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Posts: 14
| I'm going to start buying some baits and getting my tackle box built. I'm moving very near the potomac river in wv and rumor is there is good muskie fishing nearby. I'm trying to figure out what a basic set of baits would look like. I was thinking of bucktails and crankbaits and need advice on size/brands/must have patterns. It also seems like some topwater baits would be necessary. I'm on a limited budget, and am probably only going to have about 125 to spend for the time being. I'd like to thank everyone that has been answering my previous post. I've learned quite a bit about the sport already, and when I finally get fishing it's going to help a lot. |
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Posts: 8772
| You need to be able to cover the water column effectively. Something on top, something that runs shallow, something that suspends, something that dives, and something that sinks.
Brands and names are far less important than having they right types of lures.
1. walk the dog - Jackpot/Viper/Weagle/Doc
2. tail prop - Topraider/Pacemaker/Lee's Chopper
3. jerk/pull Bait - Suick, Bobbie Bait
4. glider - Hellhound/Phantom
5. Double bladed (#10) bucktail - Spanky/Cowgirl/Gerrys Girl/Mepps
6. Spinnerbait of some sort - CJ's/ACE/Grinder
7. Rubber - Bulldawg/SuperD
8. Crankbait - Depthraider
That will probably get you to $125, and cover most any sort of fishing you will encounter. It's fun having lots of lures, various colors, this and that crankbait, this and that. You could go stupid and spend $2,000 on lures. But you could get by with less than ten lures. |
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Posts: 39
Location: NE Twin Cities Metro | Previous post nailed it. Think of lures as tools, It's more important to have 1 or 2 lures for each depth and cover situations and get to know those lures well. I helped my father in law with gearing up two years ago, here is what I recommended for him.
- 2 topwater baits, both black. Top Raider (tail prop) and Weagle (walk the dog) cover all topwater situations.
- 3 jerkbaits. One 7.5 inch Phantom (glider), one 9 inch unweighted Suick (dive/rise) and one 10 inch weighted Suick covers all 1-4 foot situations (and suicks are awesome around weed cover).
- 3 Crankbaits. One Big Game twitch bait, one Depth Raider and one 10 inch Jake. Covers wide depth range and all three can be trolled as well as casted. Very versatile group of lures.
- 3 blade baits. One Double Cowgirl, one double #8 bucktail (Jr. Cowgirl) and one Rad Dog spinnerbait.
- 1 rubber bait. H2O Hardhead. Only need one (vs true rubber baits like bulldogs) since the body is hard plastic with a large fun tail. Very versatile due to weighting system and they are bulletproof.
With those 12 baits, I'm set for any situation. Mix up your colors to include natural looking color schemes and gawdy colors and you'll be good for gin clear to muddy water situations.
For the budget, make sure you look at the buy/sell thread, it will help
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Posts: 14
| Thanks for the advice! both of you were extremely helpful. I'm use to dealing with cut and live baits, usually for just about everything. I've set my sights on muskies, which are much different then anything else I've fished for and the number of baits seems a little overwhelming, thanks for breaking it down so specifically. If anyone else reads this some input on colors and patterns would be helpful. So far I've looked at sucker, bluegill, firetiger, and black/nickle (for bucktails) |
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Posts: 1247
Location: E. Tenn | Add a couple 6" and 8" Jakes. Holo gold and holo silver should do it. |
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Posts: 149
| If you are going to follow the plan Esoxaddict mentioned, you should check out the bargin buys at musky tackle online. You can get 1 (fish stick), 3 (Hawg teaser), 4 (sea cow) and 7 (thunderbeast) on clearance. You could get 2, 5, 6 and 8 at regular price and still be under your budget.
I wouldn't be too concerned about colors. A mix of bright, black and natural. |
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Location: sneaking out to get on the water ;-) | Colors depend on the water clarity and weather. My favorite overall color pattern is perch followed by black and orange. Clear water go natural stained water go brighter. Bright sunny days try your brighter patterns or white bellies and cloudy overcast days go black. Just guidelines not rules. The muskies don't read our books or follow our rules. Super sharp hooks and good release tools are also a must. |
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Posts: 296
| Take advantage of the buy/swap board here. No reason to buy new baits when you can save some $$ and have idiots like me pay the depreciation. |
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Posts: 8772
| You'll do far better with fewer lures and learning how to work them effectively and when to use them. If you really want to get fancy, buy a bright one and a natural colored one.
Now... I must admit, I have probably 200 lures (down from probably twice that a few years back) I went totally stupid thinking I needed 9 phantoms in every color in the rainbow and 23 bulldawgs. Collecting lures is fun, and I still have more that I don't need than I actually DO need. Going "lure stupid" is part of the game, and part of the experience for most.
But I still wish I'd have waited a few years to do that. Now that I have a few hundred days under my belt, the lures I would buy now are completely different from what I bought (without any clue as to why) 8-9 years ago.
Best advice? Find your style before you drop thousands of dollars on lures that will sit in the garage. Just because someone else catches a lot of fish on lure X doesn't mean YOU will. I can't catch #*#* on a Suick, and it's one of the most productive lures in history. One of my good friends catches tons of fish on Burts. Nobody else I know even throws them. Some guys swear by bulldawgs, some guys hate them. Some guys will not throw a glider, some guys will not leave home without one.... |
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Posts: 14
| Thanks for the advice anyone. I just priced out the full list from Grey Ghost. Would anyone eliminate anything for river fishing? That's where I'll be fishing exclusively (the upper potomac in wv)
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Bait advice for a beginner please!