bait

An Illustrated Guide to the Bait of the Northeast Coast

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:19:38 -0500

If you're after striped bass, weakfish, or tuna along the Northeast Coast, know ahead of time that bait options are endless. Photographer and Boston-based fly fishing guru Dave Skok chronicles the most popular bait species, and tell you where to find them and how to match the hatch.

A Beginner's Guide to Bait Fishing

fieldandstream-editor — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:00:00 -0400

The 50 Greatest Lures of All Time

fieldandstream-editor — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 11:00:00 -0400

Whether you target bass or walleyes, trout or stripers and more, these are lures that actually work. Some selections are lures your granddad fished. Others are so new you might not have seen them yet. In all cases, though, you'll find a lure that catches fish, specified right down to size and color, along with just what to do when you're on the water.

Picking the perfect lure for a given situation is hard work, so I'll confess to a dirty trick. Before returning to a marina dock or my truck, I take the day's hot lures off my rods and put them away. To the same rods, I then attach lures that didn't work. That means the prying eyes of other anglers in the parking lot will be led astray, and I'll keep a secret to myself just a little longer.

Not this time, though. The lures on these slides are, indeed, the ones I use myself-a core collection distilled through 50 years on the water. They'll work for you, too.

Gear Review: The New Spin on Baits

fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:15:00 -0500

This month, four largemouth anglers fished spinnerbaits on their home waters. All were white with 3/8-ounce heads and Colorado-willow blade configurations. Panelists assessed the lures for hook sharpness, wire quality, balance, durability, and value.

Click an image to enlarge

Outdoor Innovations T-1 Terminator ($7)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (Best of the Test)
The Lowdown: Tough titanium wire is at the core of this bait. The head is chrome colored, and the lower willow blade has a beveled edge. A Sampo swivel and a supersharp Mustad Ultra Point hook finish the bait, with an extra blue-and-black skirt for those days when you're looking for a change of dress.

Three of the testers agreed that the bait was nearly indestructible and ran true under most conditions. Some noted muted vibration, but only Mike Harris thought it was an issue.
Hits: "The bait always ran true at all speeds. It's very easy to fish," says Matt Newman.
Misses: "The chrome plating and head were just not durable," says Mike Harris.
Contact: 800-944-4766; terminatorlures.com

Strike King Premier Elite Bleeding Bait ($7.20)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Lowdown: It's all about the blood trail with Strike King's red wire and hook visuals. The head is three-dimensionally sculpted and features a red-and-black eye. The skirt is springy and ribbed to excite largemouths.

There was unanimous agreement that the painted bleeding bait hook required sharpening out of the package. John Higgins was convinced that the extra paint reduced the lure's vibration. That said, there was strong support for Strike King's dependable design.
Hits: "After catching numerous fish, the bait always ran true and the wire never bent," says Matt Newman.
Misses: "The lower Colorado blade kept getting hung up on the line," says Bill Martin.
Contact: 901-853-1455; strikeking.com

McGuinness Fishing Leverage ($7.29)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The Lowdown: The most innovative bait in our test was the Leverage spinnerbait. Its wire-wrapped flexible hook is designed to keep a bass tethered no matter how hard the fish runs and jumps. To keep it from rolling over when it hits rocks and logs, the head has a slightly exaggerated flat outside surface. The Leverage features sturdy hardware, nicely polished blades, and an extraordinarily sharp hook.

This spinnerbait scored well in the innovation category, though only Bill Martin scored it favorably overall. Most of the panel was uncomfortable with the wire hook system and the fragile paint job on the head.
Hits: "Good balance. Hangs on to fish like a vise," says Bill Martin.
Misses: "The flex wire hook had to be continually straightened when it banged off rocks," says John Higgins.
Contact: 706-227-2248; bassbait.com

Booyahh Bait Double Blade ($4.70)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
The Lowdown: Designed with a light .035-gauge wire for stronger fish-attracting vibration, the Booyah has a wide head with a large red-and-black eye. The manufacturer says the blades are "jeweler's grade" (we think that means real shiny), and the hooks are Mustad's sharp Ultra Points. The thick skirt includes 55 strands, in case you were counting. Due to the light-gauge wire, the members of the panel agreed that durability was the primary issue with the Booyah. Higgins, Newman, and Harris all loved the way the bait vibrated in the water, yet everyone agreed that it needed tuning much more frequently than the others.
Hits: "The best vibration of the four. I caught my biggest bass on the Booyah," says Matt Newman.
Misses: "It has a very sharp Mustad hook, but it's a pretty vanilla bait," says Mike Harris.
Contact: 479-782-8971; www.booyahbaits.com

Make Your Own Spinners

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:20:00 -0500

Building a spinner takes all of two minutes, and the only tool you need is a pair of needle-nose pliers. You can buy kits that include a range of bodies, blades, and beads (cabelas.com) or order parts individually for more customization (800-638-2723; www.jannsnetcraft.com). Here's how to make one.

Step 1
Thread a treble hook onto an open-eye wire shaft.

Step 2
Pinch the ends of the shaft together and slide a spinner body over the top. Solid brass bodies add heft for deeper-running lures and greater castability. Trim any excess wire and add beads.

Step 3
Thread the blade onto the clevis, and slide the clevis onto the shaft. The blade's concave side should face the body.

Step 4
Using your pliers, grasp the shaft firmly about 3/16 to Â¿Â¿ inch above the clevis or terminal bead. Hold the pliers steady and slowly bend the shaft three-quarters of the way around the nose of the pliers and under the main shaft until you have formed a loop.

Step 5
Wrap the tag end of this loop tightly around the shaft twice, as close to the pliers as possible. Trim the end with wire cutters.

Quick Tip
Before you begin assembling the spinner, add desired details to components, such as paint or flash tape to blades, and squirrel-tail hair or colored tubing to treble hooks.