Retrievel Speed?

[Pinkie]

Just wondering how you chaps vary the retrievel of lures according to different target species. And do conditions affect your choice? In relation to a large range of species like sea trout, pollack, mackerel, perch, chub, and pike!

[Mike J]

And there is the problem if your a lifelong piker.
Wherever you go and whatever method you are using your retrieval rate will always be the same as you use for pike, with the inevitable result, you end up catching pike. Which sounds great fun but it isn't if a pike takes your fly while your targeting salmon with a spey rod (me, last week).
Every cast Im always telling myself to change up or down but I need constant reminding as I inevitably drop back to pike retrieve.

Pike slowish upsteam, much faster down, STs faster but I only spin for them in the sea, Pollack will catch anything at any speed if your in their zone, mackies I only target with a pro rig.
Your other species I don't target.

.

[John Milford]

And there is the problem if your a lifelong piker.
Wherever you go and whatever method you are using your retrieval rate will always be the same as you use for pike, with the inevitable result, you end up catching pike.

Absolutely right Mike!

Chub lure maestro Steve Crowther once invited me to fish with him for chub in his local river.

We were standing side-by-side in chesties, both casting Rapala RFR4s, and he was catching chub while I was catching pike!

He eventually managed to tutor me out of my 'pike retrive' and I got a PB chub.

There was less to it than I imagined. Chub (and perch) simply prefer a seemingly boring straight retrieve. Easier said than done though, if adding the twitches and pauses that trigger pike are deeply ingrained in your lure fishing 'muscle memory'!

[peteren]

And there is the problem if your a lifelong piker.
Wherever you go and whatever method you are using your retrieval rate will always be the same as you use for pike, with the inevitable result, you end up catching pike.

Absolutely right Mike!

Chub lure maestro Steve Crowther once invited me to fish with him for chub in his local river.

We were standing side-by-side in chesties, both casting Rapala RFR4s, and he was catching chub while I was catching pike!

He eventually managed to tutor me out of my 'pike retrive' and I got a PB chub.

There was less to it than I imagined. Chub (and perch) simply prefer a seemingly boring straight retrieve. Easier said than done though, if adding the twitches and pauses that trigger pike are deeply ingrained in your lure fishing 'muscle memory'!

Interesting topic.

Chub (and perch) simply prefer a seemingly boring straight retrieve. Easier said than done though, if adding the twitches and pauses that trigger pike are deeply ingrained in your lure fishing 'muscle memory'!

- I'm probably guilty of that. Often think I should experiment more with faster retrieves - especially in summer for chub and perch - but compromised by effect on lures' depth too.