THE BEST LURE

Originally published the Week of March 21, 2021 in Western Outdoor Publications

          Y’know, say what you will about fishing, but sometimes you have the most profound and interesting conversations when the fish aren’t biting. 

         I have a friend.  You don’t know his name, but you’ve probably heard or seen his product. Or you have used it.

         He’s a fun hard-core East Coast angler. 

         Years ago, he came back to his home in Massachusetts from a day fifishing and was sitting at his kitchen table drinking beers.  He started fiddling with his plastic lures and decided on a whim to modify some. 

         He tested them and they worked. He went back to the kitchen table and more beers and modified them s’more.  They worked even better. 

         He then started pouring his own molds and started marketing them. Sales went viral.

         They went so well that Walmart or K-Mart or someone like that paid him mega millions for the rights.  And then it went the route of “As seen on TV.”

         And that’s where you probably heard of the famous “Helicopter Lures.” Just a goofy piece of twirly-colored-rubber with a hook that catches fish and made millions for my buddy.  

          He never worked again in his life.  Only fishes. Living the dream.

         So he and I were sitting in a boat.  On the ocean.  And the fish had stopped biting for the moment.

          He and I were talking about “the best all-around lure to have.”

         We had a laugh about it.  Him a famous (now wealthy) lure inventor and me running a charter operation in Mexico.

         We agreed that like cameras or guns it’s the old adage. “The camera or gun you have in your hand when you need it is better than the one you left at home.”

         Lures are like that too.  The one you have beats the one you left home.

         But, maybe as knuckleheads, that’s why us fishermen bring 50 lures to every waterfront battlefield.  Can’t leave any at home.

         Realistically, however, it’s harder and harder to bring every lure when you have to fly.  Thirty-pounds of lures is not only impractical, but airlines make you pay dearly as well.

         So, it’s a question I get all the time. 

        Here are my essential lures I would not leave home without if headed to Mexico.  These would apply pretty much anywhere.

         Any tackle store will know these or you can see them online if you don’t understand the terminology.

         I’d bring two tuna-style feathers for trolling.  One dark-color.  One light color.  I’d have them rigged with 80-pound leader line.

         To my trolling arsenal, I would add one cedar plug.  Natural.  Unvarnished.  No fancy paint job.  Trust me on this one.  Plain old wood with that ugly grey leadhead.

         I’d bring 4 Rapala-style lures.  These are the ones with the big lips that dive down when cast and retrieved or slow-trolled.  The two larger ones would be the “Magnum” sized lures.  In our area the Rapala Xrap style has become very very popular. 

         However, other companies such as Yo-Zuri and the old Bomber-style lures are excellent as well.  Get one dark colored and one lighter color .

         The two smaller ones would be 4 to 6 inches long for trolling the shallow areas or over rocks.  Bass fishermen are very familiar with these.  A zillion companies manufacture them. Call ‘em “crank baits. “

         I can’t tell you how many fishing trips were saved by slow trolling or casting one of these in the shallows.  There are few fish that won’t eat one of these. 

         The problem is that often, these are so effective that they get chewed up and busted up.  Or they get blown up by some huge critter and get dragged into the rocks and lost.

         Then, you suddenly find out you should have brought more! 

         Again, one dark one and one light one, but I especially like any style that looks like a shiny sardine or baitfish.

         So…the count.  We have two tuna feathers.  We have one cedar plus. We have four Rapala-style lures.

         Next, into the box goes two or three casting lures. 

• A yo-yo style or candy bar style casting jig. Blue and white or something with chrome on it.  Used to sink and retrieve. Tons of manufacturers. Tady, Marauder, UFO,  Krocodile (the large ones) and Salas come to mind.
• A knife-style jig like a Shimano butterfly jig, but others make good ones too.

       And that, my friends, is kinda of it!  Doesn’t take much space.  Won’t cost you much money to purchase or bring down.

      I would add in a Lucky Joe or Sabiki style rig and a 4 oz. torpedo sinker.  Good to have just-in-case, there’s the opportunity to use live bait. 

     You never know.   Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

         Several caveats:

         First, I used brand names only as a means of simplifying the description.  Kinda like saying “Kleenex.”  Everyone knows tissue by that name even if it’s made by a dozen other companies. 

         Same with lures.  I used the brand name simply to make it easier to describe and find.

         Secondly, I left out plastic lures…swimbait and plastic jigs and such.  These are very very effective. 

         However, I was trying to minimize the space and keep things simple.  Plastic jigs are deadly-good.  But, everything in Mexico worth catching has a mouthful of teeth.  Even the smallest fish have teeth. 

         Plastics get torn up really fast. 

       In my experience, you need a whole zip-lock bag of each color just to keep up.  So, I purposely kept those off this list.  If you love ‘em, I’m sure you’ll bring your plastics anyway.

         Third, I mention colors.  These “colors” I mention have worked for me and zillions of fishermen over many decades. 

         But, I have often wondered. 

         When I worked as a deckhand, for instance, you would hear in the reports that all the yellowtail or barracuda, etc were being caught on blue and white jigs.  But, I’ve often wondered if that’s because 90% of the anglers are using blue and white jigs and they had a reputation about being effective.

         That being said, don’t be afraid to go outside the box of my recommendations and throw in some zany polka-dotted pink lure.  Just for the fun of it!

That’s my story

Jonathan