Book Title: Lure Fishing - A New Approach to Spinning

Author: Mike Ladle and Harry Casey

Publisher: A & C Black

ISBN: 0-7136-5654-9

Readers of 'Operation Sea Angler' will know that the authors are thinking anglers with many years of practical experience. The title is a bit strange to me, but I know that Mike Ladle's eyes if you use a spinning rod for plugging, popping, redgilling or whatever it's all 'going spinning'.

The book gives an insight into how a predatory fish attacks a lure, and it explains how to choose a lure to match the conditions, and the importance of the lure's vibrations and any flashers and teasers used with it. There follows an insight into the lifestyle of a predator and the importance of movement and colour. Rods and reels are touched on but these authors don't get obsessed with it as a subject in itself - they are much more concerned about the lure and it's presentation for the conditions. There are specific chapters on salmon, sea fish, perch, and trout. The sea fish chapter breaks down into detailed approaches for pollack, coalfish, cod, bass, mullet, mackerel, garfish and scad. I found that these chapters give a nice blend of instruction, recollections on what has worked in practice, and a smattering of science to back up certain assumptions.

This book is a delightful read because it concentrates on the thinking and practice of lure fishing, and lure fishing for the main UK sporting fish at that. Much can be learnt from reading the non-sea fishing content. As a plug, popper and spinner angler myself I found it covered my interests quite well, but being published in 1988 it obviously does not cover the latest wonders of modern surface poppers, rubber shads and the slug-go and the like. Hopefully a reprint will appear to cover these aspects, but it's still a pretty good book.

Card covers and 127 pages.  Out-of-print but occasionally appears on eBay and in secondhand booksellers lists.

Thanks Geoff, keep them coming!

Aitch