11 LURES YOU NEED NOW!
Our experts pick five ultra-shallow diving hard lures for shore sport, and six soft plastics for boat fishing
CHOICE 1 IMA KOMOMO SF-125 (125MM, 16G)
This incredible lure will forever have a place in my lure box, for it was the first ultra-shallow diving hard lure that I ever came across and started using.
I remember being able to put this particular hard lure into shallower water than I had ever done before, and I remember when a big bass nearly beached itself as it chased my first IMA Komomo right into my feet. I stood there open-mouthed, not quite believing what I had seen.
The trick with this 125mm lure is not to cast the hell out of it. Use a decent droplength and cast smoothly, which helps the internal weight transfer system to work properly, and then the lure can fly out really well.
I fish this lure by simply winding it in, but I will often fish it with my rod tip up a bit because I think this helps to accentuate its action. It might look rather innocuous, but don’t let this lure’s simple lines fool you – this thing is absolutely deadly.
CHOICE 2 TACKLE HOUSE FEED SHALLOW 128
Countless doublefigure bass have been caught on the Tackle House Feed Shallow 128 lure. I remember the first angler I saw fishing with one; indeed, he kept it on the end of his line that entire week and he caught a heap of bass.
These lures just work. They haven’t been around for that long in the UK and Ireland, but I think that it’s fair to describe the Feed Shallow, as it is usually known, as an all-time classic.
It isn’t the best casting lure, but if you slow down a touch, then it gets out there perfectly well enough, indeed sometimes it all seems to come together and it can really go. Don’t thrash this lure out there because you will lose a lot of distance as it tumbles or almost cartwheels through the air – think nice and smooth.
It is nice and easy to fish with – cast it out and wind it in. Vary the speed, for sure, and you can swim this thing nice and slowly and it will dive just beneath the surface and look incredibly appetising in the water.
A friend of mine is a maestro with the Feed Shallow, and he caught his biggest bass (around 11lb) on one, and he puts a bit of a kick on the lure when he is retrieving it.
Every few turns of the reel handle, he will jerk the rod slightly to put an erratic movement into his Feed Shallow. Based on the amount of bass he has caught on these lures, I have to take notice.
One thing you need to know about the 128 size Feed Shallow is that the treble hooks supplied are prone to snapping on bigger bass. I have no idea why (it is not a cheap lure), but I’d suggest you bin the supplied trebles for some better-quality ones.
“The Feed Shallow is easy to fish with”
CHOICE 3 IMA KOMOMO II
If you want a hard lure that you can get to swim almost ridiculously shallow, then the IMA Komomo II is one of my go-to lures. When in Ireland, I fish a lot of shallow reefs, and recall so many times when I have decided on a lure change, clipped one on for a client, and they have caught bass.
This lure just works, but you need to know how to fish it – and it doesn’t revolve around cranking the living daylights out of it. Slow down, and think about how a hard lure is working when it wants to swim as shallow as the IMA Komomo II.
Because it is at such a shallow depth, if you crank too fast the lure can easily break the
CHOICE 4 IMA IBORN 98F
A fairly new and compact, very shallow diving little hard lure that quickly gained a permanent place in my lure box. Don’t let its smaller size fool you, for it casts like a missile. On a medium sort of retrieve it dives to just under the surface with the most amazing wiggle or slalom action that bass really like. I have also done well with this one at night. surface if there is a bit of chop on the water and it breaks free from its comfort zone. Slow down, get your rod tip as close to the water as possible, and get this lure moving. Watch how it rocks from side to side with a lot of roll and flash; this can really get the bass going. It works well at night too.
CHOICE 5 DUEL HARDCORE LIPLESS MINNOW 120F
A killer bass lure that doesn’t seem to get much love in the UK, but it seems Duel hasn’t caught on as a lure brand here. I love the Duel Hardcore Lipless Minnow 120F because it casts well, swims nice and shallow, has a sort of wiggle action and catches bass.
CHOICE 1 LUNKER CITY SLUG GO
I love the 7½in version. The lifelike sandeel or launce imitation in Arkansas Shiner variety is a star colour, although I have seen hot pink and black catch.
There is a strong argument in favour of black when fishing clear water up near the surface because it throws a strong and, at times, irresistible profile.
The 7½in version is a dead ringer for a launce, and bass love to prey on launce.
Rig it simply on a large wide-gaped hook – something like the size 4/0 Texposer hook and fish in one of two ways.
The first method is across the tide using a slow, steady retrieve, with constant firm taps of the rod tip causing them to slide and glide through the water at acute and irregular angles, just like a fleeing launce.
The other method is to walk them back ‘walk the dog’ style fast and close to the surface. Although not particularly natural in the water, this method induces some savage hits often from better bass.
Have a look at www.veals.co.uk, where there is a nice selection.
CHOICE 2 SIDEWINDER SHIMMER EEL
Over the years I have fallen in love with Sidewinder’s 6in Shimmer Eel. The onpacket marketing blurb claims that they are deadly for bass, and that is correct.
Although this is a reasonably modern lure, I like to fish it old style. A drilled bullet, a small swivel, a 3ft fluorocarbon leader and a short-shank size 2/0 hook nicked through the head of the softy is all you will need to make this classy little lure come to life.
Either cast it away from the boat and fish in on the retrieve sink-and-draw, or in slightly deeper water, around the 10-metre mark, by simply dropping it down to the bottom and jigging it while on the drift. A quick search on eBay will find plenty for sale.
CHOICE 3 GARY YAMAMOTO SWIM SENKO
The 5½in Swim Senko is a clever killer of a lure. Unlike the Senko stick baits from the same stable, this classy softy has a paddletail that induces an almost irresistible swimming action in the lure when cast and retrieved at a medium-fast reel crank rate.
Mustad’s 91768 UB18 Power Lock hook works particularly well on this lure because it grips the soft plastic really well and is weighted, which help greatly because this lure requires repetitive casting and retrieving in order to get the best out it.
Check out www.lureheaven.co.uk for a selection of these, and www.fishingmegastore. com stocks the hooks.
CHOICE 4 SIDEWINER SUPER WEEDLESS MINNOW
Three of my top six soft plastic lures for use on a boat have come from the house of Sidewinder. There can only be one reason; they catch bass for my clients and me.
The third to appear in my list is the 4½in, 12g Super Weedless Minnow. Open the packet, link it on and cast it out; super easy to fish, as its ready to go as soon as it is out of the box. I like that on a boat. Everything is harder when you are rocking around, and I do not want to be twisting and fiddling with strange-shaped hooks and back-to-front rigging mechanisms.
Yes, it’s a cheaper alternative to other similar soft plastic paddletail lures, but it catches bass. They are an easy find on eBay.
CHOICE 5 HTO ARTIC EEL
My final lure comes from the HTO stable. There are four things I like about this lure. It is a clever redesign of proven bass-catching soft plastics, it is a weedless swimmer (as far as any lure is ever totally weedless), it is marketed at a good price, and it catches bass for fun.
What is not to like about the Artic Eel? It comes in a variety of sizes and colours to tease the purchaser (and, hopefully, the bass), but I have a preference for the medium shore 15g, 120mm version. For me, it just feels right in the water. It is nicely pre-rigged, so just open the packet and link it on and you are away. I trust it on the bass, and you should too.
Again www.fishingmegastore.com has a nice selection to choose from.
CHOICE 6 SIDEWINDER SANDEEL
My next lure is old school. Nothing to be ashamed of as it is tried, tested and proven. I do think that the fad to find the next exotic named import has become more important than the actual usefulness of the lure. Go back to what you know and trust.
Choose the Sidewinder 4in, 10g Sandeel. It casts, retrieves and does it again and again. As strong as an ox and more reliable than most bespoke, twist, fit and glue varieties, it is ready to go out of the packet, and it is pretty cheap too.
Yes, you will lose them in the bottom, but you’re not going to ruin your day when you do because, at just over a £1 each, they cost you next to nothing when compared to more ‘clever’ types of soft plastic paddletails retailing at £7 to £9 each.
Cast it out in any direction from a drifting boat and wind it back in again. If you pull it past a bass, I promise you he will have it. Again, www.veals.co.uk has a nice selection in sizes and colours to choose from. ■