Surely it’s that hit or smash or take while you are actually holding the rod which is the crux of lure fishing?

I was writing an article the other day where I needed to try and articulate the differences as I see them between bait and lure fishing. I don’t subscribe to one type of fishing as being better than the other because firstly I can’t see the point of this, and secondly that fishing is big enough to fit us all in with our own differences and preferences. But the simple fact is that lure fishing is a bit different to bait fishing, just as fly fishing is somewhat different to pole fishing…………..

The split-second before a rampaging GT (which is coming out of the water in the photo above) smashes the lure and sends those glorious shockwaves down the arms of the angler

And as much as fly fishing traditionally comes from the freshwater world but of course has been hugely prevalent in saltwater for many moons now, I see a greater assimilation between fly fishing and lure fishing than I do lure fishing in saltwater or bait fishing in saltwater. There are many differences between lure and bait fishing and I am sure with time we could come up with a long list, but the most obvious one to me is the fact that when you are lure or fly fishing you are holding the rod - except for trolling I guess - and therefore you are going to feel that hit or smash or take from a fish like you won’t if you aren’t actually holding your fishing rod.

How’s that for an eat right off the end of the rod tip?

So surely it’s that hit or smash or take while you are actually holding the rod which is the big thing about choosing to lure or indeed fly fish? Trying to describe the actual hit or smash or take is actually bloody difficult because you are usually so wrapped up in the moment and the event itself can happen so quickly that you can’t really process the feelings or emotions as it actually happens to you. A brown trout lazily taking a dry fly off the top is somewhat easier to break down and analyse than say fishing a soft plastic which you often can’t see - and then everything very suddenly stops as you feel this slam or bang or just a stop dead sort of feeling and your heart skips a beat. Next time you’re out fishing and you are holding your rod and working a lure, try to grab a snapshot of your brain when you get that hit or smash or take. See if you can break down just what it is about that sudden jolt which races down your fishing rod and into your arm and into your head in a split second of pure joy…………….