Recently I entered the
Pike and Predators magazine monthly Savage Gear competition. I use plenty of their lures so there was a good chance I would eventually drop on a decent fish while using one of them (I've actually had a 22.5lb pike on the rainbow lip lure earlier in the year). Last month I received those fancy new Real Eels in the post and managed to wangle a
twenty one pound beast out within less than an hour of opening the parcel. It didn't dawn on me straight away to do it but not too long after I emailed my entry and the waiting began. I was at the local newsagents as soon as the latest edition was out but resisted opening the pages until I got home. I then quickly flicked through to be greeted with my mug shot and that fish and I was over the moon. I never win owt!
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| £250 lure prize |
Today I got home from work to find a box sat waiting for me and I knew what it was. I do often have a parcel waiting for me when I get home, that lure addiction is a bit of a killer but seeing the size of this box I knew it wasn't something I'd ordered. What a pleasant surprise. The prize was £250 worth of Savage Gear lures but you all know that doesn't go far when you start buying lures. There was plenty in the box and even better there was a good chunk which I didn't even own any of. There's the odd lip lure and low rider of various sizes and plenty of soft 4plays in all sizes, some lip skulls and a good colour selection too. I was chuffed to bits with the selection of cannibal shads inside because they are a lure I have yet to purchase or try but I did fancy them. I haven't got around to fishing for them yet, but I reckon they will be a top lure for zander! So a nice little surprise and welcome addition to my lure addiction. I'll be out as soon as possible to give them a try.
Finally a big thank you to Pike and Predator magazine and of course Savage Gear while not forgetting of course the pike herself. She was a great adversary and I hope she's out there causing havoc among the silver fish as we speak!
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| The winning fish |
Result ! Well done mate ,think I might invest in some real eels myself, I thought they looked a bit expensive , but your purchase has paid real dividends, with just the fish, let alone the prize! be lucky - Mark
ReplyDeleteThe eels have a great movement in the water, that tail does look good. If you've any big bulldawgs its a similar action. The good thing about the eels is you can work them very slowly and the tail still works. That was the 20cm version that got that one but I then went and caught a 17lb pike on the 30cm. not even got around to buying a 40cm eel yet. The two smaller sizes aren't too bad priced since you get two lures, plus one jig head and stinger treble. You can ad heavier or lighter jigs heads too of course to suit your waters. They do cut up like all soft lures but then i've already had plenty of pike on them. I don't expect many other soft lures to hold out much better.
DeleteThats great that! I remember once i was in the anglers mail with a 22lb pike, best feeling ever when you open the page to see your own mugshot
ReplyDeleteI don't read hardly any fishing papers or mags but do get that Pike and Predators one each month. Had to have a bash at the comp didn't i with all the SG lures I use.
DeleteHello mate,
ReplyDeleteHave been enjoying reading your blog recently and was just wondering which reel you use for your lure fishing? I am about to invest in a new one and as a person who seems to lure fish all the time, I would like to get your input.
Hi Jerry
ReplyDeleteI'm the worst person ever to ask, seriously. I'm not a tackle tart and only recently have I even started to upgrade my tackle. Coincidentally my next decent bit of kit I buy will be a good reel as the one I currently use is an old Shakespeare one, which is pretty poor to be honest. The most important bit of info you'd need to supply is what line strength would you be using, what rod you're sticking it on and what will you be targeting.
I've got a couple of Okuma reels which are pretty good. One I use much lighter line on and with a smaller rod (my ultra lite set up) as it's a smaller reel, the Okuma Hexana FD. A tidy cheap little reel that I can't fault one bit and goes nicely with my Greys G-Spin 3-15g rod. I target perch and small pike with this set up and would use 10-20lb braid.
When I upgrade my heavier set up I'd probably look at a larger Okuma or possibly something from Shimano who you can't normally go wrong with. Problem I have though is I use 80lb braid on my reel, hence I suffer poorer casting and so that's where I need to do my own homework to find a reel that can manage to cast this ok. One solution is to use a multiplier reel but for now I wish to stick with a fixed spool reel. The challenge now is to find one which can handle a larger diameter braid, still cast pretty well but not be overly large so as it unbalances the rod.
If you aren't going to be using stupidly heavy braid like me then plenty of reels around, especially by Okuma, which do a right good job for lure fishing. Below is a link to Harrissportsmail.com and some good reels to have a browse.
http://www.harrissportsmail.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=2172
ok cheers for taking the time to answer.
DeleteHave a look at Berkley Whiplash Braid for your heavier set up, their 80LB braid has a diameter of 0.24mm, that's the same diameter as Daiwa Sensor 6LB mono! Supposed to be very good, just got some 20LB to try, 0.06mm, not put it on a reel yet but it gets very good reviews.
If that's what you will be using then you won't have any problems at all mate. The Okuma hexana is a nice reel but its probably more of the budget end of the okuma range. The shimano exage look pretty good for a few pounds more also. Plenty of choice on line but you can't beat getting in to a tackle shop for a close look and feel.
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