Going this afternoon to pick up a few. Looking to get a double willow chartruse spinner and a black buzzbait, both in the 3/8's size.
You folks have any recommendations as to what else I may want to get?

Size 5 Mepps inline spinners with bucktails. Good lure for pike and smallmouth. Silver and brass blades with white bucktails.

White spinnerbaits (or white/chart or white/a little red). Also, if you're going light, titanium will stand up better to punishment. Extra skirts.

Mike, I am going to want to use a #3 barrel swivel with these, right?

quote pilot: "Mike, I am going to want to use a #3 barrel swivel with these, right?"

If I am throwing an inline spinner, yes I would want some type of swivel. A regular size 3 swivel would work, so would a snap swivel or even a metal leader. I prefer titanium leaders due to no kinking, thinner diameter, and stronger than steel. They cost more, but are worth the extra money. The regular size 3 swivel is good for a Zulu rig as well.

quote QueticoMike: "Size 5 Mepps inline spinners with bucktails. Good lure for pike and smallmouth. Silver and brass blades with white bucktails."

I've had good luck with the Mepps Black Fury in size 5, dressed; both the black/fluorescent red dot and black/yellow dot ones work well.

Make sure you have some #3 Mepps inline spinners too. Deadly on smallmouth bass. I have seen 3lb Brook trout taken with these also.

Especially early season, I like to bulge the surface w/ my spinner baits. I find it easier to do, and at a slightly slower speed if at least one blade is an Indiana (my preferred) or Colorado. I also agree with the white, chartreuse, or combo.

Depending on what time of year you are going for topwater, but I have found that both red and white as well as black work well on buzz baits.

One trip in June, my wife in the front of the canoe just stopped fishing to watch me fish a white buzz bait and watch all of the northerns and smallies that hit it, or missed and came out of the water after it. She just sat and laughed watching the excitement.

Bruce

White buzzbaits work well, I always buy my favorite lures in black, white, brown and chartreuse. But last year pink was hot so I may have to add that to the mix. Brown is always a good color as crayfish are common especially when fishing rocky areas.

What was hitting the pink? This is twice I saw someone recommend pink in the BWCA

quote Cooleko: "What was hitting the pink? This is twice I saw someone recommend pink in the BWCA"

Everything, I think my buddy was using a pink hair jig, We were fishing an island and he caught bass, northern and a laker. He wasn't really thinking and pulled the laker out of the water by the line and it snapped.

I throw 1/2 to 1.5oz. spinnerbaits, because they are easier to cast, can better cover more depths(increasing versatility), and they have larger hooks(I am confident of a big bite!)(a 6in. LMB will hit a 1.5oz. spinnerbait). I like pink, especially in murky water. In the BW, pink, yellow and white all look the same past 3 ft., so confidence factor? With buzzers, spooks, and pop-r's, I throw only black, day and night. When a fish looks up, all it can see is a silouette anyway. Black shows up the best. That's my story, anyway!!

quote bassnet: "I throw 1/2 to 1.5oz. spinnerbaits, because they are easier to cast, can better cover more depths(increasing versatility), and they have larger hooks(I am confident of a big bite!)(a 6in. LMB will hit a 1.5oz. spinnerbait). I like pink, especially in murky water. In the BW, pink, yellow and white all look the same past 3 ft., so confidence factor? With buzzers, spooks, and pop-r's, I throw only black, day and night. When a fish looks up, all it can see is a silouette anyway. Black shows up the best. That's my story, anyway!!"

As far as topwaters go, you think that would be the case, but fishing side by side black and chrome zara spooks the chrome always outdid the the black when sunny, the black always outdid the chrome when cloudy, in my experience anyways. Just something to try when out, color can make a big difference.

Yea, chrome is kinda a weird duck. It flashes dark from the bottom and flash from the sky(sun). I use it, and gold chrome on Silver Minnows in weeds. The Minnow is sorta a horizontal/falling lure, so I like to mask it's exact shape with flash and cover(weeds). On "horizontal" lures, fish tend to get a good look at it.

A No. 4 Mepps Aglia in firetiger is a great spinner. Catches pike, walleye, and SM and LM bass. I also like the firetiger No. 4 vibrax spinners. Harder to find but a buck or so less $ than mepps. Both are great baits. You can cover a lot of water with spinners and fish slow and deep or fast and furious.