Finishing Tackle Purchases, Need Some Opinions.

[chromedog]

Winter is sloooooooowly winding down here in upstate NY.  Hopefully I can be doing a little trout fishing in just over a month.  I have been a little more selective with my tackle purchases this winter as we just bought our first house in October and just recently bought a nice SUV.  So no crazy tackle purchases this winter.  A few great deals from great guys here in the flea market, a small order with BPS and a few select items from TW (DUO and Jackall jerkbaits, DUO and R2S crankbaits, couple packages of keitechs).  As I put my gear into their spots in the tackle boxes, I notice a few holes I need to fill in the boxes.  I was hoping that I could get a little advice to fill these few remaining spots.  Please let the opinions flow.  Shoot your color choices as well.  Thanks in advance guys.

 

I need one each of the following:

1) 2.5 size squarebill

1) 6-10 ft crankbait

1) 12-16ft crankbait

1) 3/4 oz size lipless crankbait

 

 

 

 

I got out only once this winter fishing, and managed to catch my first steelhead.  Thanks to my brother.  I caught two back to back in the first five minutes I was there.  Awesome.  But ready for bass season to get here.

[frogflogger]

I've never fished upstate ny but my partner from florida goes there once or twice a summer to visit family and has had good results using a couple of  topwater  techniques - spooks which I'm sure you have and a white furbit with legs trimmed short - middle of day with a breeze - clear water - these two have accounted for some pretty good bass for him up there - one a 7lber - it was in a  lake with a housing development or vacation homes around it so it may have been private - not sure - but he had the years biggest bass a couple of years in a row.

[chromedog]

Ya, I fish a lot of the Finger lakes as well as Oneida.  Topwater is always fun.  Here are my go to baits for summer topwater action.

[Fishes in trees]

The fishing tackle close outs at Walmart are going on now.  Each store is hit and miss.  I got a number of Tungsten weights at a significant discount and Trokar hooks at $5 per pack.

[Volboy]

SK 2.5 Squarebill in shad color

Bandit 300 in shad color

SK series 5xd or 6 in Citrus Shad

3/4 oz SK Redeye in take your pick shad or red

[SpencerLittle]

As far as lipless cranks go there a few that I have come to like.

The red eye shad is flat out a fish catcher. They come with good vmc hooks that are big! If a fish slaps at it you are still likely to catch it. The only problem with then IMO is they tend to hang more that others.

Bill Lewis traps are great all around. They catch fish and come through grass well. If you're good you can even get them to come through some stick mats.

The excaliburs have really impressed me this last fall. It's all I ended up using all the way up into December. It really came did well ripping out of the grass. Better than the other two. They are what I'll be throwing this year.

As far as crankbaits I don't throw them much. But the kvd strike king series are good baits as well as any of the spros.

[tbone1993]

The fishing tackle close outs at Walmart are going on now.  Each store is hit and miss.  I got a number of Tungsten weights at a significant discount and Trokar hooks at $5 per pack.

Walmart is ok but most things are 40cents off. Dicks is doing like 40% off most things. 

[roadwarrior]

1) 2.5 size squarebill    Lucky Crfaft 2.5

1) 6-10 ft crankbait         Rapala DT6

1) 12-16ft crankbait        DD22

1) 3/4 oz size lipless crankbait   Red Eye Shad

.

[webertime]

SK 2.5 Squarebill in shad color

Bandit 300 in shad color

SK series 5xd or 6 in Citrus Shad

3/4 oz SK Redeye in take your pick shad or red

Maybe sub the shad colors for black/chartreuse or an orange/red craw color. But this is a great suggestion.

[smalljaw67]

1. Xcalibur XCS 200 square bill - Chartreuse/Black.

 

2. Rapala DT 6 - Bluegill.

 

3.Rapala DT 16 - Ike's Smash.

 

4. Xcalibur XR75 - Foxy Momma.

 

 

These are baits and colors that should do well in your waters.

[A-Jay]

Good Luck on your purchases, but what I want to know is  . . . .

 

How do you manage the self discipline to only buy ONE of each bait ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

Haven't you met this guy yet ?

 

A-Jay

 

[ww2farmer]

One bait is not going to last long in NY... The toothies get their fair share. When I find a hard bait I like, I carry AT MINIMUM, three of each color/size and have a half dozen back at the house to replace the bit off or lost baits. My favorites in the category's you asked about are :

Strike King KVD 2.5

Storm Wiggle Wart

Strike King 5xd

Strike King Red eye shad

[jhoffman]

I like the suggestions above but I am losing my faith in the newer wiggle warts. They just arent producing fish for me.

 

A little john dd would be a good one to consider too for a deep bait

 

I tend to stick to natural forage colors except chartruese. I need to start buying a few darker crankbaits too cause apparently my love for the lighter colors might not be doing me favors in certain instances.

[Wbeadlescomb]

Excalibur 100 series square bill citrus shad

Bomber 6a citrus shad

Bomber 6xd citrus shad

Excalibur xr50 citrus shad