Lure fishing has grown massively in popularity over the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. It’s active, mobile, hugely visual and can produce some of the most exciting takes you’ll ever experience. Whether you’re working soft plastics along the harbour walls for bass, casting metals off the beach into a blitz, or targeting perch and pike on local freshwater venues, Wessex Angling stocks a great range of lures and lure fishing gear to keep you well equipped.
Bass on Lures
The Dorset coast is fantastic bass lure fishing territory. Poole Harbour, the harbour mouth, the beaches at Sandbanks, the rocks and reefs along the Purbeck coast — there are productive marks all around the area for anglers willing to put the miles in. Bass are aggressive, hard fighting and will nail a well-presented lure with real conviction. Early mornings and evenings around low light are often the most productive times, and fishing on or near structure — rocks, weed, harbour walls and channel edges — will always give you a better chance.
Soft plastics on a jig head are one of the most reliable methods, but surface lures, hard diving plugs and metals all have their place depending on the conditions. Come in and talk to us about what’s been working — local knowledge makes a real difference with bass fishing.
Lures & Soft Plastics
We carry a strong selection of lures covering all the main styles and techniques. Our range includes soft plastics, paddle tails, shads and worms from quality brands including Savage Gear, Fiiish and Westin — all well proven for bass, pollack and other predators in South Coast waters. We also stock hard lures, surface poppers and walkers, jigs and metals for those who like to vary their approach or fish in different conditions.
Fiiish Black Minnows and Savage Gear’s soft plastics in particular have built a brilliant reputation among local lure anglers, and we keep a good range of sizes and colours in stock. If you’re not sure what to go for, the team can advise based on where and how you’re planning to fish.
Rods & Reels
Getting the right rod and reel combo makes lure fishing a much more enjoyable and effective experience. We stock a range of lure rods from light finesse spinning rods for harbour and estuary work right through to beefier setups for casting metals off exposed beaches or targeting larger species. Pairing a decent rod with a quality fixed spool reel loaded with braid makes a huge difference to how you feel takes and how you control fish, and we carry reels from Shimano, Daiwa and others that are well suited to lure fishing in salt and freshwater.
Not sure what weight or length to go for? Tell us where and what you’re fishing and we’ll steer you right.
Freshwater Lure Fishing
Lure fishing isn’t just for the sea — there’s great perch, pike and chub lure fishing to be had on local rivers and stillwaters too. Small soft plastics, blade baits and jerkbaits are all deadly on perch in particular, and pike respond well to larger shads and paddle tails fished on heavier gear. We stock gear suitable for both salt and freshwater predator fishing, so whatever you’re targeting you should find what you need at Wessex Angling.
Terminal Tackle & Accessories
We carry jig heads in a range of weights and hook sizes to match the soft plastics we stock, along with split rings, strong single and treble hooks, wire traces for pike, snap links and all the other terminal bits you need to rig up properly. Getting your jig head weight right for the depth and current you’re fishing makes a real difference to how your lure behaves, and we’re happy to advise on what works where.
