Off Topic Your top 5

[vmuravin]

@Reel-ist it's fisherpeoplekind!!!

I usually pick up from the following list 1 for each rod + slider where possible and then take it from there

Great Lakes Spoons - Nascar was #1 this season for me, especially on dipsy (also Orange Crush, Pink Panties, Blueberry Muffin, greasy chicken wings).
Moonshine - orange with ladder (striptastic?) or agent orange get at least 5 of these for next season for all lakes
Salmo Rattlin' Hornet 5.5 and 4.5 - Red Tail Shiner, Natural Perch, Chartreuse Blue
Bandit Walleye Generator shallow - Glitz and Traffic Light
RRF, blue and gold............ although I must admit that 1) their finish is not good and 2) this season they had underperformed
Luhr Jensen Shoehorn size 3 Pink UV if you can find it

 

[Heitman]

Are your last 3 Silver Streak or Great Lakes Spoons versions? They say that the action is as or more important than the colour and there is a difference in the action of each of those brands. I am just wondering if you have a preference, I have some of each and have not seen a trend as far as one out performing the other in my limited experience thus far.

I didn't look to far back in the archived posts - it's a huge task. I kind of wondered how often something like this has been asked in the past, but I also figured if it had, there good be somewhat of a change in opinion as preferences often change over time. I am hoping we see a few obscure ones that my need a little digging to find.

Yes my last 3 are silver streak spoons but I got a few spoons from whack tackle and I really like them as well.
I just received my order from them and they were very quick to ship.
Excellent quality and variety of spoons.

 

[stomp]

Stomp - that's only 2. Any chance Wackm is going to come out with a reverse Stomp's brief in both of those configurations? And then maybe an inside out Stomp's briefs with one side texturedIf not, give me another 3 selections.

@Reel-ist , I've offered up my briefs to the guys at @Wackm Tackle for further study, but they declined, maybe due to the pandemic... not sure.

With the exceptions of @Wave Runner pulling RRFs and the poor buggers forced to fish east of Long Point, I think just about anything worked for catching Erie walleye this year.

 

[mick]

My season was average and different...and yes there was some exceptions on lure selection with fine tuning COLOUR..we started the season May 6th with crankbaits reef runners & flicker minnows in the west May 6th Colchester-LSC- Erieau-Glasgow-Stanley right thru till July 10th with crankbaits ..the transition week 3 of June with Rapala taildancers right till July new moon..then they went deep ..what was outstanding with cranks was firetiger like never before...but then back to natural patterns..then it was full spreads of shiners..orange & gold..pretty easy..

heres the difference... I said no to the ripplin redfins!!!..I am not kidding..and I got a box full that never got wet this season...spring time is the right time and crankbaits are way more fun on light line spinning rods..and I had worms & harnesses on board..never used them!!! several dozen ended up going right in the garbage..

first time out May 6...Reef Runner 200 down the hatch Ftiger


May 15..nice water & good fishing

 

[Reel-ist]

Based on the two years I've been using it, I'd settle for 5 Dreamweaver Super Slim Perch. LOL

Put over 30 fish in the boat yesterday, all but 2 were caught on it.

Nothing, and I mean nothing else worked for us.

If I really thought about it I could come up with a 5 list.

Please do. You are one of those "heavy hitters" I referred to earlier that I was hoping would weigh in.

 

[Reel-ist]

@Reel-ist , I've offered up my briefs to the guys at @Wackm Tackle for further study, but they declined, maybe due to the pandemic... not sure.

With the exceptions of @Wave Runner pulling RRFs and the poor buggers forced to fish east of Long Point, I think just about anything worked for catching Erie walleye this year.

Perhaps they could come up with something starched stiff, and two sizes too small called "Mrs. Stomp's Revenge"?

 

[SonsofFishes]

Blueberry Muffin , Monkey Puke , Orange Chicken Wing , Dr. Death and Wonder Bread are my top spoons .
1st part of our seasons it's all RRF catching our fish . Black &Gold , Black & Silver , Blue & Silver and Clown . Also Long A Bommers work well .
Spoons don't work for us till the last week of July it seems . Then it's all about spoons . When the spoon bite turns off any given day I'll put on the Blue & Silver RRF and it'll usually produce . It's the boss of my tackle box .

 

[Reel-ist]

View attachment 49655

Blueberry Muffin , Monkey Puke , Orange Chicken Wing , Dr. Death and Wonder Bread are my top spoons .
1st part of our seasons it's all RRF catching our fish . Black &Gold , Black & Silver , Blue & Silver and Clown . Also Long A Bommers work well .
Spoons don't work for us till the last week of July it seems . Then it's all about spoons . When the spoon bite turns off any given day I'll put on the Blue & Silver RRF and it'll usually produce . It's the boss of my tackle box .

 

[Reel-ist]

SonofFishes. Thanks for weighing in. You might be bit of an anomaly this season. Many of this season's report writers were mystified and frustrated about the lack of production from body baits in general this year. There were a few guys who were having some luck with a few select RRF colours though. I didn't own any RRFs until recently and have had a few fish on them. I too had some good luck with Bomber Long A, especially the Fire Tiger Baby Bass. In general though, it was spoons that were the big producer for me this season from June right up until now. I am wondering if it makes a difference where you are fishing. A further question regarding your spoons. They are pictured with single hooks rather than trebles. Is that how you fish them? Just curious.

 

[Josh Roelofsen]

My picks from this season in no particular order....

1 Ripplin redfin - gold with black back and orange belly or blue/silver

2 #11 Flicker minnow - purple/silver and pink lemonade

3 Dreamweaver SS - Firecracker with chartruese back

4 Mini Streak - Nascar and Candy Corn

5 Pro King - Hey Jude and Bluebird

Ask 100 walleye guys their favourite colour and you'll get 100 different answers. I like dark baits with bright contrast in low light/murky water and lighter baits during clearer skies/water. For Steelhead its either a natural blue/silver or something with orange....

Far more important than either bait or colour though is presentation. Get an edible looking bait in their face and you should get bit. Attention to detail and fishing with confidence trumps lure selection and colour every time IMO.

Josh

 

[BTick]

A little add to this what size spoons?Ive been running the minis and size up with equal results.RRF black and yellow was the leader though.

 

[SonsofFishes]

Ask 100 walleye guys their favourite colour and you'll get 100 different answers. I like dark baits with bright contrast in low light/murky water and lighter baits during clearer skies/water.

I agree 100% with this quote .

Yes @Reel-ist . I use single hooks on all my spoons . I hate trebles for a few reasons . They get caught in almost everything they touch including my fingers . lol
My captain and fishin buddy use trebles on all their spoons and all I can do is laugh when they have to fight getting them out of the fish AND net .
I fish from the front of a center console boat . When the captain nets my fish he plops it down at my feet and 9 times out of 10 the single hook pops out of both . Eazy Peazy . The singles does not interfere with hooking fish or not . Some days I`m missing a lot of hits but my buddies have their days with hit and misses as well with trebles while I`m making good hook sets . It`s all in the mood of the fish and how they are making their attack .
Tell me a treble will make a difference on this hit and miss .

 

[mick]

hey the RRF is a classic and has had stellar performances, best overall RRF rainbow action for numbers august 2013 landed over 25 bows with buddy Jeff with his RRF vintage collection, ya we released that bow, fished all day..we fished an area inbetween Glasgow & Stanley..I know plenty of guys that targeted bows on RRFs..and off the riggers..
heres a few photos to share..

 

[Deleted member 7631]

Too pickerel producers 2021 followed by top magnums and sliders. Not much changed from last year.

 

[Reel-ist]

@Reel-ist it's fisherpeoplekind!!!

I usually pick up from the following list 1 for each rod + slider where possible and then take it from there

Great Lakes Spoons - Nascar was #1 this season for me, especially on dipsy (also Orange Crush, Pink Panties, Blueberry Muffin, greasy chicken wings).
Moonshine - orange with ladder (striptastic?) or agent orange get at least 5 of these for next season for all lakes
Salmo Rattlin' Hornet 5.5 and 4.5 - Red Tail Shiner, Natural Perch, Chartreuse Blue
Bandit Walleye Generator shallow - Glitz and Traffic Light
RRF, blue and gold............ although I must admit that 1) their finish is not good and 2) this season they had underperformed
Luhr Jensen Shoehorn size 3 Pink UV if you can find it

Fisherpeoplekind O.K.A.Y.

That's a very comprehensive list. Actually the GLS spoons alone would be over the 5 lure limit, but it's all good stuff. It would eat my lure budget for the next 5 years! Some of the list I already own, so that's good. I love some of the obscure stuff, I will have all winter to try to locate/obtain a few select ones. It's actually cool to see a Luhr Jensen product on your list. Coincidentally my best all around performer over the past 2 years has been the Lur Jensen #2, 5 of diamonds in the classic yellow with red diamonds. The bows, wallys, and of course the venerable sheephead all seem to have taken a shining to it. I am definitely intrigued with several on your list.

 

[Ryan V]

Z-man Green pumpkin goby TRD

Schuberts TT157 3.5" tube

Green pumpkin Berkley maxscent hit worm

Megabass sparkshad swimbait

Kentucky shad Steelshad Bladebait

 

[vmuravin]

Fisherpeoplekind O.K.A.Y.

That's a very comprehensive list. Actually the GLS spoons alone would be over the 5 lure limit, but it's all good stuff. It would eat my lure budget for the next 5 years! Some of the list I already own, so that's good. I love some of the obscure stuff, I will have all winter to try to locate/obtain a few select ones. It's actually cool to see a Luhr Jensen product on your list. Coincidentally my best all around performer over the past 2 years has been the Lur Jensen #2, 5 of diamonds in the classic yellow with red diamonds. The bows, wallys, and of course the venerable sheephead all seem to have taken a shining to it. I am definitely intrigued with several on your list.

When someone talks about "lure budget" ... lol !!!! What does that even mean ???

You need to bear in mind that experiences differ, i.e. what works for Mr A does not necessarily works for Mr B. So you have to get enough lures to juggle until you find what works for you on a particular day in a particular weather. But yes, everything that is shiny, pink and noisy is good.

The Luhr Jensen Shoehorns are 80% of all of my spoons, I run size 3 on E and H and sizes 4 and 5 on O and sometimes H. These are no longer made, so you might hope for leftovers at Peter's Tackle or ebay.

 

[Reel-ist]

My picks from this season in no particular order....

1 Ripplin redfin - gold with black back and orange belly or blue/silver

2 #11 Flicker minnow - purple/silver and pink lemonade

3 Dreamweaver SS - Firecracker with chartruese back

4 Mini Streak - Nascar and Candy Corn

5 Pro King - Hey Jude and Bluebird

Ask 100 walleye guys their favourite colour and you'll get 100 different answers. I like dark baits with bright contrast in low light/murky water and lighter baits during clearer skies/water. For Steelhead its either a natural blue/silver or something with orange....

Far more important than either bait or colour though is presentation. Get an edible looking bait in their face and you should get bit. Attention to detail and fishing with confidence trumps lure selection and colour every time IMO.

Josh

Josh. I was hoping to get just the response you stated, only there are way more than a hundred walleye guys on this site. It's like a convention on here. Most if, not all, are much more experienced than I, so this is great stuff.

Your point on presentation is well taken and an area where I certainly could use some experience. Let's face it, there are times on Erie where you could put a chewed-up piece of gum on jig head and put some fish in the boat. But there are times when finding and doing the right thing is the only way to put fish in the boat. I knew that there was no magic lure/bait and it may actually be secondary to things like presentation. Action is can also be huge, from past experience.

I did notice though that you put up a list and I am hoping that diversity in lure selection will help improve my odds immensely even if I don't ever evolve much beyond the point I am at now. I am attempting to diversify my techniques a bit too, but down riggers are not an option with my current boat and my first foray into planer boards won't likely happen until next season. In the meantime, the list of "go to" lures is very beneficial as well. Your contributions to the list are greatly appreciated. Anytime you have an empty seat and feel up to giving a free fishing lesson, I am all ears my good man. I also am looking to find a small group of guys together that are interested in going on a charter outing with one of the site sponsor operators. I have heard what great teachers these guys can be for learning and honing skill sets. Probably next season though when the bows are heating back up.

 

[Reel-ist]

Z-man Green pumpkin goby TRD

Schuberts TT157 3.5" tube

Green pumpkin Berkley maxscent hit worm

Megabass sparkshad swimbait

Kentucky shad Steelshad Bladebait I have not even heard of a single one on your list. This looks like a research project-in a good way!

My season was average and different...and yes there was some exceptions on lure selection with fine tuning COLOUR..we started the season May 6th with crankbaits reef runners & flicker minnows in the west May 6th Colchester-LSC- Erieau-Glasgow-Stanley right thru till July 10th with crankbaits ..the transition week 3 of June with Rapala taildancers right till July new moon..then they went deep ..what was outstanding with cranks was firetiger like never before...but then back to natural patterns..then it was full spreads of shiners..orange & gold..pretty easy..

heres the difference... I said no to the ripplin redfins!!!..I am not kidding..and I got a box full that never got wet this season...spring time is the right time and crankbaits are way more fun on light line spinning rods..and I had worms & harnesses on board..never used them!!! several dozen ended up going right in the garbage..

first time out May 6...Reef Runner 200 down the hatch Ftiger
View attachment 49651

May 15..nice water & good fishing
View attachment 49652:

Mick: Your response is much appreciated. The different timings for different types of lures is good to know material for keeping up the success rate - consistency is a bit of a struggle for me. I try not to get caught in a rut, but sometimes struggle with the "what to try next" phase when what worked last time isn't panning out.

On a side note: That lure taken by the voracious eater in your May 6th photo...did it have to wait until filleting time to get that back? I have only ever had pike actually ingest a lure entirely. It's the first time I have seen a Wally do it. And by the look of it, with ease.

 

[Reel-ist]

Yes @Reel-ist . I use single hooks on all my spoons . I hate trebles for a few reasons . They get caught in almost everything they touch including my fingers . lol
My captain and fishin buddy use trebles on all their spoons and all I can do is laugh when they have to fight getting them out of the fish AND net .
I fish from the front of a center console boat . When the captain nets my fish he plops it down at my feet and 9 times out of 10 the single hook pops out of both . Eazy Peazy . The singles does not interfere with hooking fish or not . Some days I`m missing a lot of hits but my buddies have their days with hit and misses as well with trebles while I`m making good hook sets . It`s all in the mood of the fish and how they are making their attack .
Tell me a treble will make a difference on this hit and miss .

View attachment 49668

Definitely not an advantage to a treble in this case. Now the body bait crowd will have something to crow about for sure. Your opinion, though apparently a minority one, definitely has some merits. I have had the frustrations with the net entanglements (and finger-sticking) you speak of. It can be a real frustration when fishing alone to have a long turnaround time to get lines back in the water.

Sidebar: Do you have any photos of the paint chips taken off the spoon's finish from that incident? There had to be some.