Hot new lure vs old standbys

[Duke M]

Every late Fall I reread my journals, noting weather, water levels, etc. One thing I have noticed is how the hot lure changes from year to year. I am pretty sure it is mostly based on my personal prejudices and less on the actual lure.

I also see trends to and away from lures over the years. I am referring to jigging for panfish and I never see anyone using Rockers any more. I rarely see anyone using Purists or Rembrandts either. The big trend seems to be tungsten and I also use a lot of those. That said, I try to remember to use my old school lures when conditions warrant. Last Winter, late ice I was rocking the crappies with a pink Rembrandt. It also took all of the larger gills among all of the other anglers around me. One old fella walked over and said, "I used to use a Rembrandt just like that." I said, "Well put one on and fish just under the ice, I'm killin' 'em." He told me he doesn't even bring his old lures on the ice anymore.

Remember the A-Bomb craze? They still work as well as ever and I have friends ask me to make some up each Fall.

Duke

[hawg]

I still use the smallest Swedish Pimple in silver for crappies, still works great.

[esox_xtm]

Latest greatest... I'm not sure there's any such thing. If you look at that brand new, innovative lure that just arrived in the mail and start poking around you'll find a golden oldie that looks very similar, if not almost exactly the same. Sure, you can take a plain jane and put on a pretty dress and right away you wanna ask her for a date. Sure was good at catching the fisherman!

There are some lures in categories that DO offer something different like a Moonshine Shiver Minnow vs a Jigging Rap vs a Hyper Glide. All similar but very not the same and pays to keep all of them in your box. Or different designs of spoons.

I still carry lead because sometimes a slower drop is better (sometimes much better). The old Walleye Hawger jigs in the smallest size are perch killers with a small minnow reverse hooked. Same with the smallest Rocker Minnow spoon. Still carry Rat Finkees and Demons along with Swedish Pimples and Kastmasters. Just because...

I believe it's far more important to fish a lure well than rely on the latest greatest to be some kind of magic. Not that it might not be but you still gotta learn how to use it to get everything out of it that it has to offer.

Neat thread Duke! 

[Gunflint]

Latest greatest... I'm not sure there's any such thing. If you look at that brand new, innovative lure that just arrived in the mail and start poking around you'll find a golden oldie that looks very similar, if not almost exactly the same....

I agree. Most of the NEW are simply cosmetics.

I think that one of the biggest innovations in my life has been the "plastics" in shapes, durability, and scents.

I think back on my fist plastics in the form of a worm for bass. Then came Mr. Twisters, and the dam broke with hundreds of variations.

I also remember that those plastics dissolved the black plastic trays in my Umco tackle box- ruined it entirely.  Needed new stuff to hold and organize them.

Glad that they exist and I use them often.

[slipperybob]

The drop speed of a lead weight and tungsten weight is the same.  There just isn't enough water displacement that will change it.  Something like dropping a stone and dropping lead off the side of the building and they both have the same fall rate in air.  Not enough air resistance to make a difference.

Anyway I always like to play with some of the latest hyped up lures.  I still always have one rod with old school tackle harness rigged up.  I still rely on old fishing methods such as a plain round jig head with soft plastics, cuz I prefer that size 8 hook or size 2 hook or something like that. 

Also why I keep a few certain lures always:  Salmo Chubby Darter, Northland Forage Minnow spoon, Lindy Rattl'n Flyer Spoon, Bay De Noc Swedish Pimple, ACME Kastmaster, Northland Buckshot Spoon, Eppinger Daredevle spoon, Rapala Jiggin Rap and Shad Rap,

There were days that old school fishing methods easily produced 10 to 1 of the fishes I've gotten to bite.

[Junkie4Ice]

Latest greatest... I'm not sure there's any such thing. If you look at that brand new, innovative lure that just arrived in the mail and start poking around you'll find a golden oldie that looks very similar, if not almost exactly the same. Sure, you can take a plain jane and put on a pretty dress and right away you wanna ask her for a date. Sure was good at catching the fisherman!

There are some lures in categories that DO offer something different like a Moonshine Shiver Minnow vs a Jigging Rap vs a Hyper Glide. All similar but very not the same and pays to keep all of them in your box. Or different designs of spoons.

I still carry lead because sometimes a slower drop is better (sometimes much better). The old Walleye Hawger jigs in the smallest size are perch killers with a small minnow reverse hooked. Same with the smallest Rocker Minnow spoon. Still carry Rat Finkees and Demons along with Swedish Pimples and Kastmasters. Just because...

I believe it's far more important to fish a lure well than rely on the latest greatest to be some kind of magic. Not that it might not be but you still gotta learn how to use it to get everything out of it that it has to offer.

Neat thread Duke! 

I think the bolded statement is spot on. When a buddy of mine convinced me to switch from live bait to plastics I was skeptical. His recommendation was to go out fishing and not even bring live bait. Reason being, if you know you have something you are confident fishing with to fall back on, you won't trust what you're currently using. Confidence in your lure is key.

Slippery bob - Shhhh, the old timers don't want to hear that lead and tungsten has the same drop rate, lead having a slower drop rate is the only argument left for lead! Even if it is false lol

[Rebelss]

My "hot lure"....done the job for over 30 yrs for me. I may turn it into a really hot lure by adding a twister tail or changing the leadhead color to chartruese, yellow, or blue/white.   

[lefty2053]

I have bought all the latest greatest things on the market for several years. Now I lean towards the old stand by and just keep trying different colors until I find the right one. Doesn't matter that much in the action but the color always makes a difference. Some days White works others red or pink. The one thing  I have found that works best is Green anything.

[FishingCowboy]

Back in 2000 when I got home from the Corps, A ole timer showed me a Swedish pimple he was using jigging for kokes and trout. No maggots, no mealworm, just the jig. I started using them, bought some different variations in color and size. Always found a silver with a simple green stripe (no metallic green or hammered green) always would catch either. Went fishing on Flathead Lake (Western Montana) for Lakers tried everything I had in my arsenal. Finally swapped over to my favorite ice jig. Couple motions and was landing 24"+ lakers. This last winter, some co-workers had been over in Eastern Montana and between the 3 of them had caught 350 crappie in a 4 day period (catch & released). They said they were heading back the next weekend and invited me. So I picked their brains and went and bought what they had been using. We got on the ice, I still had my trustee swedish on, figure oh what the heck as I had 4 days to fish so why not start with that. Sure as sugar, land two crappie in 5 minutes while every one else was still in setup mode. Anytime I am in the fishing section I look for and grab a couple of them. Unfortunately, the trusted style I use is no longer made, so I now have to buy replacement trembles. Even put on a few glow in dark trebles. Looking Forward to using my trusted standby a lot this yeay.

[Raquettedacker]

My "hot lure"....done the job for over 30 yrs for me. I may turn it into a really hot lure by adding a twister tail or changing the leadhead color to chartruese, yellow, or blue/white.   

 Works for me....

[hnd]

i use rembrandts, gill pills, and rat finkees from time to time but 95% of the time i'm running a tear drop tungsten for panfish.  does it get down faster?  no idea.  but either tipped witha plastic or spikes its pretty much all i eed. 

[hole_hopper454]

I love a 4mm tungsten when the fish will take it. I've noticed alot of guys use this now. When the bite gets tough, especially in community holes, switching to old lead jigs or rockers often works well for me. I think so many guys are using the basic tungstens now the fish get used to them. Sometimes they like the slow fall of a rocker or light lead jig.

It seems like the hot color for me changes from year to year. Some years its purple, others its orange, last year was red.

[Iceassin]

I love a 4mm tungsten when the fish will take it. I've noticed alot of guys use this now. When the bite gets tough, especially in community holes, switching to old lead jigs or rockers often works well for me. I think so many guys are using the basic tungstens now the fish get used to them. Sometimes they like the slow fall of a rocker or light lead jig.

It seems like the hot color for me changes from year to year. Some years its purple, others its orange, last year was red.

Kinda with ya on this one. Most of my gill fishing is done with 3 and 4mm Fiskas tungstens in Wonderbread and plain gold with spikes. But one lake has always been #8 Teardrops ( found them in tungsten  recently) in orange/chartreuse tipped with wax worms. For whatever reason, they like that bigger presentation.

[skifisher]

And so it continues...the tackle companies keep putting “lipstick on their pigs” and keep charging more for them! I also believe it’s not the newest or fanciest or shiniest lures that catch fish, it’s knowing what lure, what color, and how you fish them that makes the difference. There are a few “new” lures that come out on the market every now and then, and I’m sure they catch fish.
As an old guy, I guess I’ll just continue to fish those baits I’m most comfortable with, and hope I’m not too stubborn to experiment with something new once in a while! Lol

[esox_xtm]

Gotta disagree that the drop rate of lead and tungsten are the same. Given the same exterior size and shape they certainly are not but tungsten is not so fast you'd easily notice. One study done by an outdoor magazine dropping identical lures down a clear tube of water has tungsten about 1 second faster to 16 feet than lead. So faster? Yes, but like was pointed out not so's you'd hardly notice. Sometimes, sometimes... those teeny tiny things matter but not that often.

I remember when Sluggos first came out. I got all excited for this new magic lure. Never could catch a thing on 'em because something didn't happen right away so I'd ditch it in favor of something I knew better. I finally forced myself to learn how to fish 'em by taking nothing else but that. It worked. I figured it out and yes, sometimes they are magic.  Not all the time but sometimes. I still have to do that from time to time. Limit what I take and force myself to learn.

[missoulafish]

but what if you use an In-Line reel when using lead jigs

[Bigassbassman]

Tungsten vs. lead isn't really something to debate or have an opinion on.  It's just a fact that tungsten is 1.7 times denser than lead and about 2.5 times denser than typical steel.  Higher density allows you to use a 1.7-times smaller tungsten jig to achieve the same mass as a comparable lead jig, in order to achieve the same dropping ability in the water column...lol, fun stuff.

Anyway, this is a fun thread.  I agree, there are always some fancy newfangled things coming out each year, but for me, proven patterns aren't worth messing with.  I always use the typical spoons that catch everything (pimples, kastys, blades), jigging raps, and I've really come to like the lipless cranks like chubby darters and HD ice.  Small tungsten just plain catches everything, too.

That said, it's fun trying something new each year.  This year, I got a few of the tungsten T-Rips from Kenders.  I figure the small tungsten profile combined with the small vibe body could make for a deadly combo.

[hnd]

all i know is that i was looking at some ice jigs at the local bait shop.  5.99 for a 3mm tungsten teardrop is basically highway robbery and/or a complete waste of the painters time.   

although there are guys on here talking about dropping $200 on panfish gloomis rods so what do i know. 

[Rebelss]

Probably get a get deal on Banjo Minnows and a Pocket Fisherman right now.        

[lefty2053]

Probably get a get deal on Banjo Minnows and a Pocket Fisherman right now.        

You still play that  Minnow Banjo?   Rebelss? And is that Tom Thumb in your pocket?

[esox_xtm]

You still play that  Minnow Banjo?   Rebelss? And is that Tom Thumb in your pocket?

Bet he does play that banjo and that ain't Tom Thumb. I bet on a rocket in his pocket...

[esox_xtm]

Here's more ideas on drop rates: https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/06may_lunarranging#:~:text=May%206%2C%202004%3A%20Four%20hundred,heavier%20objects%20to%20fall%20faster.

I'll say curiouser and curiouser and that I may (along with an ad hoc study) be wrong...

[Rebelss]

And further down the rabbit hole.....


https://midwestoutdoors.com/fishing/tungsten-jigs-the-other-alternative/

[Iron Chef]

my tackle box has been shrinking year after year since the uv glow jig and dropper chain spoon ,was like trying to do 5 things at the same time without doing anything right, none of that worked for me

the new school stuff like flouro to tungsten is so superior, just a simple hook line sinker approach but high performance, as always devil in the detail

[slipperybob]

And further down the rabbit hole.....


https://midwestoutdoors.com/fishing/tungsten-jigs-the-other-alternative/

And if you use red paint and line the whole thing becomes invisible to fish.    Since the article was printed in 2016, I sure hope they fish tungsten jigs enough to finally figure out that some of the claims they wrote ain't so.

https://midwestoutdoors.com/fishing/tungsten-jigs-or-lead-for-panfish/

now in 2018 guess not.  Still spewing that tungsten falls faster than lead or saying that lead has a slower fall.  While much respect to the guys who are pro fishermen, sometimes they do say the wrong things about certain facts like any of us because we didn't quite fact check it.  Also a ton of feathers will still weigh the same as a ton of bricks, but the feel will be different due to mass density.  But I understand the concept of it even when given the wrong analogy of weight.  It's not heavier, it just feels heavier - due to mass density.

[esox_xtm]

Three words: MAR - KET - ING.

When I paint my stuff red it looks like it's wounded and get the fish all cranked up to eat! 

[slipperybob]

This old school rig...sometimes is the hottest rig of them all.  Clevis, blade, bead, weight, and hook.