Forum | Favorite Three Lures?

Well Steve, this isn't really a fair question, but I'll answer it from my own perspective, and hope the other readers forgive me for my lack of brevity, which as you've learned this week, isn't my forte.

I'd have to pack along a maribou jig dressed in either yellow or white feathers, with a red collar because it was one of the first lure types I began fishing with back in the early 70s.  I've taken largemouth, smallmouth, crappies, white bass, perch, bluegills, bonito, mackerel, jacks, and a host of other species on this lure. It can be used on lakes, rivers, tiny streams, and oceans.  Cast by itself, it's a great minnow imitator, used vertical jigging through the ice, panfish and wallye can'r resist it, and it can be utilized under a number of different bobber types which allows the angler to vary his/her retrieve speed, type of retrieve, and depth to present the lure to the fish wherever they reside.

Second up would be one of Panther Martins in-line spinners, preferably silver, unless of course the water's stained, then I'd opt for gold.  Again, I'm a sucker for this bait and so are the species listed above, as well as northern pike.  Depending upon the lure's weight, it holds in current real well, and that blade just never quits sending out that, "Hey baby, wanna play" vibration that most fish can't resist, whether it's a bluegill, or a fish at the top of the gamefish chaiin.

Lastly, I'll enter the modern era and being an adreneline junky, I have to choose a "rat-type" lure because I love to watch topwater hits, whether it's bass, or pike,  you can't beat this type of lure fished in pads or even on the worst slop in the lake.  Casting and letting it lay until every ripple dissipates, is a great patience reinforcement, then slowly taking up the slack and giving it that first tiny movement, and then watching fish begin to close in for the kill from several meters away is just so much fun. Sure, many times you miss more than you'll catch, but seeing a bass or pike cartwheel in the air doing complete rotations, and then coming right down on the lure and taking it, good God, pass me your nitro buddy~

Pass me a napkin, I'm droolin'