Your Tackle Box - Does It Have Everything?

Over the past century, fishing tackle has seen tremendous evolution in both design, and usability. So much so, that deciding what to purchase (or create) appears to be a daunting task, at face value. Below is a list of the most widely known types of products and their most common uses.

Fish Plugs - Usually these fishing lures are designed to look like a small fish, or more importantly... a bait-fish of some sort that your target species is readily feeding on. These lures are very popular in the bass fishing industry, and are showing their place in the walleye and pike industry as well. Certainly, there is no short supply of wild designs when it comes to this popular lure, but choosing your weapons doesn't have to be all that difficult. For plugs, typically you want to focus on color, and depth. Action is also a prime objective here, so pay close attention to your plug body designs. First, you'll probably want to pick some common colors, which include firetiger, chartreuse, and some shades of blue (blue is a mystery at this point, as fresh water fish may have trouble seeing this spectrum, given their background. See this article for more info). If you're fishing for bass, then pick at least two or three plug body designs. Then apply those colors to each design (or as much as you can afford). This sort of shot-gun tactic will cover most ground, in about any lake. When your skills improve, you'll be ready to experiment with different fishing techniques using various plug designs, to maximize the fishing in your lake or region.

Casting Spoons - Possibly the worlds oldest fishing lure, the casting spoon has caught countless fish from varied species all over the planet. These tried-n-true fishing lures have graced mans tackle box for a century, and yet, recently these lures have seen less use in the fishing industry. Perhaps the lure has been 'dated', or maybe the rise of bass fishing has stifled it's once prosperous glory. No matter how you look at it, this familiar tackle piece will catch fish, but depending on what species you target may determine how your day ends. The casting spoon is a conclave piece of metal. The base material used can be either steel, nickel, copper, marine brass, or pretty much any metal you can imagine. Paints range from nothing (sheer metal finish) to all the most common combinations of the rainbow known to date. The primary purpose of the lure is to create some sort of side-to-side motion, otherwise known as the 'wobble'. The motion is usually smooth, and steady. This type of movement is best used when targeting species of a slower nature... such as salmon, pike, musky, and especially lake trout (see this article for lake trough fishing). Troll your spoons at 1mph or less. Anything too fast is going to spook, or just lose the fish entirely. The action will probably not be erratic enough to trigger a strike from bass or similar species. Another way of fishing with casting spoons is 'jigging'. If done properly, jigging a spoon through an ice fishing hole, or just off the boat, can make your lure look similar to a dying bait fish. The added flash will help catch the attention of your target. Jigging spoons is a very well known, effective technique.

Spinner Baits - Two styles of baits, all rolled into one single name... even tho they both look very different from one another. First, the in-line spinner bait is just that - 'In-Line'. This lure consists of a single straight wire shaft and a single three point hook at one end. In the middle of the shaft will be, usually, brass bodies (painted or unpainted), and at the top will be a spinner blade. For this rig, the blade is usually a Colorado, Indiana, or French style blade. When pulled through the water, the blade will spin very quickly, making this type of lure a 'trigger' type bait. Very popular in the bass industry, and easy enough to make on your own. Tackle components are sold at most bait shops, and many high-level retail stores.

Safety Pin style spinner baits consist of a v-shaped wire, with a small amount of lead weight on the bottom shaft. (think of a 'V', and turn it on it's side) Wrapped around the lead weight is usually skirting consisting of rubber (most common) or natural hair. The top section of the v-wire contains the spinner blades. For this design, anglers prefer a Willowleaf or Indiana style blade. Again, the principle is the same. Fast moving blades help induce a strike by bass.... tho this lure could be used for many species. In fact, recently anglers have been using rather large versions of this bait for musky and other northern-region fish.

Soft Plastics - Hot in any market is the plastic worm. And more recently, crawfish, minnows, grubs, you name it... soft plastics have it. A person can use these types of fishing lures in any lake, in any region, for any species. A great all around product. But if soft-plastics are so great, then why doesn't EVERY fishermen use just that? Simple - These lures can break easily, wear out, and in some cases... destroy tackle boxes (read more here). A dime a dozen, these lures work well, but expect to run through them like water on some days. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't bother with 'em. Keep a small selection of these lures on hand and you'll do great.

In summary, not every lake will be the same. You'll hear plenty of pro-grade fishermen say they catch fish all the time on this lure, or that lure... but in reality, you should be combining worthwhile knowledge of your target species, with your fishing waters. Every place is going to be different, so feel free to experiment... just take the 'noise' with a grain of salt.