If You Only Had One…….Lure

Wackey style river or lake with weighted lipstick hook . Tube jig( Coffee tubes) sure is growing on me. Mille Lacs I really like using it.

I’m with Pug on the chatterbait…can’t beat it

I might have to go with a spinnerbait because I caught my PB on one and they’re fun to fish, but if I was wise it would be a drop shot worm considering I live in smallmouth country.

Oh man, this is tough. It would probably be the silver clackin crank. Rapala discontinued it a few years ago and I’ve been snapping them up as I come across them. LM/SM, walleye, northerns, it catches them all. A senko would probably be a close second.

I gotta go with the chatterbait. Can be used in so many situations

A sinker (whatever size the situation fits) and a bare hook with minnows, crawlers, or leeches

There are so many great lures on the market today that catch fish. When I’m truly struggling with almost any species, I go back to the basics and can get even the most finicky of fish to commit. The plain hook is the most overlooked lure in all of fishing by far.

Bucktail for huge Musky..

Firetiger Flickr Shad

Gotta go with the senko, hands down. It’s so versatile and is a flat out fish catcher.

That would be the spinners I tie up, chrome 00 Colorado blade, 4 red beads, #6 Gamatzsu hook, on 6 lb fluorocarbon. tip it with a Gulp shad black/silver, leech, or crawler. I’ve caught, all the popular species from 1/2 lb crappies/sunfish to large pike. walleye & bass on this. Otherwise just a 1/4 oz. jig tipped with the same baits.

The one lure, my favorite, not necessarily the one that catches the most fish, but I enjoy fishing with most…is the typical floating type minnow. As much as I like my balsa Rapala, they do break eventually from use. If I go cheap, it’s a Bomber lure. My next choice would be a Salmo lure.

Spinnerbaits…that’s what I toss 80% of the time anyways. I may be a little addicted.

Just love feeling them blades turning, stop, then THUMP!

I do think they are pretty versatile though. Relatively weedless, can fish them slow, fast, stumps, pads, etc and catch fish all day long. That’s my vote.

Spinnerbaits like chatterbaits are very versatile.

Visiting this post again I wonder if I wouldn’t go with a plastic worm. What makes me rethink it is you mentioned the excitement of a bass hitting a spinnerbait. I love how you can finesse a worm and the thrill of detecting a bite whether it is the slight thunk thunk that could just be a bluegill pecking, seeing your line swimming to the side or feeling the line get heavy as it swims toward you.

3/4 oz head 5 inch paddle tail swim bait, just catching the heck out the fish with it deep , shallow, fast, slow, even drag trolled them !