Blade fishing lures have been around for more than half a century, and they’ve become immensely popular with anglers over the past few years. The lures work by transmitting vibrations through water to attract predatory fish. Here are some tips for getting effective results from blade lures.

Although blade lures are best known for catching bream and bass, their use is not limited to these two: they are great lures for other types of fish, both fresh water and salt water species, including flathead, bream, flounder, perch and tailor.  One of the reasons for their popularity is their versatility, since they allow both vertical fishing techniques and cast and retrieve methods.

Blades lures are quite heavy relative to their profile, and their ability to sink quickly makes them a good choice when fishing beside structures such as bridge pylons.  When fishing in snaggy areas where fish tend to congregate, it pays to be cautious when throwing a blade lure.  Because these lures have many hook points, cast carefully to avoid the frustration of snagging your lure in a weed bed or, much worse, losing it by fouling on submerged timber.

Retrieve techniques for blade lures depend on the fishing conditions. In shallow pools, wind the reel in slowly and steadily so that the lure alternates between lazy movements and more vigorous vibrations as the rod tip is lifted.  In deep, timber-free pools, the lure can be cast to the bottom then retrieved in a stabbing motion that causes aggressive vibration when you lift the rod. If you are unsure what structure may be lurking below the surface, a cautious vertical jig of a short line can be very effective.

Blade lures have variable tow points allowing the angler to adjust the action of the lure in different currents and depths.  Selecting the front tow point reduces the lure’s resistance during retrieval, and is good when you want some fast or jerky movement such as when fishing over shallow weeds for blackfish, or when jigging a lure quickly in search of flathead.  For increased resistance, select the middle or rear tow point, causing the lure head to tip down.  This action is good when fishing for bream or jewfish beside vertical structures like pylons.

In addition to their sonar qualities, blade lures come in bright colours and metallic finishes (some blade lures even have crystal eyes that reflect light) to attract fish visually.  If you’re looking for versatile lures that can be used in a variety of conditions to attract a wide range of fish species, blade fishing lures could be the ideal choice.

Some popular brands of blade fishing lures include:

Ecogear blade fishing lures, Riley’s Lures, TT Switchblade lures, Berkley big eye blades and Shimano Stiffy Devil Fish Vibe lures.

To check out Ocean Storm fishing tackle’s full range of blade fishing lures in the online fishing store see the following link:

https://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/categories/Fishing-Lures/Bladed-Fishing-Lures/