Big secret.

[kickingfrog]

Not sure this is a really a big secret, and Drifters post got me thinking so I figured some might find this helpful. Sometimes you have a lure that you like but maybe it just doesn't cut it for bigger fish. It might be that the weight just isn't heavy enough to cast well on the rod/reel that you use for bigger pike, muskie and/or lakers or the heavier line dampens the action too much. Maybe the hardware just isn't up to the task, or you simply want to offer something bigger. If that's the case some of us will go for a little salt. Saltwater lures often have that little extra that works great for those bigger fish. Finding them can sometimes be difficult but it seems that more and more brick and mortar stores are carrying saltwater lures even if they are thousands of kilometres from the ocean. If not, you can easily find them online. To cut down on shipping I wait until a place like bps has a free shipping deal on. I just picked up a saltwater popper type lure and a lipless crankbait that I'm ready to try as soon as the conditions are right.

 

The lipless crank is one of my favourites for pike (if I'm not fishing on top) but I wanted something bigger and finally have it. The popper type is another that is just too light on even my pike set ups, but I found this one and it's going to get wet early. The popper is the first saltwater lure I've come across that had hooks that I felt were not suitable so they'll be swopped out.

 

 

The saltwater x-raps have been used a lot the 8-10 years and have also boated the odd big walleye. The top lures (gliding raps and flatfishes) are for another post and are not saltwater.

[OhioFisherman]

http://www.basspro.com/Fishing/Classification-Saltwater/_/N-1z0uxbaZ1z0vagb

 

BPS used to send me their saltwater catalog.

[Weeds]

I remember selling a few used super shad raps that had saltwater hooks on them. The guy I was selling them to told me he didn't think you were allowed to use those hooks freshwater fishing in Ontario. Any truth to that? I think I looked into it but can't remember what I found out.

[kickingfrog]

Never heard of saltwater hooks being illegal. Only regs would be 4 hooks or hook points in Ontario, or single/single barbless in some bodies of water.