Do you believe in a lucky rod/reel/lure?

[Randy Price]

I have a specific rod and reel ( SC Mojo Bass MHF71 with a Shimano Metanium and a #4 Mepp's dressed Aglia with a silver blade and black skirt) that I have caught a lot of fish on when others weren't catching anything.  I always feel lucky with this outfit.  Do you guys have a lucky rig?

[padlin]

I have my favorites, some work better then others, but I wouldn’t call them lucky. Too much time and effort goes into finding what works to call it luck.

[MediumMouthBass]

Berkley Warpig 1/2, Brown Craw and Ghost Red Craw.

Caught 90% of all my PB largemouth on both. Every time i went to this smaller lake i didnt see a single other person catch a fish.

Some days i would cast these in the same spot for an hour or more without moving and then BAMMM!!!!

 

I became obsessed with fishing just this lure, bought about 10 more in different colors. None of them work for me.....

 

These 2 colors for this lipless have became sacred to me, and i have a cult like following for them.

[DaubsNU1]

Like @padlin, I certainly have my favorites.

 

I long ago broke the spinning rod that landed my personal best LMB back in the 1990's.

Favorite rod is an old Cabela's branded C44x spiral guide casting rod, 6 foot long, medium action. Paired with a old Shimano Curado reel. Light, balanced, and I just love it.

[Rockhopper]

I don't have a lucky rod, but I have one designated bass rod that has probably caught 80% of my bass in the last decade.

[FishTank]

Absolutely. A G.Loomis 783C GLX and a Shimano Core.  Its almost 20 years old and is still just fantastic. 

 

I've said this before but it's sort of like this for me if you remember the movie....

 

 

 

[Jig Man]

Nope.  I generally use 6-8 different setups each trip.  Whatever works best that day get used the most.

[Bazoo]

I believe it's confidence. When you have that magic lure, you focus more on working it. It's been said that when you're not doing so well, you tend to fish faster, and or technique tends to be slack. I find this to be true of me.

[Bankbeater]

No, but I have fished some bodies of water that are just down right cursed.

[Jar11591]

I had a lucky crankbait as a kid. One day I put it 75’ into a tree, still on an upward trajectory when it hit. Wind was at my back that day. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Nope, but I retire hard baits once they've caught a 8lb+ fish.

 

Every good soldier deserves to be relieved once they've served their time 😎

[crypt]

not lucky things but favorites.........

[BigAngus752]

Absolutely not.  What you are calling 'luck' is actually confirmation bias.  You had success with that set-up once, twice, three times and then began to LOOK for success with that set-up.  You then started excluding other lures and/or rods to use that one because it was "lucky" when it was actually just working in those circumstances.  You may have other lures or rods that are statistically equal or even superior to that lure/rod, but your personal bias leads you back to that one combination.  It's possible that during the majority of your success with that lure/rod you would have ALSO been successful with another (or many other) lures or rods just because the fish were active, but there's no opportunity for that because you have excluded other gear for that gear.  

 

All this scientific stuff and words like "bias" make this sound bad, right?  But it's probably NOT a bad thing.  You, through experience and outstanding application, found a set up that you have been able to repeat success with over and over.  That success had caused you to favor that setup and now you get even more pleasure out of fishing when you use your "lucky" setup and catch fish.  That's a awesome.  The only time this becomes a problem is if you feel dejected or like a failure if your "lucky" setup doesn't catch fish AND you continue to exclude all other possibilities because you cling to your "lucky" gear.  That's a failure to adapt to conditions.  "If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?"  Yeah, just don't feel like you're married to that lure and/or rod and you'll continue to have success with that lucky setup and still adapt when necessary.  

[WRB]

Being an engineer most of my life looked at things logical or black & white solutions.

my other side as a race driver for example superstitions tend to sway my logic towards luck and faith. So see nothing negative about feeling lucky and believing something brings you good luck including fishing tackle. You can call them you pet lures that you have confidence using. You would be amazed how much better a lure works tied on being fished in lieu of stored in the tackle box.

Tom

 

[keagbassr]

Lucky tackle? No. Shirts and hats definitely.

[bwillis]

I've got a 7' MH Shimano Sellus that is my primary rod.  I caught my PB on it about 10 years ago, and I keep using it despite my crookedly applied replacement tip guide

[twisted_metal]

My Dobyns Champ 865CB Glass seems to be good to me.  I like to throw large spinnerbaits and it is exceptional at that.  I use it a lot, so I force the luckiness but it is a great rod.

[MonsterZero]

On the record? No, I do not believe in luck as a force. Off the record? I never go out without my lucky hat, and I am heartbroken when I lose my 'old reliable' lures. Fishermen are often a superstitious lot.

[Mike L]

Just my hat

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Hulkster]

 Dressed Red and Black Mepps Black Fury #5 is my lucky lure, I caught my first muskie from shore using it 2 years ago after a few years of trying. Cast da Mepps!! 

[ABU is overpriced]

1 hour ago, Hulkster said:

 Dressed Red and Black Mepps Black Fury #5 is my lucky lure, I caught my first muskie from shore using it 2 years ago after a few years of trying. Cast da Mepps!! 

It of course depends where you're, but i fish musky mostly from shore, and if you cast large baits, they aren't as rare as one might believe. Cought 13 in 2024, two of which were 46", two 43", and the rest mostly between 40-42".

[new2BC4bass]

No.  But I believe in certain lures.  Living in Florida, I will never be without a rod with a 10 or 10.5 inch weightless ribbontail tied on.  Normally in Junebug, but black is okay, too.

[ABU is overpriced]

On thread, no, i don't believe in any of this imaginary "lucky" stuff. But over the last 20+ years, there is one lure that has impressed me so much, and i just can't seem to find it on sale anywhere. Lost it while lifting a 4lb+ bass from a bridge, and never was able to find one like it on sale, same color or not, its as if this bait was never made, not even a picture on google images.

[Skunkmaster-k]

I have combos and lures that catch more than others, but I don’t believe it’s luck. 

[Bazoo]

On 1/31/2025 at 11:25 AM, ABU is overpriced said:

On thread, no, i don't believe in any of this imaginary "lucky" stuff. But over the last 20+ years, there is one lure that has impressed me so much, and i just can't seem to find it on sale anywhere. Lost it while lifting a 4lb+ bass from a bridge, and never was able to find one like it on sale, same color or not, its as if this bait was never made, not even a picture on google images.

I'm interested to know more about this lure. You should make a thread describing it in detail and we'll figure it out for ya!