PICK THE PERFECT PREDATOR LURE

Confused about which pattern to cast out? Use our in-depth guide to see how each type works

“Pike and perch anglers collect lures just like squirrels gather nuts”

SURFACE POPPERS

These lightweight, floating lures are designed to be either steadily cranked back or flicked back across the surface. Their flattened ‘noses’ create masses of disturbance that mimics frogs or voles. They are best used in summer and autumn in clear, fairly shallow water.

SLOW SINKERS

A slow sinker is a lure that won’t dive on the retrieve, but once cast out will sink very slowly – roughly 1ft every few seconds. Once it reaches the required depth, you slowly crank the reel to retrieve it, keeping it at that level in the water column. It has a really lifelike swimming action and is a great choice for targeting all predators throughout the year, particularly winter perch.

SHALLOW DIVERS

These floating lures have vanes that protrude sharply downwards. This makes the lure dive to a few feet under the surface when it is cranked back. These patterns are ideal in shallow water and are best retrieved with a ‘stop-start’ action so that they occasionally break the surface.

MEDIUM DIVERS

Floating lures that have Z-shaped vanes tend to be medium-depth divers. They will float initially, but when cranked back quickly will dive down to 5ft or more. They make great year-round lures for targeting pike at all depths, and are best retrieved in short, sharp bursts to keep them submerged.

DEEP DIVERS

There are floating and sinking deep-diving lures, and both feature forward-pointing vanes that ensure the lure tips up and dives quickly down to depths of 10ft or more. These lures are perfect for trolling or (in sinking patterns) for counting down in order to work them tight to deep underwater features.

SPOONS

Fast-sinking spoons are versatile in that they can be cranked back quickly in shallow water, or allowed to sink to phenomenal depths to take fish from the bottom of vast reservoirs such as Grafham or Rutland Water. They spin rapidly to reflect flashes of light.

SHADS

A weighted shad, with its upward-pointing single hook, is the perfect lure for bouncing along the bottom of deep stillwaters or rivers. Allow it to hit bottom and retrieve by lifting the rod, winding in a little, then lifting the rod again. This makes the lure flutter up off the bottom. Great for both zander and pike in large sizes, and deadly for perch in smaller ones!

SELECTING which colour of lure to use is just one factor to consider when targeting pike, perch and zander. To really maximise your returns from this exciting form of fishing you also need to know how each lure ‘swims’ and at what depth it is best used.

With such a mind-boggling array of patterns available, it’s easy to see why the novice predator angler can become confused. But once you understand the main characteristics of each lure type and, more importantly, how it behaves underwater, things start to become far clearer.

Of course, due to the sheer unpredictability of the fish themselves, what works brilliantly one day may prove next to useless the next.

Light levels, temperature, water clarity, weed growth, the depth of the venue and even atmospheric pressure can all affect how predators react to a particular type or colour of lure, and this is part of the reason that many keen predator anglers collect lures just like squirrels gather nuts!

To give you a head start before your next session, here’s our guide to how each type of lure behaves and how best to retrieve it. With any luck you’ll soon be cradling a new personal-best predator!