Fishing lure selection

[4pwr]

I lost interest in fishing for about 10 years. Just got tired of it. In meantime time my grandson is of age and avid about it. This has perked my interest again. Over the years my tackle box has been depleted by givng away lures to my grandkid and other kids just to see them have fun. Now I have no lures. The lure industry has exploded since I last fished and I am confused. If a fellow has $100 or so to start stocking a tackle box,are the traditional lures (rapalas,daredevls etc)still top dog or has the parade passed me by. Fishing for walleye and small mouth in lower St Clair river down to Lake St. Clair. I really don`t want a 25 pound tackle box as I had when I was younger and bought and tried every gimmick to come down the pike. If you culled your tackle box,what would you keep?

[Steve]

I really don't think rapalas will ever be "out of style".

[MGV]

Have to agree Rapala's and all the other good's that sfk said works.

[Canadian Hunter]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 4pwr
[B] Fishing for walleye and small mouth in lower St Clair river down to Lake St. Clair.

Rapala's are alway's a good choice, I would get a couple different sizes 5-11 , in blu/slv, perch, rng/gld. Blu/slv has produced consistantly for me on st.clair, probably alway's will.

Also a selection of worm harnesses is a must! chart, lime green, perch, and definitely some silver color's for those sunny days. So many way's to fish a harness, it's tough to beat out there!!

Also a selection of jig's along with a couple different types of tubes and or worm's is a must!

[DaveW731]

In addition to Rapala's (an absolute "must' in ANY box, IMHO), you could consider various plastic baits. In your situation, paddle-tail baits, in sizes from 3"-6" and 3" and 4" twister tails in various colors (don't go out without chartreuse, black and white, however) would be an economical way to quickly build up your supply. They are all fished on a jig head and by varying the weight of the head, (1/8oz and up) and if you want, adding the appropriate type of spinner, you can vary how deep and how fast they go, and how much flash they give off. You can buy all of the components; plastic bodies, jig heads and spinners, in bulk at Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, etc.
I have caught lots of bass and 'eyes in the Grand River system and in LSC using them.

[sfw1960]

Steve , SFK -- 2 BuLL's - eYes!!!
I hafta say ThunderSticks are good too....
Harnesses work also & can be tied yourself cheaply.... Jigs (sometimes) RULE too!!!
All very good solid suggestions !!
I love live bait..... I dunno why... maybe peace offering to the fish gods????

Robert

[DZtaxidermy]

In my opinion, if you are going to be fishing LSC for Smallies, then you need some tubes. They are the top producer in my box.

[B-5]

RAPALA'S!!!! Simple

Depends on your style of fishing,, are you from shore or a boat? Are you a Jigger or a handliner or troller,, I would recomend handlining with Rapala's/thundersticks and pencil plugs,, small home made crawler harness work fine, pencils for chugging and raps and thundersticks for handlining and controlled depth trolling,, good luck

[hoeks6321]

dont forget one of my all time eye catchers, the hot n tot.

[IT pimp 2002]

I agree with all the sugestions above they are all excelant tools to get the fish to bite. W/O sounding sick I have found that garages sales will get the same stuff for pennies on the dollar if you have time to hit them. Ones up north tend to be better as many people retire and move up there and then loose intrest or pass on.

[Slimshady]

If you are fishing the lower streches of the St. Clair river, then I would make sure that I have a large assortment of tube jigs and lead heads. I would also have your standard walleye jigs with an assortment of tails. I like to use 3"-4" sluggos and zoom-flukes on the back.

Last year I did really well on walleyes and smallies using tubes along the drop-offs in the St. Clair river July-Sept. The best color was the two-tone brownish/grey on top and silvery/white on the bottom. I caught a walleye that had a goby in it's mouth that looked exactly like that tube.

[The Highlander]

My suggestion would also consist of Rapala, along with Hot-in-tot (pre 2001), Panther Martin spinners and some miscellaneous crawler harnesses with egg sinkers.

[Fishfoote]

I'm always looking for deals on tackle - hunting through bargain bins at Meijers, Kmart ect. Problem is good body baits rarely end up there. I've had quite a bit of luck on ebay - yeah I'm preaching the net auctions again. I've recently been picking up some Heddon stuff, more just to have than to use. But prices have been pretty good. Use key words such as "fishing lures" or "tackle box". Some of them get pretty insane - but the deals are out there folks.

[Lunker]

1. Dicks Sporting Goods ( look for the awesome Clearance boxes... I ll probably be in there ..if you see my 2 shoes sticking out ..Dont be alarmed)
2. Walmart
3. Gander Mtn
4. K Mart
5. Meijer
6. Cabelas


Storm thundersticks have alot more colors than Rapala and are cheaper here too