What's In Your Canoe Box?

[ozark trout fisher]

Jitterbugs are the single most overlooked bass plug these days... There not really used all that much anymore, but pretty generally when I'm fishing topwater I'm using a jitterbug. I think they work great for stream smallies, as well as pond largemouth.

[Guest]

deleted

[Gavin]

I usually add a split ring to a size 9 or above rapala.....no more goofy loop knots when your fingers are cold. Bending the line tie down on the rapala works well too.

[brownieman]

Just my personal preference but I always use a 75 lb. rated chrome (black will work if chrome's not available) barrel swivel on any thing with the exception of bait fishing.

For me it seems to keep the nose of the plug down a tad when you want to rip it, adds a little more flash in the water and I can run through every color I have without retying.

I work the plug so fast in then water it seems to make no difference as far as fish hitting it. I always use a barrel swivel (no snaps) and pinch it shut good with my pliers before I throw it.

I also think it helps somewhat with line twist with spinning tackle.

I almost always replace the hooks on rapalas...have had too many hooks straightened out on them.

One of the biggest trout I ever hooked was pulling so hard in swift water I finally turned him and using 15 lb. test thought I had him beat...not!!.. After holdin my own for what seemed forever (actually 30 seconds or so) it just popped off.

When I reeled my plug in the fish actually tore the wire out of the body of the plug and the middle hook was gone. I tore the plug apart when I got home and found the wire inside the body of the plug is not a solid loop...there is a break in the wire between the middle and rear hook making that a weak spot.

I like rapalas but they are not the most durable plug there is...I have a graveyard of them with broken bills, peeling paint, just various things.

Anywayt, bla, bla...ramblin once again, just felt that plug cost me possibly the biggest trout I ever hooked...might have been a darn carp, lol...just wouldn't think so on a big minnow.

later on

bm

[Wayne SW/MO]

Luhr Jensen owns a lot of rights to the old lure. They made some Woodchoppers several years ago, but they were all large. O fall the oldies, I would like to see the Baby Hellbender revived, It was a fish catcher. especially in wood.

[brownieman]

Luhr Jensen owns a lot of rights to the old lure. They made some Woodchoppers several years ago, but they were all large. O fall the oldies, I would like to see the Baby Hellbender revived, It was a fish catcher. especially in wood.

Hey Wayne,

You wanted to see one...here's the best I can do and you're right, they are/were a fish catching machine.

The good ole days...

later on

bm

[Al Agnew]

I agree with siusaluki that the loop knot definitely makes a difference in the smaller size floating Rapalas. I'm also convinced that on SOME lures, the split ring makes a difference. Other lures it doesn't. However, I always take the split rings off and use a small cross-lock snap. I don't use the smallest size snap because it has failed me in the past, but the second-smallest size is a little stronger. Once in a while if you snug it up to the rod tip it will come unsnapped, so you have to check it now and then, but I've never lost a fish because of the snap since switching to the second smallest size. And while it doesn't matter on many lures as far as action, I use the snap mainly because it's easy to switch lures and exceedingly easy to tie a palomar knot to the snap rather than trying to tie a palomar directily to a big two treble hook lure.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Crazy Crawler you say...this one ring a bell.

later on

bm

that would be it brownieman... ah, the memories!

[cwc87]

I think the best way to be prepared for a trip would be to have at least 4 rods. A topwater, crankbait, jig, and a back up. My tackle boxes fit into a plastic battery box which includes a hooks n weights box, a jig n plastics box, a crankbait box, topwater box and sometimes a handful of plastics in bags such at flukes/senkos, topwater frogs, chompers twin trailers, and of course a seperate box for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, only difference between me and cwc is that I carry a lot more soft plastics and jigs which I don't use....

Wayne and Brownieman...the bigger size Hellbender was my family's favorite lure for catching big largemouth from Wappapello Lake back in the 1960s. Dad fished the shad-colored one, I fished the frogback, Mom fished the coachdog...and we all caught about the same number of fish. I guarantee you, the smaller size will still catch fish on the rivers, too.

Old favorite lures deserve a thread of their own...I can't remember whether we had such a thread here or if it was over on riversmallies.