Introduction
to the CD Edition
Pike
Fishing with Lures
has been out of print for some years now,
yet I still get asked for copies. So, rather
than reprint a book that is now a little
dated, and with most people now having access
to a computer, I decided the simplest answer
was to put the book onto a CD-ROM.
Like all angling books that discuss tactics
and tackle Pike Fishing with Lures
is very much of its time, yet the overall
tenets still hold good: that lures catch
big pike; that bigger lures are better for
that than smaller ones; that baitcasting
tackle is best for fishing those lures.
Even now Pike Fishing with Lures
will provide a newcomer to this side of
pike or lure fishing with a sound footing.
This CD-ROM edition of Pike
Fishing with Lures operates in
a web browser just like an on-line website.
To visit each chapter simply go to the
Contents page and click on the chapter title
of your choice. At the end of each chapter
there is a link to the next one so you
can read the whole 'book' from start to
finish if you wish. Each page contains
links to return you here or to the Contents
page.
The
only revisions to the text of the original
paperback edition for this CD-ROM edition
are the inclusion of two missing parts
of paragraphs, improved spell checking
and the removal of now out of date contact
information in the appendices. As a result
some information, particularly regarding
the availability of certain tackle or
lures, is now out of date. Currently active
on-line contacts have replaced certain
contact addresses - to visit them simply
connect to the internet and click the
relevant links.
Wherever possible the original photographs
have been scanned and appear in colour.
However, most of the original lure photographs,
and some others, have been lost and have
therefore had to be scanned from a copy
of the book - which is why they appear
in poor quality black and white.
David
Lumb
March
2004
Introduction
to the On-Line Edition
What
you see here is essentially the CD edition
with updated links to external sites. The
text has not been altered again and so is
even more out of date in places!
More
recent writings can be found in the Articles
section of dlst.co.uk.
David
Lumb
May 2009
INTRODUCTION
I suppose what this book boils down to is
a look at the way I view pike fishing with
lures today. Hence the "Modern Approach".
It is not the only way to go about things,
but it is the best. I say that for I
sincerely believe that the lures and techniques
I use these days catch me more and bigger
pike, and with greater regularity, than any
I have used in the past. I don't claim
to have originated this approach, nor to be
the only one to use it, but I do know that
it works. And it works well.
I can't deny the American influence, which
has been strong on everyone who has watched
U.S. pike and musky videos. However,
this has only provided a springboard for us
to leap from. In the past American bass
techniques and tackle had been used by some
almost as if worshipping at some holy shrine.
This had little to do with our pike fishing
though, or even the American's, as these videos
have so clearly shown - and as I explain elsewhere.
I still have my reservations about certain
American concepts, and would urge anyone watching
U.S. videos too do so with an open mind.
One thing that has put a lot of pike anglers
off lure fishing in the past is the impression
that it is a small fish method. I know
that people like Gord Burton have been saying
that lures are good catchers of big pike for
twenty years or more. But not many have
listened, even though he has shouted loud
enough! Provided that big pike are present,
they can be caught on lures. The key
is to believe that they can. As you
read on you will gain that faith. Lure
fishing is not just about big fish, but I
am sure that most pike anglers would like
to catch them more often! Please don't
think that that is what this book is all about,
for like most of you I spend more time catching
small fish than I do big ones, and I enjoy
it all.
But back to the book. I hope that I
have achieved my aim of making it an informative
and practical guide. With luck the text
progresses in a logical manner, covering the
whys, hows, wheres and whens of pike fishing
with lures. I have tried to make things
as comprehensive as possible. Even so,
I am sure to have omitted one or two points
that should have been covered. Another
problem when writing a book about lure fishing
is that tackle and lures are constantly being
developed. Still, I think things are
reasonably up to date.
Finally, a word on the photographs.
While some of the lures pictured are battered,
others might look untouched but have actually
caught fish. One or two lures have been
shown simply for the purpose of illustration.
I have tried my best to include a picture
of every lure mentioned in the text - I hope
I haven't missed too many out. All the
pike shown have been caught on the lures mentioned
and in the manner described, and none have
been re-hooked for the photographs.
If the quality of some of the trophy
shots leaves a little to be desired,
this is quite simply down to the fact that
I often fish alone, and always put the pike's
welfare before the desire for superb photos.
David Lumb
March 1996