Soft shads do most of the work for most anglers, but hard lures earn their place when pike follow and won’t commit, when you need to cover water quickly, or when the water is coloured and fish are feeling for vibration. There are four families worth knowing.
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Jerkbaits and gliders
A jerkbait is a hard-bodied lure you work with sharp rod movements rather than a steady retrieve. Each twitch makes it dart to one side, and the pause that follows is when most pike hit. Gliders are a close cousin and swing left and right as they move.
The classic pattern is twitch, twitch, pause: two or three short pulls of the rod tip, then let the lure sit. Longer pauses suit cold water, shorter ones suit active fish. Neutral-buoyancy models, which neither rise nor sink quickly, hang in front of a following pike, which is what makes them useful.
The Salmo Slider range is widely used for this, and the Salmo Slider 10cm comes in sinking and floating versions, with larger 16cm sizes for bigger fish. For a big profile at a modest price, the Strike Pro Buster Jerk 15cm is another option.
Jerking all day wears out your wrist on a long rod. A shorter, stiffer rod rated for the lure weight makes it much easier, and the Fox Rage Warrior Jerk Rod (180cm, 30-80g) is built for it.
Crankbaits and plugs
A crankbait has a lip at the front that makes it dive and wobble on a steady retrieve. The size and angle of the lip set the depth. Shallow runners work the top metre or so, while deep divers reach three or four metres.
They’re good for covering water. Cast, wind steadily and vary the speed. When the lure bumps weed or a snag, stop winding and let it float up before carrying on, because that sudden change often triggers a take. The wobble also creates vibration that pike can sense in murky water.
For shallow water or weed, the Fox Rage Slick Stick SR Shallow Runner 9cm is a good place to start. For deeper swims, the Fox Rage Hitcher Crank and Troll Deep Running 10cm gets further down. Treble hooks on hard lures are sharp, so crush the barbs and keep your forceps close.
Spinners and spinnerbaits
A spinner has a blade that rotates around a wire shaft and throws out flash and vibration. It’s simple to use (cast and wind), it’s cheap enough that losing one doesn’t matter, and it works well in stained water. The Fox Rage UV Spinner in the Pike colour is an easy one to start with.
A spinnerbait is a different design, with a wire frame, a spinning blade and a skirted hook. It runs more weedlessly than a treble-hooked plug, so it works over submerged weed. The Fox Rage Spinnerbait Pike 28g is one example.
Spoons
A spoon is a curved metal blade that wobbles as it sinks and as you retrieve it. Spoons cast a long way, which helps in wind and on big open waters. Use a lift-and-fall retrieve and let the spoon flutter on the drop, because that’s when fish often hit. The Abu Garcia Toby Salmo spoon, 11cm is a long-standing UK option.
Kits to try a few types
If you’d like a mix before settling on a favourite, a pre-built kit is a cheap way to find out which type you prefer. The Mepps Pike Lure Kit, the Blue Fox Vibrax Predator Kit and the Abu Garcia Pike Kit are all sold as starter selections. Check the contents on the product page, because they vary.
Choosing between them
- Pike following but not taking: a jerkbait with long pauses.
- Murky water or low light: a crankbait, spinner or spinnerbait.
- Weed: a spinnerbait or shallow crankbait.
- Distance or wind: a spoon.
- Snaggy swims: a soft shad, since losing one costs less.
These are starting points. If pike are following a lure you’re fishing and not taking it, changing the type often works better than changing the colour.
Gear that fits this
Some options that match this approach, grouped by type.
To go with bait, Holy Mackerel Predator Syringe Kit, Fox Rage Deadbait Kebab Kit and Fox Rage Deadbait Pencil float.
Reels: Daiwa Ninja 3000, Daiwa BG 4500A and Okuma Revenger 4000A.
For rods, Fox Rage Prism X Lure and Shad and Daiwa Predator-D Pike Lure.
Questions anglers ask
What is the difference between a jerkbait and a crankbait?
A crankbait has a lip and dives on a steady retrieve. A jerkbait has no lip and is worked with sharp rod movements, so it darts and pauses.
Are hard lures better than soft lures for pike?
Neither is better overall. Hard lures cover water faster and stand out in coloured water. Soft lures are cheaper, snag less and suit slow, subtle presentations.
What rod do I need for jerkbaits?
A short, stiff rod rated for the lure weight, around 1.8m, is easier to use than a long spinning rod because you spend the day twitching it.
Rob Hadley grew up fishing the rivers and drains of the Norfolk Broads, and it was inevitable that pike would become his species of choice. He’s been targeting predators seriously for over 20 years – starting on dead baits, moving through live bait rigs, and eventually landing on lure fishing as his preferred method about eight years ago.
These days he fishes the Broads through winter, travels to Chew Valley Lake each spring for its outsized fish, and spends the warmer months working soft plastics on rivers across the East Midlands for perch and zander. He’s had pike to 31lb and perch to 3lb 9oz, and reckons both records are beatable on the right day with the right set-up.
At The River Bend, Rob writes the predator species guides, lure fishing technique articles, and most of the winter fishing content.
Covers: Pike, perch, zander, lure fishing, winter fishing, predator rigs