Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Light lures for constant action – Dan Brackley
Ultra-light lure fishing on canals is thrills and action all the way. Sufix and VMC-backed Dan Brackley shows how and why
MICRO jigging or ultra-light lure fishing is using small lures, jig heads and hooks. Lures of around 3in are the most common ‘bait’ combined with a jig head of around 2g being the norm. Primarily, it is a tactic that’s all about staying mobile, having fun and enjoying plenty of action rather than monster hunting. But, the beauty of angling means you never quite know what will take your lure! When light lure fishing you’re not looking to break any records although on waterways like this – the Lure Anglers’ Canal Club stretch of cut near Offchurch, Warwickshire – you can’t rule it out. The main idea, though, is to cover lots of water, make hundreds of casts and catch loads of perch – from ‘wasps’ to possibly 2lb-plus – together with the odd zander and even an occasional pike.
Tackling up
Unlike some predator tactics, such as dead baiting where you can use any rod and reel combo from barbel fishing to carp and pike rods, micro jigging requires tackle specifically designed for job. Rods need to be lightweight with a casting rating of around 7g or less with a sensitive tip and a bit of backbone in case you do hit into a decent fish. This can then be paired with a small 1000 or 2000 sized reel. It is essential that the reel is spooled with braided mainline. It needs to be light and thin to ensure it casts well with the light rods and jig heads. The line I’m using today is 0.08mm (8lb 2oz) Sufix Nano Braid. I use 0.08mm because canals can be quite snaggy but this strength enables me to generally retrieve end tackle if I do get snagged! Nano Braid is also very supple, which is essential to achieving the desired standard of presentation. The leader is always fluorocarbon and between 12in and 18in long. Again, I go a little heavier than most, choosing 7lb Sufix Super 21. Fluorocarbon lines have dramatically improved in recent years and they are now almost as soft and supple as quality mono.
Jig heads
The term micro jigging comes from using a jig head to present the lure. A jig head is a specifically-weighted lead head with an integrated large single hook. This is used to mount a rubber fish-shaped lure, or shad as they are often called. The hook comes out of the top of the lure, so the most common retrieval is a series of hops where the lure is allowed to sink to the bottom, before giving the reel handle a couple of turns. This causes the lure to lift off the deck before again sinking under the weight of the jig head. This action is where the term ‘jigging’ comes from. The ones that I like for ultra-light fishing are VMC’s Tetra heads. They have a slightly pointed arrow-like head so you can use them as a ‘swimmer’ bait. This is where the lure is cast and retrieved straight back to the bank, so the lure swims through the peg without ever touching the bottom. Alternatively, it can be fished more traditionally in a series of hops, or anything in between. Experiment and see what works. The most important aspect is not to fish robotically. The lure or shad is an inanimate chunk of rubber, so it is up to you to bring it to life in the water. Good lures will work better, but it is still up to the angler to impart that extra bit of action to get the predators crawling up the line! The arrow-like head of the Tetra also enables the static lure to sit slightly off the bottom, which can bring you a few extra bites. With a more common ball head jig head the lure tends to lay flat on the bottom when static so presentation isn’t quite as good. Hooks on the Tetra heads are 2in-2.5in, perfect for a lure.
Lure choice
There is an old saying that proper predator anglers never die, they just get more lures! And I have to say that I am no exception. I have dozens of variants because you never know what will work from one day to the next. It can even alter hour by hour if the weather is changeable. Keep trying different types until you’ve ascertained what the ‘trigger’ is for that day. Do the fish want a bright or muted lure? Do they want one with a paddle tail or a more subtle forked tail? Tradition dictates that in clear water a more natural, muted coloured lure is best, while in murky conditions something much brighter is ideal as the predators can see it easier. However, nature is a great rule changer and this may not always be the best option for the day. For example, when the water is very coloured, as it can often be on canals, we tend to go for bright orange or chartreuse lures, but when was the last time a perch, zander or pike ate a hi-viz orange fish in their day-to-day life? Because we can see the lure better in coloured
water, it gives us more confidence to fish it! The colours that work well in all conditions are white and black. This is because predators nearly always look up at a bait, only really seeing a silhouette of their prey, so regardless of water clarity or cloud cover, these two extremes will always help you bring a fish or three to the bank. As long as you cover as much water as you can, targeting not only the ‘tasty’ bits of structure along the stretch – lock gates, bridges and turning circles – never ignore the ordinary-looking areas, the plain tins or concrete banks that for some reason seem to be a magnet for perch. Regardless of what you catch or how many fish you land, the main thing is to just give it a go, experiment with what you are doing and using and, more importantly, have fun while you do!