Rods
So Lets start with the Rod. They are sometimes called spinning rods, sometimes called lure rods and sometimes called plugging rods – they all perform similarly in that they have plenty of power through the middle to the butt and have flexible tip sections.
They are short rods generally between 6ft and 10ft of varying power. The power of a lure rod is indicated by the rod’s casting weight. On the blank of the rod you’ll find some figures such as 5-25g, 15-40g or 30-60g. Those are the optimum weight of lures that the rod will cast, so the higher the weight, the more powerful the rod will be. Normally, the longer the lure rod is, the more powerful it tends to be.
The rods pictured above are Shimano Beastmaster BX 8ft med/heavy 14-40g Spining rods which would be ideal for a beginner to pike fishing.
Reels
Moving onto the Reel. There are two main types of lure fishing reels. Most anglers prefer the simplicity of a reliable fixed spool reel, while some prefer to use multiplier reels. I would strongly recommend that you avoid multiplier reels if you are a newcomer to lure fishing as they are complicated to set up correctly and can cause a lot of problems when casting.
By far the best choice would be a small fixed spool reel in the 2500 and 3000 size. A compact front drag model is ideal as they are small and lightweight, but a rear drag reel will definitely suffice.
The right line
Given the choice between using mono or braid, I would choose braid every time. This supple, ultra-thin material is the perfect choice because it has no stretch. This means that as soon as you begin winding the reel’s handle after casting, or as soon as you flick the rod tip down, your lure will move, making it jerk rapidly, flick over slowly, rise up gracefully and dive down rapidly. What’s more, you will be able to feel any plucks upon the lure because braid has the unique ability to transmit indications from the lure to the rod tip.Wire Trace
A vital piece of kit that every lure angler should use as they prevent the fish biting through the line and trailing lures around in their mouths. Traces can be bought at very little cost, or they can be made at home to your own specifications using only a few components.
The right lures
There are literally thousands of different lures on the market – all manner of different shapes, sizes, weights, configurations and patterns. Some are plastic, some are metal, others are rubber while some are wooden. But whatever the make-up they are all designed to do one thing – imitate an injured fish or water creature to make the pike react, think it’s an easy meal approaching and snap at it.
