Looking at lures!!!!

     Lets talk about some of my favorite tackle today.  I am a firm believer in using what works for me.  Why would you change what you are doing if you are catching fish.  It's like fixing something that isn't broke.  So let's get started!  

Buzzbaits

     Buzzbaits are one great weapon that anglers have in our arsenal that we call a tackle box.  These generate a reaction bite when other stuff won't.  In my expierance I find these are great for early morning feeding times or right as the sun is going down for the night.  One of the great things about these lures is that they are a top water bait that you get to see when the bass strikes.  Not only is it awesome to see but there is pure excitement from what is more then likely to be a good fight. This is what makes buzz baits great and why I am going to talk about them first.  

Booyah Bait co.   ½ oz. Booyah Buzz
     I have two buzzbaits that work best for me. The first one is a Booyah Bait co.   ½ oz. Booyah Buzz.  It’s what some people would call a clacking buzzbait.  As you can see in the picture below there is a piece of metal that hangs down from the frame and taps the blade as it spins in the water. The noise supposedly pisses the fish off and generates a reaction bite.  When they strike this buzzbait they strike fast and hard.  I would consider this my #1 lure. I have caught roughly 40 fish this year using this bait.
You can find these and there whole product line at   http://www.booyahbaits.com/

Strike King Bleeding Bait Pro-model Buzzbait
     Now the second buzzbait I use is a Strike King Bleeding Bait Pro-model Buzzbait.  I really like this buzzbait for the more calm water and on less windy days. I really belive they do such a great job because of their coloring. The colors are always so vibrant yet not to much red.  They really do a great job.  This buzzbait alone I can say I probably have a good 20 catches this spring and summer alone.  You can find these and there whole product line at http://www.strikeking.com/

Plastic Worms 
     Plastic worms are a funny thing that no one agrees on.  Is this one better or that one?   I can not tell you how often I hear “use this color (holds up some crazy named color). “  Then of course what do we do as anglers?  We go and buy them.  I have probably 100 bags of worms and maybe might use three and I only use the third one if I run out of the other two.

Culprit lures 7.5in Culprit worm

     This is by far my #1 worm to throw. It doesn't matter what time of day I'm fishing I am bound to catch at least one fish a day with this worm using the Culprit 7.5in red shad worm.  There are so many different brands that have a red shad coloration and I am not putting any of them down at all but I can honestly say for the lakes I fish the culprits are the only option.  I easily catch 2 to 3 times more fish with the culprits versus the other brands. When you look closely at the red shad culprits the colors have a kind of pearl or metallic tone to them. I really belive that this is what sets them apart from a lot of the other "red shad" worms.  This is a worm that fish can't resist!
You can find these and there whole product line at http://www.culprit.com

Berkeley powerbait worms 

     For those days the fish are just not that aggressive and are being very timid is when I turn to powerbait worms.  These worms advertise as fish "bite and won't let go."  This is a very true statement.  I have caught many fish with these on those light bite days and when they get a hold of it they don't want to let go. Fish seem to really like these worms.  I have had to basically pry the bass' mouth open just to get my hook back.  These worms are unlike a lot of the other worms I have tried.  Starting from the moment you open the bag you will notice a very strong order that you don't get with other worms.  That is the powerbait smell.  These worms are coated with the Berkeley powerbait fish attractant.  It's one of those things that a lot of people don't think about but sometimes that fish attractant is that little added thing that we need in our toolbox.  That's when having these worms is a great option since most of us don't carry any type of fish attractant. 
You can find these and their whole product line at  http://www.berkley-fishing.com/

Crankbaits

     Let’s talk about one of the most versatile lures out there.  The crankbait.  The crankbait scares a lot of people.  They have two treble hooks one on the bottom and one on the tail end of the body.  Those hooks are what scares a lot of people including myself at one point.   What I can tell you about crankbaits is if you feel yourself hit something in the water STOP.  The crankbait will gently float back and you can slowly and safely reel the crankbait over the stuff in the water.  Now, I call these a versatile lure because they come in shallow diver, medium divers and deep divers plus the fact that you can fish them in so many different types of retrieves.  You can reel fast, slow, pop or jerk it.  They all will make it do different things.  The standard retrieve for one these wonderful lures is a steady and fast retrieve and I will agree this works to get the job done.   That doesn’t mean you can’t play with different retrieves to figure out what works for you.  I personally use a crankbait more than just at a fast pace.  This category though I will tell you can cost you a pretty penny but when you catch those fish its worth every dime.  

Livingston Lures Primetyme SQ 2.0/ Howeller Dream Master Classic

     I was in Memphis Tennessee back in may for the grand opening of the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid.  That is when I came across this little crankbait that just blows my mind.  Before I go any farther I have heard my whole life “anglers catch fish, lures catch anglers” or some version of this saying.  If that is what Livingston was going for well it worked.  Except in this case not only did it catch me it actually performed as well as the tournament pro that was standing there telling everyone one about these crankbaits said it would.  These are not your standard rattle crankbait or floating crankbait.  The Livingston lures crankbaits are packed full of technology.  These have what they describe as “EBS Technology embedded on a smart chip in the internal sound chamber of each lure.”  For the laymen out there it’s got electronics that emit the sound of a distressed fish.  Now you may say come on this can’t actually work.   Well you would be wrong.  I stood at a lake last week and had been trying to catch fish all morning.  I had tried 3 or 4 different crankbaits including all of the lures I have mentioned above.  I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to catch a thing at all.  That’s when I tied on the Primetime SQ 2.0 in the Guntersville Craw color.  This crankbait wasn’t in the water for 10 seconds before I caught my first of 4 fish with this lure in the matter of maybe 15 minutes.  This is not the first time this has happened to me either.  This crankbait works!  It has 4 different sounds you can choose from. All of them are great and will catch you fish.  The Livingston lures crankbaits both the Primetime SQ and the Howeller Dream Master come in a wide variety of colors to choose from.  I am working on getting all of the colors in both models. I mention these two models cause those are the only models I have so far but will be getting more soon. 

You can find these and their whole product line at  https://www.livingstonlures.com/

Bill Lewis Original Rat-L-Trap Crankbait

     With crankbaits there are two different styles ones with a lip or a lipless crankbait.  The Bill Lewis Original Rat-L-Trap is a lipless crankbait. This crankbaits has what I would call little bb’s inside it to generate sound.  If you have been fishing longer then one season then you more then likely have one or more in your tackle box.  Im not going to take a lot of your time on this classic crankbait.  They are the best lipless out there.  With over 50 colors you can definatly find one for your needs.  There is a reason that these crankbaits are last in my list.  You always save the best for last.  In all the years I have been fishing off and on the Rat-L-Trap has always been a staple in my tackle box.  I have talked to a lot of people this week and asked what they thought the best crankbaits was.  Everyone had the same answer.  Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap.  They are awesome just go and buy a few you wont be sorry. These crankbaits Have a great "wobble" and swim pattern. There is really nothing that I can say bad about these.  There coloring is everything from very realistic baitfish colors to the bright and enticing colors even some nice darker colors for those clear water conditions.  I said I wouldn't take a lot of time on these but I could go write a whole blog all about these.  Go out and get yourself a few you won't be disappointed.  

You can find these and their whole product line at http://www.rat-l-trap.com/

I hope everyone has enjoyed.  As a friendly reminder while out fishing remember the old saying "leave no trace".  If you make a mess or have trash please take it with you.  The environment will thank you.  Maybe even reward you with a new personal best catch!!  Have a great day and FISH ON!!!!!