Pick A Lure

[Carrie Keane]

If you have not already realized, there is only 11 days until the opener!!!! With that in mind, Scott has been painstakingly organizing his tackle, and bugging me to do the same. Tonight I caved. I could not take the musky opener talk and insanely selecting/organizing lures anymore. The amount of time hanging lures on every available surface, and choosing which perfect lure is going to make the cut has gotten out of control. If I had to answer what will your first lure be?, one more time I was probably going to lose it! I went through my tackle, which other than adding one lure did not need to be organized or adjusted. (Men!?) During this process I made the extremely bold statement that I could fish with only 10 lures all season. Scott challenged this, and I almost backed down from it, however I decided that I would ask him for a number between 10 and 30. I would then choose that number of lures that I would theoretically only fish for the season; his number was 15. So, in about 15 minutes I choose the 15 lures that if forced to cut my collection down, I would use exclusively (theoretically) for the whole year. Due to the fact that I am more emotionally attached to my lures than I readily admit, this decision was harder than I expected. However, I chose rapidly. My final picks (in no particular order): Mepp’s Marabou (black with brass blade), Shmo Double Boloney Slider (black with chartreuse and silver blades), Glitter bitch (bluegill with brass blade), Beaver trolling spinnerbait (black), Baby Perchbait (Niagara walleye), Perchbait (Rocketman carp), 10” Believer ($9 bass jointed), 10” Believer (perch jointed), Perchbait (silver sucker), 10” Believer (Niagara Walleye, jointed), 10” Believer (carp, jointed), 10” Believer (Carpe Diem, jointed), Spring Dog (black with orange tail), Rapala Super Shad (perch), and a Mr. Toothy deep diver (bluegill). Now, I must point out that this list is somewhat of a cheat…. I made this list knowing that my favorite speed trolling lure – a Wiley Musky King in silver shiner – and also any ROB tubes or Bondy’s are in Scott’s box ready for my use. Yet still I pose this challenge…. How many of you musky lure hounds would be able to cut your tackle box to only 15 lures for the entire season? And what would those 15 lures be? Feel free to comment/list below! :)

[Tony Scime]

I think I used less than 15 lures all last season.

Let me think. 1. Straight Depth Raider in firetiger.

                    2. Jointed Depth Raider in hotperch

                    3. Legend Perchbait in Perch

                    4. Legend Perchbait in Bass

                    5. Legend Perchbait in Tennessee Shad

                    6. Red October Bait Ninja Tube in Black

                    7. Red October Bait Ninja Tube in Green  

                    8. Swim Shad in Perch.

I could probably live with just the above. But of course I'll be trying many and other odds and ends when the urge comes along.

Tony 

[Scott McKee]

I have turned into a predictable creature of habit with my lures, sort of a lure Smeagol if you will.  I have lures that are precious to me, and I use them most often under normal summertime situations.

As the water gets colder and generally murkier, my favorites change and my lures tend to get larger.  In the warm water, Depthraiders dominate my trolling time.  In the fall, it's Believers and Perchbaits.  Perch and sucker patterns turn into Page Jailbreak in the mud.

I should limit myself to only twenty or so lures (15 was crazy enough and 8 is ludicrous) on the boat.  It would eliminate my perpetual second guessing and a condition I call getting "lure changy" or the "Ralph's" (named after a former member, who would change lures the way you might eat potato chips).

Two words prevent me from doing so, "What if?"  "What if" dominates my final lure draft for the start of the season.  It makes some of my choices very difficult ones, choices were I literally stood staring at two lure I wanted to cram into my tackle boxes for several minutes when only one spot was available, until I decided on the lucky toy.   I finished this whole ridiculous process last night and I'll post my final selections here later today on my annual coaches lure cheat sheet (that I never use).

"What if", sucks.

[jojo wilczewski]

Good Day

That is one of my goals this year Scott, to not drag around so many " what if"

lures this year. My starting line up  (not in any order) 1)Toothy, deep diver any color 2) Shmo blade chartuse and blood  3) Grandma  silver flash 4)  2 Shmo Spinners, large any color 5) ROB any color  6) Perch bait OBP or FT 7) Shmo Double Bunny fly  8) Depth Raider FT ........

ALA BALA BALA jojoout

[Mike "the facilities" Fortunate]

mine would be the same as tonys for the most part but id have to add 2 savage gear 4plays to it (slo sink)

[Joe Z.]

I don't always fish but when I do.....

1. 10 inch Believer niagara walleye

2. 10 inch Believer clown

3. Depth raider jointed night shiner

4.Depth raider jointed black perch

5. Mister Toothy sprakle disco ball

6. Perchbait yellow belly perch

7. Perchbait Brown Pikie

8. 10 inch jake halo perch

10. Leo Jerk 6 inch stubby black

11. Wiley Jerk Arthur Perch

12.Red october Ninja tubes black

13. Beaver spinner bait brown and orange

14.wiley headshaker in perch

15. bucktail black marabou with silver blade.

honorable mentions to bondy bait purble sprakle and legend plows in golden sucker and orange belley perch