What's your best all around lure that you use. No matter what the conditions, your favorite lure always catches something.

Mine is the Rapala Skitter Pop in black/silver. It catches fish no matter where I'm at. I always tie this one first and spend more time casting it. I catch plenty of Bass in the BWAC, too. Rapala Skitter Pop

Jig

quote Basspro69: "Jig"

Me to, jig and some sort of plastic/Quetico or livebait where allowed.

Gads, I have to stop watching TV and reading fishing forums. Now I've gotta get some Rapala Subwalks and Zoom tiny flukes before we leave.

The Subwalks looked great on the smallies on Linders Angling Edge this a.m. and those tiny flukes look good for finess fishing.

Dave

Dave, I hear ya, every time I watch Al Linder I have to go out and buy whatever lure he just used to catch every big fish in the lake.

Then I can use them on my Lund boat with my Minn Kota trolling motor, my Frabil net, my Shimano rod and reel, my Suffix line and oh don't forget my Hummingbird electronics and my Mercury engine (I'm hoping those who watch the show get where I'm going with this ...)

Matt

The #1 blue fox sonic minnow,gold, have caught crappie, bluegill,sm and lm bass, northern,channel cat, walleye ,perch even caught a 17lb Muskie with this little unassuming lure. My wife accually picked it out one day while at the tackle shop. She was catching fish left and right with this thing at lake Alice in Wisconsin when I ,with all my fishing knowledge and skill, was getting skunked. So of course I got one too. Love the silver diving rapala minnow for the BW as well. Can't write about them all, tom

Although I have never taken any to Minnesota, I have probably bought more Wordan's Rootertails, in black and brown, than any other single lure over a 40 year period. They are very good on trout and smallies in California rivers and creeks.

Original Rapala

Slip bobber,leech and an ice cold beer!

The Banjo Minnow, with a Jig being a close second of course!

quote fishguts: " Original Rapala"

I'll have to go with Fishguts on this one...........

If you could only take one lure to Quetico or the Boundary Waters, what would it be? I have been asked this question many times throughout my years leading fishing adventures into the wilderness. My return question usually starts with the obvious. What are you fishing for?

To answer the general question if I could only take one lure to Quetico or the Boundary Waters and since I don’t prefer to jig twister tails for various reasons, it would be the classic Original Floating Rapala, size 11, black and silver, 4-3/8” lure. This lure will catch all four of the grand slam species, walleye, northern pike, lake trout and smallmouth. It can be retrieved in a steady fashion, trolled to all kinds of depths depending on the amount of weight added to the line, twitched on the surface, or brought back in using a stop and go retrieve. I think I would add a titanium leader to the front of the lure just to be on the safe side; it is my only lure.

The steady retrieve will catch all four different types of fish depending on the season. You have a better chance of catching a lake trout on a steady retrieve in the early spring phase. Walleyes can be caught around current or weed beds during the spring using a straight retrieve. Smallmouth and pike can be caught during all open water seasons using this method.

Trolling this lure can produce all four species during each of the open water fishing seasons. Walleye and trout can be found shallow in the spring and deeper in the summer. By adding weight to your line you can reach the depths where these fish are typically feeding during the summer months.

Twitching this lure on top of the water can bring smallmouth and northern pike crashing through the surface for this balsa bait. The stop and go retrieve will also bring a reaction type of hit from the smallmouth and northern pike. When asked about what single lure to use for a specific type of species, my answers change to four different lures, none of them being the classic Rapala floating type bait.

Mepps in line spinner, #2. Black with a gold blade. Casts far, sinks to depth, works when being retrieved with the current. Hit by Trout, pike, bass, and I've even caught Walleye using a twitch and drop retrieve.
While it is not in the spirit of this post. My going in setup is to have a Mepps on my ultralight, the Original Rapala/X-Rap on my baitcaster, and a jig-n-minnow on my spincaster. Then its a game of "where are you and what are you hungry for?"

Back to the Original Raps, you can find them for around $5.00! Compare to the Flat Rap $8.99 or the Max Rap $18.99!?!

Far and away a jig and grub, or a Sluggo. No matter what the conditions, no matter what the depth, speed, or presentation a jig(with either marabou or plastic grub), a jig will catch fish. Black during low light, white during light light(????). Any other colors are just personal preference. Actually, I'm a big fan of pink. I've won a ton of money on pink Sluugo's. Pike in cabbage weeds. Sharpen the hooks!!

The lure that catches the most fish for me is the one I fish with the most. :-) And, because it catches fish, I fish with it more!
I would rather catch one fish on the surface than four subsurface. I have been fishing with the skitter pop a lot for the last six or seven years and have good luck with it, On my boat, I usually have about six rods rigged with different lures so I can change quickly. But the skitter pop is my #1 surface lure and kastmaster the go-to subsurface.

Shallow diving shad rap or a husky jerk always seems to work for me.

I would say Rapala X-Rap silver/white topwater lure. That sucker has caught me numerous smallmouth and also caught 3 good sized Northerns and a good sized walleye in one day. (the northerns and walleye weren't caught by me my friends did)

Goin out on a limb here, but a white spinner bait. A heavier one with silver blades, usually a long one and a short one, and a loop (not the kind that can slide around and foul up easier). Have caught pretty nice walleyes with such lures, great for bass and pike too of course, not to mention the ability to slide past most weeds. Can always stick a worm on it too, altho i have not found it to make much diff, sometimes throws off the weight balance too. Not really sure if you could use it to catch lakers, but I think if you threw enough weight on it and got down deep enough, it might suffice. Just caught 2 25"+ size pike this morning, had my limit of pike by 10 am. Two caught on white spinner bait, the third on a good old 5 of diamonds which would be probably my favorite if I was just going for pike. No walleyes on the lake I was fishing, but I don't mind cutting out a y-bone or two. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Just one? :) hmmmmm....Rebel Deep Craw is one of them, and May/June makes me say that.

One more vote for the original rapala, silver and black, dives 3-5 feet without weight. In Bwca I have caught smallies, walleye, northerns and even a brooke trout with this lure. It's simple and appeals to many species. Can be fished any depth by adding weight. And it simply catches fish when everything else seems to stop working.

One time, not in bwcaw, I spent an entire day trying to catch walleyes with no success. I tried everything in my arsenal, live bait with jigs, slip bobbers and lindy rigs, jigs tipped with twister tails, random crankbaits, carolina rigged fake worms... u name it, I tried it. Then I tied on the original rapala, added weight to the line, cast it and let it sink to the bottom, then retrieved it slowly. And I started catching fish immediately. Caught about 6 fish before my fishing partner switched over too and started catching em.

Mine is the Powerbait 5 inch Powerbait fluke chartruse and white or black and silver. Fish deep with jig head or shallow with worm hook.

Last week it was the Little Cleo for lakers.

Solid choices. Big fan of the Little Cleo as well. Old reliable is a shad rap, but I have been using a tail dancer the past few years with good success. So if I could only bring one: TD #9

I would have a hard time with one but if I had to chose only one it would be a #2 Mepps spinner with a black and white tail. This thing will catch just about anything.

A jig with either a leech or some gulp on it!!!

quote TriTodd: "What's your best all around lure that you use. No matter what the conditions, your favorite lure always catches something. "

Im hooked lol

Just got back from our trip. We ended up having more catches on the Rapala Original Floater, and the Bass Pro XPS Nitro minnow than any other lure...

Mines gotta be a number 6 hook with corn on it.



Not really LOL. The original Rapala minnow or a Blue Fox spinner.

My best all around lure is different for each species of fish I am fishing for. I can't pick the same lure for crappies, muskies, lake trout, walleyes, and smallies. It isn't possible. My favorite lures to fish with - musky lures, any of them.

bump

A plain Mepps spinner with a brass blade.

What about Williams wobblers up there they seam to work in Canada waters Huron area ?

quote missmolly: "A plain Mepps spinner with a brass blade. "

Yep--- When I am looking for SMB I'll go for the a Mepps spinner first.

@ lazypaw

They're amazing. I've bought lots of fancy, feathered Mepps and they just don't catch fish like the original.

For pure fun! ;-)

It would probably be a jig, for the BW....it's so versatile.

Redfire Crawdad & Chrome Blue Rattlin Raps

Rapala Rattlin Rap

MagicStik

jig

Tube Jig............and If I only get one color......SMOKE.

Nothing, NOTHING better.

That or a soft jerkbait. I've caught equal amounts of fish on the tube or the soft jerkbait, but bigger fish come off the tube.

Later,

Geo

Can't argue with the jig for catching the most fish. But I prefer a medium to deep diving suspending rapala, glass perch, to target bigger, albeit less, fish. Particularly effective in the summer months. Bring spares in case of snags.

Jigging a leech with or without a slip bobber has caught most of my fish in the bwca.

When searching for spots to concentrate on, I like perch colored rapalas the most. Last year fire minnow was the hot color though.

;-)

quote Jeriatric: "Although I have never taken any to Minnesota, I have probably bought more Wordan's Rootertails, in black and brown, than any other single lure over a 40 year period. They are very good on trout and smallies in California rivers and creeks."

Rooster Tails are my #1 choice for stream trout in MN as well.

I'm with Quetico Mike and Fishguts on this one. Original rap. One of these was the only top water bait I used for years; they work terrific especially when the fish are looking for a little finesse. Trolled behind a three way and an appropriately sized sinker--I've used up to three ounces in current--you are in business for whatever it is you are looking for. Cast in rivers in early spring they are deadly on walleyes; instead of a regualr rapala knot, tie a fishermans' knot (improved clinch or whatever) and make sure the line is tied to the bottom of the eye. Gives it a bigger wobble which walleys love in cold water.

Caught salmon, brown trout, brook trout, rainbows, steelhead, nordskees, muskies, smallies, largies, rockies, crap-pies, Wusseyes, sundogs, and perch, on an altered #2 plain mepps in silver. Never caught a laker on one though because never fished for them with one but this year I'll try to change that just for fun.

@ lundojam

I would have agreed with you a couple years back as I've caught thousands of smallmouth and pike surface fishing an original Rapala, but I don't use them much anymore because the various surface chuggers let me cast so much farther and I've caught so many bass at the very end of those long casts, casts that I would never had made with a surface Rapala.

I agree about the tube bait. I've caught bass, pike, walleye and trout up there on a 2.75" green pumpkin tube. When they wouldn't bite on anything else, I could catch them on a tube. If you can't catch a fish on a tube bait, then the fish aren't biting.


Terry

1/3 oz. perch design little cleo

quote MagicStik: "Redfire Crawdad & Chrome Blue Rattlin Raps


Rapala Rattlin Rap


MagicStik"

i have to agree with a rattlin rap, one of my favs, all color patterns are good i like chrome black

Road Runner jig with some sort of Gulp on it.
When that doesn't work a Rooster Tail/Mepps inline spinner.

Jig

Tube...caught my biggest pike and second biggest walleye on one, as well as smallies #2-#5....not that anyone's keeping track. : )

Now that my box is overflowing with all your favorites...I'd tell you mine but as they say, I'd have to kill you.

Last year on our trip we lost all our bait on the first day--my no good brother in law let it drop over the side in the Leech Locker. We survived the whole week on silver tail dancers and other lures of that type--shads.

quote Chilly: "

quote TriTodd: "What's your best all around lure that you use. No matter what the conditions, your favorite lure always catches something. "

"

So, it's the "soft lure" for you? Nice!

quote Basspro69: "Jig"

yep

JB

If for lake trout - blue and silver little cleo.

Otherwise a toss up between a lead-free jig and a leech or 2 inch white Twister Tail OR a #9 silver original Rapala.

quote Chilly: "

quote TriTodd: "What's your best all around lure that you use. No matter what the conditions, your favorite lure always catches something. "

"

I guess when you use this one you DONT want to catch anything!

I have had great success with a rattletrap. The 1/2 or 3/4 oz has been great, nd the orange crawdad seems to be my best color.

I've also had great success with many different rapalas, size 7 or 9.

The Worm. All around color would be black/white. In tanin stained lakes, brown/orange.