# Lure of the year?



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Each year, I pick one or two lures to master. This year, I went with the Rat-L-trap, and fished them from early spring to.well I havent given up on them yet. I fish with other lures throughout the year, but I keep going back to the lures of the year (even if they are not productiveyet). I have found that I can really only learn to effectively use certain lures by forcing myself to use them.

Im looking for one or two lures for next year. Numbers are not important; Im looking for BIG fish! Any suggestion would be welcome!

Some candidates:

Zara Spook - I have NEVER caught a fish on a spook
Buzzbaits - Ive caught fish, but have never given them the time they disserve
DEEP diving cranks  Im talking 15+
Lizards  Too close to worms?

Past Lures of the year:

Crankbaits (medium)  Master + +
Poppers - Master
Worms - Master
Hard Jerk baits  Could still use work
Crankbaits (shallow)  Could still use work
Senko  Ninja
Spinnerbaits - Master
Frogs - Master
Jigs  Could still use a LOT of work
Jitterbug - Master
Tubes - Ninja
Traps - Master


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I know you are a big smallie guy so for that I put a vote in for the Zara Spook. There isn't a more enjoyable way to catch a smallie than seeing them blow up on a topwater and I think the Spook is as good as it get on topwater baits.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I saw you mentioned hard jerk baits and worms. How about a fluke worm? Its my fave bass lure of all time. Weightless always. I only use the 6" and up sizes with a good size 3 wide gap hook. Almost all of my biggest bass have come from this lure. The best part is that you cant work it wrong really. Perfect for heavy weeds. They're also cheap. You may find that the only defect is that they keep coming apart at the thin section near the top of the hook. For this try either super glue or those spring hooks, I love the latter for flukes and frogs, it stays on forever. 

If they arent hitting the fluke in an area that looks good with weedy cover then you arent fishing it slow enough.

My gallery has a few of my sluggo/fluke victims.

ps. maybe its too specific, maybe I should of just volunteered soft plastics in general.


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## TheSonicMarauder (Mar 9, 2006)

i started out with using pretty much only spinnerbaits and then a few friends opened me up to plastics and then i was hooked on senkos like hard core and then that same friend got me hooked on jigs and i really had a blast with that and is actually the first rod i actually bought a rod specifically for, all my other rods i wouldnt have a problem using for anything......... i picked up a south bend 8'6" trophy tamer steelhead rod that i bought just for pitchin and flippin jigs.......... my ownly problem is that is started fishing them so late in the season, i didnt have much time to play with them

cranks are another thing that i got turned onto late this year that i didnt get the time to play with.......... im still mixed feelings on them but i always see myself falling back to jigs and senkos........ i think its because when yer fishing jigs and senkos and just slowly hoppin them across the bottom, its kinda like setting a trap for a fish and thats what makes it fun


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

I am leaning heavily towards the Zara Spook. I know that it is a BIG bass bait, and Ive always wanted to learn to walk the dog.

Also, I did mean to add soft jerk baits. I occasionally work Senkos like soft jerk baits, but Im sure the big slugos catch some monsters. I know that they are effective shallow, but what about working a soft jerk bait deep?

Those two might be a good combo for next year!


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

three lures I got to know this year.

1. Lucky Craft Pointer
2. Rattle Trap types
3. Anything topwater

I mostly fished twisters and tiny cranks last year.....


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

I am right handed and normally reel with my right hand, but for walking the dog I use a left handed reel, I find it easier for me.


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## creekwalker (May 23, 2004)

I haven't used it in a while, but a jig-n-pig combo on a flippin' stick caught some good bass for me in the past. Hmmm....I might have to break it out again  However, it is a bit hard to use a flippin' stick from a yak...LOL. Maybe that's why I slowed down on it.

Anyway, I'd vote for the jig...particularly with a pork trailer, fished in heavy cover (lilies and weeds).

I have a question about really working the Rat-L-Trap...how many of them did you lose?  I fish them occasionally, but I don't think I let them near the bottom enough...seems like they snag in a heartbeat.



CW


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Flipping is VERY difficult from a kayak. Probably why I still need work with jigs.

I cant remember loosing any Traps this year, but I did break a few. I changed all of the stock hooks to Gamakatsu Round Bend hooks, and 30LB braid will pull them straight. Braid has saved me BIG $ in crankbaits!


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## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

My lure for next year is the hula grub. I have done alot of tube fishing in creeks and rivers but a friend of mine swears by the hula grub.

I would like to fish cranks a little more next year. The Rebal craw is always in the box for smallies but I wanna look at using some of the bigger cranks next year also.

I have had great success on spoons of all different makes and models in streams and rivers, maybe you can give them a go. Lots of different ways to fish them and lots of different styles.

Jake


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

I mastered the kastmaster spoon last year and early this year I was on a spoon kick (2/5 oz little cleos in perch or 1/4-1/2 oz kastmasters, or generic spoons or dardevles, etc)....I really need to learn the jig-n-pig and buy a baitcaster.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Rooster i've caught bass in 10-12 ft of water using a fluke or sluggo with no weight. Just swimming it thru the stalk like weeds in Rice lake. Actually just letting the drift of the boat do the work and just giving the lure a suttle little twitch every 5 or 10 secs. I discovered this technique when I was stuck in the back of the boat. Its so weedless it stays in the water/strike zone the whole time. No need to reel it in and check it and clear hooks all the time.

Ive never tried any of the insert weights that some people use with them. Maybe this year because I need some way to get down deeper to the bass at Kenlake.

I just bought 2 used tackleboxes off of Ebay full of lures and junk. I got about a dozen or more spoons in the mix. Ive never used a spoon in my life. Im looking forward to trying it out this year. After all, its the original weedless lure. Before they had plastic worms and such. I got all sized of them in there. Maybe i'll make a spillway only box out of all the not quite prime time lures that I dont care about losing.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

heres the only spoon secret I really know. When the rivers are up toss a 1/4 to 1/2 oz kastmaster. I've usually used silver and usually without the feathered hook. You can cover some water and they sink pretty quickly which is good for when the water is up. Just cast and retrieve, nothing fancy.


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## Bass_Hawg (Apr 12, 2004)

Here would be my picks If I were you. 

#1 would be a Zara Spook. I have caught 4 Bass over the last 3 years on top waters that have been Over 4 1\2 #'s with 2 going over 5#'s. All but one where caught on Zara Spooks. 

The Next would be your deep diving Cranks Norman DD22's or rapala DT 16's I have caught a few good size fish on these as well. Mid summer and Early Early Spring late winter is good time to use these. The problem is they will be hard to work with a Yak because they will pull you as you reel. I have a little 8 foot pond hopper boat with a trolling motor and they give me a good pull when I use them. The key is a long cast with these. The longer the cast the deeper the crank will get.

I would also suggest the soft jerk baits but work them on a drop shot rig. Supper flukes or Senkos are good choices for this. Drop shot is not always about finesse fishing. Put a good size weight on it and punch it through some thick vegetation and hold on.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

^
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I agree with that guy!
Also remeber to have a follow up bait in handy.. I find a senko works well as does a tube.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

OK heres another lil secret:

Get the Rapala Husky 13 (NOT the HUSKY JERK)for some nice reservoir largemouth. Ebay about 15-20. It casts further and has a bigger profile than the original 13. I'll bet there are some on here that know exactly what I'm talkin about and have a few of these saved up. I remember buying one at fishermans warehouse in about 82. Its gone but I also bought one at andersons back in the day and another off ebay. They are great! To bad they don't make em anymore. They should also make the 100th anniversary in sizes 9, and 11, and maybe 13. Great for shallower rivers. I hate that it is tough to cast the original floaters far without downsizing your setup you would normally fish. Yes I realize someones gonna bring up power pro,etc.


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## BassariskY (Sep 8, 2006)

I vote Zara Spook. Ain't nothing like a bass exploding on top. It's a real heart stopper. Personally I like the Bass Pro XPS walkin' dogs. It doesn't take much practice to master walkin' the dog...but when you're just beginning, you really gotta concentrate and get a rythym goin'. Can't twitch it too fast, can't twitch it too slow, it's gotta be just right. Once you master it though...you can walk it slow or fast.

I agree with Pigsticker on the Sluggos. They're one of my fave go to baits.
The action is totally different from the flukes. You can cast 'em out and just let it flutter to the bottom like senkos or twitch it back in like a fluke. I've caught many bass using both techniques. I also fish them weightless, I think it lets them move more freely, IMO.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

Here was a good day I had this year

Happened to be on Prairie Oaks metro park 6:45 am day they opened in my canoe(only canoe on first lake to right for the first 3 hours). Happened to find a zara spook a few days prior. KaaaBOOOMMM, kaaaaBOOOOM,,kkkaaaaBOOOOM.... Never fished a spook until that day. And that will never happen again since it was Day1....(I went back on days 2 and 4, sorry charlie those who were there on day 1 know what I'm talkin about)

Now I prefer the Xcalibur jimmy, zara super spook jr, or similar. The spook is just a little big for the rivers I fish (though when they are on they will nail something twice as big)I need to learn the loop knot to give the spooks better action(I use a split ring on them).


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## Micro_Mini_Angler (Jun 15, 2006)

i have got most of mine on a little bullet sinker, a lazer sharp texas rig hook(#2), and a 4-6 inch plastic worm. but my favorite lure would have to be an old storm lure my buddy gave me. it is about 3.5-4 inches long, looks like a shad, but it only dives .5-1 foot. i slay the smallmouth at the darby with it. these were on this lure, but there were a lot more.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17652&sort=1&cat=500&page=4

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17647&sort=1&cat=500&page=4


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

sounds like an old storm thin fin. I would love to have a few of those in basic shad color. I recently found a "Thin Fin Fatso" in largemouth bass color which is pretty sweet.


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## Micro_Mini_Angler (Jun 15, 2006)

now here are just a few of the things i got on a texas rig

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17396&sort=1&cat=500&page=5

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17397&sort=1&cat=500&page=5

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17650&sort=1&cat=500&page=4

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=17655&sort=1&cat=500&page=3

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=18214&sort=1&cat=500&page=3

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=18812&sort=1&cat=500&page=2

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=20173&sort=1&cat=500&page=1


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

to get better grades you must

stay awake?
pay attention
??????

help me out here...


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## Micro_Mini_Angler (Jun 15, 2006)

oh, it took me a sec to figure out what u were talking about. it says To Get Better Grades You Must : Study Hard, Pay Attention, And Bribe with a pic of a kid giving a teacher an apple.


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

cool like a new millenium version of norman rockwell! cheers


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

mester twester plastics and all their clones !


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## jiggin'fool (Dec 18, 2005)

didn't read all those but but I would give those jigs another try! green pumpkin and black and blue! they are so versatile! swimming dragging hopping! put a pig or craw trailer on there.... mmmm...mmmmmm good!!!! and it is a big bass bait!


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

learn the drop shot!


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## marsh (Sep 21, 2004)

Take the time to learn to fish a buzzbait in the rivers. I got turned on to it late this year and will be going back for more next year. What a blast!


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## Tredder (Nov 8, 2004)

I like to focus on something different each year too. My lure of the year has been the chatterbait. I get a lot of doubtful looks when I talk about it with "serious" anglers, but I've won a "serious" numbers of club tournies with it this year. I've found that there's a lot more to using it effectively than just chunking it out and reeling it in.
Love the thread, lots of great posts and info!


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Yea, a LOT of great ideas.Thanks everyone!

The lure of the lure for 2007..

:B Zara Spook :B


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

I'm thinking my new lure of the year is the common jig. Ive hardly ever used them before but now I realize that they're a multi-species bait like few others are. I just started to use it this year saugeye fishing. Usually the places I fish are too weedy to use a twister tail with an exposed hook but i'm gonna hit up some hard bottom places in the quarries with them.


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