Re: Suggetions on buying lures
Always happy to help out a fellow Ohio fisherman. You can probably get 1000 different answers to this question if you ask 1000 different fishermen. Some things to consider are the time of year and how you like to fish. If you like to fish fast and keep on the move, covering ground looking for the bass, plastics are probably not your cup of tea. Spinner baits and crankbaits would be more suited to your style. On the other hand, if you are the methodical type who likes to take it slow and hit all the nooks and crannies before moving on, plastics or jigs can't be beat. If you like to fish deep structure, jigs and plastics again. Spring time with warming water? Fish shallow with a floater-diver like a Rapalla or a pre-rigged worm like a Pier Boy. Bass starting to spawn? Can't hardly beat a small lizzard (immatates a newt or salamander in Ohio) fished slow on the bottom in spawning areas. Summertime? Try deep on structure during the day with a plastic worm and shallow early and late or after dark with a spinnerbait or noisy topwater. Fall? I like a shad colored crankbait here in Ohio. Try to match the size of the shad you see in the lake you are fishing, then fish it around cover and where ever you see schooling shad. Right now? The water temp is around 50 deg. Kind of cold for largemouth but you could possibly scratch one up fishing low and slow with small plastics or a jig and pig. An incomplete list of lures I like are Big Os (crawdad, smokey joe, and fire tiger color), small floating Rapalla's in gold, fire tiger, and silver w/ black back, Spinner Baits in white, yellow or black with silver or gold blades, Pier Boy or Plow Boy pre-rigged worms in various colors, Yammamoto Senko worms in various colors, and Bagleys as a deeper crankbait in crawdad or shad color. Rooster tails are my favorite in-line spinner. I have caught about every type of fish Ohio has on various colors in 1/8 oz. size.<br />Keep in mind that Ohio's lakes get pounded and the bass have seen it all. A finesse approach is often in order. Use a small size of whatever lure you choose and tackle to match. As Flathead says, use good line and good sharp hooks. Learn to tie good knots. Get the best tackle you can afford. And remember, it's not just the lure you use, it's using it in the right place at the right time of the year.
<br /><br />Tightlines Flathead 
