king fisher

I would change the color of the lure rather than the lure itself, when like your example, I'm getting out fished with the same lure, and I'm sure my retrieve and depth are the same. The other time would be if the prey the bass are feeding on have some different color or flash that could be what the fish could be reacting to. The flash of gold instead of silver, bright orange claws on a crayfish, or any other significant color of the prey. I wouldn't bother changing colors if the prey is similar colored as the lure I'm fishing. You might only have to add a small amount of a key color, or change from a metallic color with flash, to a dull color with no flash. I have seen times when a fish would hit anything with red,same with the flash of gold. I do believe most of the time a certain retrieve or action is what the fish are keying in on, but there are time, when it is the only thing they are keying in on.

Biggest rainbow trout I have ever seen in my life,(close to 20#) about 20 years ago. Was landed by a kid on the Spokane river, at River Front Park, which is in the middle of down town Spokane. I didn't even know there were fish in that section of river. There are always hundreds of ducks there eating bread crumbs, and popcorn that people throw to feed them. This kid put a piece of popcorn on a hook and landed the monster trout. Maybe you should try half a white Senko, and cast it into the middle of the ducks, and geese. Maybe Bass like bread crumbs and popcorn too. If they don't I know they would love to eat any other fish, that have a taste for those snacks.

There is an old saying, beware of a man who owns one gun, because he can probably shoot it well. I'm sure the same is true for an expert with one fishing technique. Problem is fishing is supposed to be fun. Trying different lures is part of what makes fishing fun for me. I even change lures when I'm catching fish, just to see if I can catch them on something else. I'm always trying new guns, for the same reason.

Try the Rebel Jumpin Minnow. It was the first lure I learned to walk. Since then I have tried many walking baits. and have yet to find one that is as easy to walk. It also catches fish as well as any I have tried.

I fished a small river last week with the water temp. in the low 60.s. I normally catch lots of nice small mouth in this river on inline spinners, floating rapalas, and crayfish colored crank baits. A friend and I fished our normal holes, and riffles with every spinner, jerk bait, top water, and crank bait in our boxes landing only a few small bass, and a couple of rainbow trout for our efforts. I decided to try a green pumpkin Hula grub on a quarter ounce round jig head in my favorite whole. I caught a fish almost every cast. The bass were between 2 and 3 pounds. Also landed a dozen rainbow and brown trout. Biggest bow was pushing five pounds. I guess the fish were feeding on crayfish and wanted a slow presentation. Firs time I ever fished a Hula Grub. Wish I would have had more time to try other plastic craws and other colors to see if they worked as well. I did try an inline spinner before I quit, just to see if it was the lure or the time of day. No fish on the spinner, put the hula grub back on and landed two more nice bass. I was shocked. Until then I would have bet any amount of money, that I could always catch a fish on a spinner in that hole if fished properly. My friend was to stubborn to borrow a Hula Grub from me, but I'm sure he has his own now. I guess what I'm trying to say in way to many words, is if you only catch small fish, try fishing slower in less current.

I Saw a video on U Tube of some kids wacky rigging gummy worms catching more bass than when they fished with soft plastics. Not going to sell my tackle yet, but maybe I should

I am captain of a private sport fishing yacht based on the west coast of Mexico. In the past I picked colors for bill fish lures randomly. This year the owner of the boat noticed most of the time I had at least one lure in a spread of seven that was purple and black. He wanted to know why I always fished a Min. Viking lure, He is a big Cowboy fan and thought I should have more Dallas lures out. Trolling at 9 knots, on the surface, I don't think color makes a big difference, I thought it would be fun to run an NFL spread, and keep track of which one had the most bill fish between Nov. first, and May first. One Silver and blue for Cowboys, one Black and purple because my first mate is a Minnesota fan, one Blue and green because I'm a Seahawk, and one Orange for Denver. All the football lures were the same make and size. The other three lures in the spread would depend on the local baitfish. Results for numbers of bill fish were, from first to last. Vikings, Cowboys, Denver, Seahawk. Largest blue marlin was a Cowboy, Sure hope my Seahawks do better next year. My favorite bass color would have to be Vikings, with Cleveland browns running a close second.

Great idea. I'm going to give this a try in my local river. Will use a nine foot spinning rod designed for steelhead fishing. Loaded with braided line I should be able to mend the line for a drag free drift, similar to drifting a nymph with a fly rod. Might be very effective catching fish behind submerged rocks and small pockets faster current. Should I copy fly fishing tradition by, referring to the bobber as a strike indicator?

You have more than enough in that list to catch bass. The original Rapala is on of the best top water lures ever made. The other lures in your list can be cover all other depths, seasons, and conditions. If catching bass is your only criteria, then you are set with what you have. As far as living a complete and satisfying life as a fisherman, you are just getting started. A good fisherman has way more lures, than they will ever be able to use. Buy two of everything in 5 different colors, then use three or four that you have confidence in and work for you. Then carry the rest around with you for that secure feeling you have it all. I do know people who keep the Bait Monkey at bay, and catch more fish than me. I live for the day one of them asks to borrow a lure from me they don't have. The day may never come, but I am prepared.

Give up. The Bait Monkey will always win. Why fight it? You know the first time you don't buy a lure you want, your best friend will use that lure and catch fish every cast, while you get skunked. If he is a good friend, he will loan you the lure, then never let you forget it. Think about how will it feel to have the ten dollars in your pocket instead of the magic lure on you line? Don't worry, most of the time in a divorce the wife will try and get useless things like the house, car, jewelry, time share, and other things of no real value, but you will most likely be able to keep the priceless items like your rods, reals, and fishing lures.

In 1977 was 14 years old and obsessed with bass fishing. I fished almost every day, and read everything I could on the subject. I read and article by Doug Hannon about some research he had done on reaction of bass to different colors. It was a long in depth article. One point he made was yellow was a color bass did not like. They were even repelled by the color. He believed that green was a much better choice. My confidence in the yellow lures I had used successfully before dropped to zero. I went fishing with a friend a couple days later, and he was fishing a yellow spinner bait. I put on a black spinner bait the same make and model. It had been black with a yellow built in trailer, I removed the trailer because I was sure the yellow would scare fish. Of course my friend started catching bass, while I caught nothing. It didn't help that I had told him not to use the lure because according to Hannon the leading bass expert, yellow would repel bass. When my friend landed his 10 th. fish, I gave up and put on a yellow sonic. I started catching bass. I don't know if the color was the dominate factor, I'm sure other colors and lures would have worked that day. I did learn that even experts can be wrong, and bass will hit yellow lures. That said, to this day I will always try green first before yellow and when I buy chartreuse lures, I try to get the ones that are more green than yellow. I don't know why that article has stuck in my mind so long. My friend still fishes yellow without any doubts.

Original floating Rapala gold black back Rapala DT 10 crayfish Vibrax inline spinner #3 gold blade sing Colorado spinner bait, black rattle trap

On your hair jigs, do you match the pork rind color with the jig, or do you use different colors?

What is every ones trailer color preference on spinner baits, jigs, and bladed jigs. Do you like the trailer color to be the same as the lure, or different. Not looking for specific color, just contrasting or not.

In salt water it is common to use a rubber band to attach the weight on a drop shot rig. That way if the sinker snags in the rocks, you can break the rubber band loosing only the weight rather than expensive floro carbon leader, hook, bait, or soft plastic. I have never heard of anyone using one in fresh water.

spinner bait, black single Colorado can be fished top to bottom, any speed, clear, or muddy water. floating Rapala gold black back, can be twitched on top, or reeled under the surface. 5 inch Senko green pumkin any time, any depth. #3 Vibrax inline spinner. can be fished anywhere, for any species. My best lure for small streams can be fished effectively for any species, in riffles, tail outs, pools, eddies, and runs. Upstream, cross current, slack water, any angle or depth.

My therapist- girlfriend, tried to help me kick the lure buying habit. I fired them both. In the end, the person with the most lures wins.

I fished many waters, where a single hook was required by law. Some lures loose balance and simply can't work with a single hook. Others like wiggle warts work, but you have to remove the back hook and put a barrel or bead chain swivel on the front hook hanger. This lets the hook hang towards the back but doesn't effect the action. Many other crank baits simply wont run right with a single hook. Chances of loosing a fish once hooked on a single hook are far less then when hooked on a treble. That said you hook fewer fish with the single hook. Probably making it about even in the end. Bass release survival rate doesn't seem to suffer with treble hooks. Trout and Salmon do much better with a single hook.

Tie, Vibrax or Mepps, No 3. Unless it is one of those days, when the fish prefer a Panther Martin.

Floating Rapala gold black back Rapala Husky jerk silver Rapala shad rap perch Single Colorado blade spinner, bait black Tandem willow spinner, bait blue gill Rapala DT 10 red craw Hula popper , frog tiny torpedo any color #3 Blue fox vibrax 1/4 oz rattle trap

I have a bad addiction, buying vintage tackle lots on Ebay. I see one or two lures I want, and buy the whole lot. Never know what I might need. I have had dozens of boxes delivered to my mothers house in Eastern WA. I will only be there for three weeks in May. If I did nothing but tie on different lures the whole time I'm there, I doubt I would be able to fish them all. I'm sure before I leave I will make a Tackle Warehouse order to make sure I have all the latest and greatest. All I really will need, is some Vibrax no 3 spinners, a black single Colorado spinner bait, a few floating Rapalas, and some buck tail jigs. Every year I try about half of what I order, then catch all my fish on these few baits. My only excuse, is I haven't found a 12 step lure buying program in my area. Maybe the government should start requiring tackle manufactures to print pictures of tackle hoarders stashes on the package, just like the ones they put on cigarettes. Technically these baits have been opened by previous owners, just repacked to ship. Does that count? Maybe I don't have a problem at all.

I have not ready many color studies, and can only draw on experience with other sport fish. I do know that for rainbow trout on streams in Western Alaska, when Sockeye Salmon are spawning, color is the very important. An orange bead painted with pearl finger nail polish will catch rainbows every cast. When you look at an orange bead, and a fresh sockey egg in the air, they look identical. In the water the real egg gets a white look to the outside. Finger nail polish imitates this foggy look perfectly. Believe me a bunch of Alaska guides would not get caught borrowing their girl friends finger nail polish, if it didn't make a difference. I have watched clients catch fish every cast with these beads, while I experimented with other colored beads and yarn flies. Even going so far as to soak the other baits in salmon egg juice. The orange painted bead always out fishes the other offerings 100 to 1. Even when my clients mend incorrectly, making very bad drifts, they still catch fish, while I make perfect drag free drifts with other colors catching no fish. I understand that rainbow trout are not bass. I will point out that both are predatory fish, that can see color. It is easy to experiment with trout in Alaska, because I can eliminate most other variables, because the water is clear, I can see the fish, and catch them in large numbers, for many days in a row. I have also had similar experiences with artic grayling, King Salmon, Silver, Salmon and Yellow fin Tuna. I have fished and guided for many other species of fish, that I assume prefer different colors in different conditions, but I have never had the opportunity to eliminate enough variables to make a firm conclusion. On a side note. the same trout will hit a mouse pattern drifted over them all summer, until the salmon start laying eggs. Once the first eggs hit the water, you could drift a mouse within inches of their nose, and they wont even notice. I have tried many times. This is my best example of matching the hatch. Again I know the other species I mentioned are not bass. I am aware that bass might be completely different. I can only assume bass have some similarities to these other predator fish with color vision.

Would be interesting to know what colors the anglers tried. Maybe KVD tried, blue, pink, and yellow, and only got bit on black, but would have done well, on green pumpkin Red Shad, and June bug. Can't rule out color 100% just because more than one worked. Chartreuse might have drawn a complete blank for everyone. I would agree the color preference of the anglers was more important to the angler than the bass that day. Just wouldn't rule out color 100%

I would have tried a lipless crank, spennerbait,or chater bait to see if it was the square bill that was the difference, or the bass just wanted a more aggressive presentation. You might have found a lure that worked better that his. If these other baits drew blanks, and you still wanted to catch fish, switch to what your friend was using. I would probably have kept experimenting with other lures. Just my curious nature. When a friend is killing them on one thing, I love to see if I can find something different. At the very least I would use a different color of square bill. I get out fished often, but always mange to learn something from it.

Thanks for the information. All makes sense to me. Hope you catch lots of big ones in the next 6 weeks. I might have drive up to Mazatlan next full moon and try to catch a big one. You reminded me by mentioning fishing with bait. Wouldn't that be the ultimate form of matching the hatch? Seems to work for the bait fishermen. Should work for lure fisherman too.