There are so many lures, plugs and jerk baits out there at the moment it is hard to decide on which ones to tackle up with for our rivers here in Scotland and the rest of the UK. We thought we’d put a little guide together explaining what we recommend from our experience.
There are six popular styles of lure that our knowledgable staff rate, all with their own advantages:
The Mepps Aglia Flying C Lure
The Mepps Aglia Flying C Spinner Lure, or flying condom, is an excellent choice of lure for Salmon Seatrout and Trout. This particular lure has been a number 1 best seller for many years, provided in different colours and different sizes, there is a colour and size to suit all water conditions. Carrying a range of sizes and colours means the angler is prepared for just about any water condition their faced with on the day.
A top tip for the Flying C is when you know there is running fish, cast upstream and across and retrieve quickly. Once the lure is below you slow your retrieve and this is when you should expect a take. The fish will have followed it across the river and as soon as it slows as if to rest in the calmer water at the edge, this is a trigger for an already aggressive fish.
Use ball bearing swivels on Flying C’s.
Shop Now for Mepps Flying C Lures
The Abu Garcia Toby
Depending on the type of fishing you are doing, these proven lures of over 50 years can prove successful. For the angler looking to harl/trawl there are the broader Salmo toby’s from Abu which can simply be dropped in behind the boat and set to distance using the current. See below:
If however you are looking for a toby to cast from the bank/shore, then you need a slimmer profile to cut through the air more efficiently. The equivalent weight in the original version Abu toby is seen below:
These lures are an all round winner for many Salmon fishing situations. The Toby dives deep into the water looking for fish and has been so effective, that it lives on after many years of use.
These lures are responsible for catching untold numbers of fish worldwide including Pike, Perch, Trout and Salmon.
This remains one of our more popular lures due to its superior quality and heritage.
Shop Now for Abu Garcia Toby Lures
The Rapala Original Floater
There are so many variations of Rapala that we would go on for hours explaining what each of them do. The Original Floater, however, can be fished in many ways and is a must for the Salmon angler’s tackle box. These really are still one of the number one “go-to” lures. Whether twitched on the top as a surface bait, retrieved as a shallow runner, weighted with a split shot for medium depths or bottom walked off a three-way swivel or bottom-bouncer, the wounded minnow action continues to be irresistible to Salmon on every continent around the world.
These can also be fished with an individual hook as explained with the Vision 110’s at the top of this post.
Shop Now for Rapala Original Floater Lures
The Megabass Vision 110
These are one of the best selling lures around the globe due to their highly versatile jerk action and astounding life like appearances and colours. Originally designed as a Bass lure, the One Ten range of lures has also become one of the most popular Salmon lures on rivers across Scotland.
Shop Now for Megabass Vision 110 Lures
The Nils Master Invincible
The Nils Master Invincible is what the Rapala originally was with high-quality workmanship, balsa wood construction and not mass produced. It has a slightly arched shape which produces a revolutionary swimming action that was new when it was introduced in the 1960s. Like its name, the Invincible is one of the most successful fish catchers.
Its unique swimming action and effective colour combinations have caught record amounts of big fish for many happy fishermen all over the world. The Invincible wobbler floats on the surface but just a slight retrieve of pull gets it diving with a swimming action that imitates a bait fish. When the pulling stops the Invincible bobs back to the surface. The Invincible wobbler is easy to cast and is great for trolling/ harling.
A group of fishing experts from Finland carried out tests for a fishing magazine and the Nils Master Invincible lure was clearly proven to catch more fish over 10kg than any other lure.
Shop Now for Nils Master Invincible Lures
Please see our run down of the best lures for Trout the UK here – “What are the best lures for Trout?”
