When the last snow melts and the ice is swallowed up by the ocean, this is the time when the herring schools will be abundant and the sandeel will once again, serve as a protein rich meal for the seatrout. The seatrout might be hungry, but you always need to adapt to the conditions you are fishing in. Erik Müller will explain what he is doing to be successful when hunting seatrout.

3D Horny Herring

When the water is cold at this time of year, you need a bait that can be fished slowly. Seatrout do not want to burn off important energy reserves; swimming fast and failing to catch its prey is not an option. I have had a lot of success on the 3D Horny Herring because it allows me to fish it slowly. Fishing it at a reduced pace also means giving the fish time to look at the lure, but it does work because the 3D Horny Herring is, in my opinion, one of the most realistic herring lures out there. Due to its streamline nature and weight balance they cast very well, allowing me to cast very far and cover more water, as well hitting the deeper water where a lot of fish will stay in very cold conditions.  I have had a lot of success on this lure, when fishing it slowly during the colder months.

The 3D Horny Herring is available in 2 different sizes. I like the 23g for long casts and the 13g for lighter fishing, but both sizes can be fished very slowly in the shallows. It is especially effective when the sun is warming up the shallow parts.

Colour wise, I carry all the colours, but if I had to choose the most necessary, I would go for the Green Silver for the days where the sun is out, realism is key to triggering strikes. I like to carry the pink version as a a bit of a Joker card, and this lure really does catch the fish in the cold conditions! I have no idea why, it just works!

The 3D Horny Herring is perfect for cold water, when you need to be fishing slow with a lot of stops.

Three very good colours for the cold months. Strong colours and a natural for the really hard days. Natural colours are great for the days with clear water, but sometimes the bright colours just work! 

Reversed. Putting the hook in the front allows you to fish the 3D Horny herring even slower. Very effective.

Last meter. The last meter is just as crucial as your fishing technique. The Soft Fluorocarbon is almost 100% invisible. Choose a low diameter for better movement and a stealthy presentation.

The Sandeel

When the water starts to warm up the sandeels start to get close to the coastline. The sandeels are very abundant in some places and it is definitely one of the seatrout’s most desired preys in springtime and they come in big shoals too. Warm water also means that the seatrout become more active, with between 8-14 degrees Celsius being the optimum temperature.

At this time of year we will probably start seeing seatrout hunting just below the surface, by revealing themselves with a tail pattern or showing its back. On calm, warm days, it is possible to see seatrout hunting in the distance, so a long casting lure will result in more fish caught. The seatrouts move fast, so you need to fish where the fish are instantly, in the short time it takes to make a cast, the seatrouts could have moved several meters and you are already out of range. It is important to be prepared and act quickly.

The warmer water also means that we can start to fish faster, for this purpose the 3D Line Thru Sandeel is perfect. The slim body makes it perfect for a rapid retrieve and even speed spin. Speeds around 10-15 km/h is perfect for speed spin, however you need a big reel for this, so you don’t get tired.

Choosing a line thru model also guarantees that the seatrout cannot use the weight of the lure to shake the hook from its mouth, it simply slides up the line. When twitching the 3D Sandeel, it will do a controlled darting action and on the drop the VMS (Vivid Movement System) will allow the lure to make a shaking action.

3D Sandeel Pencil

The new version of the 3D Sandeel, is the 3D Sandeel Pencil. Savage Gear made this model with a fixed hook, which are preferred by some angler. The reason why I believe this is a strong lure comes down to two things. One is that it has rattle chamber, so when twitching the lure it can make a loud click-click sound. This can be especially attractive in murky water out in high waves, where you need more than just a silent lure. Another feature is the possibility to add an extra hook to the belly, many species, including seatrout can attack from the side. The extra hook will get those fish which are often lost, if the extra belly hook is not present.

Slow and fast. The 3D Line Thru Sandeel can be fished slow, medium and ultra-fast. It is the perfect searching lure since it casts very far! By choosing the line thru, you decrease the risk of the fish throwing the hook due to the weight of the lure. 

UV strike point. Notice that most of the lures have UV on the end, the seatrout see UV and strikes. Choose without UV on very clear days.

Extra hook. By adding an extra hook, you can increase your catch rate on the days where the fish just won’t stay on the hook.

Loud attraction. The rattle chamber adds attraction and can be especially effective on days with unclear water.

ISP Seeker

One of my favourite search lures has been the ISP Seeker over the last couple of years. It casts incredibly far and has a great flashing action. The most important feature is that it catches 90% of the seatrout when fishing with its 360-rotating action. On the spin stop, the lure will rotate around its own axis. Even though this is a metal lure, you can make it sink ultra-slow, by making it rotate. The best way to do this is by stopping the retrieve and have a tight connection to the lure by slowly dragging your rod to the side. This is an incredible trick that lures a lot of seatrout. Most often, the seatrout will take the ISP Seeker in the moment you start spinning the reel.

360 rotation. On the spin stop, the ISP Seeker will rotate. Obtain this, by making a spin stop while still having direct contact to the lure. The lure will soar and become almost irresistible.

ISP – Intense Strike Point. Strong UV colours like the located in the end of the lure is a real attractor.