# Best lure for multispecies?



## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

In your opinions what is the best lure to use for multispecies if you aren't targeting anything? Also, what size do you prefer? I'm wondering if things like 2 inch poppers or small spinners etc. Will work. So, when you hit a new body of water and don't care what you catch, what do you throw?


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Night crawlers


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

I havent went fishing without a specific target for a long time now, but when I was a kid I always threw a rooster tail or a small rapala original. They always seemed to produce something. I caught everything from bluegill to shovelheads on them.


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## walleye willey (May 29, 2014)

beaver said:


> I havent went fishing without a specific target for a long time now, but when I was a kid I always threw a rooster tail or a small rapala original. They always seemed to produce something. I caught everything from bluegill to shovelheads on them.


Jig and a twister tail maybe tip with a piece of crawler


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Fuzzy Grub or inline spinners. Or nightcrawlers as Tom pointed out. Catch pretty much anything on a bit of nightcrawler on a smaller hook.


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## Nitro750 (Sep 25, 2006)

HuberCatman said:


> In your opinions what is the best lure to use for multispecies if you aren't targeting anything? Also, what size do you prefer? I'm wondering if things like 2 inch poppers or small spinners etc. Will work. So, when you hit a new body of water and don't care what you catch, what do you throw?


Inline spinners (Rooster Tails, Mepps, Bass Pro Shops variants) will catch just about anything. White is great color to start with because they resemble small bait fish. I use inline spinners a lot when I'm trying to locate fish, then I'll usually change baits once I've found them. I do tend to use larger spinners 1/4 oz and up with a willow leaf blades. They'll catch bass, crappie, whitebass, catfish, bluegills, saugeye, etc. Give em a try.


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## Flannel_Carp (Apr 7, 2014)

White curly tail grub on an 1/8th Oz jighead; reel it slow along the bottom or reel it faster to keep it up in the water column.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Nitro750 said:


> Inline spinners (Rooster Tails, Mepps, Bass Pro Shops variants) will catch just about anything. White is great color to start with because they resemble small bait fish. I use inline spinners a lot when I'm trying to locate fish, then I'll usually change baits once I've found them. I do tend to use larger spinners 1/4 oz and up with a willow leaf blades. They'll catch bass, crappie, whitebass, catfish, bluegills, saugeye, etc. Give em a try.


Joes Flies are a great brand as well and are what I prefer. Spin real nice. Light blades I believe. They make em in a bunch of different patterns.


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

Nitro750 said:


> Inline spinners (Rooster Tails, Mepps, Bass Pro Shops variants) will catch just about anything. White is great color to start with because they resemble small bait fish. I use inline spinners a lot when I'm trying to locate fish, then I'll usually change baits once I've found them. I do tend to use larger spinners 1/4 oz and up with a willow leaf blades. They'll catch bass, crappie, whitebass, catfish, bluegills, saugeye, etc. Give em a try.



I've never had any luck with fuzzy grubs. Don't know why. Maybe bad fishing on my part or poor spot/timing. 

I'll try the inlines. I've got some but rarely use them. I've never caught anything on them the few times I've tried. I do have the silver and white kind so that is good. I might have to pick up some 1/4 Oz so I can cast further though.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Flannel_Carp said:


> White curly tail grub on an 1/8th Oz jighead; reel it slow along the bottom or reel it faster to keep it up in the water column.


Ha! Flan, do ever escape topwater lures long enough to use a grub? lol


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

Hands down rooster tail for me. I love using it when I want to cover a lot of water and it has caught a ton of different fish for me ranging from carp, to crappie, to bass, to catfish.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

In-line spinners or swimbaits...


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

the plain old jig. it can be used with a worm, minnow, twister tail, or just plain to catch many kinds of saltwater or freshwater fish.
sherman


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

9Left said:


> Ha! Flan, do ever escape topwater lures long enough to use a grub? lol


He's a crank man now


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## thegrump1 (Jan 20, 2011)

HuberCatman said:


> In your opinions what is the best lure to use for multispecies if you aren't targeting anything? Also, what size do you prefer? I'm wondering if things like 2 inch poppers or small spinners etc. Will work. So, when you hit a new body of water and don't care what you catch, what do you throw?


 I am a recent convert to Flicker Shad 2-3/4". Have caught smallmouth, largemouth, crappie, walleye, and catfish in one trip using the same bait.


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

My favorite multi-species lure was the Flitterbait. It's not made anymore, but I love that bait. Fish will hit at a dying shad and if you jump that lure up off the bottom over and over you will get bit. I've caught Bluegills, suckers, carp, skipjack, mooneye, buffalo, drum, smallmouths, largemouths, spots, channel cats, flatheads, sauger, saugeye, walleye, white bass, hybrid stripers, stripers to name a few. I've lost count of the different species I've caught on that lure. Brings back good memories.


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## Roscoe (Jul 22, 2007)

#9 Floating Rapala. This bait will catch anything including Muskies.
#4 Mepps Gray Squirrel tail. Also will catch any species.

That's my 2 picks.



Roscoe


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

Flickershads!!! 5 cm. Trolling,it'll take saugeye,channelcats,flatheads,crappie,yellow perch,bluegill,white bass,and largemouth. Troll-em 3 mph for optimum performance. Lately I can't keep the channelcats off of it. Everything in my sig is using flickershads and that's not counting the 700+ saugeye and 300+ channelcats that got tossed back. Impressive crankbait for $4 a pop!


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Yellow and black beetle spins. Have caught gills, crappie, bass, walleye, white bass, and a small northern on them. Second choice a small white mister twister.


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

Lipless crank bait they come in different sizes and colors. they have them with 1 bb to a lot of bbs. They catch bass, bluegills ,crappie, saugeye, catfish, white bass, and a lot of other fish.


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## the_waterwolf (Feb 8, 2013)

#2 or #3 mepps in either gold, gold/silver, or silver


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

I would have to say mine now is the chatterbait! Especially for the larger game fish. I've caught both large and smallmouth, and white/hybrid bass, saugeye, crappie, musky, channel, blues, and flathead cats, and even carp! The great thing about it is it's a very versatile bait. You can fish it fast or slow or cover any depth of water column you'd like. And it can be fished around any type of structure or cover! 
But I would say probably the most all around bait for catching numbers would be 1/16th or 1/8th oz. roadrunner jig with a twister or swimbait trailer.


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## dytmook (May 3, 2015)

Dynamite...

I've had luck with Rooster tails and little grub jigs.


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## yugrac (Aug 24, 2014)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> Joes Flies are a great brand as well and are what I prefer. Spin real nice. Light blades I believe. They make em in a bunch of different patterns.


I didnt think any one else in the world knew about joes flies. I have fished with them for 35 years, if you cant catch anything on a joes fly on any day, you should just hang it up. I have caught about every freshwater fish there is on these, including, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, spotted bass, white bass, catfish , crappie, perch, carp, bluegill, muskie, drum, creek chub, zebra mussles, creek mussles, war mouth, Pike, I even caught a 12 inch gizzard shad on lake Erie, but I hooked in in the dorsal fin. and I am sure I am missing a few. Try them, if you want nickle blades call them and they will make them for you. 1/4 oz are my choice.


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

I really like jigs but lately I have been fishing the rapala rippin raps in different sizes the #5 will catch anything,killer new lure.


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## OrangeRay (Jul 16, 2011)

This depends on the body of water. In creeks it's a small rooster tail, in a pinch you can shave the bark off a twig, put it on a small hook and float it. In the Great Miami river use an original floating Rapala around 3 inches. You'll like it because it snags way less than anything else. Get a perch pattern, silver and fluorescent chartreuse green, or black and silver. This will catch anything in the river that eats fish, even an occasional carp In a lake use an erie deary tipped with a crawler or minnow or a swimbait on a jig. Do this and you'll catch some fish, you'll have to tell us what species......


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## Boxingref_rick (Feb 8, 2005)

Beetle Spin!
Its a jig, and everything else said above...

I just can't figure out why I've spent a couple grand since
I've grown up buying and using other stuff that might give
me the same results.
Life was so much simpler then.


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## ohiooutdoors365 (Mar 15, 2011)

Small inline spinner


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## jayrb (Mar 14, 2016)

I waded the little maimi for more than 40 years. have caught almost every species on a long bill floating teeny weenie craw by rebel. then twister tail/jig head white or yellow. have fun.


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## TomC (Aug 14, 2007)

rebel craw


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

.... if you fish the wrong lure long enough and hard enough, it will eventually become the right lure.....


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## HuberCatman (May 1, 2008)

9Left said:


> .... if you fish the wrong lure long enough and hard enough, it will eventually become the right lure.....


Ha! I'm making a bumper sticker with this....


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## dytmook (May 3, 2015)

9Left said:


> .... if you fish the wrong lure long enough and hard enough, it will eventually become the right lure.....


Same applies to chasing women. Cast a wide enough net...


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## EStrong (Jul 23, 2014)

Setup one of your poles with a Texas Rig. Depending on the size of the hook you can put just about any type of plastic on it from worms, craws, tubes, grubs, swimbait/minnows etc. Heavier bullet weight to stick on the bottom, lighter weight if you want to swim it anywhere in the water column including top water. On the rare occasion I pack lightly, I have a small box with extra weights and hooks to change up if needed or replace if snagged. And then I have a ziplock or two filled with plastics of all types, colors and sizes. Toss a few jigheads in there too and you can cover just about everything our waters have to offer. You can also switch that up and fish the plastics weightless or wacky rigged. Try wacky rigging a plastic craw or tube instead of a stickbait/worm, it works!

And yeah, that's not one "specific" lure for multispecies, but you can pack a huge punch dollar wise and variety wise using jigheads and T-Rigs with plastics to cover a lot of bases while still packing light.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

dytmook said:


> Same applies to chasing women. Cast a wide enough net...


... yes dytmook... no matter how ugly you are.. keeo trying and eventually, some woman will have pitty and finally go out with you....


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## dytmook (May 3, 2015)

9Left said:


> ... yes dytmook... no matter how ugly you are.. keeo trying and eventually, some woman will have pitty and finally go out with you....


I know, somehow I've trapped one for 12 years. Still don't know what she's thinking.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

ha!!


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