I know it is dependent on where, when, and what you are fishing for.....
For my area I really like the segmented lures that simulate a swimming fish.
I have caught, small and large mouth bass, crappie, and of course squaw fish.
This one in a few color patterns has done really well (generic pic). Got a pretty large crappie the other day at a local pond, I have just not had luck with plastics no matter the rig.
A lot of trout in the area too, but I just cant get them to hit anything but salmon eggs on a bobber, I just get bored with waiting. But we do have two pole licences and that lets me run that and my crank bait at the same time.
Roostertails.
1" smoke purple curly tail grub on red jig head
Gulp! or Zman soft plastics on either red or chartreuse jig head
Snagless Sally
Culprit 7" worm, in red shad
Zara Spook in bone color
I bought a lure from a sporting goods store a while back. Lost it on a really hard hit, it had caught a lot of game fish. I really wish I had kept the box so I could get another, as I cant find it or anything close. I have looked at thousands of online image searches no luck. I now take a picture of what I buy so I can go back and get it, or know what it is I am actually using. As most the the stuff in a baitshop is designed to catch the roaming angler more than the fish. I know I am guilty of that, because I have bought stuff that I had no idea if it would work.
It was a heavy med diving shad type, with a vertical rainbow hologram type pattern that color shifted. I believe it was a Japanese design/name?? anyway on a braided line this thing would vibrate so hard you could feel it in the pole. On a shuddering fast retrieve was when it was hit the most. I swear you could hear it 20yds out the vibration was so hard.
I almost exclusively use rooster tails. Have 4 ammo cans full of em. Catch a ton of rainbows, browns, bass, blue gill, and crappie.
Firetiger with the silver blade for muddy water. Rainbow trout with silver or gold blade when visibility is better. In the river I use 1/16th and 1/8 oz. On the res I'll go up to 1/6. Sometimes I'll use the bleeding frog at the crappie ponds.
On the rare occasion I'm trolling for big fish (lake trout, walleye, pike) it's perch rapalas.
Step son uses thomas boyant spoons. Brown trout and rainbow color schemes. He does catch fish. I catch more.
I don't like spinners because about the time I start catching fish my line is all twisted. I use spoons instead. I fish mostly for trout and salmon. Nickel and brass colors mostly, but red and white, or even brown and white work at times.
A good way to phrase the question, If you are packing for a long hiking trip, and you are certain to have many fishing opportunities, what gear would be worth carrying? I will be carrying a multi piece spin fishing rod, an ultra light Mitchell spin reel, and a tiny Plano case with several hundred hooks, and six lure types.
Dardevel spoons
Panther Martin Spinners
Rapala Foating Minnow Lures
Lazy Ike Lures
6" Plastic Worms
1/4 oz Spinner Bait
Clippers, Pliers, Swivels, Floats, Sinkers, Jar of Salmon Eggs.
If my info suggests trout or salmon at high altitudes, I'll carry a 4wt fly rod as well.
#2 plain silver (no feathers) blue fox vibrax. I have caught giant trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, pike, pickerel, bluegills, crappies, and even tilapia. If I had only one lure on me, it would be the silver blue fox. Hooks are sharp, action great, and it is a fish catching machine!
I fish for everything, from Salmon, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Perch, Bluegills, Catfish, Pike, etc. While one lure wont catch them all, it seems like the Rapala Husky Jerks always produces for the big fish....in both fast and slow retrieves.
Jig spinner with a soft grub or small grub tail. Semi-weedless, good for panfish and bass, can be worked several ways, cheap, and pulls a lot of food out of the water.
My favorite is what ever I have gotten free time to chunk & reel. Not much free time to fish last few years.
Spinners of varying sizes, shapes, weights and colors have worked for me on every type fish I ever fished for. I do like a floating jointed minnow for large mouth once we hit this time of the year. A rubber worm, lizard or tube will slap wear out large mouth year round where I live. I always have a spinner tied to one rod no matter what even if bait fishing.
.44 magnum, .22 lr and a frog gig work quite well also LOL.
Not sure if they count as lures but I stand by jigs. The lighter the better. I regularly catch everything from bluegills to stripers and everything in between using jig heads tipped with bait.
I used to catch a LOT of yellow perch with TINY jigs. Had to use ultra light equipment with 2 or 3# line to be able to cast them any distance. Didn't need to bait them.
For LM bass, the old original purple plastic worm still works well.
Kastmaster 1/8 oz gold is my go-to trout lure.
White 1/8 oz crappie jig is killer on white bass and wipers.
roster tail are hard to beat. Mini jigs and the lazy Ike are productive. I would hate to chose just one. It would be like limiting your self to one rod , one reel, one firearm or one wife.
When going for brook trout I use a small spinner spoon and glue a treble hook inside .
This usually yields at least one or two per pond ,after that it is time to move on.
My favorites are various flies depending on the hatch, Rapala countdown and X-rap lures, and Vibrax Blue Fox spinners.
We catch brookies on....anything, really.
When we go into the mountains with the scouts, we have contests about the weirdest things to catch a brookie with. I've personally had success with beanie wienies (the bean OR the wienie), a cigarette butt I picked up off the trail, and an aspen leaf.:thumb:
Scouts have used gummy bears, buttons, pencil erasers, zipper pulls, bottle caps, pull tabs, bits of paracord...it's fun seeing kids get excited and creative about things like that.:thumb:
I'm strictly a top water fisherman. Mostly largemouth bass and anything there down.
I have always liked the jitterbug, but my favorite has to be the Pop-R. :thumb:
"Note" Indiana state record Largemouth Bass 14 lb. 12 oz. 1991 (caught with a pop-r)
I'm interested in knowing what you muskie fishermen use for lures? I've looked at the local retail markets and they really don't sell muskie lures. I know of a local body of water that has muskie. The state stocks the two water holes. Any info would be appreciated.
I fish for Muskie and Pike a lot you can get most any type of lure you want @ Rollie and Helen's Muskie Shop, I've had lots of luck with the big (Real Big) spinner baits both single and tandem blades. I like them dressed with buck tail but have had good luck with rubber as well.
Stick baits,divers,are a whole other discussion. Like all other fishing there is are boat loads of lures to hook any angler.
It really depends how the lakes are laid out. Weed edges and structure are key to finding fish.
One other thing is leaders, I used to use steel but have switched to the titanium leaders. Steel is plenty strong but tend to get kinked if you catch many fish, the titanium leaders are thinner for the same weight rating and hold up extremely well.
I recommend the super braid lines as well.
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