Some of the best fishing of the year is yet to come this fall and fishing with artificial lures can produce some of the best action. Both trout and a variety of warm water species of fish will be feeding more heavily as the water cools and the winter season approaches and with the multitude of artificial lures available today it shouldn’t be too difficult finding something they like. We fishermen talk a lot about the many different lures and patterns available today but often times however it isn’t in just finding the right lure to use but also how the lure of choice is retrieved or worked.

I often talk about and write about one of my favorite lures, a lead-head jig with some type of plastic grub shoved on the hook. While this rig can be deadly at times it is also true that it must be fished or worked properly to get the full benefit. Catching 50-100 assorted panfish in an afternoon is not at all uncommon for someone who knows how to work the lure but if you don’t know what you are doing it’s a different story.

One of the most effective ways to fish the lead-head jig and grub is to maintain a tight line and keep the rod tip up so that the slightest tap is felt immediately and then a quick hook set must follow. Most people who are learning the technique fail to maintain a tight line and they never feel the strike in the first place; they may have numerous hits as the lure falls but they don’t know it’s happening. By the way a similar technique is utilized by the fly fisherman fishing nymphs without a strike indicator-it’s called “high sticking” -rod tip held high and a tight line to detect strikes. For that matter I used a similar technique years ago when I fished salmon eggs for trout-rod high and a tight line.

Yes, it’s true that many lures have a built in action that is well advertized on the packaging but the knowledgeable fisherman knows that a lot more can be done to improve or alter the lure action making it even more effective.

One of the most obvious added actions is to change the lure’s speed of retrieval. For example, minnow type lures when reeled in with a steady retrieve will cause the lure to wobble like a fleeing minnow; at times that alone can produce strikes but varying speed may even produce more action. A stop and go approach will sometimes work when the normal retrieve produces nothing. While most minnow type lures like the Rebels and Rapalas are designed to be retrieved to create the swimming action it’s also a good idea at times to allow a floating type minnow lure to rest on the surface with only an occasional slight twitch.

Another variation that can make a lure more effective is to change depth. Although not designed for surface fishing a floating minnow lure can bring some serious surface action especially on smallmouths and largemouths. Casting the lure and then letting it settle for a bit and then imparting a slight twitch can mimic a dying minnow at the surface making it a great target for bass, pike or muskies. Some of my fastest bass action has come late in the afternoon on a smooth lake surface using the floating minnow on the surface instead of its intended use a couple of feet below on the steady retrieve.
Altering a lure’s direction during the retrieve can also induce more strikes. Musky fishermen often employ this technique; the figure eight motion at the end of the retrieve right next to the boat. Even though the fish may be able to see the angler some ferocious strikes are known to occur.

I’ve only scratched the surface; the bottom line is don’t get caught up into simply just using a straight retrieve on every cast-vary it. You may even want to try a number of variations on a single retrieve until you find something the fish want