LURE DIARY

Inside info from Top Water’s Nick Roberts

Keep it simple is easier said than done.

I’M HEADING out today in my boat and the plan will be quite straightforward. I want to catch fish, and I want to keep things simple. I don’t want to be overloaded and I need to keep the tackle selection minimal. I hate getting in a scrambled mess before a fishing trip because I can’t decide what tackle to take. Firstly, I need to think a little about which lures I want to take with me. This is not going to be a day of testing lures from my trusted Fiiish collection, so I’m going to stick to the natural khaki and blue-coloured Black Minnows.

Although, if I think back to one of last year’s days out, I fished all day using natural colours without a nibble and then decided to switch to some brighter lure colours and then started to catch.

Therefore, I’d better throw in some fluoro pink, orange/ yellow and green colours among those more natural ones. In fact, I should probably take a couple of the pre-rigged Black Minnow Flashy Boxes. Plus, I’m going to pack a shedload of the Maxi-Combos, just in case.

GOING VERTICAL

Because I’m fishing from the boat, I’m going to be fishing vertically, so I will stick to the 25g Offshore Heads. But, of course, as I cruise up the inland sea, the water shallows off over sandbars, so I could really do with taking some 12g Shore Heads for the Black Minnow, and possibly some 6g Shore Heads for the 90 size.

If the fish are cruising near to the surface, I must have the Shallow and Search Heads with me too. Then there’s that deep hole off the estuary point, which always holds a good fish just off the seabed. But to get down to it, I’m going to need some of the Deep Heads, possibly even the Extra Deep varieties.

I guess if we’re fishing out among the banks, I’m going to need some of the 200 sizes and the 120g Heads. I think pink and red glitter did the business last year, but I have to try the new Mojito, Orange Fluoro, Sleepy Green and Purple Impact. It would be foolish to venture out without these.

If the tide is ripping across the bars on the ebb, I simply cannot leave behind the Crazy Sandeel. Dragging it as fast as I can across the bars works wonders. It did this time last year. Then there’s the new Dark Eel Crazy Colour; I know just the spot to try that! Everyone is talking about the pink Crazy colours, so I’d better pack a load of those. Boxing White Candy Shrimps for the black bream, Chartreuse Mud Diggers for the wrasse, Oil Sardine Power Tails for the bass and, finally, with more than 381 carefully selected lures now on board, we’re ready to go!

Grab the crate of Fiiish beer. Keep it simple!

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