Nude Lures: when less is definitely more by Dave Magner

Dedicated cricket watchers may be familiar with an infamous delivery known as the 'nude ball'. Basically, it's a derogatory term for an ordinary delivery by a part-time bowler and if the batsman's any good, he usually belts it straight over the boundary. They're called nude balls because the bowler puts absolutely nothing on them and they don't swing, seam or spin viciously off the pitch. In other words, they go dead straight!

Well, nude lures have a lot in common with nude balls. For a start, they are the most basic of all hard-bodied lures. Most are roughly cigar shaped and without diving bibs, spinning blades or any other sort of fancy attachments. They are pretty plain to look at and if you mindlessly toss them out and wind them back in, they'll go as straight as a Glenn McGrath bouncer.

However, with a bit of cunning on the part of the angler, nude lures can be made to behave in a way which few other lures can, and the fish will hit them as hard as an Adam Gilchrist cover drive...