Notes

Images

Keep in mind that I am always looking for images for our newsletter; fish, sunsets, sunrises, other anglers fishing, equipment, anything fishing related. I can use them all.  Large, unedited images are best. Thanks.

Created by Scott McKee Oct 31, 2018 at 1:09pm. Last updated by Scott McKee Oct 31, 2018.

Thank you, Jay!

This site is sponsored by NMA Member Jay Nannen.

Hello, my name is Scott and I am a lure junky.  (Hi, Scott.)

How many musky lures do you have?  How many musky lures do you use?  How many musky lures do you need?  For most of us, no matter how vehemently we may protest, the correct answer to my first question is “too many”.  And for me, my answer to the second and third questions is, “about 10”.

I think we can adequately cover the water column and our prey’s moods with about ten lures, and I doubt our catches would suffer.  I’d bet they might increase.

I was once a raving, lure-hording madman.  At the height of my sickness I placed an order for 20-some Perchbaits and a dozen Plows.  While there was joy in the euphoria of the 6-year old Christmas morning-like package opening frenzy, the scary, and sad thing was I actually thought I needed all of these lures to be successful on the water.  Nope.

I’ve been in recovery for several years now and I’ve trimmed my active flock to just lures I have caught muskies on and have confidence in, along with a few off-season raffle table winners.  Sure, the number of baits on board my boat hover around 100, but that’s way down from the height of my madness; three packs a day to half a cigarette after dinner, if you will.

Carrie and I head to Nipissing this Saturday.   In the past I’ve brought boat filling hordes of lures on fishing trips.  What if I need this?  What if the water is this color?  What if it’s that?  What if they are only smacking argyle-colored glider jerkbaits with brightly colored heads?  If I thought that was the case, I would have acquired and packed the entire spectrum of tartan colored lures with a few Black Watch doubles to boot.

Since I am now a recovering lure junkie, which means I want just about every lure I see, I just don’t act on these urges nearly as often (almost never).  I am about to take a big step forward in my recovery.  Yesterday I purchased Carrie and my tackle boxes for our trip.  These tackle boxes are not some new Lakewoods’ product with enough storage to carry Gander Mountain around.  Our tackle boxes for Nipissing will be one Plano 3730 box, each.  (My sponsor will be so proud!)

I’ve toyed with a minimalist approach concerning my musky lure selections for trips in the past, but my lure junkie historical approach has always gotten the better of me.  Not this year.

And while I’ve agonized over these selections for the past several days (weeks and months, really), here are the only hard-bodied baits I am bringing to Nipissing for our weeklong trip:

10” jointed Believer in Firetiger – I can cover water from 25 feet to the surface with this lure.  10” jointed Believers are one of the most underutilized, and sexiest surface baits.

10” Jake in Page Jailbreak – Jerking, twitching, cranking, longlining or short lining, Jakes can do it all.

9” Grandma in Black and Gold – See above, but with no rattles.

Wiley Headshaker in Orange Tiger – I guess the weeds are down up there so it won’t get hung up too often, and this lure is a hyper-wiggling ball of orange light.

Ernie in Firetiger – Based solely on its July performance on the river.  This lure has earned a trip north, and I can destroy shoals with it because at $14 a piece I don’t really care if I lose it.

Shallow Invader in Orange – Catching pike is fun!

Depthraider in Black Perch with an orange bill – I’m bringing one of my back-ups in this color (I have four of them, but only one sees the water locally (I bet you’re saying “recovering lure junky, my ass”), but a high-sticked trolled D-raider looks great shallow, and I can drop her back in the deep water with extreme confidence.

Minotaur in Orange Belly Perch – A shallow diving lure with psychotic, almost out-of-control action.

Bucher Top Raider in Nightmare – A Jim Reynolds custom colored version with a glowing tail for dusk or when creeping my 10” Believer is too slow for my, err, I mean the muskies mood.

Supernatural Bait Headlock in Orange Belly Perch – A wicked lure that wanders back-and-forth like a drunk on their way home from an all-night bender.

2 Boo Tubes in whatever color Marc gives me – While they are not hard-bodied these soft bodies are hardcore – jerked as is, or trolled or cast with an attachable double 10 spinner rig.  (I just picked these up from Marc, and WOW, they sexy!!!!!)

That’s ten hard bodied baits and two gooey-sparkly ones for a whole week.  Crazy, right?  Of course this list doesn’t include all of the spinnerbaits, Shmo Double Baloneys, Handlebarz baits and one absolutely gorgeous bucktail John Pensyl made me a few months back that I’ve crammed into this nifty binder Carrie found at Dick’s, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day after all.

On a side note: Bruce Shumway gets my first troll with the Funky Chicken spinnerbait the 51” smashed last year.  John’s bucktail or an ROB Boo Tube gets the first cast with the other out second.  Wish us luck, and if we see God musky fishing up there, we’ll send him your best…

Views: 552

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

"Hi Scott" lol i almost passed out laughing
Iggbro
There is no way you are only bringing 20 lures mentioned up north.
Who do you think you are talking to ,
Some SHMO????
Good luck and Carrie get sum
Alabalabala jojoout
10 hard candies, 2 gummy bears and a bunch of hair, and that's it. I feel liberated.

Well, you asked for luck, so "Good Luck, Good Fortune, Good Fishing & have a GREAT TIME!!."

I have only one question, though: Have your past (bad) habits brought you any success, because, as we know, you can't argue with success.

enjoy yourselves.

What I am wondering is, how many lures will become stow aways.

I predict Scott will behave like a classic junkie. After a few hours he will "find" a secret stash of lures in the life jacket compartment. You know, like the field worker finds a whiskey bottle in the haystack in the barn. Addiction is a lifetime demon! Good luck Scott and Carrie!  Thanks for including me in the newsletter BTW. 

I think, in slang, it's called "the jones's." 

The Def:

Addiction (sl. "jones's") is a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences.

Does that sound like somebody we know?

Good luck Scott, i too have feel i am a bit of a recovering lure junky but never got as out of control as you! Great read, all the best.

No hidden lures, but I am bringing a box of musky lures for the owners' son. If I start "Jonesing" for lures, maybe he'll let me borrow a few.
If you Jones it you will be tripping over box's of lures in the boat.I carry 5 tackle box's full on the boat,but only use 4 lures!
Scott & Carrie,I hope something very big ends up beside your boat for a short visit and makes you scream for joy as she swims home!

Reply to Discussion

RSS

© 2024   Created by Scott McKee.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

xn_bar_red.css