...for serious pike and predator anglers!
A Guide To Purchasing Tackle.
Believe me, the fishing tackle you use can make a big difference to your overall follow, strike and catch statistics.
If you want to enhance the action of a lure, by flicking and twitching with the rod, a rod of high tensile strength, with a progressive through action, is what you ought to look out for - preferably build on a low diameter blank.
Sloppy rods bend far too much for my liking when flicking and twitching lures - and are not that good when it comes to setting hooks!
You will have to travel far and wide to find better rods than the Retrieve Technique range that I and my clients use - but alas, are no longer in production.
Unfortunately, the Retrieve Technique range of rods was discontinued around 2005.
Flicking and twitching the rod when retrieving a lure, causes enhanced vibration waves to be emitted from it. The enhanced vibration waves can stimulate predatory fish to seek out that 'highly vibratory' meal that they can hear in the distance! I have seen pike home-in on a lure from as far as 30-40 from it - the pike being totally out of sight of the lure as it starts its attack.
As a predatory fish homes-in on enhanced vibration waves given off by a twitched/flicked lure, the twitching/flicking action can 'trigger' the following fish to strike. The twitching/flicking action of the lure is not too dissimilar to that of a fleeing prey fish, chick, or water rat etc - darting here and there, trying its hardest to stay well out of reach of those big toothy jaws!
I, personally, still use the complete range of high tensile, low diameter, RT rods - mentiond at the start of this article.
My favourite RT rod for summer lure fishing, is the 7ft 6in RT5 - to which I couple a Shimano Stradic 1000, 3000, or 4000 GTM. It is a superb, well balanced set-up. I fill my reel with 50-60 yards of 50lb bs Power Pro braided line. 50-60 yards is ample for the places that I fish.
I tend to use my high tensile, low diameter RT5 for the majority of my light, medium, and medium-heavy lure fishing.
When I'm casting heavy lures, I either use my high tensile, low diameter 9ft RT4, or my 6ft 6in RT1 - which can cast lures up to 6in long with ease.
To my high tensile, low diameter RT4, I couple a Shimano Stradic 4000GTM. I not only use the 9ft RT4 for distance lure fishing, but I also use it for bait fishing - i.e. from bank or boat.
When I fancy a bit of jerkbait fishing, I use my 6ft 6in RT1 - to which I couple a left-hand wind Shimano Abu 5501 C3 - loaded with 50-60 yards of 50-80lb bs braided line. The RT1 is a trigger grip lure rod, designed specifically to take a multiplier reel.
When bait fishing for pike, using either float or leger tactics, I use either Shimano Baitrunner reels, or ABU 6010 multiplier reels – which have a built-in ‘line-out’ alarm. The alarm is nice and loud. When bait fishing for pike I use 50-80lb Power Pro – which is no thicker than 17lb mono line.
Question: So where can I buy rods with the unique high tensile strength, low diameter, progressive through action you have talked about above?
Answer: Unfortunately, as I said above, they are no longer available. If I stumble on a rod, or range of rods, that meets my RT rods specs, i.e. high tensile strength, low diameter, progressive through action, I'll amend this article and give specs, where to buy etc.
If you want to know more about the tackle that I use, please send me an email.
This articles was last updated: 18th April 2007