May Walleye Lure of the Month: Erie Dearie Original

May Walleye Lure of the Month:

Erie Dearie Original

From ErieDearie.com

The Erie Dearie original lure was created by “Erie Dearie” Captain Dan Galbincea in 1961 on Lake Erie.  Shortly after founding his company, Lake Erie became known as the “Walleye Capital of the World”, with great help from Dan’s revolutionary lure making, including the Original Erie Dearie (included as this month’s selection), the Super Mini, the All Gold, and the Top Dog, all of which are well known throughout North America.

Captain Dan’s love of lure marking started at age 14 and continued after he returned home after serving his country in the Army’s 17^th Airborne Division during World War II. After work as an arc welder, Dan seined minnows and sold them to local bait shops.  Soon after finding out he had a gift in lure making, he caught the walleye bug while fishing for the fist time on Lake Erie.  Back then, all walleye fishermen used a standard type of spinning lure, but Dan felt that he could greatly improve this lure by adding a weight forward feature.  Dan would spend countless hours perfecting his new lure (which he called “Old Reliable”) eventually creating a lure with a much more realistic swimming action that would prove irresistible to suspended fish and bottom dwellers.  The Original Erie Dearie has become the largest selling walleye lure in American – but is not just used for walleye.  It can also be used for Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Sauger, Stripers, and Muskies.

Techniques:

Drop your Erie Dearie in the water, off the side of the pier, and count how long it takes for it to reach bottom (line will stop coming off your reel and go slack). Then reel it in and cast out, once again counting down as the lure's sinking. If, for example, it took a count of 20 for the lure to reach bottom when you dropped over the side of the pier, count to 15 or 16 before you start retrieving. That should put you fairly close to the bottom. Once the school of fish was located, they would drift through the school, cast out and count down. Walleye will suspend, and the idea behind counting down is the lure sinks 1 ft/sec., so by counting down, they should be at the depth the fish are. Once a fish was caught and the "magic number" established, every one should be catching fish!

Send a Fishing Gift for Father's Day for your favorite fisherman in your life.

Join the fun at www.FishingEnthusiast.com!

May Saltwater Lure of the Month: Storm Rattlin Chug Bug – Saltwater Topwater Popper

May Saltwater Lure of the Month: Storm Rattlin Chug Bug – Saltwater Topwater Popper

Storm Lures rightly touts their sensational Rattlin Chug Bug as a lure for all species of fish when they're feeding on the surface. “From panfish to snook” as they put it.  Founded in Oklahoma, Storm’s been manufacturing innovative lures since the 1960’s. Their first lure was the ThinFin, which began shipping in the 1960’s. About twenty years later, Storm introduced the enclosed topwater sensation. The Chug Bug comes from a long line of successful lures including Storm’s Thunderstick, Wiggle Wart, and Hot ‘N Tot, to name just a few. Normark, makers of the legendary Rapala lures, recently acquired Storm. We believe that Storm is now stronger and more innovative than ever.

The versatile Chug Bug is a favorite of professional and amateur anglers because it can be fished as a popper or as a surface chugger. Bass and walleye anglers find the Chug Bug to be very effective when fished in smaller sizes at night. Oklahoma pro Tom Morton has had success fishing the Chug Bug with a high-speed technique. Morton ties the line at the bottom of the line-tie (without a snap or split ring) and fishes the lure “real, real fast”. This technique makes the Chug Bug spit and skip wildly because the nose is kept unusually high in the water due to the position of the knot. The technique provokes explosive strikes according to Morton, who won the 1992 Oklahoma Invitational with many copies of this lure in his tackle box. Anglers can currently choose from three sizes of Chug Bugs dressed in dozens of colors.

Featured Lure: Chug Bug

Created: C. 1980’s

Manufacturer: Storm Manufacturing

Type: Topwater Plug

Technique:

Experiment with your retrieve. Anything goes with top water lures, i.e. Tom Morton’s high-speed technique. That having been said, the most often mentioned retrieve associated with the Chug Bug is a splash-and-stop technique. Cast the Chug Bug out. Let it settle quietly on the water. Wait some more. With your rod tip down so the wind doesn’t catch your line, give your Chug Bug a solid pull to create its fish attracting splash. Then wait. Let the lure rest a good long time in a motionless position before repeating. The most vicious strikes often occur just after the Chug Bug begins to move again.

Send a Fishing Gift for your Fisherman at FishingEnthusiast.com!

May Freshwater Lure of the Month: Scum Frog Trophy Frog

May Freshwater Lure of the Month: Scum Frog Trophy Frog

www.ScumFrog.com

The Southern Lure Company was founded in 1986 in Columbus, Mississippi.  With 25 years of experience, the SLC is considered one of the top lure makers in the country.  One of their most popular lure lines – the Scum Frog series – has been used by thousands of fishermen throughout the country.   This line includes favorites such as the Scum Frog Popper, The Scumdog Walker, and one of their best lures included in this month’s selection – the Scum Frog Trophy Series.

The Scum Frog Trophy Series is a great weedless lure.  The lure doesn’t sink, but has a brass weight towards the rear.  You can work it slowly, dragging it through duckweed, pads, or scattered hydrilla, or you can even hop the lure over shallow water to attract the attention of bass. 

As with just about any topwater frog, a delay is necessary when making the hookset.  The traditional two second count is recommended, as it would be better to lose a fish than to hook one too deep.  A fully functioning Trophy Series Scumfrog stays afloat fairly well, floating with the nose pointed up at an angle.

From ScumFrog.com:

This is our weighted series, with the following features:

•   Owner® hook points up for better hook set and catch ratio

•   Large reflective eyes on side of frog where fish see them

•   Solid brass weight instead of lead

•   Flat silicon skirts instead of round

•   Sits higher in the water for much more erratic movement

Its natural swimming action can excite even the most stubborn bass!

Join the Fun at www.FishingEnthusiast.com! Lure of the Month Clubs are a great Gift for Fisherman for Father's Day!