I'm new to lure fishing, is it very seasonal?

[AndyA]

Hi all, I recently bought myself a lure fishing rod and reel, along with a few metal and plastic lures. I took the fishing rod up to Argyll last week, on our one week holiday and I had some fun catching a couple of Mackerel and a small Codling from the pier at Tighnabruaich. I really enjoyed the lure fishing and I particularly like the fact that I didn't need to lug around lots of gear with me, just the rod and reel and a bag with some bits and pieces.


We're back home from our week off now and a couple of days ago, we took our Labrador over to Fraisthorpe beach for the afternoon. I still had my rod in the car, so I tried my hand at lure fishing off the beach. The water was shallow, it was windy and I don't own a pair of waders. Not a great combination for success, but I enjoyed trying to get a lure out.

Since returning home I've watched a lot of lure fishing videos on YouTube, many of them seem to be from the South of the UK. I'm near York so the Yorkshire coast would be my nearest place to fish, but just how seasonal is lure fishing around here? Can I hope to catch fish at this time of the year.

Thanks very much.

 

[JLD]

I know nothing about the Yorkshire coast but I would hope to catch something around here, mid Wales, on either lures or feathers at this time of year. Well worth a shot. Best policy always is to just go fishing and find out for yourself imo.

 

[Trampster]

Welcome to the Madhouse Andy!
From years of talking to more experienced anglers than myself, lure fishing is more for the summer & autumn, bait fishing for winter & spring. Not to say you won't catch on lures all year round, but you'll have more luck in the better weather.

 

[AndyA]

Welcome to the Madhouse Andy!
From years of talking to more experienced anglers than myself, lure fishing is more for the summer & autumn, bait fishing for winter & spring. Not to say you won't catch on lures all year round, but you'll have more luck in the better weather.

Thanks Trampster, I was wondering if that might be the case.

I was chatting to my Mrs, a bit earlier (we do that sometimes) and I mentioned that I might need to consider getting some beach casting gear. It's a bit of a minefield though. :/

 

[Wolf]

Welcome to the forum, I totally agree with what Trampster said.

 

[Topwater]

Welcome aboard AndyA I'd say Trampster has summed it up generally but locality and species are major factors in any mix. Find fish of any species feeding on baitfish and there will be a lure/fly approach that can work. It's how well, at that time, for that set of conditions / factors that counts

 

[AndyA]

Thanks Topwater

 

[DaveH]

Thanks Trampster, I was wondering if that might be the case.

I was chatting to my Mrs, a bit earlier (we do that sometimes) and I mentioned that I might need to consider getting some beach casting gear. It's a bit of a minefield though. :/

That's generally how it starts... I began with an old salmon rod and reel. Back in the day the best lure (I found) was the old Abu Krill. Still available 2nd-hand on Ebay, but much too expensive to lose more than a couple in a session. I ended up with a multiplier and beach caster before reverting to fresh water and fly-fishing. Now I have 4 multipliers and am planning my salt water season for next year.

Anyway, welcome to lure fishing. It's the nearest you will get to fly fishing without actually using flies.

 

[AndyA]

Thanks Dave.

I had my very attempt at casting with a Fly rod last week, we were on holiday up in Argyll and we'd rented a house that had a stream on the land. The owners had told us that Trout were sometimes caught there and that they had a fly rod available to use.

Casting a fly was a lot trickier than I'd expected, but at least I didn't get tangled in the branches.

 

[Goatfish]

Thanks Dave.

I had my very attempt at casting with a Fly rod last week, we were on holiday up in Argyll and we'd rented a house that had a stream on the land. The owners had told us that Trout were sometimes caught there and that they had a fly rod available to use.

Casting a fly was a lot trickier than I'd expected, but at least I didn't get tangled in the branches.

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That looks a great location. As with everything, ‘practice makes perfect’. I’ve looked on in admiration at the County Show where good fly fishermen demonstrate how far and accurately they could cast a fly.

 

[DaveH]

This is the Upper Wye taken in April, just at the end of the park section at Rhayader. There are trout, but I've never caught anything of any size here. A little lower down is less disturbed by dogs and holidaymakers, and the fishing is good. Last day of the trout season tomorrow - I had my last cast this morning - blanked! We have grayling here too, so they'll be getting fished for next. Casting a fly is a joy when done right, and frustrating when done poorly. If you can find some running water to straighten out your line even a poor cast will catch fish. Then there's the flies - what to use and when - and lines, floating, sinking, or a sink-tip to get the first couple of feet down.

 

[DaveH]

Thanks Dave.

I had my very attempt at casting with a Fly rod last week, we were on holiday up in Argyll and we'd rented a house that had a stream on the land. The owners had told us that Trout were sometimes caught there and that they had a fly rod available to use.

Casting a fly was a lot trickier than I'd expected, but at least I didn't get tangled in the branches.

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That looks a nice stretch. If you're not getting tangled up, you're not trying!