Rubber lures are one my favourite types of artificial baits. Because I like them so much, I have confidence in them, and this means most of my fishing these days is done with them. I’ve caught some cracking fish on rubbers, largely, I think, because their action is great and when a predator gets hold of them, they feel realistic. Another advantage is that you can fish many rubbers with a single hook. This makes unhooking much easier than when you use treble hooks – hooks with three points – and so it is kinder on the fish.

Types of rubber
Rubber lures come in all shapes, sizes, colors and forms. You’ll find almost any food form imitated – fish, worms, crabs, frogs, crayfish, sand eels, prawns, lizards and anything that wriggles or swims. This can be bewildering. My advice is to choose fish imitations first and then slowly build up your collection. Remember that each rubber lure is best worked in different ways. Like them to clear water where you can see how they work at their very best.

Casting
As with any lure, it’s important to cast accurately. With rubbers you are best fishing at closer range rather than far off. This is because you need total control over that rubber. It will often be taken on the drop, so all you will see is a bit of slack line. Also, rubbers are often simply sucked in, rather than grabbed with ferocity, so if you’re fishing at 40-50m (130-165ft), you just won’t feel the take at all. Many rubbers are best just jigged tip and down a little, which you can only do when you’re up close and personal!
Remember, too, that many rubbers are best just fished static on the bottom. Often predators will lake a minute or two to study them before coming in to attack.

Keeping contact with the lure
I can’t over-emphasize the importance of being in contact with your rubber lure. Species like bass and perch will often mouth the lure without moving off, so strike at my indication on your line. If the water is clear, try fishing shallows where you can actually see it the lure is taken, lithe fish are investigating the rubber without taking, this is your cue to change the color of the lure, its size or its shape.

Rubber fishing is all about intense concentration. It also demands imagination and intelligence. A tiny twitch here, the lift of a rod lip, the giving of slack line… all these subtle movements can mean the difference between success and failure. Above all, you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing, it’s only if you’ve got confidence that success will flow. (more…)

By Corinne Springdale During the months of May, June, and July, a great many anglers in the Gulf Coast region head to the beach to snare the Speckle Trout.  The Speckle Trout is a large trout, silver in color with olive-green tinting.  The “speckle” is given by the many small black dots that extend from its dorsal fin down to the tail.  Commonly, the Speckle Trout is between 14 to 18 inches long, and weighs between one to three pounds.  Its lower jaw is generally more prominent than its upper jaw and its mouth encapsulates two canine teeth.  Speckle Trout prefer small crustaceans, shrimp, and small fish for their diets. (more…)

Catch the big fish with this Catfish Stopper Cat Worm. Specially designed for dip baits, it has holes to hold the bait inside the worm.

* Use with Dip Baits
* Holes hold bate inside worm
* Tapered design for river fishing
* Catch Big Cats!
* Snailed treble hook

Who doesn’t love reeling in a catfish? These worms are 3 inches long and come in yellow/brown combo or bright orange. I recommend you stick with the natural colors.

The price for a package of 3 worms is $7.95.

The Berkley Gulp! Floating Nightcrawler is a plastic bait but promises to catch you more fish! How can a plastic bait catch more fish than a live one? Good question…

The Berkley Gulp! Floating Nightcrawler appears completely natural to fish and releases over 400 times more scent than plastic baits. This scent trail is so intense fish sense it much farther away – even farther than live bait. This means more bites — and more fish.

The Berkley Gulp! 6″ Floating Nightcrawlers high buoyancy keeps the bait in the strike zone. You will get ten baits to a package and it is available in seven colors.

Get this awesome package for only $5.95.

This grubs look so good I might eat one! Just kidding…but, FoodSource grubs send fish a tantalizing “come and get it” message. Whatever you choose and whether you fish fresh or saltwater you get enticing baits for a large variety of species.

Because the FoodSource 6″ Ribbon Tail Grubs are molded of 100% real protein and nutrient-rich food fish just cant say no. You know how crazy little fish go in your aquarium when you drop natural food in there? Well, imagine how crazy the fish in your river or lake will go when you drop a natural tasting grub lure in there. Tie one on and get ready for action.

The FoodSource 6″ Ribbon Tail Grub comes in 3 colors. This particular model has a baitfish scent and made from 100% real food, environmentally safe and 100% biodegradable materials. So even if you huck it off the boat into the woods, it won’t be there forever!

You can get a bag of these grubs for as low as $4.95.