It’s Only Bait If It’s Alive…

Life would be much simpler (but probably less competitive) if my angler could use live bait. Just about anything will hit live bait (including the “wrong” species) so there is less challenge. It would be a lot cheaper, too.

Did you know (or care) that there are lures for vertical and horizontal presentations (pronounced PRE-sentations when you’re fishing)? And there are lures for something called “top water” fishing, but there’s no specific term for fishing way under the surface. Here are just a few from the multitude of racks at any good tackle store.

Soft plastics. I’m sure gummy worm candies got their start from these lures - they have the same feel. However, the fishing variety is especially noxious, since they come infused with garlic, salt or nasty-smelling fish attractant. But they come in the most enticing (to humans) names - watermelon, sherbet (pink & orange), bubblegum, pumpkin. These include:

Worms: generally resembling their natural counterparts, plastic worms range from 4” to 12” in length. You can also find deformed mutations -- ribbon tails, paddle tails, curly tails, zippered (looks like a closed zipper with the teeth on the wrong side), and many others.

Tubes: resembles small, spongy test tubes with fringe on the open end.

Grubs: The plastic equivalent of maggots with short tails. (Yum!)

Skirted grubs: Maggots with the same short tails, and fringe-like antennae in front.

Lizards: plasticized versions of the real thing.

Spinner baits. These resemble Barbie-sized wire coat hangers. On opposite arms of the coat hanger hang the blades (small metal disks) and a large, sharp hook that is partially covered by a rubber hula skirt. (Don’t worry if your angler and his pals start talking about preferences in skirt color or length - they’re not making drastic changes to their wardrobe.)

Jig. A fishing hook that has an artificial fish “head” at the front end, followed by a hula skirt to disguise the hook. There may also be a weed guard (looks like a stiff brush) to help keep the hook from getting snagged on weeds, tree limbs, etc.

Crankbaits. These resemble small bait fish and can be made out of plastic or wood. From the bodies of these imitation fish hang two treble hooks. Treble hooks are three hooks in one, making it three times as easy to snag on anything (clothes, carpet, weeds, trees, people). Some crankbaits have clear plastic “bills” on the front to help the lure “dive” deeper in the water when being reeled in. The longer the bill, the deeper the dive.

Now, let’s talk cost. While an individual lure is a lot cheaper than the equipment it’s tied to, the cost does add up. Price can be anywhere from about $1 (if you can talk your angler into the generic, no-name “specials”) to $10 (and more!) for only one crank or spinner bait (I’m talking bass fishing - I don’t even want to think about the cost for muskie or salt water fishing!!) or $3 and up for a package of soft plastics (maybe a dozen per package). Multiply that by the scores of each type or size or color your angler “needs,” and get ready to take out that second mortgage!

My angler could stock a small tackle store with the lures he has. But that doesn’t mean he has enough. While he has (finally!!) reached the point that he will pass by 90% of the products, there are still a few that are “must haves,” and are looked for and purchased wherever we may be. There is one lure, by a specific manufacturer, in a specific color and weight, that has been hunted in every tackle store in every town we travel.

And it’s no big deal to any angler I’ve met to lose a lure (unless it’s their “go-to lure!”). Most of them can be easily replaced. As my angler says, “That’s why they made tackle stores.”

-Linda Morton

HOME