promising.

- Rapala Sliver, classic but a bit light for casting and a bit deep diving for most beaches (but perhaps not too deep for Chesil/Abbotsbury?).

- various size & colour Eddystone eels with mono trace & lead barrel/ball weight (16g-32g, 20g seems pretty good size).

I have numerous other lures, including Cotton Cordells (some that I fitted with rubber muppet squid over the tail hooks), various vintage US lures (e.g. Baggins), some cheap Shakespeare & D&D/M&M(?) ones which I really like. Most are variations of classic Rapala & Grauvell designs albeit in brittle plastic rather than balsa (pros: heavier/cast further, holo-finish, cheaper. cons: can break on rocks & pebbles).


As I loose gear much less frequently now than when I started, my current collection will last me for decades but I will likely continue to add 2 new lures each year and sell off some of those that I don't get to use (I have duplicates of several lures). So which 2 lures to get this year?

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Here are some of the lures I am considering this year:

140mm Maria BW in silver holo. much loved & written about by Henry Gilbey & field tested by Mike Ladle towards the end of last season. I suspect there is nothing particularly special about this lure but Henry thinks it is, it seems to be his favourite. Veals sold out of this model/colour last year but have got a slightly deeper diving SW version available in the same colour scheme this year. Good combination of colour (white/silver), size, weight & castability. (Lost my blue-silver one in Torbay a couple of years ago, snagged on weed).

Grauvell Super Popper - available in 3 sizes, considering all 3. The largest weighs 4oz -- so could only use it with my Bass rod, which is hard work (achy shoulder syndrome!). I could use either of the other 2 with my spinning rod. I was tempted to go for one of the biggest sizes to handle extreme conditions but part of me says the smallest is still big & heavy & will no doubt cast like a missile, and will see a lot more use . T.B.D.

Rapala J13 in blue -- the original lure I intended to buy (suggested by Pav) and I seemed to buy everything else except that one (got it in black in 13/11/9/7cm; got SeaFishIreland versions with blue patterms ; got other plastic copy/variants in blue).

Chug Bug Silver Blue -- another lure that I have come close too several times but never quite got (I was given a couple of heavily used vintage silver-black ones). Flyflicker recommended this one, way back in the beginning. Got several other big splash, blue surface poppers, fun & cast well but never seem to get any bites.

Storm Swim N Eel - video makes it look cool. I made my own DIY version last year The new Jig N Eel looks interesting too.

Rapala X-Rap are now available in 12 & 14cm versions. They dive more that "banker lures" like the Marias but for deeper water, why not? How about a 14cm X-Rap in mackeral & a 12cm in blue-silver? One of the deeper diving variants might be handy too. Or one with the SureSet hooks & tail feather dressing?

Anybody tried the X-Rap jointed Shad? First saw these in the angling store at Chesil beach, quite big. I'm thinking boat fishing lure but perhaps you know different?

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Some nice lures there but you need to get some Sidewinder eels, 6 inch ones in pearl, blue or green, or all 3!!

I just ordered 2 lures and it cost me £40!!! Whoops!!

A Megabass Vision SW 110 GG Bora and a
Xorus Patchinko II Cabot

Have also already received a Maria Chase BW and a Maria Angel Kiss but they were much much cheaper.

Bet the expensive ones don't catch any more even if they are supposed to be the mutts nuts!!

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

roflI bet you're right. Coincidently, I did get some white/pearl 6" sidewinder gel lures for Christmas (sorry I forgot their name in my post above) -- they do look promising don't they. A neater solution than my homemade Eddystone eel + trace + barrel weight + swivel clip rig, which I tried unsuccessfully targeting large shoals of large mullet in the ria/river near our cottage in Devon last summer, before breakfast each day (that's the life ).


Do you have any images/links for those exotic lures by chance ADM? I consider the Maria pretty pricey, so I dread to think what these cost, Lucky Sam +?! Re. recent posts by SpanishSpear on the Sea Angling for Spearos thread, you sometimes see wonderful looking handmade lures on ebay, in the USA - some more for collectors than fishermen perhaps?

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

A Megabass Vision SW 110 GG Bora - Megabass Vision SW 110 GG Bora - Megabass - Lure Brands - Lures - Mr Fish Jersey

Xorus Patchinko II Cabot - Xorus - Lure Brands - Lures - Mr Fish Jersey

The sidewinders are killers over here. They have accunted for numerous fish. I had a 3-7-0 bass first time out with them and have had quite a few since.

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

P.S. I hear the Zonk is excellent!! Someone I know has just got one so we will wait and see... Megabass Zonk 120 GG Cruising-Blue - Megabass - Lure Brands - Lures - Mr Fish Jersey

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Interesting lures AMD. A bit of a connoisseurs' lure. Those are very high prices though, what makes them worth/cost so much? I don't catch enough with the cheap ones to justify their cost, let alone those. I like the look of the Xorus Patchinko Nacre - but I have a couple of poppers that look somewhat similar from D&D/M&M or whatever they are called, v. good value at around £2.50-£3.50 - a tenth of the price (wouldn't use them for Marlin or tuna though ).

Here is a picture of the aforementioned sidewinders. I have the silver-white ones (Henry Gilby rates silver-white as good colours - makes sense if you think about the bait fish you see while diving, as would blue/green-silver):

Kiddy Tempest Sidewinder Sandeel 6"


How about some of the other new hybrid lures/gels like this Storm mackeral:

Storm Wild Eye Live Mackerel 5" £7.49 - Storm Soft Plastics - MonsterTackle.co.uk

These new for 2009 Storm lures look v. good for brittle plastic:

Storm Jointed Minnow Stick - The New Bass Lure On The Block - Fishing Tackle Reviews

Anybody using black lures (e.g. poppers/sub-surface lures)? I've been thinking something like the black Heddon Saltwater Spook might be worth a try under appropraite conditions (dusk??):

Heddon Saltwater Super Spook £7.49 - Heddon Surface Lures - MonsterTackle.co.uk

 

[Magpie]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

This year I will be mostly fishing with Absolut Worms and SlugGo SS's.

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Couldn't find the first one but the second looks interesting, I've been looking for something like that after watching an American guy using a free moving rubber eel type lure on YouTube ("Bass Professor" on "Stick bait"??) - he made it move very realistically.

Slug-Go Page

I did read one website on lure fishing for pike where the author thought hard wooden/plastic plugs overrated, he rated Tobies, spinners and gel/rubber baits much more highly. That said, Dr. Mike Ladle manages to catch on plastic/wooden plugs regularly, year in, year out.

 

[Magpie]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Pêche aux LEURRES Hart Absolut Worm 15 cm - Alfos Pêche

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Interesting lures AMD. A bit of a connoisseurs' lure. Those are very high prices though, what makes them worth/cost so much? I don't catch enough with the cheap ones to justify their cost, let alone those. I like the look of the Xorus Patchinko Nacre - but I have a couple of poppers that look somewhat similar from D&D/M&M or whatever they are called, v. good value at around £2.50-£3.50 - a tenth of the price (wouldn't use them for Marlin or tuna though ).

I'm a tackle tart really. I'm not going to use them... Just look at them and caress gently like maggers does with half his reels!! :inlove

It's been a while since I had a lure splurge and these new Japanese lures are very high quality build and paint jobs. Should last a long time and not let you down. I find the paint rubs out very quickly on the cheap ones so I hope these will prove the test better. Reports to follow...

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Just added the youtube link for the Bass Professor in my previous post, above -- probably my fav. video of his.

 

[Pav]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

I still love a trusty silver blue J13 Rap. or smaller.

as a 2nd choice I'd probably go for a 2nd J13 incase I lost the first.

Maybe I should be a bit more open minded. BUT... I think the J13s are expensive, .. some of those lures are very expensive.

I ahve bought copies before (usa) but have had the metal work bent and ripped out the side of the lure by a Bass of 5lb.

 

[settingsteel]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Yazuri are some pretty good lures, with excellent finishes...one of my all time favorites is the gel fish lures. I rig them in a special way that lets them "keep" all their action when you skim it cross the water you'd swear it was a real fish, cheap too....but then the best lure of all is a long steel rod with a point and rubber bands to launch, or in my case an "air tube" aka farterrofl

 

[Mr. X]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

SettingSteel's post made me think. Most of my lures are made in America (Rebel, Cotton, Hurricane, Daiwa,...) or Japan (Maria, Daiwa, Yo-zuri, ...), or made for an American company in Japan (I'm thinking Daiwa is American - perhaps wrongly).

The Yo-zuri lures are well regarded here too. Actually I should add a mag popper to my list for consideration:

https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/Surface.html

Both sizes in green & blue seem to be well regarded for bass here.

I already have a Yo-zuri minnow lure in white/irridescent/blue/pink, which I'm told should be good at dusk, the hooks are huge - at least a size bigger than similar Rapala's - I guess it keeps the points well clear of the sides during a bite but also quite visible in clear conditions.

I still love a trusty silver blue J13 Rap. or smaller.

as a 2nd choice I'd probably go for a 2nd J13 incase I lost the first.

Maybe I should be a bit more open minded. BUT... I think the J13s are expensive, .. some of those lures are very expensive.

I ahve bought copies before (usa) but have had the metal work bent and ripped out the side of the lure by a Bass of 5lb.

I used to think of the Rapalas as very expensive & overpriced but now see them as being only moderately expensive (if you shop around, compared to similar plugs) & the wooden J-range offering relatively good value, being relatively robust and long lasting with decent quality hooks/hardware. Sidewinder gels & similar might offer more bang for the buck but won't last as long (unless the double treble-hooks of the Rapala snags -- which can happen). Pity they don't take a more American approach: stack 'em high & sell 'em cheap -- it's nice to own a few, even if you really don't need them all.

I rarely use my black-silver J13 now (& haven't used my J11, J9 or J7) though, simply because I have other similar lures with are heavier & cast better. I'm surprised Rapala don't try to improve their casting -- I guess a moving tungsten weight system like the Maria's would be difficult to implement in a jointed lure, made of wood! Would I be right in thinking that casting range is not critical for you Pav, I'm thinking you probably troll or cast your J13 from your kayak, rather than casting it from shore?

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

The Duel Aile Magnet SB Slider is a top lure, those things are copies of it.

I witnessed a feeding frenzy at lunchtime, mullet and bass all over the place, 100+ fish including a monster bass which cruised through the shoal in 2ft of water right under my nose. Did I have one of those plugs with me? Like chuff I did...!! Back tonight...

 

[Pav]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

I only troll ;>) !

 

[ADM]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Well one of the above mentioned worked last night...

See the Sea Angling for Spearos Thread in a few minutes...

 

[Lazuli]

Re: 2 new lures for 2009

Anyone tried a "Dexter Wedge"???