Going lighter for mullet.. and pike, perch, chub, trout and barbel??!!

The more I get my head around this modern lure fishing business, the more I am beginning to understand about its vast number of applications. Since a young age I have learnt much of what I know through reading books and of course through getting out there and fishing, much of which I have done with specialist equipment targeting specific species with the appropriate bait and tackle. With the current revolution we have on our hands it seems now I am able to grab a couple of little lure boxes, a rod, reel and a small bag of essentials and off I go to see what's about and what's likely to smash a lure up on that given day. I am continuing to be surprised by the results and part of my growing love for lure fishing has a lot to do with its versatility. Certain species I would never have associated with lures all seem to have their moments and with the vast array of soft plastics available today there's always something in the box that's likely to unleash the predatory side of some of the most unlikely of candidates.

With all that in mind, myself and Stuart have been venturing back onto the rivers and streams where we both began our obsessions with all things fishy and have been applying our new skills to any willing freshwater species. This has been a real pleasure as it has been so many years since I have partaken in any coarse fishing; the feeling of anticipation whilst trekking through a misty field in the morning has certainly brought back some memories and whilst there's no comparison to navigating the local coastline those feelings of nostalgia have reminded me where my love for fishing originated.

We had initially decided to get back on the rivers to target some perch as we had both loved doing so as youngsters usually with a trotted juicy worm or a small spinner or plug. Almost thirty years later I was approaching my quarry with a Bass Assassin 2" Curly Shad mounted on a #6 2g jighead (all available from AGM Products). Almost straight away our plans had changed after spotting a few chub following our lures and after not too many casts I managed to hook myself one. Far from a monster but perfectly matched to my LRF gear.

Carrying on in the same fashion we managed a couple more and after remembering what we had come for we then started to nail a few perch. In the following week any spare moments were spent on the local rivers and lakes with one spot very close to home that just kept throwing up pike whenever I chucked a lure out there.. Unfortunately they got smaller and smaller each time which was strangely interesting being able to study these creatures in their infant state.

Stuart had also carried on his campaign and continuing to exploit the versatility of the lightweight lure he e-mailed me earlier today with these pictures of a nice little brownie and, low and behold his first lure-caught barbel!! Well done Sir!! It'll be interesting playing catch up with that one!

And finally to round things off of course I've been keeping an eye in on the salt. I have been meaning to try my lightweight kit out on the mullet this year and last week I managed to get down to a spot and get the job done. I wasn't sure how things would go but I wanted to use my 2-7g Sakura Shinjin with my 6lb braid and see if I could redeem myself after letting a cracker get the better of me last year. Marukyu Power Isome trailed behind an adapted Mepps spinner with a short trace was used at the business end and after changing from a pink to green Isome I had this little beauty dive in for the grab and then power off resulting an epic fight lasting for several minutes.

Phew..!! There's been plenty caught anyway and I hope to continue in the same fashion throughout the rest of the year. I'm hoping to get a waterproof camera at some point as the screen on my windows phone has cracked and my old camera has died meaning missed opportunities photographing some decent pollock and wrasse sessions.

That's all for now anyway and thanks for reading as always!!