Lure fishing is the most common way to attract predatory fish such as pike. These days, we have many different types of lures. Soft plastic lures, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, classic spinners, shads, etc., are all available for deep and shallow waters, and they come in all kinds of patterns and vibrant colours. Each is meant to be used for different situations and water conditions. In the following text, I’ll list the 5 most common fishing lures every pike angler should have in his tackle box.
Different Types of Pike Lure
Regarding pike fishing, the right lure can make all the difference in your success on the water. With a wide variety of options available, it’s essential to understand the different categories of pike lures based on their material, intended use, and the size of fish you aim to catch. Here’s a closer look at the three primary categories of artificial lures:
Soft Lures
They are made from durable rubber or plastic and are incredibly versatile and effective pike fishing lures. Most commonly, they are used in jigging. They come in various shapes and sizes, mimicking everything from frogs, rats, and small baitfish to larger prey such as ducks. The most popular types include shadtails and paddle tails, which can be rigged with different weighted jig heads to target specific depths.
Soft lures are ideal for anglers who cover a wide range of water columns. Their lifelike movement and flexibility make them irresistible to pike, especially during pike season when they are aggressive and feeding actively.
Metal Baits
The oldest type of artificial baits. This type of bait includes spoons, spinnerbaits, classic spinners, and chatterbaits. The first on the list is spoons, one of the oldest and most proven pike lures on the market. These metal lures are designed to create a wobbling action as they sink or are retrieved, simulating the movement of injured fish.
The second on the list are spinners. They consist of a rotating blade attached to a lure body, creating a flash and vibration that attracts pike. The rapid spinning motion resembles a struggling baitfish, making them particularly effective in murky waters where visibility is low. Most of the metal baits work best with the constant retrieve technique, but they can be used with complicated retrieve techniques as well.
Hard Bodied Lures
The last category are lures made either from hard plastic or balsa wood. Most commonly, these versatile lures can be divided into two subcategories. Crankbaits and Jerk Baits.
Jerk Baits
Jerk baits are designed to imitate an injured fish with erratic movements. They excel in warmer months when pike metabolism is higher and they are more likely to pursue fast-moving prey. These lures require a twitching retrieve, which mimics the darting action of distressed fish, triggering impulsive strikes from pike. Jerk baits are available in various sizes, making them suitable for targeting both smaller pike and larger specimens. This makes them perfect for beginner pike anglers.
Crankbaits
On the other hand, crankbaits are designed to dive and swim at specific depths, making them effective for targeting pike that are holding at various levels in the water column. They also can be found in several sizes and colors, allowing anglers to match the local forage. The erratic action of crankbaits often provokes aggressive reactions from pike, especially when fished near structures in weedy waters with a lot of debris such as fallen trees.
5 Most Common Lures For Pike Fishing You’ll Find In Every Bait Box
Now that you are familiar with different categories of lures for pike, let’s see which ones are the most common choice among anglers. The lures on this list can cover a variety of techniques, depths, and water conditions.
Savage Gear Da’Bush Spinner Bait
This spinner bait from Savage Gear comes in nine different colors and a variety of sizes. Four of them to be precise, are 21cm/55, 18cm/42g, 16cm/32g, and 14cm/21g.
It has a single hook, two spinner blades, and a chatterbait head. It can be used by both seasoned anglers and beginners. Regardless of the speed of retrieve, this lure creates attractive action that’s hard for the pike to resist.
Cannibal Shad
Another product manufactured by Savage Gear. It’s one of the classic soft plastic lures known to all pike anglers. It comes in seven different sizes and ten different colour combinations.
They have attractive swimming action no matter which technique you use. Even though they are most commonly used for pike, other predatory species such as Zander and Asp can also be caught on this wonderful lure.
Fiiish Minnow
You probably didn’t hear about these awesome soft lures which are known for their realistic design, patented rigging system, 19 bright colors in which they come, six jig heads with which they can be combined, and 6 lure sizes.
Lures have a weedless design which makes them perfect for use in challenging conditions such as weedy waters and waters with a lot of debris in them. With all of this being said, it’s quite clear why this predator lure is a must in your tackle box. A huge range of options allows you to adapt to any situation.
Rapala Shad Rap
A classic bait with two treble hooks, over 50 lure patterns, and six different sizes. Shad Rap is a lure that sets the standards for crankbaits.
It doesn’t matter how you retrieve it, it will always mimic the movement of baitfish. Additionally, depending on the model, Shad Rap can be a topwater lure, a medium one, or a deep diver.
Go ahead and try some of them out. You’ll understand why these lures are probably the most popular choice for both beginners and experts.
Rubber Animals
These are surface lures that resemble various wildlife that’s a natural prey for pike. In most cases, these are larger lures meant to attract the biggest pikes in the water. As I mentioned in the beginning, most common models mimic frogs, rats/mice, and ducks.
Even though it’s hard to believe that pike would actually go for these, it’s a common fact that extraordinary specimens have been caught on these soft baits.
You should add some of these to your collection, just make sure that you purchase a quality product from a renowned brand instead of a cheap knock-off.
If you liked the content in this article, go ahead and check my piece about bubbles in the lake while fishing.