Do It Shad Bait Lure

[ruck]

No worries, if the horses pull the eye out, my shorts are clean....I wash them once a month whether they need it or not. 

[macklb]

Hey Ruck,  I realize that I am late to the party, but I would recommend the Flutter Jig in 2 and 3 oz.  I fish deep reefs in the ocean with these, and their fluttering (after a sharp sweep up) is very tantalizing to the fish.  I am quite sure the big lakers would be big takers. I use a # 1 treble hook attached to the bottom with a good split ring.  We decorate them with holographic scales and a thin strip of ultraviolet down the lateral line.  It is tremendously effective.  I sometimes mold in a stainless steel ring at the head to tie the line to.  This assures that the small wire will not cut it.  Or I use Tactical Angler's clips in 125 # size which also keeps the line in good shape and allows quick lure changes. Besides the numerous bottom fish and Lingcod, we have caught several salmon on them, including a tremendous 40 lb. Chinook.  Good Luck, Mack

[ruck]

Mack, funny because on a couple of other guys recommendations I just got the 2 and 3oz flutter jig mold, gonna pour a bunch soon. The Shad Bait lure is OK if you hook up to the eye on the top, kind of like a blade lure, I've caught a bunch of lakers and a few smallmouth on it already. Problem I've had with it is if you hook up to the front of the lure it constantly tangles up, the hook catches the line. For whatever reason it happens much less when hooked up on the top. Gonna try rigging it with those hooks on a short piece of line that attach to the front of the lure, not sure what they are called, but it should stop the tangling issue.
 I have reflective tape, but what is the ultraviolet you mentioned? They probably work fine just the shiny tin, but decorating them is a good  time passer on a rainy day (like today!) Thanks for the advice!

[macklb]

I get the UV stick on tape from Dave at http://www.sdcustomdesigns.com/Lure-Tape/Lure-Tape-2-Wide-Strips-c78/
Using small scissors we cut a small strip width-wise, only about 1/16th of an inch thick or less.  We apply it as a lateral line, which flashes in ultraviolet light, even deep in the water.  It is enough flash to attract fish, but not enough to repel them.  We have experimented a lot, and I think it really enhances the lure.  I like the pearl transparent color best, although I believe that all colors will work okay.  I agree that plain tin will probably do very well, but what fun is that?  I really get a kick out of customizing lures and then catching loads of big fish on them.

[ruck]

Thanks, I'll give it a shot. Funny you say a very thin strip because that is exactly what I do with silver reflective tape on my crankbaits. Especially for finicky fish like brown trout, I have found that a little flash is good, but especially in clear water, too much flash can be counterproductive.

[ruck]

So after using this bait for a while I wanted to give a quick review. For jigging I catch more fish with the flutter lure. That said what I did not expect is how versatile the Shad Bait lure is. Sure they are good for jigging, but what I have found is they work much better as a casting/trolling lure! I poured a bunch of these out of tin, they have better action out of tin. I don't even use the front eye, I hook up to the eye on the back. It casts a mile, sinks fast, and has an awesome tight wiggle like a crankbait that you can feel in the rod tip. For my needs I like it better than spoons because it stays deeper, spoons tent to ride up the water column quickly.
 This is quickly becoming my go to trolling lure too. It trolls deeper than any crankbait, and if I mark a fish very deep I just slow down a bit and down it goes. I am slamming lake trout trolling this lure, and am sure it is only a matter of time before a big brown trout falls for this method too.
 If I can find one negative with this lure is that it hooks the line and gets tangled more often than other lures, but you can feel the difference right away, when you don't feel that tight wiggle, it is fouled and being pulled backward. Overall though, this lure is going to be on the end of my line more often than any other lure in my box when I need to fish 20+ feet down.