- What lure should I buy?
- What color, what size, what brand?
By Forrest Fisher
Catching many fish lately?
No? Do you wonder why not?
Ask yourself this question, “Am I happy with my lures, baits, sizes, colors?”
If you’re not catching fish, then you know the answer to that question. As an outdoor writer that has fished with many of our country’s most successful pro anglers, I can share with you that these guys know the basics like not many others.
The bass pro’s know how to cast, which rods, reels too, line options and the last maybe the most important thing, which lures to use. Questions is, which lures are those and why?
I asked Rick Clunn this question during a big tournament on a reservoir near the University of Alabama many years back.
Rick said, “You gotta use the lures that you have the most confidence in.” Of course, I was not going to stop there, so I asked, “What is your favorite lure, Rick?”
He said, “Well, it changes from time to time, but the lures I use are the lures I like and the lures I like, I catch fish with. Sometimes you catch a fish on a lure you never thought would work, but you have it, so on a slow day, you try it. Surprised, you find it works. You keep a mental note. A “positive vib” for that lure. Your knowledge grows of when to use that lure, where, why, how to retrieve it. In the end, I only fish with the lures I believe work for me. The lures I like are the lures that catch fish because I honestly believe they will catch fish. My confidence grows.”
I replied, “So Rick, how do I tell a listener on my radio show which lures to buy, which lures to use, what colors and all that?” Rick looked up, smiled, then answered, “You might tell them to go to the tackle store and walk around. Talk the proprietor. Talk to the other guys in the store. Listen to them. Then go walk around by yourself keeping in mind what you learned. Then pick a lure or two that you like. It might be the color, size, whatever it is, that lure will probably catch you lots of fish. You had a start and rationale to believe in it. You will use that lure. Time in the water is a big thing. That’s how you tell them the straight story, hope that helps.”
To learn more about what lures Rick Clunn likes these days, visit: https://luck-e-strike.us/rcseries. It’ll help you develop a background for the passion Clunn shares with us by his own lure designs.
Like many of you, I have a tackle box full of lures of all sorts. Probably, there are hundreds that I carry with me to fishing trips, but in truth, I only use about 5 or 6 of this myriad of lures in my carry-around collection. Why the others that probably tilt the scales at about 25 pounds? I tell myself I need to exercise too!
Lure form, lure function, and lure attraction – all make up that special tackle box we all carry around in our mind.
Some anglers say, “My tackle box talks to me.” If you have that kind of tackle box, you are already catching fish.
If not, listen to what Rick Clunn says. It was nearly 30 years ago that Rick Clunn shared that lure advice with me.
Guess what, for some reason, my tackle box talks to me these days.
The contents, at least some of the contents – the lures, smile with whisper tracks of memories formed from hungry fish smacking my lures.
The trail of teeth mark impressions always seems to be in the form of a smile.
I release most of the fish I catch. Sometimes I think the fish might somehow know that.
Maybe in the cosmos of fish, they are talking back with me.
Hey, whatever works.
You know where to start.