There are so many lures, plugs and jerk baits out there at the moment it is hard to decide on which ones to tackle up with for our rivers here in Scotland and the rest of the UK. We thought we’d put a little guide together explaining what we recommend from our experience.
There are six popular styles of lure that our knowledgable staff rate, all with their own advantages:
The Mepps Aglia Flying C Lure
The Mepps Aglia Flying C Spinner Lure, or flying condom, is an excellent choice of lure for Salmon Seatrout and Trout. This particular lure has been a number 1 best seller for many years, provided in different colours and different sizes, there is a colour and size to suit all water conditions. Carrying a range of sizes and colours means the angler is prepared for just about any water condition their faced with on the day.
A top tip for the Flying C is when you know there is running fish, cast upstream and across and retrieve quickly. Once the lure is below you slow your retrieve and this is when you should expect a take. The fish will have followed it across the river and as soon as it slows as if to rest in the calmer water at the edge, this is a trigger for an already aggressive fish.
Use ball bearing swivels on Flying C’s.
The Abu Garcia Toby
Depending on the type of fishing you are doing, these proven lures of over 50 years can prove successful. For the angler looking to harl/trawl there are the broader Salmo toby’s from Abu which can simply be dropped in behind the boat and set to distance using the current. See below:
Salmon Toby – Good for trolling or Harling.
If however you are looking for a toby to cast from the bank/shore, then you need a slimmer profile to cut through the air more efficiently. The equivalent weight in the original version Abu toby is seen below:
Original Toby – Good for casting distance.
These lures are an all round winner for many Salmon fishing situations. The Toby dives deep into the water looking for fish and has been so effective, that it lives on after many years of use.
These lures are responsible for catching untold numbers of fish worldwide including Pike, Perch, Trout and Salmon.
This remains one of our more popular lures due to its superior quality and heritage.
The Rapala Original Floater
There are so many variations of Rapala that we would go on for hours explaining what each of them do. The Original Floater, however, can be fished in many ways and is a must for the Salmon angler’s tackle box. These really are still one of the number one “go-to” lures. Whether twitched on the top as a surface bait, retrieved as a shallow runner, weighted with a split shot for medium depths or bottom walked off a three-way swivel or bottom-bouncer, the wounded minnow action continues to be irresistible to Salmon on every continent around the world.
These can also be fished with an individual hook as explained with the Vision 110’s at the top of this post.
The Payo Aegis 110
Very similar in many ways to the famous Vision 110’s though these are at a lower price point. The Payo Aegis 110 Lure is a very popular Jerkbait lure with a proven track record with Salmon anglers. With very little practice it is easy to accurately control these lures movement through the water. Jerk, twitch and roll these lip lures to create super erratic movement through the water and entice even the most wary fish. Fitted with strong red VMC Permasteel hooks.
Unique to Angling Active are some of the colours we offer, and the very popular “Rainbow Pink” colour is a favourite amongst Spring Tay anglers: click here to see the range.
The Silver Horde Rattle Plug
Well known are the Kynoch Killers amongst Scottish river anglers and these are very similar. The Silver Horde Rattle Plugs are super vibrant Salmon trolling/harling plugs that are irresistible to Salmon! These plugs are designed from quality materials and have unique details that make them a top choice of lure.
This range of plugs are made in America using traditional methods, combined with innovative and unique designs. The quality of these plugs is to a high standard and the plastic material offers excellent durability.
The vivid and vibrant colour combinations of these lures are incredibly eye-catching and are highly effective for attracting an amazing amount of Salmon, Ferox Trout and Pike. Each plug is fitted with two sharp treble hooks and produces a rattling sound for extra temptation.
The rattler in the body is hugely advantageous, as the ‘clicking’ sound is highly attractive to fish. These plugs will also work very well in darker weather conditions, early in the morning and in murky water as the double glow feature will make the lure glow in the dark and will also produce an effective glow in the day time.
The double glow, combined with the rattle effect and the vivid colour patterns makes these plugs immensely attractive to predators.
The Silver Horde Rattle Plugs are approximately 4 inches in length and are available in three colours, the Purple Spatter, Mother of Pearl and Yellow Tail. Each plug includes two treble hooks, a rattler and a double glow feature.
The Nils Master Invincible
The Nils Master Invincible is what the Rapala originally was with high-quality workmanship, balsa wood construction and not mass produced. It has a slightly arched shape which produces a revolutionary swimming action that was new when it was introduced in the 1960s. Like its name, the Invincible is one of the most successful fish catchers.
Its unique swimming action and effective colour combinations have caught record amounts of big fish for many happy fishermen all over the world. The Invincible wobbler floats on the surface but just a slight retrieve of pull gets it diving with a swimming action that imitates a bait fish. When the pulling stops the Invincible bobs back to the surface. The Invincible wobbler is easy to cast and is great for trolling/ harling.
A group of fishing experts from Finland carried out tests for a fishing magazine and the Nils Master Invincible lure was clearly proven to catch more fish over 10kg than any other lure.
Please see our run down of the best lures for Trout the UK here – “What are the best lures for Trout?”
