Fishing with Tony Lincoln | Categories of Lures

This edition, we'll look at different categories of lures and their intended use.

Broadly grouped, there are three main categories of lures, hardbodies, soft plastics and metals, with each having sub-categories in them. Going forward, I'll talk in broad terms regarding these, as going into full detail could fill a book.

Metals: Generally speaking, this is the most basic lure type manufactured from, as the name suggests, metal. Commonly they are in a chrome, mirror or highly polished finish, however, a myriad of finishes exist. The intention of these is to imitate an injured or panicked, fleeing baitfish with plenty of reflective flash to attract a hungry predator’s attention. Produced in a range of sizes and designs, the most basic versions are designed to be cast and retrieved FAST - as fast as you can wind. You'll never outrun actively feeding fish by winding too fast.

Basic straight slugs travel straight through the water and the colour or reflectivity produces the strike. Retrieval techniques can vary. Cast out, let sink and retrieve from deeper water, gradually rising as they get closer to you, straight back just under the surface, or skipped fast along the surface to imitate fleeing baitfish.

Some metals have twists, flat areas or holes incorporated into their design which impart some action and vibration as they travel through the water. These can be straight-retrieved as above, but they have the added option of a slower or intermittent erratic retrieval as their design may allow a fluttering action as it sinks. This will add vibration and flash, but it is also important to keep the lure in the water for longer, giving undecided fish more time to decide to attack.

In the majority of situations, speed is your friend. Metals travelling too slowly through the water, look like a hunk of metal travelling through the water. Speed gives them their reflectivity, splash and in some cases, even a bubble trail behind them, which all combine to imitate a meal for hungry predators.

Thanks for reading again, and remember;

Talk to old people, they know stuff you don't.

Talk to young people, they know stuff you don't.

FISHING REPORT

• Once again, healthy fishing all round at the moment with plenty of baitfish around the peninsula and bay, and the great condition of the fish reflects this.
• Flathead fishing very well.
• Tailor up to 55cm being caught.
• The odd jewfish being landed as well.
• Tailor off Woody Point jetty, off all the rocky points and inshore reefs around the peninsula, Ted Smout Memorial Bridge platform, Pine River mouth and particularly in Bramble Bay.
• Plenty of squire and snapper on the rocky points, inshore reefs and the odd one off the jetties.
• Bream on the beaches, jetties, rocky points and on the inshore reefs.
• Bream, flathead and some whiting in Hays Inlet, the Pine River, Scarborough Spit and foreshore, and the mouth of the canals.
• Diver whiting off Scarborough into Deception Bay, and across to the Cockle Banks.
• Good numbers of squid in all the usual haunts.
• Snapper and tuskies on the artificial reefs inside Moreton.
• Remember we're in closed season for snapper until 11.59pm on August 15.