Everything you need to go lure fishing for the very first time

This article is produced in partnership with Fishingmegastore.com

Lure fishing has to be one of the most exciting and accessible forms of angling, not just in the UK but worldwide. All sorts of fish of all shapes, colours and sizes can be caught on lures, from huge river pike to hard-fighting sea bass.

Fishing with lures is pretty simple too, once you learn the basic techniques, and once you get used to safely handling your catch, which often have teeth, spikes, or both. There is no other fishing method, with the exception of fly fishing, that keeps you as active, as you search every inch of your chosen venue to get those hungry predators to snatch at your lure.

Your choice of venues to start your lure fishing adventure is also endless, as lures can work just as well down your local canal as they do at your local beach. If we are honest, once you're kitted up with some basic all-round lure fishing tackle, there is no limit to the fishing you can do.

Knowing where to start with lure fishing and the kit you need, however, can be a little bit daunting. This is a very specialised area of angling, with specific products required. You certainly don't want to be taking your seatbox and 12ft waggler rod with you on a lure fishing trip!

For this guide, we have teamed up with Glasgow Angling Centre for a look at the best tackle to start lure fishing.

Best lure fishing rods for beginners

As we mentioned previously, you really don't want to be using your standard 12ft float or feeder rod for lure fishing. Lure fishing rods are generally designed to be much shorter, stiffer and lighter. You will be making loads of casts with the rod and holding it the entire time, unlike other methods. Comfort is therefore a key consideration and lighter rods will give you this.

When you pick up your first lure fishing rod, you will notice that most have a fast, or what some people would describe as a 'tippy' action. This means there isn't much bend below the top part of the rod. This is important to look out for when selecting a rod to use with lures, as that fast, almost stiff action, allows you to not only impart a lot of movement into the lure itself, but also react quickly when a fish has grabbed it and set the hooks.

But what about casting you might ask? Well, most lure rods are rated, similar to any other coarse rod, with their optimum casting weight. This is the weight required to best load the rod, which when matched with a correctly loaded reel and good casting action, will see the lure fly out the furthest distance.

The final consideration is length, and similar to other branches of coarse angling, as a basic rule, the longer the rod, the further you will be able to cast. You will find most lure rods are around 6-7ft. This gives the perfect mix of power, finesse and accuracy. Try to match your rod to your likely destination, you don't need a big heavy thing for your local canal. Similarly, catching monster pike on a tiny little lightweight rod isn't ideal for you or the fish. Shorter rods will generally cause you to be more accurate with the casts too.

Three lure fishing rods to have a look at...

The best lure fishing reels for beginners

Similar to lure fishing rods, as a general rule you want your lure fishing reels to be a lot smaller and lighter than those that you might use for say carp or feeder fishing. The best spinning reels need to be equipped to hold a generous amount of braid, which is the chosen mainline for lure fishing, and capable of making potentially hundreds of casts and retrieves on every session.

Balancing the reel to your chosen rod and target species will make the whole experience much easier. For finesse drop shot fishing or light jig work on short rods, look for 1000-2000-sized reels. You should then gradually step up to 3000 and 4000 sized options as your target species and the venues they live in get larger.

As you will have noticed with rods, it's generally quite difficult to find a one-size-fits-all reel for lure fishing. This is why the best lure anglers carry a couple of options with them, should they want to switch their attentions from smaller species like perch to much larger and harder fighting fish like pike.

It goes without saying that a reel with some cranking power to retrieve varying weights of lures consistently, the ability to vary the speed of retrieve smoothly and a strong but reliable drag, are all essential for lure fishing.

Two lure fishing reels to have a look at...

The best lure fishing lines for beginners

So you have your rod and reel sorted, let's move on to lines, and in this category it really is simple, there is only one choice and that's braid. A good braided line will help you stay in contact with your lure at all times, maximising the feeling through the rod so you can hit any shy plucks a cautious fish might give and let you know instantly when you have a take, so you can strike before the fish spits the lure.

It is pointless using a monofilament or fluorocarbon mainline for lure fishing, you simply won't feel the bites. Braid is both strong yet supple and casts incredibly well too. It might take a bit of getting used to at first if you haven't used it, as you really can feel everything, but trust us, it's essential.

You might be wondering, is a braid not too obvious to the fish. Well in this sense, many anglers use a leader above the lure, this can be fluorocarbon for species like perch, or for the more toothy predators a low diameter wire trace is best (to prevent them biting you off).

The best lure fishing lures for beginners

This is where the fun really begins! Did you know, you can never have too many lures? That's certainly what most dedicated lure anglers would have you believe, with boxes and boxes of all sorts of patterns and styles of lures, some of which have no doubt ever been cast out. As much as that might be a little unnecessary, having a selection of lures of different styles, sizes and colours will certainly help you catch more fish, as you will notice their preference can change from day to day depending on the conditions. It also helps to have a few spares to hand as you will inevitably lose a few on underwater obstacles, hopefully not the expensive ones!

We could write a whole article on the best fishing lures, as well as the best lures for particular species like perch, pike, zander and bass, in fact, we have! So, for this guide we have tried to highlight just a few of the main patterns, so you can get started with an option that will catch you fish wherever you take it.

Three lures to take a look at...

Essentials for starting lure fishing

You have got your rod, reel, line and lures, which is all you need to catch when lure fishing, but like all other branches of angling, you also need equipment to deal with the fish once you've fooled it, plus something to store all your essentials in.

A net, unhooking mat and tools to unhook the fish are all vitally important for any lure angler. They may be ferocious, but predators are often fragile and should be handled with maximum care and respect. It helps if your net is rubber with a large mesh, as this will prevent you having to cut hooks out of it. Nets also need to be collapsible and lightweight, so you can easily move them from swim to swim with this very active method.

Many predator anglers choose to measure their fish instead of weighing them, so you will find there are nets and mats available that double up as measuring boards. Alternatively, simply put a lightweight set of digital scales in your lure box or bag and you have everything you need to record your catch.

And that, along with some scissors and general angling essentials is everything you need to go lure fishing for the very first time. Enjoy this active and exciting method and practice the art of the retrieve by mixing it up - it's not all about casting it out and winding it in. Give it a jig, a stop and go or a lengthy pause, and you will be surprised at the fish you can catch on the kit mentioned above.

For more information or tips and tactics, head over to the many existing articles in our advice section.

If you enjoyed this beginner article, check out our others with Glasgow Angling Centre,including how to start barbel fishing and how to start carp fishing.

Author Chris Haydon is a keen and lifelong all-round angler that is currently in the position of Online Editor at Angling Times. As an angler, Chris likes to fish for just about everything that swims, from big roach to monster carp.