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THE lure

May 9th 2010 01:35
The quest for the perfect artificial lure is like searching for the Holy Grail. Suffice to say, it's one project that will keep you busy!

Countless lures have been developed by big and small companies in just about any shape, color, or size. AND for me, the worst part is when you think it's all out there, something new comes out. (That was really driven home to me last year when I saw a lure idea I had dismissed about ten years ago advertised on Angling Fish!)

As I've often said, the selection is mind boggling and often confusing. I threw together this list of popular lure categories that may help you if you venture down to the bait shop.



crank baits
Crankbait: This is probably the type of lure I use the most. They can dive, wobble, and vibrate like a real fish and are available in any color imaginable.


lipless crankbait
Rattlebait: also called lipless crankbaits, these are hollow-bodied lures that make noise because of shot and/or slugs inside the lure body.

swim baits
Swimbaits: These are often rigged on a jig which will be explained later. Swimbaits are designed to imitate real bait fish.Swimbaits are available both hard or soft.



Topwaters: This broad category is designed to be worked on the surface and is often thought of as a morning or dusk bait.



prop bait
Prop Bait: A topwater plug with propellers at the front, back or even both. The accompanying photo is a lure I've made so, it shows you don't have to be very artist to make an effective lure.

Poppers
Chuggers and poppers: Another example of topwater plugs that have a cupped face which produces a splash when pulled sharply.

buzz bait, top water lures
Buzzbait: A topwater lure composed of a lead head, rigid hook, and wire that supports one or more blades which churn in the water and cause a commotion.

fishing jigs
Jigs: These can be either plain and used with various soft plastics or dressed up with their own skirts and plastic accessories. The possibilities are enless but, if you get something that works in your waters, stick with it!

soft plastic lures
Softbaits: A soft plastic or biodegradable bait with a shape intended to imitate food for the targeted fish. Some popular examples include worms, frogs, lizards, grubs, craw crabs, or several other creatures fish call "food."

fishing spoons
Spoon: This is a wide variety of metal lures that have a general spoon-like shape and a single treble hook hook at the back. These can be small lures for trout or very large for salt water applications.

spinner baits
This category is a bit confusing. The big lure in the picture is a spinner bait. The smaller bait is an inline spinner. What sets them apart is a spinner bait has a metal head and usually a skirt in addition to the blade or blades found on either lure.



Remember to take the hooks outta yer pocket before ya sit down!


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Picking a CLOSE to perfect lure

April 30th 2010 01:22
As I've said, probably too many times in this blog, I don't believe there's a perfect lure out there.

Any lure you pick up, especially from major manufacturers, has probably caught a couple of fish at one time or another.

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How to use a popper

April 2nd 2010 00:24
popper lures


Here are some good instructions on using a popper to increase your fishing success.

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The quest for the "perfect" bait

March 21st 2010 01:11
fishing lures
Is there such a thing as the perfect bait? To be honest, I have my doubts. I think many will agree the only perfect bait is what you caught you last lunker with. There are too many variables to consider when calling anything the "perfect" bait. For instance, I whole heartedly believe in simple night crawlers. Yet, you would hardly use them for surf fishing. Additionally, I've seen fish being almost repulsed by crawlers but biting hand over fist on minnows, and vice versa. If the topic is artificial baits, many like a spinner bait but, I've had much better luck with crankbaits.

There's simply so much bait that it's almost impossible to recommend a particular color, size, or even shape as the" best." Just about any bait out there has taken a fish at one time or another. That's one reason I keep my lure selection pretty simple—light for the day/dark at night with a few gold metallic lures for murky water. I've found too many opinions to have a handle on the sound thing in fish but I am convinced scents help your hook up rate.

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Another top water view

March 20th 2010 04:13
Since yesterday's post was about top water baits, I though you may appreciate another take on the same subject.

This is Wade Bourne, an outdoor host here in the States. Like a lot of us, he's focusing on bass since they are so plentiful but his lesson works for all fish that hold next to cover and respond to top water baits.

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How to use a jerk bait

March 12th 2010 01:35
Here's a video describing how to use a jerk bait...


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A way to rig worms

October 9th 2009 01:12
gang hooks
A lot of guys just hook a worm umpteen times and throw it into the water. That may work if a fish homes on the scent but it certainly isn't going to attract anything because of its appearance. In fact, you'll probably end up with what is known as a "worm ball" and have the worm wrapped around the hook three or four times.

There's several pretty neat ways to rig artificial worms but, real worms often tear up under the same circumstances. If you want to use worms, try a set up like in the picture. They allow you to display your worm yet it will hold up to more than one cast.
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Can you use sardines for fish bait

July 11th 2009 19:29
sardines

The other day someone hit me up with the idea of using sardines for catfish bait.

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Big Lures=Big Fish

May 8th 2009 02:10
It's a gimme in the angling world--big lures=big fish.

If you don't believe it, here's a clip from YouTube telling you all about it.

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PIcking a lure

May 6th 2009 00:37
Fishing lures

There are several factors that contribute to a lure's success. One of the most frequently asked question about fishing is probably "What lure should I use?" If you'd ask a dozen different anglers what they think is the best lure around, you'd probably end up with 12 different answers and each angler would have a pretty decent argument for their answer.

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Check out Dynamite Baits

April 23rd 2009 00:44
When it comes to angling, there are some companies that have a world wide market such as Shimano, Rapala, or Berkley. And yet, there are other companies who are VERY good (you may even say "authorities in their field") and yet, they haven't broken into that international league.

Dynamite Bait Logo
One such company is Great Britain's Dynamite Baits. Although you're probably not going to need to know where to purchase Dynamite Baits, you may want to check out their web page to familiarize yourself with anglers from other countries as well as learn about carp or coarse fishing which is a term you'll find in Britain when angling for freshwater quarry other than usual game fish is in order. Pike or catfish anglers will even find something to read so, there's a little bit of something to look at no matter what part of the world you call home.

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How to hook a minnow

March 27th 2009 01:25
One of the best live baits you can use is live minnows.

The exact size of a minnow is going to vary according to the kind of fish you are stalking.

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Picking lure colors

February 6th 2009 00:42
I've talked about this before and I'll probably mention it again because anyone new to fishing lures is going to be overwhelmed at the selection of lures they'll find.

When it comes to lure color, I subscribe to the KISS theory--Keep It Simple Stupid. The first time someone told me that, it made me mad but, I never forgot it. In a nutshell it means this--Bright days=bright lures. Dark days=dark lures. If the sun is shining or the water is clear, use a light lure. On cloudy days or if the sun is going down or the water is murky, break out the darker stuff.

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How to use a popper

January 9th 2009 01:52
Poppers are another lure that is fairly easy to use. Cast out, let it settle, reel in a little, let it set again and pull a little more and keep on doing that until you reel it in all the way.

Here's a quick video illustrating the technique.

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Rigging a tube

December 26th 2008 04:14
Here's a video from YouTube showing how to rig a tube bait.


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A video on buzzbaits

December 12th 2008 01:50
Buzzbaits are one of the easiest to use lures on the market today. All you have to do is throw them out and reel! Available in different weights and configurations, buzzbaits are made by several manufacturers.

Here's a quick video describing one particular lure but its use covers most buzzbaits.

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Make your lures talk

December 4th 2008 02:46
rattles
Rattles like this can be shoved into soft plastic lures.
Anglers often add rattles to their jigs to make noise that may entice fish into biting. You may choose to add noise in situations where visibility is reduced by heavy cover or muddy water. Some say rattles produce a sound similar to the clicking sound of crawfish. This is a topic for debate because not everyone likes using rattles on their jigs. There are those who say rattles makes little or no difference.

tube rattles
Rattles like these are made for tubes.
Some companies include rattles with their jigs. Often these are encased in a hard plastic with a loop that goes around the hook shank of the jig. Some are even fixed on with glue. Others are similar to small BB's, encased in glass tubes. There are even companies who market minnow type lures or crankbits with noise makers enclosed.
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How to rig a soft plastic lure

October 17th 2008 00:32
Here's a nice video from YouTube that shows how to rig a soft plastic shad or just about any other kind of soft bait for that matter.

It's always a little dicey to say exactly how far to insert your hook. Provideing you're using offset hooks, what a guy told me works well. Insert the hook as much as the length of the offset. It seems to make things really easy!

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What kind of hooks do YOU use?

June 23rd 2008 00:52
treble hooks
Good hooks lead to good fishing. It's that simple. It doesn't matter what kind of fish you seek and it doesn't matter if you've spent hundreds of dollars on equipment. If your hooks are dull or bend easily, you'll be ahead to try something besides fishing!

It never ceases to amaze me when I see guys buying plain hooks every spring but these same guys have lures with hooks that are two or three years old. The same principles apply so, why not change your lure hooks also?

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Learn how to walk the dog

June 6th 2008 00:31
This is a technique that I've wanted to discuss for a LONG time but it's hard to put into words.

A picture, or video in this case, is truly worth a thousand words.

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