My top Five Favourite Baits for Pike, Trout, Salmon and Perch

I haven’t had any fishing adventures of late, so here is a piece about my favourite baits instead.

Number Five

SHAD soft lure by “Fishhunter”

My favourite thing about this bait is how it swims in the water. It looks so super natural. It also has a scent of something ‘fishy’. My dad bought me this great bait for a treat. He thought it looked so attractive and I agree. So far, I have used it for pike fishing and it helped me to bring home a nice pike. If I was to name one weakness- it’s made out of soft rubber. Pike could easily break it with their super sharp teeth. I was lucky. The pike I caught got the hook stuck in its gum.

Number Four

“Fishhunter” 11grams jointed plug

This is a bait I bought myself, from my own money.
What I like most about this bait is the way it moves in the water. It’s going to be very fish- like. The mid line has a lovely silver shine which looks just like what you’d see on fish in real life. The only reason it’s only my number four is because I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I think once I do though I will get a bite in no time.

Number Three

“Mikado” Trython Double Spoon 25g

My dad gave me this bait as a present. I was using it and I really liked the way it moves in the water. It sends vibrations through the water that look as if a fish is zooming by. I think salmon, pike, trout and perch will all like it. As far as simple spinners go, this is as good as it gets. I like it a lot but not enough for the top two places...

Number Two

“Savage Gear” 4D Line Thru Trout

You should see the pattern on this baby- it’s so realistic. It was copied from real trout, and it looks just like a trout. It’s a Savage Gear, and they make the very best baits. Savage Gear baits have the best action in the water. And, not only does it look like a real trout (3D), but it also SMELLS like a real trout (4D). You can’t beat that. Despite the joints and some softness it is quite sturdy, too. You would get that bait out of a pike’s mouth no problem. Santa brought me this bait. (Thank you, Santa, if you read this.)

And finally now for my...

Number One

“Savage Gear” Shine Glider, 3D perch jointed plug

As well as being jointed this bad boy has an extra bait which looks like a prawn. Pike, salmon, and trout of all sizes, even ferrox (a very large trout species) would love this. I have already caught three pike on this bait. My dad bought it for me as a Friday treat which is something we get if we behave well all week. We bought it from Ken in Corrib Tackle, at Number 2 Kilkeerin Park in Galway, which is my favourite tackle shop.

All these of my top five baits can work together as a team. You could start with number five, and then work your way up to number one, and eventually you are bound to catch something, hopefully something very big.

The trout that almost escaped

Scene of the incident: The Clare River in County Galway near Tuam, a great place for trout fishing, and for salmon, too, if you are lucky.

This time I went on a fishing adventure with my dad and his friend Frank. Frank also brought his dog, Lucy. We were fishing with worms, for either salmon or trout.

I got a bite early on in the session. I had just been chatting to people who were passing by, next thing one of them said: “Look, your rod is bending.” I went to grab the rod and I started to feel really excited as I was reeling it in.

It was very easy to reel in... and when I pulled the fish out of the water, it was only a tiddler, a small trout, and my dad said I had to put it back into the water. You are only allowed to keep trout that is more than 13 inches long. So my fishing session started with a disappointment. But the day wasn’t done yet.

Next thing, Frank said: “I am going to catch a big fish.” I copied him and said: “I am going to catch a big fish, too!”  We had hardly spoken these words when Frank got a bite. His rod started bending fast. He said: “Here, Cillian, reel this in for me.” So I grabbed his rod and I reeled.

The fish was very strong. I had to give him some line, otherwise I would have lost him. Then I reeled him in for real. When I had him close to the river bank, Frank told me to put the rod upright. I think I held the rod a bit too high because next thing I lost the fish. I was trembling with excitement.

The fish jumped out of the water. As he came down he probably hit a rock. He must have been stunned because he lay in the water on his side and didn’t move... Lucy was barking at him like crazy to alert us. She gets very excited when she is fishing.

With the fish being stunned we had a second chance, but someone had to move fast. Frank came to the rescue. He grabbed his net and scooped up the fish.

The fish was about a two and a quarter pounder. He had a golden pattern with red dots. Frank gave the fish to me to bring home. Trout fried in butter once more...my dad is a master at cooking fish. I helped him to gut the fish and put the butter in the pan. Then I got to eat it all by myself, and it was scrumptious.

Cong Canal July 2017

19/11/2017

This is me at the Cong canal. I caught my first fish here when I was five years old. The Cong Canal is a good place for catching wild brown trout. It connects Lough Mask and Lough Corrib. In July of this year at the start of the school holidays my dad and I spent a day there. My friend Rowan was also there. 

I caught the first fish of the day, a two Pounder on a rod borrowed from a friend. I caught it on a ledgered worm. This means there is no float. There is a ball of lead which pulls the worm under the water as it rolls in the current. 

Then my dad caught a two and a quarter Pounder trout on a float fished live caddis. A caddis is the maggot of a sedge fly. Trout love all stages of the caddis.

We gave the first fish to my friend, and we brought the larger trout home. My dad gutted the trout, and fried it in butter in the pan. Salmon is my favourite fish, but trout fried in butter is really nice too.