L U R E
Electric
Moves
With such shallow
water and plenty of it to
cover we needed a way
of manoeuvring the boat
along the lilies without
alerting every living thing
in the area – the first thing
a chugging petrol engine
would do. The answer is
an electric motor.
Powered by a large leisure
battery, Andy’s
Watersnake Venom SXW
motor mounts on the
boat’s transom and deftly
positions the boat exacty
where it’s needed in
near silence.
look to retreat to darker corners.
To make the most of this Andy
targets a shallower section of lake
with a steep drop-off next to it.
Because of its lesser depth there
are more lilies and weeds – not as
many as the fringes, but enough
to deliver plenty of shade and
still allow lures to be worked in
among them. The drop-off from
the shallows descends a metre
to deeper, darker water, another
perfect ambushing hotspot.
Running lures along the drop-off,
edging just off the bottom Andy’s
using a deeper diving Sakura
Golem Crank 400 to ride just
above the bottom weed, tempting
the pike out. The plan works and
another couple of fish fall to the
approach before again the action
drops off. Andy’s answer is to
deliver a mid-water package that
in the clear water will appeal to
both the fish down deep and in
the nearby, shallower water. For
a slower retrieve leaving the lure
in the zone longer Andy opts for
a suspending swimbait. A Biwaa
S Trout fits the bill and produces
a beautiful snaking motion. It’s
obviously something the pike
agree with as on just the second
cast the biggest fish of the day
engulfs the lure before launching
clear of the surface in an
explosion of spray and fury. It’s
an adrenaline inducing end to a
day that’s seen Andy have to work
hard to keep up with the fish
against a backdrop of changeable
conditions. L U R E