SENKOSAM

Send name and address! ;D Maybe true, but then why use artificials which sometimes work better than the real thing because of a lure action that triggers aggression? The other thing could could just be just plain irritating the fish to bite once you got its attention! You mentioned deadstick. Works for me at times! A bass has more than enough time to look at the lure, smell it taste it and mouth it yet starts to swallow it. You did the first thing - made it notice your lure by proximity and most likely its action. (I doubt an inferior bait would have gotten any attention.) The bass went from inactive or semi-active to GULP. Not a reflex strike obviously. Not match the hatch. Not any thought process such as, hmmm - what's this we have here? Your example is good one to expand on. Thanks. Opinions and beliefs vary, and you're right, if it works for you, great. But I think of the times when someone else's bait worked a whole lot better than mine in the same location and I wonder why. Anecdotal, sure, but I've had enough similar experiences to make me look closely at duplicating an action and presentation to get the same bite. Example - I used a flat claw tailed trailer for my jig, my partner used a Rage Craw - he caught fish off bottom, I didn't. Same jig color and weight but different trailer and action. (Trailer color was also the same.) As soon as I used his trailer on my jig, I caught fish.

1.What primarily determines buoyancy is the relation between an object's weight compared to the weight of the water the object displaces. "Incorrect. The bouyancy is determined by the Density which is determined by dividing the mass (not weight)by its displaced volume. The relationship between the materials density and the density of the "water" that it is in determines the bouyancy. Weight alone has nothing to do with bouyancy." .....and neither does density alone without taking into account comparable volumes such as between two frogs or soft sticks from the same source or of comparable design from different sources. An object whose weight exceeds its buoyancy tends to sink. An object with a higher average density than the fluid will never experience more buoyancy than weight and it will sink. A ship will float even though it may be made of steel (which is much denser than water), because it encloses a volume of air (which is much less dense than water), and the resulting shape has an average density less than that of the water. Generally soft plastic lures are not air-filled but solid, and therefore are always denser than water and you should agree that fact is a constant. Even buoyant soft plastics of certain shapes will sink with the added weight of a hook. You haven't mentioned volume as a determinant of specific gravity. Let me elaborate. Specific gravity, as it is the ratio of either densities or weights, is a dimensionless quantity as you said. Substances with a specific gravity of 1 are neutrally buoyant, those with SG greater than one are denser than water, and so (ignoring surface tension effects) will sink in it, and those with an SG of less than one are less dense than water, and so will float. In scientific work the relationship of mass to volume is usually expressed directly in terms of the density (mass per unit volume) of the substance under study. Again, that pesky unit volume and for this discussion, volume, shape and zero air content leaves weight as the deciding factor of what and how lures fall faster in water (the original topic). 2. Glitter, a very thin light flake, weighs the same regardless of color. "Not all glitters are manufactured of the same materials and therefore has a large range of specific gravity, as mentioned previously. So what you're saying is red coloration weighs more than say blue or black because they are materially different and have significant differences in specific gravity. Two things wrong with that assertion: 1. Glitter always comes in very thin flakes, weighs almost nothing and always suspends in molten plastic! The larger the flake size (.090 vs .008), the more it suspends. 3. Horny Toads that do contain some glitter have very little glitter proportional to hardener and salt "I find it extremely hard to believe that the amount of salt and hardener is why the watermelon red would sink and the bullfrog wouldnt. DO you think that ZOOM would allow the hardener and salt to be consistantly greater only in certain colors and never in others. Why would ZOOM put more hardener or more salt in their watermelon red HT's than in their bullfrog colored HT's. Please explain that one for me because I don't see the logic in it." Okay. Manufacturers screw up and you'll find hundreds of bags on clearance shelves when they do! Zoom is a perfect example and their defects are sold by Gander Mountain in spring for a buck a bag. Too much softener or too little hardener is usually the case, but also too much salt, not enough softness also makes the bait inferior. Bass Pro brand soft lures suffer from great inconsistency in color and salt content. I've gotten back bags of StickOs and Caterpillar grubs after complaining. 4. Salt weighs considerably more than water and the more salt in a given shape, the faster the fall in water..

1.What primarily determines buoyancy is the relation between an object's weight compared to the weight of the water the object displaces. example: scuba divers often wear extra lead weights to counteract the positive buoyancy of their bodies and gear. example: a styrofoam block floats; a ceramic block much smaller in dimensions sinks like a rock. 2. Glitter, a very thin light flake, weighs the same regardless of color. 3. Horny Toads that do contain some glitter have very little glitter proportional to hardener and salt. The same for Senkos which are loaded with so much salt, they are opaque. 4. Salt weighs considerably more than water and the more salt in a given shape, the faster the fall in water. 5. Hardener in plastisol adds weight and super soft plastisol has almost positive byoyancy (floats) while soft water plastic has negative buoyancy. I have used 4x the amount of clear glitter to plastisol to add toughness and weight to soft plastic. It does both, but only if used in proportionlly large amounts. Do you pour your own? Do you have other examples of plastic lures where your glitter color theory floats? Note: batches of soft plastic lures can vary greatly in weight and bouyancy, as well as softness. example: I received a bag of Senkos from a friend and every stick was too stiff from too much salt or too much hardener. I noticed the same thing between the first pack of Horny Toads and the last I bought months later.

After watching an underwater video this weekend, I noticed that there are lure motion patterns directly induced by lure characteristics and presentation. You all are familiar with the X motion of a crankbait as it travels through the water. Speed of retrieve or fast jerks, bill design, body shape, body substance (wood or plastic) and line diameter account for this action. For example, Chatterbaits and the FlatFish are extreme X motion baits as seen from the top or from below. From the side, they appear to be moving in a straight line. When fish are in the mood for Xtreme horizontal action, I chose neutral buoyancy lures that produce it. Buoyant crankbaits produce two types of lure motion bite-patterns - X and Z. A Z path is produced when viewed from the side as a buoyant crankbait (or buoyant soft plastic bait) rises after a pause, heads sharply towards the bottom when retrieved a few feet and then starts to rise again. (I'm curious as to how many anglers still value a crankbait's rise and fall Z motion.) CyberFlexxx soft plastics with little or no salt are best used with a Carolina rig to get the side-view Z motion. Other less buoyant soft plastics, especially salt impregnated lizards, tubes and Senkos, have two possible actions: a hoping action when worked on the bottom or a glide /wave action when C-rigged or center weighted. The wave action is typical of C-rigged non-buoyant plastics that stay near the bottom when the sinker is dragged forward. The most famous Z motion/ X motion combo horizonatl surface motion is produced by the Zara Spook and similar jerkbaits, whereas unweighted soft plastic jerk worms produce an S path action as viewed from below (similar to a snake). I like topwaters because of the wakes and bubbles they leave, which brings me to wire baits - spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. The lure motion of both blade types causes a rhythmic flare and jiggle of the skirt. Both blades leave surface wakes (obviously when the spinnerbait blade is near surface). Plastic tail designs produce flutter, S motions, whip and wags - all of which produce some type of body actions. The last one - wag - is typical of large soft plastic swimbaits with its large paddle tail which entirely wags the bait's body. The flutter, similar to a flag's motion in a stiff breeze, is typical of grubs with small curl tails. The whip is seen in Mann's Augertail and other U tail worms; the S action is typical of wide curl tail worms and grubs. Flutter (or quiver if you like) is the key finesse action of drop shot, thin bodied soft plastics and hair jigs, which makes them so effective. Fish activity and seasonal patterns may dictate the lure actions you want to use and that match certain presentations. Lure vibrations and water displacement hydrodynamics are a big part of lure motion characteristics but the stuff of another topic. In any case, some winter reading to think about when you're playing with lures in you kid's aquarium or in filled bathtub. Better yet, do a search on YouTube to get a clear view of what all these actions look like and how fish attack the lures that produce them. All I know is that the guys who designed weird lures like the spinnerbait, skirted jig and the BigO had to be freak'n geniuses! Opinions welcome. Frank

I would say both are very significant! I tie my own spinnerbaits, some with more strands, some with less and there is a difference in water resistance. 8# test is usually more than strong enough for open water fishing, but the smaller the bait and presentation, usually the less pound test. I could never see myself using a slow presentation shaky worm rig or 20 lb test or an X-Rap on 30# and still maintain a medium to slow presentation. Here's an obvious one: Soft plastic lizards have five appendages that slow them down - four curly tail legs and one tail. This is a far slower bait (top or bottom) than a jerkworm like the Dinger or Zoom Speed Worm. The same for most bulky creature baits like the Brush Hog. A heavy sinker will make the design fall fast, but then what after it hits bottom?

I sell and use glitter in the soft plastics I make and the amount of glitter I normally use doesn't add much weight. Salt on the other hand increases the weight of a worm by as much as 3 grams. Salt water plastic has more hardener in it and therefore also weighs more. All of which reminds of an example for this topic. A 5.25" Senko weighs 11 grams, a YUM Dinger weighs 9 grams. The more weight, the less buoyant. Therefore the Dinger would be a slower presentation lure for the horizontal drop when you want the bait to drop slower in the water column and when you would rather impart twitches on the way down rather than let the Senko do its roly poly thing on a faster drop. Shapes and softness are the same; weight makes all the difference. On the other hand, because the Dinger is more buoyant, once you let it sink to a certain depth, you can work it faster as a jerkworm, with longer pauses while still maintaining the same depth. It's like the presentation and speed differences between a suspending hard jerkbait (X-Rap), a floater (Rapala Floating Minnow) and a 1/2 oz. Rat L Trap. Now a days, maintaining the same depth seems to be a big part of most lure presentions and manufacturers accomodate anglers who don't want their soft or hard lures to rise or fall fast. For example, the less buoyant a crankbait, the faster the retrieve to maintain the same depth, regardless of action. I guess buoyancy is a big part of certain lure designs. Buoyancy is not the issue with blade baits and jigs. Like Franco's introduction about trailers. They slow the jig speed yes, but only depending on tail design. Uncle Josh Pork Frog and hair jigs have the least water resistance; Zoom's Speed Craw have the most - thus faster vs slower presentations. Whether your jig or spinnerbait path is in a vertical fall or horizontal swim, the trailer dictates lure speed just as blade design and size (#3 tandem willow vs. #5 tandem colorado) on spinnerbaits affects speed of retrieve or fall rate. It seems to me there is no reason to burn a slower presentation lure. Which are faster presentation lures, the Bomber Fat Free Shad or the Bomber Fat A ?

I'd be interested in you opinions how various lure characteristics dictate various presentations and which lures or lure types you specifically use for various presentations. Should be interesting... Frank

Bill beat me to it. I've been in a boat where a buddy was catching fish on one type of bait, but I've caught fish on many lure types and colors and find challenge in trying to find and catch fish on baits new to me. I'm happy even when someone is outfishing me because 1. I know we're on fish and 2. it gives me an opportunity to find out what else bass might bite. Every square yard of water is different - and like Gump's box o choc-o-lates, you never know what you'll get unless you try. If fishing with me for the first time, my partner may think I suck because he's catching and I'm not, but I'm fishing for a different kind of challenge and enjoyment. I see what he's using and if it's something I've done well on in the past, there's no point - it's like I was using the same thing he just caught fish on. Tournament fishing is different. Use what is working in the same boat and screw experimentaion if fish are biting a specific lure at a specific depth! Same speed and presentation also makes sense if either gets zoned in. Anecdote: I once fished a tourney on the Hudson R. and all we had caught in the first five hours were were dinks in the creek. I suggested fishing the main river sand bars using buzzbaits on the falling tide. Not until after my third two lb bass did my partner reluctantly change. He didn't have a clue for the first five hours and was becoming more and more frustrated. He would have been skunked if he hadn't followed my lead. Stubborn is as stubborn does and the window for catching fish a certain way in a certain location can be quite small. Adaptation is the rule - either you set the example or your partner.

I never match-the-hatch in the strictest sense. If fish are feeding on fish, I throw something fish-like in action - close in size. If fishing rocky bottoms, I'll cast a jig, creature bait or tube and sometimes a crankbait. I have no idea what they just ate and don't care. I never try matching forage colors - too many times they ignore them anyway and eat bubblegum . A few colors are all I need for 90 % of each lure design in my huge collection. There are rules for each body of water we become experienced on and most are seasonal in nature. I change with the seasons - that's my rule of thumb. I do just as well using braid with topwaters as with f/c, but then again most of the topwater baits I use are soft plastic frogs, bugs and sticks.

Truly, you are an artist! I'd buy them if I didn't already own 2,000 crankbaits :'( !!

A_A you might like to read my essay, Lure characteristics that define the sight and sound choices available to bass anglers - four parts, in the Luremaking section. It gives a different perspective why certain lures work better than others. Once upon a time I used to try to make sense of why fish eat lures that resemble nothing in their normal diet, but when you consider all the odd lure shapes, colors and actions fish respond to, many of these articles logically don't make sense - unless you have a big imagination and want to believe everything you read. I do go along with the need to know my local seasonal prey patterns such as forage fish size, location, school potential and depth. To me, that stuff is useful year after year. The waters we all fish vary from north to south, east to west, even within our own states and counties; it doesn't make sense to generalize with specifics. I'm no longer confused choosing lures based on forage alone and I rarely believe fishing articles that mention specific lure brands. Frank

I enjoyed bantering with Dodge (John) on a reservoir a few years ago. Fun guy to fish with and looking forward to taking him out on my local waters this year. Maybe next year for the NYBASS seminar. A great group of guys and well run. FrankM

Big carp are great fighters especially in current and I've had a few monsters tow the canoe upstream for a minute, but it's the type of fight I can't appreciate. Sluggish power doesn't do it for me. As far as trends go, I find them amusing and take them with a grain of salt. Remember scents? How many still spray them on? Surface salt. Ditto! New reels - you still pay for what you get and unless you maintain your reels, they will turn to junk in five years. I still backreel some of my old Shimanos just for the challenge of keeping a super tight drag. How sporting is it to break off a lure, especially one with 6 points? Many hooks don't rust out as previously thought and end up killing a gut hooked fish. If that fish could have been caught and released using 30# test braid rather than lost on 4# test mono, I'll chose braid - especially fishing heavy weed pockets or tree branches. Lactic acid may build up, but enough to shorten a bass's life? It would seem to me that livewell factors would be far more important and I've seen too many cases where tourney anglers were careless, with their catch more than likely resulting in delayed mortality. Almost no one I know uses Jungle Formula. Was it ever worth using? Were the claims valid - especially the one where the chemical sedates fish? A trend is what I make it until it no longer produces. I was into large willow leaf spinnerbaits just after Roland Martin won a Hudson R. tournament years ago. Great for a few years; not so much in the last few years except for pickerel. The same for the Senko craze and style of fishing - fulfills a niche to be sure, but not as versatile as say the ...... Flying Lure or Banjo Minnow! ;D

I have seen lure and fish-location patterns that repeat themselves year after year. Like many of you, I have begun limiting annual lure purchases unless I see someone using a new design successfully, but I always imagine what the lure sounds and moves like underwater.

Part 4 coming up - Lure characteristics that define the visual and the choices we have.

Apart from lure action and profile, color is important not only to our confidence in a lure but as an attractant. Basically the purpose of a lure is to use movement, vibration, and (at times) color to catch the fish's attention so it bites. Color can enhance a lures action whether it is at rest or in motion. There are three definitions of the word artificial: 1. man-made 2. unnatural 3. false, misleading, fake Artificial life can be natural or unnatural in appearance even if colorless (IE. low light, deep stained water). The human brain is as infallible as a fish's when mistaking an object as real when there is no time to evaluate it. The response for both is reflexive: we swat, it gulps or tuns away. The eyes of humans and fish are sensitive to light flicker. For lurecrafters, this is important because too much flash can repulse a fish; just enough can hold its attention long enough to begin the strike sequence. Unless a lure lies flat on the bottom of a lake, it has motion and motions make the lure appear solid. Fish eyes are capable of detecting not only a lure's outline, but its colors and moving shapes. Fine glitter and pearl powders reflect light in clear plastic, easily seen within range of sight, and that fill in a lure's shape and depth. Depending on the light source, a lure can appear differently. Note back-lighting versus reflection in each of the following similar colored minnows: Back-lighting (water surface) behind the top lure enhances tiny dots which sway as the tail waves. Reflected light off the bottom lure causes the same tiny glitter to shimmer and flash minutely. Being that lures are finesse in shape and action, makes me lean towards also making their color and flash finesse in appearance. Florescent colors and solid white are the extremes of lure brightness and unnaturalness and appeal to fish not in the mood to wait a bit before striking. I like those colors best in spring, pre-spawn and in clearer water when fish chase faster moving lures. In the case of the spike tail lures shown below, which is more important to a crappie or perch fisherman - color or action? Action by far. The body color could be any hue, but the quivering silicone strand sent fish of different species into a feeding frenzy! Do natural colored lures work. Of course, but not because they resemble anything in nature IMHO but because art imitates life and a fish is fooled by an artificial lure believing artificial animal life form is alive and vulnerable. The challenge for lurecrafters and anglers alike is to attract and then do nothing to deter a fish from its assumption. Thanks for reading, FrankM

Thanks guys! This encourage me to write Part 3. I couldn't agree more and lurecrafters that make some baits for their own use understand factors of lure appeal.

As lure crafter and homebody inventors, we are more apt to look at lure design more closely than the average consumer angler. To me, a top factor of lure design is that it stands out from the underwater environment it's used in. Part 1 demonstrated lure action as a key attractant when comparing different lures of similar design. I observe how fast or how slow a lure can be worked and still initiate a strike. Speed matters! Here are two frogs. Both are surface (or near surface lures) lures, but each has specific design properties different from the the other. The one on the left (not sure of the brand) is meant to be worked fast like a buzz frog or the legs don't do anything because the plastic is harder and the legs thicker than the Lake Fork Frog pictured on the right. The Lake Fork Frog, on the other hand, can be worked very slowly with the legs flailing with slight rod twitches. Salt impregnation gives the bait a grainy texture and adds to it's slow fall rate - something an angler needs when fish are blowing surface baits out of the water. The angulation of the thin legs also contributes to the unique action that really gets a fish into a surface or subsurface feeding mood. For me, realistic finishes don't impress nor matching a species of local forage. Uniqueness of lure action catch fish. For example, Roland Martin's #7 willow leaf blade spinnerbait did well for me the first year it was sold and I copied and used it. In the waters I fish bass and pickerel had never seen a such fast, more flashy bait and it was a huge hit in shallow water. Remember when bubble gum and other florescent colored soft plastics first hit the market, mostly used as a floating worm rig during the spawn? Soon after, everyone could get them in many styles that could be used anytime of year. Thanks for reading, FrankM

I'm not climbing the walls and not into ice fishing yet, so I figured I'd write something that may be of interest and that still beats reading the same ol fishing magazine articles while on the can. :-* Here goes part 1: Lure craft has been a source of satisfaction for hobbyists or profits for lure producers for decades. The reasons lures sell and keep on selling are many, but the reasons specific lures catch fish year after include biological and physiological factors that have been discovered in the last few decades. Many may disagree with the ideas to be presented based on strong convictions and steadfast beliefs. If they work for you, go no further, but if you have ever wondered why a new lure works (one you've never used or seen before), consider the validity and application of these ideas and observations when buying or making lures. The following multi-part subjects deal with a lure's appeal to fish and what separates lures of similar design. Much is opinion, some fact, but all is intended to make you think outside the ad box for company X. Applied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Our laboratories are our basements, garages, sheds and kitchens, ponds, lakes and rivers, where we create prototypes or buy new lures and then test them. Many lure crafters don't just reproduce other designs - we alter them! We take into account that lure success relies on a 1. lure function, 2. fish appeal and the age old question and 3. why fish strike lures even with full bellies or when not feeding. Biological and physical attributes of fish are well documented: extreme sensitivity to vibration; excellent short range vision; excellent color discrimination; superb object speed, shape and motion detection, even in the dark. This following statement is not meant to ruffle any-one's feather, but to keep in mind a simple fact: many lure companies create reasonable superstitions, hawked by celebrities, to generate profits, some of which become ingrained in the minds of many generations of anglers the years. Many who craft lures and the anglers who test them, eventually discover holes in those superstitions and found them without merit. The Banjo Minnow, The Flying Lure and Helicopter lures are three examples. Burn me at the stake, but the first superstition regards matching the hatch and every layer of misinformation and assumption based on it. First off, bass are intellectually clueless, zero IQ, not a thought in its brain, nada. A soft plastic stick is pink but so what, fish hyperactivity ignores color. A bass eyeballs a lure from less than a few feet away for over half a minute and then eats it; that should have been more than enough time to figure out the thing wasn't real! Unless man comes up with a way to ask fish questions AND get answers back, we are back to square one and must think unlike a fish, stimulating and then appealing to its predator nature. Getting back to matching the hatch. There is something IMHO to the concept supported by Dr. Keith Jones and other fish biologists that : fish have been ingrained over thousands of years with basic images of what pass as prey. Every life form has a food image locked into its DNA no matter how simple the life form. A lure may taste like a rubber balloon or may look like the color of bird droppings, but if it fits a basic criteria as regards to size, shape, motion and maybe chemical reception, a fish will eat it! The predator response always matters as much to a lure maker or angler as is finding lure elements and presentations that get that response. What does a fish think is edible? - a bird, a rodent, a crayfish, another fish. What makes a fish attack objects and it is incapable of identifying? First off, (this is the controversial point of the essay) it doesn't discriminate between subspecies because it can't. But what it does do is respond to 1. vibration, 2. prey size and 3. the thing's proximity to cover. A small bird or mouse struggling in two feet of water near a bass's hideout is an open invitation to feed. Fur and feathers do not matter to a predator fish or mammal, nor do dorsal fin spines, hard shells or claws, maybe because food is food, period. IMO a fish doesn't know a spring crayfish from a summer colored crayfish, so why do bass bite black or brown jigs ten months out of the year? For one thing color is third or fourth in importance. Jig design includes many attraction, namely: multiple waving strands that flare and collapse and displace water; a meaty center (trailer); an easy-to-eat size; and if rocks are present, vibrations that can be felt within several feet. In the case of a jig and trailer, claw shape is important for some jig presentations because of the action they impart. Note the tail designs in these trailers: The top one is the original Uncle Josh design still produced in pork - still a great jig trailer. The other two have action tails that flap and flail and causing the jig to wobble and send out additional pressure waves. All are soft, taste like nothing in nature and all three enhance a jig, making it far more productive. If one believes a fish thinks a jig is a crayfish and it helps him catch fish, fine - the importance of confidence in a lure can not be underestimated. But after using many lures over thirty years, I have come to a KISS conclusion: save a step and put lures into general categories that evoke a strike. 1. creature or bug (IE. Brush Hog or Beaver). If my swat reflex is initiated by a bug that buzzes around my face while driving, I don't care what kind of bug as long as it goes away! For all we know, the strike happened because of a sequence of fish stimulations that cocked it's trigger and then moved the fish into position to finish the thing off. 2.Fish Mann Shadow and Lunker City's Fin S Fish have worked for me in different sizes since they came out. If you've ever used them, you immediately notice how fish-like their actions. They glide and shimmy through the water just like a minnow or perch. I've modified the tail section (right) to enhance the tail shimmy, especially for drop shotting. I watched videos and In-Fisherman underwater video or drop shot soft plastics (usually soft worms) and was amazed at how fish-like the action of a suspended lure could be! Lure action matters most as an attractor and sometimes as a prey imitator. If bass are eating schooled fish, cast fish type lures. But keep in mind that just because bass or any species is hitting something in particular, means they won't hit other prey types that happen by. Much of the time fish are opportunists and less selective the more active they are. In support of match-the-hatch-image-of prey, many experiences has shown me that it's good to come close to the size of prey being eaten, the location within the water column (surface, mid depth or bottom) and color preferences (bright to muted, natural to unnatural). Open water mid depth prey are always fish; those on hard bottoms, usually crayfish or fish; prey in weeds - anything that swims. Bug (creature) and fish are the only general food categories I use. It simplifies things for me and allows me to concentrate on lure characteristics unique to many lures. The next three parts describe those characteristics. Thanks for reading, FrankM

Seeing is believing! whether it be on YouTube or DVD - underwater video cannot be faked! Also, seeing a fellow bass angler catch multiple fish on something you've never used, never had much confidence in or been successful at catching fish on, forces those with an open mind to admit their ignorance or inexperience with that particular lure. I have fallen into that category more than once! :-[ Only after I caught fish with the lure under the same conditions (depth, cover), did I see it's potential for future outings. Most articles in different magazines can mislead if advertising is behind them and I don't trust them much anymore. Just because a BASS tourney was won on X, Y and Z custom lures at a certain time of year in a different climate zone doesn't mean it will work where I fish. It's ludicrous to expect it would. But the first year Roland Martin won a Hudson River tournament (in my backyard) on a giant willow leaf spinnerbait, I knew I had to buy one! It has worked for me ever since it was introduced in the 90's and worked better at times than smaller blade(s) combos. Seeing is believing!

Nice Paul! Brings to mind why I buy a new lure or replace ones I own: 1. Speed range of retrieve. Every lure has its own speed range - deadstick to slow; slow to medium; medium to fast. 2. the lure has a profile, motion or vibration right for the conditions or is unique in those qualities (ie Chatterbox vs Helin's FlatFish) 3. an attractive new color (I need to have confidence in it before I cast it) or a color that fits my idea of a condition There have been some excellent revolutionary lures that have come out in the last few years that I now always carry and there will be new lures to tempt the monkey in the future, I'm sure!

I think you could divide anglers (of all freshwater species) into two categories: the above and those that get bored doing the same thing with the same thing year after year - successful or not -and prefer the challenge of catching fish as fishing something different, using different methods or presentations or different gear. There are advantages and disadvantages to either points of view and I confess I'm in the second category. I can stick with driving my 10 year old car year after year, but rarely use the same lure with as much frequency or at allafter a few years. This explains the huge inventory of old lures. What it doesn't explain is why I bought so many of the same thing knowing I would stop using them completely? :-? >!!! The reason I believe we buy a lure style in bulk is based on : high lure expectations and the fantasies we have when not fishing and bored, gliding around the aisles in our local tackle store or looking through a catalog for the tenth time) ; fear that this wonderful new lure will be discontinued :-[;wanting to believe in bargains : ; being fickle; wanting to be on the tv show Hoarders; and an undecisive personality :-/. If anything, we keep people employed and the pros 8-) endorsed $$$$!

BASS clubs have as part of their charter, a you fishing day. My club does, but only for members. You might contact a local fishing club as see if they would be interested in your donated tackle for handouts, grab bags, prizes... Kids might not know how to use the stuff (at least until an angler shows them at the event), but they sure do love getting tackle given away!

My wife knows enough to keep receipts from Dicks or Gander for after-Xmas lure returns. :-* Most of the lures she choses I either have or wouldn't stock, which allows me to buy something I would try and bank the rest.

Great replies everyone! and I'm pretty much in agreement, but as you've seen with every new and improved gadget that comes out (tv, phones, reels), there's something to keeping an open mind. One thing that will get me to purchase something different is seeing-is-believing. I fished with a gent last fall on a large reservoir and he used a Rage Tail as a jig trailer. He outfished me 10:1. I've always used a craw trailer with flat claws that hang more or less straight back. The R.T. design was clearly superior, as is the Zoom Super Craw when used as a trailer. From then on, my swim jig technique produced more and far stronger hits than with the old trailer. Is the Slugo as good as the Senko or other stick that came much later? In my opinion, no and, as mentioned above, versatility is another reason I look at a new bait design. I never use Slugos anymore or 3" FinS Fish or Mann Shadows - and I have a bunch of each cluttering up my basement. Round sticks IMHO are an improvement. Remember how much harder it was to set the hook with Slugos before wide gap hooks came out? Something brand new made something old work better, but still not enough to switch back. Floating Rapalas, Rebel Minnows and the Devil's Horse still have their place and time as jerkbaits, but X-Raps and other suspending baits seem to do better for me especially when I need long pauses at a fixed depth. - a functional improvement. Skirt materials have come a long way - great color patterns and silicone vs. living rubber. Living rubber rots in a year or so - silicone holds its color and shape. Something that lasts longer and produces, doesn't get replaced, so I look for that quality in a new lure.