What were the top 3 lures or live bait presentations that you used in the Quetico or BWCA last year or on your last trip?

Here is what I recall using the most last year on my trips.......

1) ZMAN ShadZ ( AKA Zulu ) - some variation of pearl color
2) Berkley Green Pumpkin Tube
3) Bullfrog Magnum Torpedo

1. Tubes
2. 360 searchbait
3. Vibrax spinner

In years past this is what I catch fish on the most (because this is what I use the most)

1. Jig and leach/plastic grub

2. Crankbait (lots of fish caught while traveling mostly on shaddow rap but super shad rap is fun to tow)

3. Zulus QM rigged
and
3. Hula popper (because its my favorite way to catch bass)

dbpmw3: "1. Tubes
2. 360 searchbait
3. Vibrax spinner


"

Never heard of the 360 searchbait. You using it to search for smallmouth or walleye, or anything that will hit it?

QueticoMike: "

dbpmw3: "1. Tubes
2. 360 searchbait
3. Vibrax spinner



"

Never heard of the 360 searchbait. You using it to search for smallmouth or walleye, or anything that will hit it?"!$/i
It's a new swimbait from Storm. Has a rattle in the head. We were using it to search for walleyes but ended up catching a ton of smallie with it. Pike also loved it. We caught a 40" pike on it. Impressed with how the plastic held up to bites.

murphylakejim: "In years past this is what I catch fish on the most (because this is what I use the most)


1. Jig and leach/plastic grub


2. Crankbait (lots of fish caught while traveling mostly on shaddow rap but super shad rap is fun to tow)


3. Zulus QM rigged
and
3. Hula popper (because its my favorite way to catch bass)"

What color on the Hula popper?

QueticoMike: "

murphylakejim: "In years past this is what I catch fish on the most (because this is what I use the most)



1. Jig and leach/plastic grub



2. Crankbait (lots of fish caught while traveling mostly on shaddow rap but super shad rap is fun to tow)



3. Zulus QM rigged
and
3. Hula popper (because its my favorite way to catch bass)"

What color on the Hula popper?"

1. Solid Black
2. Solid White
3. White belly with some green and yellow on top (whatever frog looking colors they have in stock at the time)

Skirts are usually a second color to add some contrast until they get taken... :/

Maybe I need to look online but the stores I visit never sell replacement skirts.

this one fell victim to the dreaded "black hula popper at dusk next to some lilly pads"

Lures:
1) #11 silver Rapala
2) PopR in silver
3) Heddon Super Spook Jr in Florida Bass color

Live bait presentation:
1) slip bobber, split shot, plain hook and leech
2) slip bobber, silver jig head, leech
3)1/4 Oz keel weight, blue spinner tipped with a minnow. This is a killer way to catch pike and Walleye. I have no idea why they like the blue spinner blade.

I was impressed with the 360 searchbaits jig head. If I didn't have so many jig heads already ;-)

1)crawler harness with silver blade and yellow floats behind a bottom bouncer
2)tiny torpedo, skeleton color
3)rapala x-rap in clown color

With my young boys wanting to fish more my time gets cut significantly but it's all good. We caught plenty of walleyes on my favorite crawler rig but I could never duplicate the results with leeches. The top waters were successful mostly because that's what the boys had the most interest in using and it was working.

Blade bait

Craw colored Shad-Rap
Rapala Silver Minnow
Chartreuse double-bladed spinnerbait
Tube if the bite slowed

1) Taildancers
2) Whopper Plopper
3) Soft plastic jerkbait (either weightless or on a big jighead)

Last summer, I was fishing a cold front with high winds. I didn't catch big numbers of fish, but they had size. See the size and the wind in the photos below. So, it was:

1. TGO leech
2. Rapala Skitterpop
3. QM ShadZ

AmarilloJim: "Blade bait"

Was this your only productive bait last year? Walleye fishing?

ParkerMag: "Craw colored Shad-Rap
Rapala Silver Minnow
Chartreuse double-bladed spinnerbait
Tube if the bite slowed"

The chartreuse double willow blade spinner is a winner!

QueticoMike: "The chartreuse double willow blade spinner is a winner!"

I actually prefer two Indiana blades, but they're near impossible to find anymore. Had a place in Marcell I used to get them, but no more. They're easier to "burn" just beneath the surface.

ParkerMag: "

QueticoMike: "The chartreuse double willow blade spinner is a winner!"

I actually prefer two Indiana blades, but they're near impossible to find anymore. Had a place in Marcell I used to get them, but no more. They're easier to "burn" just beneath the surface."

I like using the willow blades with the blades being painted chartreuse as well. The first time I ever made a cast with this lure in Quetico I thought I was snagged until 3.5 pound smallmouth came flying out of the water.

zoom baby brush hog texas rigged
zman ned rig green pumpkin w/ 1/10 oz head
whopper popper

#1 CD9 rainbow trout
#2 dead sucker on slip sinker from shore
#3 smithwick super rogue grape/gold

shock: "#1 CD9 rainbow trout
#2 dead sucker on slip sinker from shore
#3 smithwick super rogue grape/gold"

What species did you catch the most of with the CD9?

QueticoMike: "

AmarilloJim: "Blade bait"

Was this your only productive bait last year? Walleye fishing?"

Just my favorite and what I use the most. Mainly target LT with them but will use them for walleyes in the Fall.

Skitterpop
Hook/Leech with or without split-shot or bobber
Original Rapala in various sizes.

This is kind of my go to list of baits. There are a ton of others that I have had success on, jitterbugs are always fun, and did well on Berkley flicker shad last time as well.

I have been trying to change up my tackle box the last few times to force myself to use other things, but always end up going back to the standards...

QueticoMike: "

shock: "#1 CD9 rainbow trout
#2 dead sucker on slip sinker from shore
#3 smithwick super rogue grape/gold"

What species did you catch the most of with the CD9?"

lake trout , I'd walk out to the point on our campsite and cast out countdown , caught about 7 per day , nothing big , on other trips a very good cold water walleye presentation .

Gold or chartreuse jig with Gulp leech
F 18 gold or silver shiner
Toss up between #4 Mepps and river rocker behind snap weights