Our take on the Shallow Screw

This is the simplest item in the Wolfcreek range, and probably the one most often missing from tackle boxes. A stainless screw in the head of the lure, no lead at all, and you get a high running action with a slow fall that no weighted head can reproduce. Sold in tens, it is worth keeping a stock: you bend one now and then and you always leave a few behind in worn out baits.

35 or 45 mm: what you need to know

• Stainless steel spring screw for shallow rigging of soft baits, made by Wolfcreek Lures
• Size S: 35 mm long by 6 mm in diameter, intended for lures from 15 to 22 cm
• Size L: 45 mm long by 8 mm in diameter, intended for lures from 23 to 30 cm and beyond
• Sold in packs of 10
• No added weight: the lure keeps its original density and natural fall speed
• Compatibility stated by the brand: Wolfcreek Shad 15, 17, 20, 25 and 30 cm, Curly 22 and 29 cm
• Plastic free packaging, recyclable with paper
• Pike, catfish and musky, in shallow water searching

The shallow rig, when slowness makes the difference

The shallow rig answers a precise situation: fish holding high, over one to two metres of water, above weed beds or along banks where a weighted rig would snag constantly. By taking all lead out of the rig, you let the lure work at its original density. The fall becomes long, almost gliding, and it is often during that phase that the following pike finally commits. The stainless screw is therefore not only a fixing, it defines a fishing strategy.

Why a screw rather than a hook pushed into the head

A hook simply pushed into the rubber makes a hole that widens with every cast, and the soft bait ends up slipping or tearing. The spring of the screw spreads the load along the whole length of the thread, which greatly extends the life of the lure. Stainless steel also avoids corrosion and premature fatigue of the spring, which counts when you store rigged lures from one session to the next. In practice, screw in slowly and straight, without forcing, and re-seat it cleanly after a few fish.

• Screwed into the head, in line with the lure, with no added weight
• Classic pairing with a belly harness to cover the rear of the lure
• Alternative in very heavy cover, used on its own to prioritise snagless presentation
• Replace it as soon as the spring deforms, an oval screw holds nothing

For the hookset, the screw is logically completed by the brand’s Stinger Wire, whose treble sits towards the tail of the lure.

S or L: matching the screw to the lure

The choice comes down to size, and diameter matters as much as length. The S at 6 mm suits lures from 15 to 22 cm, where a bigger screw would tear the head. The L at 8 mm is made for large volumes from 23 cm up, where you need enough material to hold a 200 g lure on the cast. When in doubt, take the size matching the largest lure in your box, since a screw that is too thin turns in the rubber and lets go at the worst moment.

The match is direct with the three sizes of the Wolfcreek Shad 2.0: the S for the 20 cm, the L for the 25 and 30 cm. You will find the rest of the rigging accessories in our Wolfcreek Lures products, and plenty to fill the box on the lure side in our selection of lures for pike.