When I was a kid, my father's favorite walleye lure was a yellow shore L&S bassmaster, the older style with the yellow eye and red pupil. Back in the late 1940s, many lakes in Northern Wisconsin were stocked with walleyes, and some of the lakes produced mammoth fish within five years. Soon, walleyes over 10 pounds were take regularly, and some weighed in at over 15 pounds (my father mounted one just north of that weight). These fish were usually taken late at night in the hot summer months trolling a husky cisco kid, a river runt spook, or an L&S bassmaster. For years these lures took walleyes, even after the initial rush of monsters abated and a more steady (and smaller) crop of fish replaced them.
There are few more successful lures in American history than the L&S line of fishing plugs, and Phil Kiefer has put up a nifty web site that profiles many of the lures the firm sold over the years. Among the most popular were the aforementioned Bassmaster, made in a bewildering number of colors and styles, the Jumbo Shiner, Muskiemasters, Pikemasters, Troutmasters, the Miralure family, and others.
Kiefer does a fine job breaking down the site into the various families, and showing a wide variety of models and colors. From the earliest wooden lures to the latest plastic ones, you will find just about any variety of L&S lure to fit your fancy. This is the kind of web site one wishes was available for dozens of other tackle companies of this size and scope. It is well worth visiting and familiarizing yourself (if you aren't already) with this true American classic.
-- Dr. Todd
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