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FISHING: Allure of the lure |
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Written by asap
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Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
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Some look like fish, some like frogs and crawdads. Some have spinners and bright-colored skirts, others have spinning buzzers.
There are ones that bounce off the bottom, others that skim across the surface and still others that hover in between. There are thousands of different sizes and weights, and even more variation in color.
When it comes to fishing lures, you never run out of choices.
Yes, the basic purpose of a fishing lure is, well, to catch fish. But with wild colors and bright packaging, some lures are also carefully crafted to catch fishermen. How else would you explain lures adorned with NFL helmets? Or beer logos?
As for the lures that are actually designed to attract fish, there are three basic types:
- Topwater lures are designed to look like frogs and small animals that move near the surface of the water. They include buzzbait lures, which make noise as they’re dragged along the surface.
- Suspending lures, made to look like small fish, hang out between the surface and the bottom. This type includes crankbait, which mimics the swimming motion of fish, and spinners, which have rotating silver or gold blades that flash in the water.
- Bottom lures include plastic worms and jigs, which make a fluttering motion as they sink toward the bottom.
There are so many choices out there, asap decided to ask Paul Weingart, a product specialist for outdoor sporting goods company Shimano, to run down the basic types of lures out there. Here’s what he came up with.
TACO SALAD
 Type: Crankbait.
Used for: Largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, stipers, white bass, sauger, snook.
Mimics: Small baitfish like shad, baby bass, baby perch.
The lowdown: The lighter the test (strength) of the line and the bigger the plastic spoon at the front of the lure, the more crankbaits will dive. With a red spot on the belly designed to look like blood, its jerky action makes fish believe it’s an injured bait fish skimming along the water. Reeling in this lure slowly usually works best.
SUSPENDING SUPER ROGUE
 Type: Suspending crankbait.
Used for: Largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, stipers, white bass, sauger.
Mimics: Wounded baitfish.
The lowdown: This lure hovers below the surface to attract fish suspended between the top and the bottom. The red on the head is designed to resemble blood. Twitch the rod tip to make the lure look like it’s swimming.
RAT-L-TRAP
 Type: Crankbait.
Used for: Any aggressive fish.
Mimics: Small baitfish.
The lowdown: A rattle inside irritates the fish, causing it to strike. This is one of the most successful lures around. It can be reeled in fast or slow, depending on the time of year and temperature of the water (fish are more active when the water’s warmer).
BOOYAH BLADE
 Type: Spinning.
Used for: Bass.
Mimics: Baitfish.
The lowdown: The wider the blades, the slower it’ll go through the water. For best success, change the way you reel it in -- fast and slow -- and occasionally move the pole tip around and twitch the tip. Keep the skirt (the colored strings around the hook) from getting dirty or sticking together.
MEPPS BLACK FURY
 Type: Spinning.
Used for: Almost anything that swims.
Mimics: Baitfish.
The lowdown: It’s the easiest lure in the world to fish with. The bigger the lure, the more it will sink. Reel it in based on temperature of the water -- fast if it’s warm, slow if it’s cold.
HULA POPR
 Type: Topwater.
Used for: Largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskee, stripers.
Mimics: Frog on the top of the water.
The lowdown: It’s the most exciting lure because you can see the fish strike it. Work slowly and erratically across the top of the water -- twitch the rod tip a few times, then let the ripples disappear before twitching it again.
BUZZBAIT
 Type: Buzzbait.
Used for: Bass.
Mimics: No one’s sure, it just works.
The lowdown: It works along the top like a water skier. Fish get irritated with the sound of the spinner and attack. It’s great for when fish are spawning.
CULPRIT FIRE & ICE WORM
 Type: Plastic worm.
Used for: Just about anything along the bottom, even catfish.
Mimics: A worm underwater.
The lowdown: There are two main ways to rig worms: Texas-style, which has a sliding weight at the head of the worm, and Carolina-style, which has the sliding weight about 18 inches from the head. Bounce it slowly along the bottom, then lower the tip and reel in the slack.
BOOYAH BOO JIG
 Type: Jig.
Used for: Any aggressive fish.
Mimics: Crawdad.
The lowdown: To determine which colored lure to use, look for the color of the crawdads in the area -- they change with the seasons. The slower you reel, the better. Give the fish a chance to pick the lure up before setting the hook.
John Marshall is asap’s sports writer, based in Denver.
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