fishing lures, DIY lures
Can That Idea Some are novelties, such as the Heddon miniature Coors beer-can crankbait, still being sold on the Internet. For only $7.46 plus shipping, you too can catch a bass on a beer can. You won’t catch very many, though, and the joke gets pretty thin in a hurry. Dan Saelinger
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The lures we usually talk about are generally simple, reasonably priced, and easy to get. Above all, they work. But there’s always been lots of overpriced or silly stuff mixed with the good. Here are four of such lures you want to avoid.

fishing lures, DIY lures
Can That Idea Some are novelties, such as the Heddon miniature Coors beer-can crankbait, still being sold on the Internet. For only $7.46 plus shipping, you too can catch a bass on a beer can. You won’t catch very many, though, and the joke gets pretty thin in a hurry. Dan Saelinger
fishing lures, diy fishing lures
Flying Lessons You’ve probably seen the print ads for miracle lures touted by supposed outdoor columnist “Charlie Allen,” who claims these lures are soon to be outlawed because they’re too effective. The Kick Tail is one such, a multijointed, minnow-style crankbait. Here’s the real kicker, though: A three-lure kit is $29.95 plus shipping and handling. Sadly, there are enough gullible fishermen out there willing to swallow this whole. The moral is simple: There are no magic bullets. Stick with major-brand lures that work. It’s cheaper, and you’ll catch more fish. Dan Saelinger
fishing lures, diy fishing lures
Kick Whose Tail? By selling kits, infomercial marketers are able to vastly inflate the price. Alex Langer’s ill-fated Flying Lure is a good example. This flattened tube-style soft plastic has a special jighead that will glide at an angle while sinking underwater, thereby reaching bass under weed clumps and boat docks. It actually works, sort of, but the rigging is complicated. An “Original Flying Lure Expert Kit” can still be found online for $69.85. Or you can just go to your local sporting-goods store and get a national-brand rig for less than five bucks. Dan Saelinger
fishing lures, diy fishing lures

Crash Landing

Crash Landing Roland Martin’s helicopter lure is a story of a great angler who unfortunately hitched his future to the smelly end of a garbage truck. The lure is a three-bladed plastic device, weighted and with a hook, that spins like helicopter blades as it sinks, thereby attracting bass. A lure kit, once heavily advertised on TV fishing shows, cost $19.95. Yes, it caught some bass. But most fishermen rightly thought it was idiotic.