The "These lures and this gear sucks thread" - from our members

[OldTimer]

Hey,

Here's a new approach........... I thought it would be amusing and perhaps save some of us a few bucks if we shared via posts on this thread the specific lures and fishing gear that you think bites and WHY..........

I'll start with this one:

Avoid current versions of Blue Fox spinners - in the past these were not too bad - but currently issued designs have been cheapened by using a plastic dome over a hidden body weight.....and badly formed wire central stems with strangely offset hay-wired eye connection loops...... the result is a spinner that does not have a proper weight to size/volume ratio, that tracks badly, may not spin as readily(or at all).................. Bottom line - look great - aren't worth the money, time and bother IMO.

Your turn:.........................................?

Cheers,

OldTimer

[MuskieBait]

Where should I start...

Split grips...all hype with lightness...but many split grip rods are tip heavy since the amount of weight on the butt has been reduced by removing sections of the grip. With a perfectly balanced rod, you don't notice the weight issue as much. If you fish a tip heavy rod all day trying to keep it horizontal or keep your tip up, that will put more strain on your wrist than the few ounces you're trying to save with a split grip.

Just MHO.

[Giuga10]

Blaze Spinners - Do not spin at all, after buying and returning 3 times, they still remained defective.

Canadian tire flies (cant remember the brand name), they are sold in a pack of 12 or so - great for beginners but, the yarn tends to unravel very easy, and they break apart easily.

The smallest size of kwikfish tends to burn out extremely easily. Like they have to be worked at an extremely slow pace to refrain from spinning out of control, claims to be a good size for trout but when I used it in the river, even in the slow pools it would burn out at a standstill. Stick to the bigger sizes.

Most dollarama crankbaits and swimbaits are crap.

That's all I can think of, I'll add some more if I can think of any others.

[MuskieBait]

For those who like to clean and re-grease their drags stack...

The older Pflueger spinning reels (the ones I have are Solara, Trion and Medalist) have a design flaw in their 3-piece spool system.

Basically, you cannot remove your drag stack unless you unscrew and remove the top piece of the spool. By doing so, you will have to essentially say goodbye to your spool of line because without the top piece, your line will come off the spool and unwind. Not too bad an issue if you spool with mono...but you definitely do not want to lose 100-300 yards of braid.

In my newer Pflueger reel, the bail arm rust much easier than older models (new: Medalist vs. old: Solara and Trion). In the older model, part of the bail arm piece is made of some corrosion resistant metal...perhaps stainless steel. I've had one reel for over 10 years and no sign of rust. In the newer model, part of bail arm piece is made with a poorer corrosion resistant metal. The surface is plated but the plating is not very corrosion resistant either. Basically, the underlying metal corroded and the plating chipped off. It was essentially one trip to the saltwater and it was done. If you fish your reels rough (in the rain, dipped in the water, dropped into mud...etc), I would expect that bail arm piece to corrode after 2-3 years of freshwater exposure.

Otherwise, Pflueger has great waterproof drag system, felt drag washer and more technology for the dollar than any other brands.

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(10-29-2013 05:22 PM)Giuga10 Wrote:  The smallest size of kwikfish tends to burn out extremely easily. Like they have to be worked at an extremely slow pace to refrain from spinning out of control, claims to be a good size for trout but when I used it in the river, even in the slow pools it would burn out at a standstill. Stick to the bigger sizes.

You are working them way too fast...they are best worked drifted back into likely holding areas instead of cast and retrieve...

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Another thing...

Do not use Berkley Vanish or Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon FISHING LINE as a LEADER. Fishing line is not the same as leader material. Fishing line, although it is fluorocarbon, has a different formulation that makes it more supple (flexible)...but it also makes it less abrasion resistant. Lost too many big brown trout trying to bottom bounce with the fluorocarbon fishing lines. Even Trilene XL was more abrasion resistant at the same diameter. I thought I would improve my landing ratio by changing from Trilene XL to those two fluorocarbon lines...but they were both a big step BACKWARDS.

That mistake was where I learned an important lesson...don't try to save money when it comes to your fishing line. $15 for 300 yards of 100% fluorocarbon seems like a good deal...until you start losing fish after fish after fish to the nasty zebra mussel encrusted rocks. Fluorocarbon line is not the same as fluorocarbon leader...and hence the huge difference in price.

[OldTimer]

You've all seen this cr&p at shows:

Grab bags of multi coloured soft plastic worms, grubs or tubes baits at super discount dirt cheap prices.

A lot of scrap leftovers are just mixed together and poured in molds....... material cost was probably zip for the vendors, or they may have been paid to get rid of it.............

I've never got tricked.......... but a few of my friends have.......... I witnessed how they caught NOTHING, damaged contact surfaces, and stank to boot.........you'd be better off just burning your money rather than wasting time trying this garbage out............. IMO.

Cheers,

OT

[Giuga10]

(10-29-2013 06:11 PM)OldTimer Wrote:  You've all seen this cr&p at shows:

Grab bags of multi coloured soft plastic worms, grubs or tubes baits at super discount dirt cheap prices.

A lot of scrap leftovers are just mixed together and poured in molds....... material cost was probably zip for the vendors, or they may have been paid to get rid of it.............

I've never got tricked.......... but a few of my friends have.......... I witnessed how they caught NOTHING, damaged contact surfaces, and stank to boot.........you'd be better off just burning your money rather than wasting time trying this garbage out............. IMO.

Cheers,

OT

I guess I was fooled....

[OldTimer]

Flambeau Tuff Tainer tackle boxes that are all one piece molded construction - with the clear integral snap closure molded as part of the main body. (NOT those with the blue or such hard plastic snaps)

They look like this (CTC , for one, carries them):

   

They are not cold weather friendly,.............. and in all types weather are a pain in the butt to get open.

If a hook gets jammed above the edge of a perimeter compartment - they are next to impossible to open. Just this weekend when I took a few lures out to test the side planer - I actually had to use a set of channel lock pliers to get one snap to open.

Sure they're cheap............ but I've learned my lesson.......... never again..........

...... IMO - avoid

OT