Reflecting on last week’s fishing trip and Lures of choice

The 110 Asturie in Nacre

 

Why I Nearly Gave Up on the Asturie 110

For years, I’ve watched videos of the Dutch and French anglers work the Astrurie 110 with almost magical results. Fast walk-the-dog, rod held high, lots of splashing – they absolutely love this lure especially in Brittany.

But me? I never got on with it. I tried the same fast, aggressive technique and had very little success. I much preferred the Patchinko – walking the dog all the way back with plenty of pauses. When I eventually lost my Astrurie to a snag, I didn’t even replace it.

Last week a fishing mate told me bluntly: “You’re massively missing out.” He gave me one to try, but with completely different advice.

“Don’t walk the dog,” he said. “Just dead slow. At night. In calm waters it is a killer lure.”

I was skeptical, but gave it a go with a black and silver Astrurie. A few hits – nothing huge, but encouraging. The expectant, confident angler alongside me landed a few bass too.

A  few days later on a much smaller tide again in calmer conditions at night, he fished alongside my mate Smigs, both using top-waters. My mate was full of confidence  bordering cocky– and, he was right to be. He had 15 bass to Smigs’ one. His secret? A Nacre (pearl) colour Astrurie, retrieved so slowly it felt like he was barely turning the handle. He let the current be the engine allowing the Asturie to become a, vulnerable target.

That was the lightbulb moment for me.

The Merits of the Astrurie 110 (done right)

· It’s not a Patchinko. Aggressive walking must kill its best trait. Is a more aggressive action, less vibration? I think so.!

· I’ve read that dead slow is alive. At night, bass hunt by lateral line, to sense that,  low- frequency displacement of water.

The Astrurie  descriptions say it pushes water like a much bigger bait even when you’re barely turning the reel. 

I have to get used to thinking no movement is bad “how can bass find a lure if it’s too quite,? “they most certainly can, my mate proved that a few days ago.

· Let the current help. A near-stationary, rolling baitfish is an easy target. Your job is just to keep contact, not to impart action. Me, well I always have to fiddle, don’t I,? so, I’m going to force myself to do nothing, I PROMISE.

· Colour matters in low light. Nacre (pearl) and black/silver both work, but that Nacre silhouette seems to trigger more takes in dark, calm conditions. The baby Patch is my 2nd favourite lure of all time.

I’ve now got a few Astruries in different colours to try. I’m not abandoning the Patchinko – it still has its days. But moving away from my old favourite to the French Astrurie 110, with this new slow-and-low approach, has opened my eyes.

What I have learnt this week:

Sometimes the lure you thought was useless just needed a different rhythm. And, at night, in calm water, the Astrurie’s rhythm is barely a whisper. It hardly does anything.

I have other lures which are in my box of doom. One lure, is the Tacklehouse Feed Shallow – lots of anglers love this, but if you don’t have confidence in it!.

I  might work it wrong, fish it in the wrong conditions and give up on it. The same with poppers I’ve tried loads with no success, but this might just mean I haven’t found out their version of “dead slow at night in calm water”

It has given me some food for thought about not giving up on the lures in “my box of doom”.

We all probably have lures that have failed us on a number of occasions and banished them. But, what I have learned this week is that failure is often a technique mismatch, not a lure fault.

The one thing I am going to need is patience. I am a bull in a China shop type of angler, a crash bang wallop merchant.

Do I have the patience for the Asturie 110? watch this space.

Cheers all