L U R E
prepare for battle, with friend of the
magazine, mad keen lure angler and
presenter on Sky Sports UK’s Tight
Lines, Andy Ford, champing at the bit
to get casting. As we glide and bounce
to our first target area, from the array
of lures Andy’s loading on his baitcaster
and spinning setups, our objective for
the day is obvious. The target... pike.
The tactics... crank and swimbaits. The
plan... all-out shallow-water warfare.
Llangorse’s subsurface geography sees
what an arena
to cast lures in
a wide spread of water with a shallow
average depth fringed all round by deep
beds of lilies. These underwater jungles
offer a haven for prey fish, and that’s
where our pike will be hunting. Our
first action is to anchor the boat off the
lilies at the windward end of the lake.
The wind delivers a flow of food and
creates an under current that stirs up
the bottom, a big draw for bait fish and
predators in turn.
1) Lush underwater
forests of lilies were where
the pike were
hunting and hiding,
especially once the cloud
cover got blown to the horizon.
2) Ready for battle. Andy’s
rods were set up as we crossed
the large body of water looking
for the spots to deploy our lures.
Having a number of rods made up
allowed for quick changes to his
approach to be made.
1
3) Success! That will do for starters as
the first pike of the day smashes the
first crank bait to be used. Depth found,
it was time to catch a few more.
2
3
1) SURFACE
Sakura Pop N
Dog 55F, Mud Bug
colourway with enticer
added to rear hook shank.
2) SUB-SURFACE
Sakura Naja Sub 65, Ghost
Minnow colourway.
3) SHALLOW DIVER
Sakura Bomba Crank 60,
Aurora colourway.
5
4) DEEP DIVER
Sakura Golem Crank 400, Red Tiger
colourway.
4
5) SWIMBAIT
Biwaa S-Trout 2.0.