The Found Lures Thread

[TheRodFather]

A spin off from the "Lost Lures Thread".  I don't know why but finding a lure that somebody else lost, or wasn't up to the challenge of getting out of that d**n tree makes me feel like a kid coming down the steps on Christmas morning!

This year I found a Rapala Husky Jerk in silver/blue back, and a Strike King 1.5 squarebill in sexy shad.  As well as various hooks that I pulled out of fish from other anglers.  The Rapala and the squarebill both will need new trebles and split rings, but the body of the lures cleaned up great.

Cheap thrills right?

[Paul Roberts]

The waters I currently fish are heavily fished public waters. I find lures almost every time out. Of course, stickworms are most common, but squarebills seem to be popular lately.

 

[UPSmallie]

Great idea TheRodFather.  I too enjoy finding lures.  I've found a decent amount over the years. Here's a handful I found this past October in a single outing snorkeling at a local fishing spot.

 

[davecon]

I know some guys that work at a local power plant on a man made reservoir. Picking lures off the screen on the water intakes gave them unbelieveable lure collections.

[TheRodFather]

Legend has it that the Safe Harbor (Lancaster PA area) hydro plant draws down the water every year and the shallow water area where the Conestoga meets up with the Susquehanna that everybody bank fishes from produces buckets of lures.  I haven't seen it, nor found a way to know when they are going to do it.  But I'll tell ya, I have lost a dozen lures there easy.

[Paul Roberts]

Back in the 80s I did a lot of trout & salmon fishing on Lake Ontario. Lots of people cast lots of lures from the piers. I also did a lot of night fishing. One night I saw a bright light underwater off one side of the pier. Up came a diver with a bunch of bicycle frames wrapped in wire he'd obviously set out and was collecting lures from! Pretty low.

[TheRodFather]

Wow, that is low.....

[everythingthatswims]

2 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Back in the 80s I did a lot of trout & salmon fishing on Lake Ontario. Lots of people cast lots of lures from the piers. I also did a lot of night fishing. One night I saw a bright light underwater off one side of the pier. Up came a diver with a bunch of bicycle frames wrapped in wire he'd obviously set out and was collecting lures from! Pretty low.

I've always said that if I lived on a lake and had a dock, I would have contraptions that would collect lures underneath my dock with ropes to pull them up when I wanted to check them

[fishwizzard]

I get a huge thrill when I find a lure, even if it is just a rusted out spinner.  Today I removed a small booya frog from a tree.  It took me about 15 min and I managed to slash my finger open on it, but it was still totally worth it.  

I fish from a kayak a lot and manage to get a ton of lost lures that way.  I have a 30" telescoping magnetic pick-up tool that I keep in my yak, it has made lure harvesting much easier.  I keep tying to think of a way to mount a safety cutter on it, then I can really start getting them.  

[Paul Roberts]

5 minutes ago, Bunnielab said:

...Today I removed a small booya frog from a tree.  It took me about 15 min and I managed to slash my finger open on it, but it was still totally worth it.  

I fish from a kayak a lot and manage to get a ton of lost lures that way.  I have a 30" telescoping magnetic pick-up tool that I keep in my yak, it has made lure harvesting much easier.  I keep tying to think of a way to mount a safety cutter on it, then I can really start getting them.  

Yeah, you can increase your luck if you're willing to climb trees. 

[fishwizzard]

Oh man, I saw this guy the other day maybe 20' up a very small tree trying to retrieve a crank.  He was only above like a 2-4' deep creek and I was ready to call 911 as soon as I heard the splash.  When I walked back by later the crank was gone and the bank was dry, so I guess he got it. 

[Jaderose]

Nothing better.  Years ago I found a Mepps Comet Mino and caught my first LMB on it.  That got me hooked on this hobby

[Gillroid 9000]

Once while Searching the Shoreline for Bass Paroling nearby the Shoreline and I found a Dead rotting Duckling and Next to it A Livetarget Bluegill Crank bait. The lure was tangled with Braided fishing line. I cannot still understand WHY somebody would abandon a 13 USD Crankbait.

[papajoe222]

Most of the lures I've found have been entangled on one of mine when I retrieved it.  My telescopic lure retriever has not only saved me many times its cost, but added a good number of cranks to my collection. 

[Scott F]

While fishing with a friend of mine, we came across a nearly new, #10 Rapala X-Rap in the "Hot Steel" color hanging from a tree. My partner tied it on and caught 8 smallies on 10 casts just off a small, un-named island. We now call that island, Hot Steel Island.

[smallies24/7]

$200 pair of oakleys last month. Unfortunately they were down there too long to be usable. 

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

If I had a real boat, there would always be a telescoping pruning saw in the rodlocker.  

I have a telescoping lure retriever that reaches 18', and I still had to jump to reach the Whopper Plopper. That's how I get a majority of them.

[Bassfishnc18]

I have found lots of cranks that I lost before while fishing in ponds. They get snagged on timber then when the hooks rust off then they float to the top and drift to the shore.

[Bluebasser86]

10 hours ago, Scott F said:

While fishing with a friend of mine, we came across a nearly new, #10 Rapala X-Rap in the "Hot Steel" color hanging from a tree. My partner tied it on and caught 8 smallies on 10 casts just off a small, un-named island. We now call that island, Hot Steel Island.

A few years ago I got a Megabass 110 Magnum in Pro Blue out of a tree at Table Rock. I tied it on and it was my best fish catcher of the weekend until the lip fell off during the retrieve. 

[snake95]

15 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

 

I found a KVD 1.5 squarebill in Tennessee shad yesterday, it cleaned up pretty well...

 

Nice clean up job for sure.  I have found that my wife's sonicare toothbrush with a little extra baking soda added to the toothpaste works wonders on lures like this.  I have my own dedicated lure scrubbing attachment, just so we don't get mixed up.

Edited December 12, 2016 by snake95

[Bluebasser86]

Found 21 baits Wednesday. Nothing really good this time. Got a white war eagle and a shadow rap shad. The rest was cheaper baits but still very productive couple hours.

[Bluebasser86]

Had a good lure finding day today. 

[fishwizzard]

Man, are those all from trees?  

[wdp]

Paydirt!!!

[Bluebasser86]

Only the bladed jig was in a tree, I got that one before I even put the boat in the water. The rest were found walking the bank.