If I Had to Choose One Lure — It Would Be the Pirate Lures Teaser
Early season 64cm bass — part of a run of fish that all fell to the Teaser
I haven’t written a blog about any of my early season March/April bass angling sessions along the Wexford coast — not because I haven’t been out, but because I had it in my head the next one would be about those bass-slayers I rely on more than anything else… the Pirate Lures Teasers.
After a run of sessions connecting with multiple fish, including some in the high 50s, a couple of 60s and one very chunky 64cm fish — along with two 63cm fish landed by clients — it feels like the right time to finally sit down and write it.
I’d never want to be limited to one lure… but if I had to be, this would be it.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — if I had to choose just one lure to fish with for the rest of my life, it would be the Pirate Lures Teaser. I meant it then, and I still mean it now.
I carry a full selection of tools with me every session, especially later in the season when things pick up — topwaters, subs, metals and soft plastics. And like any angler, I’ll lean into whatever suits the conditions on the day.
There are plenty of sessions where topwaters don’t get a look in. Days where metals are useless. Times where subs just aren’t the answer.
But there’s one constant.
I don’t think there’s ever been a session where I haven’t clipped on a Teaser at some point… well, maybe a couple, if I’m having too much fun up top — but very few.
The Blank Saver
If I look back over my fishing, there’s no lure that has saved more blanks for me than the Teaser.
When things are quiet…
When conditions aren’t quite right…
When you feel like you’re just going through the motions…
That’s when it tends to come into its own.
It’s the lure I reach for when I need something to happen.
Teaser doing what it does.
Versatility — This Is Where It Stands Apart
The biggest strength of the Teaser, and the reason it never leaves my bag, is its versatility.
You can fish it pretty much any way you can imagine.
I’ve had sessions fishing it on the surface, working it back almost like a topwater, with bass smashing at it — fish competing with each other, busting each other out of the way. The kind of takes you’d expect from GT footage, not Irish bass.
And then on other days, I’m doing the complete opposite…
Dropping it low, letting it swing in current, barely working it at all — just holding contact and waiting.
That’s when you get hit.
Not a tap. Not a knock.
A proper hit.
That freight train hurtling through — the kind that sets the drag screaming and lets you know straight away you’re into a proper fish.
How I Fish It
Most of the time, I’m fishing the Teaser on a jig head.
Typically anywhere from 3.5g up to around 11g, depending on the current, wind and the depth I’m fishing.
I’m particularly fond of the Westin Swimming Jig Head. There’s just something about the action it gives the lure, even on a simple straight retrieve. It doesn’t feel dead — it has a natural movement to it that just looks right in the water.
One of my favourite ways to fish it is to cast out, let it sink down head first, then flick it up and let it swim back down again.
Repeat that over and over.
It’s a very natural presentation — like a small fish feeding along the bottom — and it’s incredibly effective.
If I want a slightly different presentation, I’ll switch things up.
A weighted 4/0 twist-lock hook is a good option when I want the lure to hold more horizontally in the flow, especially in moving water.
And when it comes to really shallow ground…
If I’m fishing over weed beds or proper “skinny water”, I’ll often go completely weightless.
That lets the lure stay up in the water column and move cleanly over the ground without constantly snagging.
Why It Worked So Well in March
During my March sessions, I wasn’t just using the Teaser out of habit — there was a very specific reason for it.
The water is still cold. The fish haven’t fully woken up yet.
Everything slows down.
That meant I needed to fish low and slow, right along the bottom, working through some seriously gnarly ground.
Low and slow, tight to the bottom — exactly where they were hunting.
The kind of fishing where, realistically, only a soft plastic will do it properly.
And not just any soft plastic either.
Something like a creature bait, for example, might well get taken — but it would just as easily be lost. You’d have to continually let it sit in that ground — and it’s just not the place for that.
This is exactly where the 12cm Teaser comes into its own.
I was searching tight to the bottom, moving it slowly over rocks, letting it drop into holes, lifting it over structure and letting it fall back again. Never sitting, always moving — but doing it slowly. Even then, I still lost a few.
And that’s the key part.
Even on the drop — especially on the drop — there’s fantastic movement in the tail.
Every time it comes up over a rock and falls back down, it looks alive.
That’s what draws attention.
Combine that with putting it where the fish are actually holding — tucked in tight to structure, not chasing far — and everything lines up.
You’re not asking the fish to do much.
You’re putting something right in front of them that looks like an easy meal.
And that’s often all it takes.
Choosing the Right Size
The Teaser comes in two sizes — 12cm and 15cm — and both have their place depending on what’s going on.
The 12cm version is the one I use most.
It’s incredibly versatile and will produce fish right through the year.
It really comes into its own when there’s smaller bait inshore, like sprat — something we saw a lot of last season.
The 15cm version is a different tool.
I tend to lean on it a bit later in the season, when the baitfish have had a chance to grow on, or when I’m fishing in rougher or very dirty water.
That extra size gives you more presence, but more importantly, more movement from the tail.
More thump.
In those conditions, bass aren’t relying purely on sight.
That increased tail movement helps them pick the lure up through their lateral line, drawing them in even when visibility isn’t great.
That said, I’m not just stepping up to the bigger one because the water’s coloured — it still has to suit the conditions I’m fishing and the bait that’s in the water.
Colours and Confidence
The Teaser comes in a wide range of colours to suit pretty much any condition you’ll come across.
And if you want something a bit different, Pirate Lures will even do custom colours if you ask.
Over time, I’ve settled on a small group I rely on.
Black
Pink Cheek
Hyped Rhubarb & Custard
Chartreuse Back
My own custom Green Tail
Between those, I’ve got every situation I’m likely to face covered.
I’m not someone who carries endless variations or overthinks it.
I do use other colours too — blue shimmer, pearl, hot sandeel — but these are the ones I keep coming back to.
For me, it’s about confidence in what I’m using.
If I know I’ve got the right profile, in the right place, fished in the right way… the colour is just the final piece of the puzzle. It matters, and I choose based on conditions — but it’s not the be all and end all.
Other SPs (Soft Plastics)
Are Pirate Lures the only SPs I’ll use? — No. There are some profiles they don’t do that I will fish.
Are Teasers the only Pirate Lures I use? — Absolutely not. There are plenty of other lures in their range that I rely on depending on the conditions, the ground and the time of year.
Why then an article specifically on Teasers?
I don’t say it lightly — these lures are unreal.
They’ve saved countless blanks, caught me bass in their hundreds, and helped smash both my own PB and my clients’ PBs time and time again.
In fact, there isn’t a single person I’ve guided or fished with who hasn’t gone on to order some Teasers of their own. It doesn’t take much convincing once that rod tip doubles over.
Do they cover every conceivable scenario? — No, nothing does. But they cover so many that they’re the ones I’d choose if I could have only one.
Day or night — they just work.