Favourite Lures

[Sartorius]

So, does anyone feel like mentioning their favourite lures/flies/baits? I know it's a bit of a touchy subject (no one wants to divulge all of their secrets!), but it could be an interesting discussion...

Personally, I'm a lure angler. I haven't quite yet dared to pick up (or pay for!) a fly rod, though that will come in the future.

For general trout fishing, my favourite all-around lure has got to be a little #1 Panther Martin spinner (sliver blade, yellow/red body).

My go-to pike lure is a largish (not sure exactly what size) Len Thompson red and white spoon.

And for perch and walleye, I like to use jigs in various sizes and colours.

[Chris K]

For walleyes, I use a lot of 6" Gulp crawlers if I am fishing bottom bouncers and Spinners. I hardly ever use real crawlers and I find these work so well, and are just as if not more effective for this presentation.
I really like Northland Baitfish Image Blades in Perch color (gold or silver back). That is my go to spinner color in size 5. The shiner and golden shiner are right up there too.

I use a lot of diving Shad Raps on 18 pound leadcore too...the Pearl ones in sizes 5 and 7 are my favourites. You can't beat black and silver either in the same sizes.

Reef Runner Ripsticks work great for me in 6 to 12 feet of water. Black Chrome, Parrot, Bare Naked, Emerald Shiner, Purple Demon, Cheap Sunglasses, and Firetiger.

The Deep Ripsticks work great too, you can get them down to 30 feet pretty easy with a snapweight. Same colors as the Ripsticks. I have some with chrome and red lips that seem to work better than others.

Around weedbeds and submerged weeds, I did pretty good with X-Raps last summer on the walleyes. After fishing through and around them with Jigs and having things slow down a bit, I could cast a size 10 X-Rap overtop and around the edges and pick up a few more fish. The fish absolutely pound these cranks when they hit them. Cast out and pause, twitch the rodtip and give it little sweeps forward.

When I jig with plastic and Gulp, I always hook them as thin as I can so more hook is exposed, and I glue the body to the jighead to make sure it stays put. I used lots of the 5 inch jerkshads in Pearl, and they worked really well for me. I used to use the little Powerbait Power Minnows in 2 and 3 inch before, but I can't get them anymore and I started using the Gulp Minnows in the tubs. I really like them and use them all the time.

Chris K

[impatient_hunter]

I pretty much just fish Pike and Walleye with lures. My favorites are Canada Flag Len Thompson, It looks like a gimmick but it works amazing, Rapala Husky Jerk and K.O. Wobbler.

[uicehole]

Pretty much a trout guy now. Bead head black woolybugger on a sinking line is my go to fly. Use this as my search pattern until I can tell what they're hitting. Other choices might be a dragon nymph or shrimp.

If I'm after the toothy critters, then I use a jig and twister tail. But then I'll have to relearn how to work the bail on the reel.:o

[cujo1969]

len tompson 5 diamonds what else would a guy need.

[Cal]

If I had to fish a lake I'd never been to befor and all I could use is one lure it would be a spinner bait. I've caught more pike on these than all other hooks put togeather. You can buzz them along the top, drag them along the bottom, and they are about as weedless as anything out there. I like the standard and ratling rapalas, curly tail jigs, and bucktail spinners as well. The orange and white len thompsons have always worked well for me as well. I used them for trout as well before I started fly fishing. Havnt realy developed any favorite flys, if they cast well and are easy to see I'll use them, this method of choosing my fly has worked pretty well for a few years, maby someday I'll get more scientific.

[nicemustang]

Buzz bombs for trout in winter, all conditions, all winter long, all kinds of trout.

Sweedish pimple for walleye.

Red/White or five of diamonds for casting off shore for trout or pike.

Forage minnow spoon for perch.

Can't beat trolling with rapalas in the summer for walleye and pike. They can't resist.

[merk1]

William's wobler half and half, never fails.
Sounds funny but a 2 1/2" buzzbomb turned around backwards, all species even did it that way on the coast, about 20yrs ago accidently put one on that way and steady action, havn't changed it since then.

[MathewsArcher]

Northern Pike - Johnson Silver Minnow

When I was guiding I don't remember how many of these I had in the boat. Single Hook, Weedless and more 20+ pound pike than any other lure we threw at them.

[JohninAB]

Favorite lure for me is bucktails or big surface baits like Suicks. Love fishing for big pike with them.

Walleyes I mostly just jig or run a spinner bait behind a bottom bouncer.

Fly fishing, have no idea what the different flies are so whatever looks pretty at that time. I mostly donate them to the tree gods anyways so no big deal over trying to match the hatch.

[Morph1]

William's wobler half and half, never fails.
x2 on that, it's my favorite pike weapon :lol:

Cheers!

[goober]

5 of D, gold and orange spoon and a perch pattern wally diver.:wave::wave:

[driverlong]

A Canadian Wiggler knock off, I found at a pawn shop. Out fishes every other lure I have for Pike and Walleys. I don't even use it, most of the time, because I can not find it at ANY store. I only bring it out when not catching on any thing else.

[tbosch]

For Spincasting:

Pike I like williams wabler whitefish reversed or buzz baits/poppers.
Walleye I use silver and red x-rap or 3/8 orange jig.
Trout I prefer panther martin silver or gold.

For Fly Fishing:

Pike I use a big ugly nameless streamer pattern in white and blue or white and red.
Walleye I find the white clouser minnows work very well. (I've caught my biggest walleye to date on this pattern).
Trout I search with a Black Micro Leech or San Juan Worm depending on body of water, and usually a go to is the chironimid in 16 or 18 for subsurface and a orange #12 stimulator for dries.

[Able]

Well Sartorius you are rite about anglers and ther secrets.But I don't mind telling you what I have in my tackle box.
I to fish for pike and I have duplicates for all of the luers I'm going to menchin for a reason.
Storm live pike. Tales keep geting ripte off.
Storm live anchovy. No tales lost yet.
Krocodile 3/4 silver and chrome. good for walleyes or pike.
Forge minnow silver. chewed to crap.
And my all time favorite. Pelican lures nature spoon with pike pattern.

I hope this halps you.

[jesse34567]

for pike i like a white spinnerbait

then for the walleye in (pine coulle in summer) i would have to say a bright pink jig with a white gulp minnow

[Backwoods boy]

I use everything for anything if that makes sense, home made rigs, jigs and grubs, crank baits, topwaters, bait, and Im gonna start fly fishing soon enough

[LacLaBicheNS]

Bass (grew up in southern ont)
Large mouths-"flying lure", spinnerbait, shap raps, any Heddon top water, power bait rubber worms.

Pike- red and white dare devil, spinnerbait, Rapala's silver and blue "rattlin rap".

Walleye- the only thing I troll with is Blue fox "vibrax" spinners.. For jigging I usually use a yellow bucktail jib. Or a white buck tail.

[LacLaBicheNS]

Bass (grew up in southern ont)
Large mouths-"flying lure", spinnerbait, shap raps, any Heddon top water, power bait rubber worms.

Pike- red and white dare devil, spinnerbait, Rapala's silver and blue "rattlin rap".

Walleye- the only thing I troll with is Blue fox "vibrax" spinners.. For jigging I usually use a yellow bucktail jib. Or a white buck tail.

add to my walleye baits- Cotton Cordell's C.C. Shad, black and silver colour

[dfrobert]

hard water....Swedish pimples (lots of color/size variety)

open water...Shad raps for pike/walleye. Northlands propellor jigs!! For trout hopper droppers, and black nosed dace minnow patterns.

[dfrobert]

Clearly not enough respect for the Swedish Pimples. they are great on open water for perch and walleye too!!

[Cal]

Man it has been decades since I even thought about the flying lure. I thought it was a banjo minow deal that just died out.

[FishHound]

My favorite is not the lure I've caught the most fish on, even though I've caught many jacks and a few Walleye. Come to think of it I have done pretty well on it considering the amount of time I use it. I like to throught in the "ASSASSIN" just as it's getting dark. short little rapala with an LED light in it and it flashes as it "swims". I know some hooks are made to catch fisherman not fish, but this hook is way too cool and it even has a great name.
:D

[Rigg dogg]

Anybody else like the Northlands Whistler jig, the jig with the little propeller.
It has to be one of my favourite's.
1/16, 1/8 oz tipped with maggots or small minnows for Perch, up to 1 oz with minnows for River eyes and Big ol'e Jacks.

Ice fishing or open water, if I was to choose one bait the Whistler would be it.

[dfrobert]

Yes i agree. I called them propellor jigs by accident but Northland calls them "Whistlers". Like you said too they are deadly on the river.

[mooseknuckle]

I agree Len Thompson 5 of diamonds. However my loyalty is at question. I found another five of diamonds made by blue fox it has way nicer action the color's are more vibrant and the back side has a little more "bling bling" as they say. And wait for it..... it's about a buck cheaper. I'll always continue to buy LT's I'm all about supporting canadian/albertan companies but hey gotta find the deals when you can and I've caught a bunch on them.

[nicemustang]

Has anyone tried the hallow bodied swim baits? Saw them in the magazines but they are expensive, so never tried them. Thought I would while fishig for walleye, will never use anything else!!! WOW they worked good. I had 3x as many bites and caught almost every bite with no misses. Unbelievable.

[Cal]

How do you guys fish those whisler jigs in rivers? I've used them vertical jiggin a little but wouldnt that prop make it hard to get them down in the current? I'm interested, please enlighten me.

[Rigg dogg]

Hey Cal
I just went with the heavier jig in the river, didn't seem to have to much trouble getting to bottom unless you were in a real fast current.
I said 1 oz in my post but I think 5/8 o/z or 3/4 oz is the biggest they make.

I would just pinch the tail off of a twisty tail grub, push it up to the ball on the shank of the hook and add a leech or minnow to it. Would sometimes push it on a little farther so the prop wasn't spinning quite so free in the current.
Prefishing in the Vanity cup tournament a few years back I was doing pretty good with them one day. But my stubborn fishing partner was so set on Lindy rigging I never did get to use them in the actual tournament.
Did get a few nice Pike on them also, just wasn't really trying for them.

I have used them the same way when casting from the bank as well, but like any river fishing be prepared to loose a FEW.

Hey dfrobert, I missed your post where you mentioned them, one to many pops after the hockey game that night.

[Cal]

So are you jigging them verticaly or casting them out and dragging them allong the bottom? If the current is fast will it spin on the retreve and twist your line up? I cant wait to try it in some of my favorite holes this spring, sounds like it might pick up pike a little better than a regular grub and still work good on walleye.

[Rigg dogg]

Either way, just fish them like you would a normal jig.
The prop spins on the shank of the hook, so it won't twist your line up.

[Cal]

tks