In France, whether you fish for river predators (Pike, Zander, Perch, Chubb, Black-Bass...) or sea predators (Sea Bass, Yellow Polack, Cod, Giant Seabass Argyrosomus regius...), you will be aware of the explosion in fishing with artificial baits. In this article I quickly explain the different types of lures that are used by French Anglers.
Angling in France: why use an artificial lure?
French anglers use artificial for two reasons, in modern life we often find the opportunity to fish difficult and find ourself snatching a few hours here and there after work. Lures give us the freedom to fish anywhere and require no special storage, we can at a moments notice put a few in a container and we are ready for a few hours fishing. The second reason is quite simply we find that on many occasions they out perform a dead bait and give us a much more active and fun sport. You can learn more about sport fishing in France.
These are the more traditional lures and still some of the most effective. They consist of a blade normally gold or silver that flutters as it is pulled though the water, with the fish seeing flashes as the light hits the blade, like small fish scales.
This is normally a hard bodied lure with a concave lip, as it is pulled across the waters top it jumps through the surface layer like an injured prey fish and can be extremely effective for Pike by water lilies and Sea Bass.
This lure dives, normally a hard-bodied lure it will dive to a certain depth, this is controlled by the angle of the lip and the length on the box that the lure will dive to. Once cast the speed on the retrieval will make the lure dive or float towards the surface. This method accounts for many big Pike on reservoirs and big Sea-bass on piers and rocks.
These are plastic, worms / shads, fish imitations that are rigged onto a cranked hook or weighted hook that is then retrieved or jigged in the water, movement is the key. Developed mainly by the Bass fishing fraternity in the USA, these are the natural choice for french rivers and sea, as Perch, Chubb and Pike seem to be particularly fond. The body gives as the fish bites and they seem to produce very confident takes.
These have by far revolutionized the large Pike and Seabass scene, with names like the Bulldog and Hell tail; they rely entirely on the action of the fisherman to reproduce takes.
Use braid, it gives you so much more contact with your lure and information that you just do not get from a stretchy nylon, and gives you a smaller line profile to.
If fishing for Pike always use a wire trace.
Remember the movement of the lure is controlled by you; use your retrieve and rod tip to make the lure attractive to a predator as possible.
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