Lure fishing: choose depth and retrieve before changing lure
Course pack: Retrieve and depth comparison card. Coach Willy, our virtual AI coach, can explain each step, set you a practice task and check your understanding.
Who it's for
New to this? Perfect — no experience needed.
Where and when
Done on the bank. Best in: all.
What you'll work through
- 1Choose a realistic target and starting approach
- 2Practise recognising lure behaviour
- 3Cover depth and water deliberately
- 4Compare one presentation change
Step 1: Choose a realistic target and starting approach
Alright mate, let's get stuck into lure fishing: choose depth and retrieve before changing lure. I'll walk you through what to look for, what to try and how to tell whether it helped. We'll start with choose a realistic target and starting approach, then work through a proper practice job at each step. Take it at your own pace and keep a few notes so you've got a useful plan for next time.
By the end of this step
Have a go at: choose a realistic target and starting approach.
Check first
Check fishery or club rules and GOV.UK rod licence rules, including their geographical scope. Stay on stable banks, avoid overhead power lines and check behind before casting. Before targeting predators, arrange in-person learning on landing, unhooking and fish care, supported by Angling Trust guidance; this lesson does not teach those procedures.
Willy’s take
Before worrying about which lure to buy, decide what's realistic for your first outing, a stillwater perch or small pike on soft plastics is a sensible, forgiving start compared with chasing big specimen fish straight away.
Pick a venue where lure fishing is explicitly allowed and check if a wire trace is required, many lure-friendly waters hold pike even if you're not targeting them specifically. Bring a small, varied selection rather than dozens of options, a soft plastic, a small spinnerbait, and a shallow diving crankbait cover most situations.
Starting with modest goals and simple kit means you'll learn presentation skills faster than if you're overwhelmed by choice on day one.
Kit I'd start with
- For general lure fishing, a medium-action spinning rod paired with a reel holding braid in the 15-20lb class gives good feel and casting control without being overkill. A short fluorocarbon leader suits most lures, but switch to a proper wire trace whenever pike are a realistic possibility on that water, since fluorocarbon alone offers no real protection against a bite-off.
- Carry a handful of lure types across different depths - shallow divers, mid-depth and bottom-hugging options - rather than dozens of near-identical colours, since depth and retrieve usually matter more than exact pattern.
- Trade-off: braid gives excellent bite sensitivity but is more visible and less forgiving on light drag settings than mono, so check your drag and knots are suited to the line before fishing rather than assuming lighter gear is automatically an improvement.
- For lure practice, a 7-8ft rod with a stated 5-20g casting range is an example for small lures in open water, not for casting heavy deadbaits. Count the head and plastic together; step up the outfit for larger lures and likely bycatch, within maker guidance.
On the bank
Worked example
Imagine this: You've just bought a lure box full of options and are heading to a local water you've never lure-fished before. What safe starting choice would you make here, and what would you watch before changing it?
Your turn: Choose a realistic target and starting approach
- 1
Set a realistic target species for your first outing
- 2
Confirm lure fishing rules and trace requirements
That's the free sample — this is where it stops
The full step keeps going with the rest of the practice job, common mistakes and fixes, a check-your-understanding quiz and your Retrieve and depth comparison card. Then 3 more steps, each with its own task, and Coach Willy on hand to talk it through.
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