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Picking Out The Right Lure
by Don Applegarth
How many times have you been out on the water
and really had no idea what lure to start out with? We have all
done this.
I am not really sure if there is a correct
answer to this question, or not, but I will try and help give
you some guidelines that I use to help make my own personal choices.
TOPWATERS
I will start here, because on many trips
these are the baits we choose first.
I usually try and let the weather conditions
and water conditions play a big part in my selection. If there
is a lot of chop, I will use a Buzzbait or a Torpedo Type lure.
This can create a lot of noise and draw strikes more easily than
quieter presentations.
If there is a little chop, I will throw a
Pop-R type bait, or a Spook. These are going to make a little
noise, but work best in calm to a slight chop.
If the surface is completely still, I might
choose to use a quieter approach, such as that of a minnow plug,
twitched on the surface with long pauses in between.
CRANKBAITS
These selections can be a little trickier.
I try and decide first, when I think the
conditions call for a Crankbait. I usually have one tied on,
and almost always make at least a few casts with it in every
area I fish. I especially like to fish them along windy shorelines,
with rocks or stumps, and around main lake points as well.
I try and Match the Hatch as far as color
goes first! Even in relatively stained water, many times I have
found that the better fish will usually still hit more natural
colors. You may have to slow it down some, but if they can find
it, they will hit it. I do this mainly on highly pressured lakes
when I know that everyone else is throwing a chartreuse color
due to the stained water. Instead of chartreuse, I try to go
with a White or chrome color and pick one that has some glitter
in it as well to reflect the light that is available, and give
it some flash. The Professional Edge Normans are a good choice
for this situation, and I always get the ones with the Gelcoat
finish.
As far as depth, well I normally throw crankbaits
in water that is from 8 - 16' deep, and I mainly use ones that
can reach from 8-12', and sometimes I will go to a larger one,
especially in late summer or fall.
I use the Lipless type baits to cover a lot
of very shallow water, and for schooling fish. These baits will
absolutely out-fish anything at certain times. I like to throw
them over submerged weeds, as well as flats, and stumps, and
also around standing timber.
SPINNERBAITS
Is there a bad time to throw this bait? I
don't think so! This has to be one of my favorite baits, especially
whenever I am looking for a big bite, or an aggressive bite.
I can throw them into about anything, and they will come right
through it. I really use them to fish thick cover quickly, and
try to draw fish out. If I can get a couple of bites, I will
usually throw a slower bait back into the tree or bush, and try
to get a strike on it, such as a worm or jig.
I think that a willow leaf is the best all-around
choice for blades, but they all have a time and place, and some
days the fish prefer one over the other.
I generally prefer to use a small #3 or #5
Colorado blade on front, and a larger # 5 or #6 willowleaf on
the back. I will use a silver or white willowleaf in clear water
and bright conditions, but I often switch to a gold color in
lowlight, or stained water.
I use a single Colorado blade to draw strikes
at night, and during extremely muddy or stained conditions, and
it is especially effective early in the year for working shallow
areas where there are a lot of stumps or brush. It can also be
worked as a drop bait, by letting it free fall next to any cover
that you come by. Often that can trigger a strike from the biggest
fish of the day!
SOFT PLASTICS
These can really confuse you, and many anglers
that are starting out, get overwhelmed with the color, and size
selections of these baits. Remember that there are thousands
of combinations to choose from, and they will all work, but I
have narrowed my selections down to a few choice colors, and
sizes etc. By doing this, I have eliminated the cause of confusion,
and I always have a lot of confidence in the colors that I choose.
I make my choices of style based on the experiences that I have
had in the past.
I will use a 4" finesse type of worm
for fishing deeper brush piles because it comes through the thick
cover more easily, without having the tail get caught. I use
this on a standard Texas rig, plus I use a Bead between the weight
and hook, and I can shake it in one spot to draw a lot of strikes.
I like to use a 6"-8" Texas rigged
worm for fishing shoreline cover in most lakes such as trees,
or stumps, rocks, etc.
For my Carolina Rig fishing, I have only
a few choices that work for me as well. These are, a 4",
5", and 6" Lizard, a 4" or 6" Yamamoto Hula
Grub. There will be times when the other baits will work as well,
but those are my main choices as a staring point.
I throw a Carolina Rig into relatively deep
water, and use it to probe main lake points, channel ledges,
etc. I also throw this combination when I am working large flats,
or there is a lot of wind.
JIGS
I use these at times when I am looking for
a bigger bite, or whenever the fishing is tough, such as High
pressure or cold fronts. They also work well in winter months,
but can catch fish year round.
The Bass Browser made by Ralph Storey (who often posts here),
are some of the finest available, and if you haven't tried them,
and you fish jigs, you owe it to yourself to take a look at them.
I have tried to get this lure hung, and could not! It really
is that weedless!
I use mainly Soft plastic trailers on my
jigs, not because they are superior to pork, but because they
are less messy, and easier to use. I rarely use any pork now
at all except during winter months.
Yamamoto makes one of the best soft plastic
grubs on the market. I use the twin tails with a matching or
sometimes contrasting color skirts. I can skip these lures a
mile, and they draw strikes when often nothing else will. They
are perfect baits for getting into places where you can't quite
reach with anything else. I fish them in brush, around rocks,
and especially around boat docks .
I know that these are only a few of the lures that are out there,
and that many of you have personal favorites just like I do,
but I am trying to help some of the newcomers learn how to choose
a lure, rather than just opening their box and going "Hmmmm…well,
that looks good!"
As I stated earlier, there are merely MY choices and the way
that I decide which lures to throw in a certain area or time
of day, etc. There are others with completely different choices
than me. That is ok…I am just trying to get the idea across
that you need to have a game plan, and an idea of where to throw
certain lures, to be able to get the maximum efficiency from
each one.
Good fishin'…
Don
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