Best-of guide

Best lures: our top-scored picks

Right, here's the lot. Every bit of lures we've dug into, ranked by our on-paper score — that's our own desk research on specs, build and price across five things: product quality, performance, how much it helps you catch, ease of use and value for money. We haven't bank-tested these, so treat it as a smart shortlist, not gospel.

Top of the pile right now: Fulling Mill Pike Streamer Selection (9/10), Savage Gear 4D Line Thru Perch (9/10) and Fox Rage Replicant Shallow (9/10). Tap into any review for the full lowdown, the comparison and a buying checklist.

Top tip: match the kit to how and where you actually fish before chasing the highest number. A cracking bit of gear for big open waters can be overkill on a snug club pond. How we score.

Fishing styleAll Carp Coarse Predator Fly Specialist

Fishing style

Lures
90%
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Streamer Selection
Pike Fly Selection · Product 995580
Twelve big predator streamers, six proven-looking patterns and a handy box. A cracking starting point for pike fly anglers who want options without tying a whole drawerful.
- 12 predator flies in total, covering six patterns.
- Includes two of each pattern: Dougies Perch, Mackerel Sparkler, Tinsel Town Silver, UV Flashtail Whistler, Dougie’s Roach and Yellow FM.
- Sizes range from 2/0 to 6/0, so these are substantial pike streamers rather than general coarse flies.
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Lures
90%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 4D Line Thru Perch
Savage Gear 4D Line Thru Perch
A proper lifelike perch imitation with a clever line-through system, slow sink and plenty of little predator-catching tricks built in.
- 3D-scanned perch body with a 4D Photo Chrome skin print.
- Slow-sinking lure with a realistic S-curve swimming action.
- Easy-change line-through system with an 8-inch line-through channel.
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Lures
90%
Fox Rage
Fox Rage Replicant Shallow
18cm / 7in and 23cm / 9in versions
Need a big bait that keeps ticking over in the top few feet? The Fox Rage Replicant Shallow is built for slow, shallow predator work, with a clever detachable harness to help save the lure when a pike gets its teeth in.
- Tuned to work in the first few feet beneath the surface.
- Can be presented very slowly without losing its shallow-water purpose.
- Uses a balanced soft body made from super-resistant material.
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Lures
90%
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Atom Spoon
Atom Spoon
A proper classic for a reason. The Abu Garcia Atom Spoon gives you a wide, lazy wobble, simple tackle-friendly fishing and loads of scope for pike, perch and other freshwater predators.
- First sold in 1949 and designed for pike and other freshwater predators.
- Suitable for both casting and trolling.
- Recommended retrieve is slow and steady, with a wide, enticing swimming action.
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Lures
90%
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Droppen Spinner
Droppen Spinner — available in 4g, 6g, 8g and 12g sizes
A classic teardrop spinner with a low centre of gravity, useful sizes and enough flash to make perch, chub and trout sit up and take notice.
- Available in 4g, 6g, 8g and 12g weights.
- Approximate diving depth is 0.5m–2.5m.
- Designed for freshwater predators including perch, chub, pike and trout.
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Lures
90%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear Gravity Twitch
Gravity Twitch
A suspending twitchbait with a proper darting action, long-cast system and useful shallow-to-midwater running depths. Handy kit when predators want something that hangs and kicks.
- Available in 6.7cm, 8.3cm and 9.5cm sizes, with listed weights of 6g, 10g and 15g.
- Approximate running depths range from 0.5–1m for the 6.7cm, 0.6–1.3m for the 8.3cm and 0.7–1.5m for the 9.5cm.
- The lure suspends with a horizontal balance and combines darting, wobbling and kicking action.
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Lures
89%
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Fly Selection
12-fly selection · Product code 995580
A cracking dozen pike flies in one tidy box, with big predator patterns covering bright, natural and flashy water.
- 12 pike flies in total, with two of each listed pattern.
- Six patterns: Dougies Perch, Mackerel Sparkler, Tinsel Town Silver, UV Flashtail Whistler, Dougie’s Roach and Yellow FM.
- Supplied in a lightweight Fulling Mill Xtreme Box with a non-rust hinge.
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Lures
89%
Westin
Westin Swim
Westin Swim freshwater glidebait lure
The Westin Swim brings a tidy S-curve action, plenty of size options and a seriously useful choice of densities. Here’s where it fits on the predator box, mate.
- Freshwater glidebait made from ABS plastic with a full wire-through body.
- Distinctive S-curve swimming action on a steady retrieve or pull-and-wind.
- Available in lengths from 6.5cm to 15cm and weights from 9g to 115g.
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Lures
89%
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Bunny Fly
Available in Yellow, Olive, Grizzly, Black and White/Orange
A big, mobile bunny fly for pike and zander, with enough movement to make cold-water retrieves and twitchy margin work properly interesting.
- Approximately 6 inches long on a 4/0 Fulling Mill FM Pike Hook.
- Uses super-mobile rabbit material for lifelike movement.
- Available in Yellow, Olive, Grizzly, Black and White/Orange.
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Lures
89%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 4D Line Thru Pike
25cm · 105g · Slow sinking
A proper big-fish pike lure with a lifelike glide, clever Line Thru rigging and enough presence to tempt a lump from cover.
- 25cm long and 105g in weight, so this is a serious meal-sized pike lure.
- Slow-sinking body with a realistic S-curve swimming action.
- Made from softbait material and based on a 3D scan of a real baby pike.
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Lures
89%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear Gravity Twitch MR
Gravity Twitch MR
A cracking suspending twitchbait for covering that middle layer, with a proper darting action, tidy long-cast system and enough sizes to target everything from perch to pike.
- Available in 8.3cm / 10g and 9.5cm / 15g suspending versions.
- The 8.3cm model runs at approximately 1.5–2.2m; the 9.5cm model reaches approximately 1.7–3m.
- Magnetic long-cast system with a sliding iron core, plus a built-in tubular rattle chamber.
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Lures
89%
Westin
Westin HypoTeez ST
Standard HypoTeez ST, with the R'NR rigged version also covered where relevant
A soft-bodied Westin lure with a cheeky paddle-tail kick, realistic finish and useful size range. Pick the right version and it’ll cover everything from perch and zander jobs to chasing a proper lump.
- Available in 11.5cm, 15cm and 25cm options.
- The standard 15cm lure weighs 30g; the R'NR 15cm finished lure is listed at 39g.
- The standard 11.5cm pack contains two lures, while the standard 15cm and 25cm packs contain one each.
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Lures
89%
Westin
Westin Swim Glidebait
Swim Glidebait range, focusing on the confirmed suspending versions
An S-curve swimmer you can work with a straightforward wind or a pull-and-pause retrieve. Just choose your size carefully: the little 9g version and the bigger 53g model need very different outfits.
- S-curve swimming action with steady or pull-and-wind retrieves.
- Confirmed suspending examples: 6.5cm/9g, 10cm Firetiger/32g and 12cm World Cup Edition/53g.
- Lead-free ABS body with full wire-through-body construction.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Roach Shine Glide
Savage Gear 3D Roach Shine Glide
A proper realistic glidebait with a clever V-joint, slow-float behaviour and a tough TPE tail. One for pike anglers who like working a lure properly rather than just chucking and winding.
- Available in 13.5cm and 18cm lengths, with listed weights of 28g and 65g respectively.
- 3D-scanned baitfish detail, restricted kicking V-joint and a rolling swimming action.
- Soft ultra-realistic tooth-proof TPE tail with sharp Savage Gear Y-trebles.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Roach Line Thru
18 cm, 25 cm and selected 32 cm variants; slow-sinking and moderate-sinking options
A big, bendy predator lure with a proper roach-like glide, built for anglers chasing a serious pike bite rather than picking away at jacks.
- Available in 18 cm and 25 cm sizes, with some listings also showing a 32 cm Glitter Bream variant.
- Available in slow-sinking and moderate-sinking versions for different depths and retrieve styles.
- Three independently moving body sections create an S-curve swimming action, with soft side fins adding extra pulse.
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Lures
88%
Westin
Westin Ricky the Roach
Shadtail and R2F versions
From the flexible Shadtail to the wire-through R2F, Ricky the Roach gives pike and perch anglers a convincing baitfish profile in several cracking sizes.
- Shadtail sizes run from 7cm to 18cm, with listed weights from 6g to 85g.
- R2F sizes run from 7cm to 18cm, with listed weights from 9g to 113g.
- The Shadtail has an easy-action paddle tail, realistic eyes, belly flash and optimised flexibility.
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Lures
88%
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Streamer
Range review covering Fulling Mill Pike Streamer patterns including Dougies Baitfish Perch, Dougies Pike Clouser Roach, Clydesdale Green Perch and Paolo’s Wiggle Tail Pike Streamers.
A cracking range of handmade pike streamers for fly anglers who want baitfish profiles, plenty of movement and hooks built for a serious scrap.
- High-quality predator flies made in England.
- Supplied as an individual tied fly, not a multi-fly box.
- Dougies Baitfish Perch is available in 2/0 and 4/0, at approximately 16 cm overall.
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Lures
88%
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Beast Pro Glide Bait
Lure review
A proper big-pike glide bait with a slow sink, wide hunting action and enough size to tempt a serious lump.
- Available in 15 cm, 18 cm and 23 cm sizes.
- The 15 cm weighs 34 g, the 18 cm weighs 58 g and the 23 cm weighs 121 g.
- It’s slowly sinking, with the 15 cm model working at roughly 0.3–1 m and the 23 cm model around 0.5–1.5 m.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Real Eel
Pre-rigged Real Eel, with 30cm and alternative length/weight versions available
A seriously convincing eel imitation with a lovely curl-tail kick, ready-rigged convenience and enough presence for casting, trolling and vertical work.
- 3D-scanned from a real eel for an ultra-realistic profile.
- Available in several lengths, including 8in and 12in; UK listings include a 30cm version.
- Designed for casting, vertical fishing and trolling.
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Lures
88%
Fox Rage
Fox Rage Replicant Realistic Roach
Realistic Roach soft lure, available in 14cm and 18cm sizes, with three colour options
A convincing roach-shaped soft lure with clever hook-rotation hardware, built for predator anglers who want a natural-looking baitfish profile without faffing about.
- Soft lure designed to imitate a roach.
- Available in 14cm and 18cm sizes, with three colour options.
- Realistic prey-fish body shape and colour patterns.
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Lures
88%
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Predator Fly Selection
Product code 995580
A proper box of pike flies covering perch, roach, baitfish and flashy attractor patterns. Handy for building a predator fly collection without buying twelve different flies one by one.
- Contains 12 predator flies, with two of each of six listed patterns.
- Patterns include Dougies Perch, Mackerel Sparkler, Tinsel Town Silver, UV Flashtail Whistler, Dougie’s Roach and Yellow FM.
- Fly sizes range from 2/0 to 6/0 across the selection.
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Lures
88%
Westin
Westin BuzzBite
BuzzBite standard and SR models
A compact crankbait with a tight, aggressive action, sensible shallow-to-mid-depth options and a cracking pause game for perch, chub and other predators.
- Available in 4cm and 5cm sizes, with weights of 4g and 6g respectively.
- The 5cm standard BuzzBite weighs 6g and runs around 1–2m to 1–2.5m.
- The standard model has neutral buoyancy and suspends during pauses.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Sticklebait Twitch
Sinking twitchbait
A compact sinking stickleback imitation with a proper shimmy, useful casting weight and enough flash to tempt perch, chub and other predatory fish when they’re keyed onto small prey.
- Available in 4.5cm, 5.5cm and 6.5cm sizes.
- All three listed sizes are sinking lures, weighing 4g, 7g and 9.4g respectively.
- Tungsten-loaded ABS body gives the lure useful casting weight and a shimmering drop.
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Lures
88%
Westin
Westin ShadTeez
Original ShadTeez range: 7cm, 9cm, 12cm, 16cm and 19cm
A chunky baitfish profile, an easy-working tail and sizes for perch through to pike. The ShadTeez keeps things simple — just get the rigging and retrieve right.
- Deep-bodied soft-plastic shad with a slender tail wrist and wide paddle tail.
- Realistic eyes and detailed, hand-painted colours.
- Listed sizes run from 7cm to 19cm, with lure weights from 4g to 56g.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 4Play V2 Swim & Jerk
Swim & Jerk — 13.5cm, 16.5cm and 20cm
A jointed, slow-sinking baitfish imitation that swims on a steady wind and glides when you break the rhythm. Cracking for working shallow predator water, provided you pick the size your tackle can comfortably handle.
- Three sizes: 13.5cm/20g, 16.5cm/35g and 20cm/65g.
- Four articulated body parts connected by three joints.
- Hard ABS body with a semi-soft PVC tail and photo-chrome finish.
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Lures
88%
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Reflex Red Spinner
Reflex Red Spinner · 7g, 12g and 18g
A classic rotating-blade spinner for covering water without a boxful of rigging bits. Pick the weight to suit your swim, keep the blade working and let the flash do the talking.
- Available in 7g, 12g and 18g weights.
- Listed lengths are 4.5cm, 5.7cm and 6.5cm respectively.
- Rotating-blade spinner for a straightforward cast-and-retrieve approach.
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Lures
88%
Abu Garcia
Abu Garcia Toby Spoon
Toby Spoon range — choose weight and finish
A straightforward metal spoon with plenty of flash and a fluttering wobble. The Toby makes sense for covering open water, provided you pick the right weight and keep that exposed treble away from the rough stuff.
- Solid metal spoon with a curved body.
- Fluttering and wobbling action.
- Fitted with one treble hook; one lure per pack.
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Lures
88%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear Craft Cannibal Paddletail
Craft Cannibal Paddletail — Clear Water and Dark Water mix packs
A baitfish-shaped paddletail with useful size choices, a jig-head-friendly mouth and four-lure colour mixes. Straightforward kit for working through your local perch, zander and pike water.
- Four softbait lures in the mix packs.
- Available in Clear Water and Dark Water mixes.
- Large paddle tail joined to the body by a slender tail bridge.
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Lures
88%
Fox Rage
Fox Rage Fox Rage Slick Shad
Slick Shad range — including 7cm, 9cm, 11cm and 13cm
Soft, slender and happy swimming slowly, the Slick Shad makes sense when perch and zander want an easy-looking meal rather than a lure kicking up a fuss.
- Available lengths include 7cm, 9cm, 11cm and 13cm.
- Very soft, slender body with a rounded cross-section and small paddle tail.
- Belly and back slots accommodate Texas rigging; jig heads are another option.
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Lures
87%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Smashtail Minnow
Savage Gear 3D Smashtail Minnow
A floating baby-trout imitation with a plopping tail, a cracking wake and sizes for everything from pike days to big-fish hunting.
- Floating baby-trout imitation based on a 3D scan.
- Turning tail creates a loud plopping sound and surface wake.
- Available in 8cm, 10cm, 13.5cm and 17cm sizes.
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Lures
87%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear 3D Sucker
9-inch and 12-inch versions, with Moderate Sinking or Fast Sinking options
A lifelike sucker imitation with a cracking tail kick, serious hardware and two sinking rates. Built for pike anglers who want to put a big meal in front of a lump.
- Available in 9-inch (230 mm) and 12-inch (300 mm) sizes.
- Choose Moderate Sinking or Fast Sinking versions.
- 9-inch weights are 5 1/2 oz (156 g) and 6 oz (170 g); 12-inch weights are 11 oz (312 g) and 12 oz (340 g).
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Lures
Fulling Mill
Fulling Mill Pike Predator Streamer
Pike Predator Streamer
A flashy, meaty streamer built for pike fly fishing. It’s all about movement, profile and provoking a hungry toothy one into a screaming take.
- A ready-tied Fulling Mill pike streamer for fly fishing.
- Designed to create a substantial baitfish-style profile and plenty of movement.
- Best suited to pike fly tackle with a suitable sinking or intermediate line, depending on depth and swim.
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Lures
87%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear Fat Minnow T-Tail
Fat Minnow T-Tail; RTF options detailed separately
A chunky soft lure with a T-tail that works at slow retrieve speeds. A handy shout for predator anglers who want to cover water without winding like mad.
- Soft-material lure with a fat body profile.
- T-tail moves at slow retrieve speeds.
- RTF options use ball jig heads, fine-wire carbon-steel hooks and Pro Peg body holders.
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Lures
87%
Westin
Westin BabyBite
BabyBite SR and DR; choose your diving depth
Small enough for perch, with plenty of presence for pike. The BabyBite makes sense when you want to cover water without turning every cast into a rigging job — just pick the right diving version.
- SR: 6.5 cm, 12 g, with a stated running depth of 1–2 m.
- DR: 6.5 cm, 13 g, with a stated running depth of 2–4 m.
- The SR has a floating, fat-profile ABS body and lead-free construction.
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Lures
87%
Westin
Westin Ricky the Roach Shadtail
Range overview: 7, 10, 14 and 18 cm
A roach-shaped soft lure with an easy-working tail, rolling body action and sizes that stretch from perch-friendly snacks to proper pike meals. Just mind the jump in weight as you go bigger.
- Freshwater soft lure with an easy-action shad tail.
- Slim body designed for belly flash, with a tight rolling action.
- Realistic eyes and hand-painted colour detailing.
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Lures
87%
Savage Gear
Savage Gear Cannibal Shad
8cm Cannibal Shad, covering the LB single lure and mixed-colour kit options
A handy soft lure for searching out perch, zander and pike. Just keep an eye on which version you're buying: the single LB lure and mixed-colour kits aren't the same package.
- The LB single-lure version measures 8cm and weighs 5g.
- Firetiger and Clown are listed colour options for the LB single.
- The 8cm mixed-colour version has a paddle tail, scent and UV-active features.
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