From Gerald Garrett: Losing a favorite lure is the next best thing to not losing it. My favorite was a small floating Rapala silver side with black back. I would tie it directly to the 6lb. mono and walk the shoreline of Wood Pond. Twelve years old at the time. And look for action along the shoreline between the brush and trees. Twitching that sucker on top, toilets would flush underneath and had to wait a few seconds before putting the 308 in gear. This was in new England a monster bass to me was 2 1/2 lbs. Those Rapalas, 308's and u/l garcia and fenwicks ruled the day for me. Had many a backup rapala ready to employ bought on saturdays at Sears from the paper route.
From Joe Walkowski: When I was a kid, I spent a week's paper route money and bot a TE Pikie in Pike scale for $1.25. Took it to the Alleghany River down the street, snagged it and lost it! Never really had a chance to become my "favorite" lure, but 20 years later when I started seeing old lures at garage sales, I decided I would own "one of every color ever made" and never fish them! My most treasured collection today is of colors/variations of 700 Pikies! I owe it all to that first Pikie!
From Ed: I had my favorite Big O tied on this spring had it for years. Caught my biggest crappie of all time on it. Hung it up on the creek stump close to my house. Bought several to replace it, just not the same. About 2 weeks ago, snagged another bait, in the same spot. This time I had bigger line on my reel. Yanked and yanked till it broke free. Saved that bait, but guess what was attached to the bait? Yup, my old faithfull Big O. Still had my 4 pound test attached to it although the rear treble had almost completly deteriorated thru. Thats why it came loose I guess. Lucky me.
From Tim Whitaker: Ever find an ole lure that some fisherman had painted up years ago? I think back then a dollar was a dollar so a person might repaint a lure if it got in too bad of a shape. Maybe they even thought by customizing a plug it would catch more fish. A fishing friend of mine loaned me a buzzbait that he said was made by a local luremaker. It had smaller dia. wire, was more flexable, with larger blade,3/8 oz. It had a black skirt and we used to paint the lead part red and blotch-up the shinny aluminum color blade with brown paint because we fished dark colored water in mill ponds. My friend 's theory was that it looked like a redwing blackbird to the bass.It chirped and squeaked when retrived real slow . He caught an 8 1/2 lb.er and loaned it to me. I caught an 8 1/2 lb.er on it on a later fishing trip and kept it in my tackle box. If the weather conditions got right for "buzzin" like rainy days or overcast or early in the morn. I would bring it out and attack the bass. One day I went fishing and it got real cloudy before the rain that was coming and I threw a white buzzbait ,got a few strikes and smaller fish were breaking the surface so I decided to tie it on. I was so excited because I was getting some action on a buzzer,my hands were shaking. Most of my really big bass have been caught on one.While trying to tie my favorite strong knot on heavy line with shaking hands and in a hurry because of light fading fast, I droped the bait and it hit the side of the boat and fell in the water.Boy you talking about feeling like a dummy, I had a bait that had caught two eight and one half pounders and dropped it in the water.
From Mike Presley: Took my oldest son to Canada when he was 12. First two days were pretty tough fishing and he hadn't even caught one. Dug around in the tackle box and put a #5 Krocodile in silver and green mackerel pattern. He outfished the other three of us combined for the next three days on that one lure. I retied it after every third fish. It is stuck in the top of the picture frame with pics of the trip and is hanging in my room. That lure gave me a lot of joy. He has tried to get it from me a couple of times but it isn't going anywhere soon.
From John Walker: 7 to eight in fireball pink Rebel was a great lure to snag shad with for catfishing.Well one day I had snag a nice shad and was reeling it in when the line stopped dead. Thought "Oh great snagged on a stump!". Uh-Uh big fat flathead cat had sucked down my shad and decided after seeing me to dive into a brush pile. The line went slack and that was that!! also would use a 1 ounce Cotton Cordel Hot Spot white with skeleton pattern at that same spillway pipe and catch nice 3 to 6 lb bass-same thing big cat grabbed and poped that baby off. I have owned a few of both of those baits since then but for one reason or another those certain baits worked and follwing ones didn't.
From Tony Malatesta: Thats an easy one. Both are 4 inch floating Rapalas. The first is in Fire-Tiger pattern. Trolled slowly over sand flats in Sturgeon Lake (Ontario) Once caught over 50 Walley in a 5 hr. period, releasing all but 5. The other is in Gold-Brown pattern. Trolled behind a downrigger in Lake Rosseau Northern Ontario. Caught many Rainbow and Lake Trout. Still have both of them and they still produce well. Using the first already but will have to wait for Sept. to use the second. OH Happy Times.
From Bill Muth: Rabble Rouser Angel Eye crankbait, in either red head / white or gold and black. Best pike bait ever, also knocks the largemouth and smallmouth bass dead on a couple local lakes. Used them to troll for pike in Nebraska as a kid, lost my gold and black lure when I was about 12 in a snag. Rediscovered them about five years after buying a few off eBay, work better now than ever. If anyone has a red head / white Angel Eye for sale, I would pay a premium for it. I have the only one I've ever seen, and it has caught so many fish that one of the eyes fell off last year.
From Merv Bortner: Mine was a small jointed Rapala. Black back and silver sides and white belly. That lure would catch fish all day and night long. On any day of the year. This was back shortly after high school out on my own. Barely had two pennies to rub together. The only rod and reel I had was a ultra light close face Daiwa. That was made for two to six pound test. And a very light little rod. But that combo had a lot heart. Since it was my only rod and reel. It went trout, bass, carp, catfish and any pan fish I could find. I caught and landed anything from a ounce or two to 4 or five pounds or more. On the last day I had the lure. Fishing was great as it always was with this lure. The last fish I landed was bass around 2 to 3 pounds. The next cast I hooked on to it's twin. I fought it to the boat. And just as I was getting ready to land it. It made a small run and my reel totally froze up. Last thing I saw of the fight was my little four foot rod bent beyond double. And snap went the line. I managed to get the reel working again. Like I said earlier I could not afford to replace it. But I did check the car seats and manage to find enough for a new Rapala. You guessed it I bought the very same size and color. But there was just something the first one had.That none of the others I bought since had. I do not know what happened I fished it the same way. But could not even get a rise. I still have dreams about the glory days with that lure. When I still had it. There was never a day I could not catch fish. But after I lost it and up until I could no longer make it to the water. There was more days that I want to admit. That I did not catch anything. But when you get right down to it. If you are fishing it is still a great day.
Apparently, this experience is far more common than I would have guessed! Thanks to everyone who responded on the ORCA board and on Joe's.
--Dr. Todd
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