freshwater fishing lures – The Fresh Water Fishing Blog

May 8, 2014April 1, 2016

Our First Fishing Adventure of 2014

I took my son fishing the other day and it was a nice sunny spring day.

He was disappointed since he didn’t catch anything. But he spent more time trying to figure out how to use his new spinning rod and reel combo than anything else. Lots of “bird’s nests” with the string and I had to help him many times to get the string untangled. 🙂

He was using bread and a bobber to try to catch some sunnies, but the fish just wouldn’t do anything more than nibble.

However, Dad was successful on our first outing of the year!

I managed to catch a small sun-fish, a large-mouth bass and a white perch. And I was using my trusted old “best spring fishing lure” – the Hildebrandt flicker spinner.

Its a size 1 and very small, but the flickering and spinning motion drives the fish wild. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can find them on Amazon – here. (Don’t pay attention to the picture on amazon, it doesn’t have a feather on the hook!) You can see the lure if you click on my picture above to see the full sized picture.

Our fishing was done after about 90 minutes and we determined to change the string in my son’s reel to get a more limp string that won’t tangle so much.

So for all you fishing “pros” out there, what fishing line do you prefer or use. I’m interested in trying something new!

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your input and I’ll catch you later!

For more Freshwater fishing adventures, click here.

February 27, 2012October 15, 2012

Fishing And The Alabama Rig

Hi Folks!

It’s been far too long since I’ve even thought about freshwater fishing – even with the mild winter that we’ve been having.

So with that said, Elaine Hirsch has offered another post for your reading pleasure (looks like I may have to hire Elaine as my assistant blogger!) 😉

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Fishing and the Alabama Rig

There is a new lure making a big splash in the bass fishing world. It’s called the Alabama Rig and its based on an idea that is common to saltwater fishermen but new to those fishing in fresh waters. It is legal in many states and fishing tournaments.

The lure is loosely based on the umbrella lures used by saltwater fishermen. The lure harness looks like an umbrella skeleton. Several swim baits are attached to the arms and center wire of the lure which is designed so that the baits can be changed as necessary. Weighing in at about a half an ounce before baits are loaded means that casting this lure out repeatedly can become a tiring task.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the rig is allowed at most tournaments. However, some states already have laws on the books regulating multi-hook lures. Not all anglers are happy about this new lure, saying that it isn’t a fair way to fish. Not only that, but there is also the issue regarding the bass population, a topic which masters degree programs in fisheries concentrate on. Bass seem very attracted to this new lure, whether it is because it looks like a small school of bait fish or simply because it is designed differently. With the potential to catch five fish per unit, anglers have a better chance to get ‘the big one’.This was proven by Paul Elias in October 2011. He won $100,000 in a FLW tournament in Alabama using the Alabama Rig. His 20-bass catch weighed in at 102 pounds, all caught on the same lure.

Tennessee’s Wildlife Resources Agency issued a statement about using this type of rig in their state. According to the TWRA, “Umbrella rigs can be legally fished in Tennessee waters as long as they comply with the regulation”. Regulations depend on the size of the baits, the number of baits and the size and number of the hooks.

Just as with other innovations, only time will tell what impact the Alabama Rig will truly have on the fishing world. Some fishermen will see it as the latest and greatest addition to their fishing arsenal. Others will find it being just another deviation from the true sport of fishing.

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So what do you all think about this? Should it be legal or not? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.

Catch you later!

October 25, 2011January 4, 2013

Popular Freshwater Fishing Lures

Today I have a guest post that was written by Elaine Hirsch. Hope you all enjoy it!

Popular Freshwater Fishing Lures

Nothing beats freshwater fishing for yearlong sport. The fishing gets even better in the spring when the fish are beginning to spawn, and if you’re bogged down with work, communicating online, or your PhD program, few things make for a better break. There are many great fresh water lures you can choose from to catch the big fish. These are just three of the most popular ones:

Topwater
Early in the morning or late in the evening and the water is still, pull out this lure at your favorite lake or pond. These lures come in many varieties. Some topwater lures rattle when you jerk the line, some have spinners on the tail section that vibrate and spin when reeled in, and still others will zigzag from side to side while you reel. Whichever you choose, all of these types of lures are designed to attract fish to the surface of the water where they will hit the lure first before taking it down.

Soft Plastic Worm
Using a worm in combination with a Carolina Jig or a Texas Jig will keep the fish biting all year long. There are a variety of colors and even scents that come with this kind of lure. The reason for this is that fish are attracted to one particular color or scent more than another depending on where you’re fishing or even what time of year it is. Use a weedless hook with your worm so you can get your lure where the fish are, in the weeds and under the logs.

Diving Jig
Another popular freshwater lure is the diving lure or jig. This particular lure usually comes as a minnow or a grub and will dive down to a depth or your choosing before slowly ascending back to the surface. When you first cast this lure it will remain floating at the surface. Quickly reeling it in will cause it to suddenly dive below the surface and descend until you stop reeling, when it will rise back to the top. This very closely mimics the behavior of many fishes’ natural prey.

These lures should be good ones to start with, and are worth a try for experienced anglers who haven’t used them before. Use them to take your first steps into the sport, or to expand your repertoire of fishing techniques. Either way, happy fishing!

April 20, 2010

Springtime Sunnies

Happy Spring!

If you live in the northern hemisphere, you’re well into your spring season. And if you’re like me, you’ve been too busy to get outside much, let alone go fresh water fishing!

But I did have some free time this past Sunday. So I hopped online and bought my resident fishing license and finally got to go fishing with my sons. We went to our local creek and had some fun catching lots of sunfish or “sunnies” as we call them. Most of the fish looked like a cross between a redbreast sunfish and a pumpkinseed sunfish. They all had very brilliant orange bellies and their upper coloring varied but was usually a bluish-gray color.

I didn’t get a picture of one (I’ll include one next time we go) but they were fiesty and very hungry!

I used my trusty old Hildebrandt spinner and caught a fish on my 3rd cast! I’m not sure why the fish like spinners in the spring – but I do know that the spinners work best this time of year! Here’s a picture of my spinner:

Best Springtime Freshwater Fishing Lure — My favorite springtime spinner

So we had a fun, successful and wet trip (I got my feet wet trying to save my younger son’s tackle box!) to start off the new freshwater fishing season.

Hopefully all of your trips will be successful throughout the year!

Catch you later!

December 1, 2009December 1, 2009

How many different kinds of worm rigs are there? What are they?

Here’s a question I found on yahoo Answers that I found interesting and thought I’d share it.

I get to do a project on fishing which is cool so give me all the information you have on Bass fishing with artificial worms. I already know the basics concerning a Texas, Carolina and Wacky rigs.

I need as much info about this for a project so be generous.

July 26, 2009July 26, 2009

The Bass Krusher Rig

Watch This video to learn my secret rig for catching largemouth bass when I go freshwater fishing.

I previously posted about my favorite way to rig a rubber worm when I go bass fishing. You can read it here:

Bass Krusher Rig

The video below will show you exactly how I rig my worms!

Try rigging a few of your worms this way and just watch the bass come running!

Hope that helps you.

Catch you later.

-Mark

April 28, 2009

Freshwater Fishermen Pollute The Water?

I like to think that I’m environmentally concscious. But this report I just read is making me re-think my favorite lure!

You can read the reort here:

Study: Soft plastic lures harm trout, salmon

I ocassionally lose a rubber worm in the water, but I’ll try everything I can to get it back. (I hate to lose lures!) Still, there are times that I lose them. I’ve never given much thought to what happens with those lost lures, but this report has made me re-think how and whether I’ll continue to use them.

It certainly makes a stronger case for using natural bait as opposed to rubber/plastic lures!

My hope is that with today’s technology, the lure manufacturers can come up with a new improved rubber worm that will dissolve in the fish’s stomach after coming into contact with the fish’s stomach acid.

I know that may sound a little utopic in light of all the problems our world faces today, but hey … I’m an optomist at heart!

So what do you think about this latest revelation? Still think we should use rubber/plastic worms for fishing?

Catch you later.

April 27, 2009April 25, 2012

Best Freshwater Fishing Lure For Spring?

I’ve seen this question being asked in some of the forums I’m in. So I was wondering what I would say is the best lure for springtime freshwater fishing?

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you know I like spinners for spring fishing. I also like floating minnow imitation lures like the ones that Rapala and Rebel make. And of course, being the rubber worm lover that I am, I’ll always try one no matter what the time of year. But overall, I think I get the most success and action with spinners in the spring.

In my previous post, I talked about a spinning lure that I use to catch catfish. And in the post before that, you can see part of the actual spinning lure I was using to catch that unknown fish! Both of those were the same lure. So what is this lure that I use? It’s an old Hildebrandt flicker spinner lure! Here’s a picture:

Sorry about the quality of the picture – it was taken with my cell phone! You probably can’t tell, but I have a number 1 and a number 2 weight lure that I use. They are very light, which goes along with my ultra-light spinning outfit. I use 4 lb test monofilament and I can cast these a good 50 – 70 feet. (You can always add a little split shot if you need a little more weight.)

So here’s a better “store” picture of the lure:

Are these good lures? Well remember, I bought mine back around 1970 and I’m still using it! And as you can see, the fish still love it!

So if I had to pick just one lure for freshwater fishing in the spring, it would have to be the Hildebrandt flicker spinner lure!

How about you? What’s you’re “best” lure for springtime freshwater fishing? Please post a comment and share with us?

Catch you later!