November 2007 Volume 4.11

Transcription

1 Pro Staff Team News November 2007 Volume 4.11 Nobody Knows Blades Better Than Bob You can t help but get a little fired up over what your fishing buddy has to say. You sensed how excited he was when you first picked up the phone. I m telling you, he said, you gotta get some of these things. They really work. You know how hard our lake gets pounded on weekends. Well, I was out there Sunday and it one of the best days I ve ever had. Any chance you can get away sometime this week so I can show you what I m talking about? The things your friend on the phone was talking about that evening were Smile Blades. Smile Blades, of course, are the smile shaped, Mylar plastic spinner blades marketed by Mack s Lure, of Wenatchee, Washington. What you really need do to maximize your success with Smile Blades is get a variety of colors and sizes. Keep changing until you find the one the fish are telling you they want. It s not always going to be the same. This is one of the key secrets of some of the nation s top professional walleye anglers. You d heard about these blades before your buddy pounded your ear about their effectiveness. You figured you d give them a try yourself sometime but just hadn t gotten around to doing so. You knew your favorite store had them in stock. You decided you stop and get some on your way home work tomorrow. When you got to the sporting goods store the following day you found yourself facing a question countless others new to these plastic fish-catching spinner blades have encountered. What the heck color and size should I have for starters? Any time I try to provide guidance where the most effective color of fishing lures is concerned I turn to the executives of the company who are selling them. There s no better yardstick than sales records when it comes to measuring the success of any given product. Since I ve had those color questions about Smile Blades a number of times myself recently, I called my friend Bob Schmidt. (Continued on Page 2)

2 Our Mission Pursuing excellence in business through... marketing innovative fishing products and supporting our customers with superior service. Corporate Purpose To honor and glorify God by being good stewards of all He has entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on everyone who comes in contact with Mack s Lure. Making money must always be a by-product of building the character of men and women and the rendering of essential service to mankind. 2 Contact Information Phone Order Desk FAX Postal address: 2514 Easy Street Wenatchee, WA Addresses General Information: mackslure@mackslure.com Sales/Customer Service: mackslure@mackslure.com Marketing: bernie@mackslure.com Bernie Barringer <*((((( >{ Director of Marketing & Promotions Mack s Lure PO Box 650 Pine River, MN Web Site: al@mackslure.com re. Submitting information and articles for newsletter Pro Staff Team members are encouraged to submit articles and product evaluations for publishing in the newsletter. We at Mack s Lure would like to hear about your techniques of fishing with our products, along with your stories and pictures to go with them. Please send your articles and product reviews to: Mack s Lure 2514 Easy Street Wenatchee, WA Attn: Editor Or to: bob@mackslure.com (Continued from Page 1) Bob is the likeable and unassuming president of Mack s Lure. He doesn t seek the spotlight but he s been guiding his company to increased sales ever since he took over. I figured if anybody had the answers on the most effective Smile Blade colors he would. And I was right---he did. He also had some other thoughts about Smile Blades that it pleases me to share with you. Utilizing his thoughts in your own angling activities will undoubtedly help put more fish in the boat. We presently sell our Smile Blades in 30 different colors, Schmidt says. The single best selling color is chartreuse and number two is silver. Bob went on to explain that s it s next to impossible to just say this or that color Smile Blade is the single best selling shade because some colors---like chartreuse---come in several different patterns. Like I said, Schmidt says, chartreuse is the best selling color, but keep in mind that our chartreuse color Smile Blade comes in five different patterns. They are chartreuse scale, sparkle, black tiger, red tiger and mirror patterns. The multiple shades of these easy-turning and lightweight fish attractors are the main reason I m forever encouraging anglers to get a copy of the Mack s Lure catalog or to visit the company s web site at The top man at Mack s Lure is no stranger to landing lunkers. Bob Schmidt had almost more than he could handle when he nailed this whopper. This beautiful salmon smacked a Mack s Lure Sledge Hammer. It s not that difficult to do one or both. If you have computer access, you can check things out for yourself in short order. Getting your own copy of the current catalog isn t difficult either. Just call the company to place your request. The toll-free number is (Continued on Page 3)

3 You don t have to visit with the head man at Mack s Lure long before you realize he has other thoughts where Smile Blades are concerned. One thing you ll discover early on is he thinks there are other things to consider that are every bit as important as color or blade patterns. Chartreuse and silver are the top selling colors of Mack s Lure Smile Blades. This is a tad misleading because although these basic colors are most popular, they also come in a variety of patterns. Again---nobody knows more about baits than the people who bring them to market. Not a day goes by that they don t hear from anglers who have questions or comments. And those questions and comments may come from fishermen in widely separated areas of the country. They may also deal with different species of fish. It s always a learning experience to have a chance to visit with someone like Bob Schmidt. He had numerous other thoughts regarding his company s spinner blades. I ll share more of his comments in my next column. -To Be Continued- Attention Pro Staff Mack s Lure has several new 4 x 3 promotional banners in stock for upcoming events. If you have a need for one, please contact Bob or Bernie with your event and dates. Now is the time to plan for your Christmas Gifts and what a gift it can be by giving a Mack s Lure Gift Certificate so that special person can get the lures he or she needs. These Gift certificates can be ordered in any amount. They are the perfect gift! 3

4 To all Mack s Lure pro-staff members and guide team. Hi everyone, Daylight Saving Time Ends On November 4th I hope your fall is going well. I am receiving quite a large number of great-looking reports from our pro-staffers, and it is apparent that many of you have been working very hard as I have been reading your annual reports. We have some of the best people around the fishing industry and I always enjoy seeing the reports of your efforts. For those of you who have gone the extra mile, we will continue to have more exciting opportunities for you in I have decided to move my office into my home so this contains some important contact info changes for you. Please make note of them. The phone number will no longer be valid beginning November 1st. Additionally, the address PO Box 650 in Pine River will no longer be valid beginning November 1st. The new contact info is in my signature below. Please use this address and phone number in all future correspondence. My address will not change. The new phone number is my cell phone so please respect that, as you know that timing is important. Thanks for your consideration. I m looking forward to working with you in the future! Bernie Director of Marketing & Promotions Mack s Lure th Ave SW Backus, MN Pro Staffers! We need your photos and stories. Send your pictures of success to Mack s Lure 4

5 Bob, Mack s Lure does it again. Another great day of Steelhead fishing on the Methow river. These photos were taken on our October 12th trip. Regards, Jeff Comella Factors Affecting Lure Depth INTRODUCTION One of the frequent questions that fishermen ask about a lure is How deep will it run? This seems like it should be a simple enough question to answer because a newly designed lure is tested in the water to gauge its performance and approximate depth range. However, the depth of operation for a given lure is dependent upon several variables, which makes a precise calculation of operating depth for a particular fishermen in a specific situation a very difficult manner. Many factors can be influential in determining the operating depth of any lure. Some of them relate to the lure itself while others involve outside influences such as equipment used with the lure, method of fishing, etc. We will attempt to break down several different factors that can make a difference as to how deep any crankbait type lure will run, and give some explanation as to how and why each can be an influence. BASIC SHAPE/DESIGN OF THE LURE The basic shape of the lure will determine a range of depths, which you can expect to obtain with its use. Variations in depth between individual lures of the same type and size do occur, but this is normally a function of proper adjustment of the linetie connection which will be discussed later. The three primary functional elements of body design are: (1) buoyancy of the body cavity; (2) shape and length of the diving plane or lip on the lure; and, (3) location of the point of pull in relation to the center of mass of the total lure. Increasing the buoyancy of the body cavity by making the lure large will usually increase its stability, allowing a greater variation in length of the lip and a potential of attaining greater depth. In most cases, the bigger sizes of a particular lure will dive deeper than the smaller sizes of the same lure type. PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF INTERNAL WEIGHTS Many lures contain internal weights, which can serve one or more purposes in making the lure effective in catching fish. The most common purpose of internal weighting of a lure is to allow the lure designer to locate the lure s center of mass in the optimum position so the lure will perform as desired. An example of this would be tail-weighting of a top water lure such as the Rattlin Chug Bug to make it sit more vertically in the water to produce a particularly attractive action. Most deep-diving lures will perform best if weight is concentrated just behind the diving plane. Internal weights are also frequently added to provide rat- 5

6 tling noise intended to attract the attention of a predator fish. These rattling weights also affect the buoyancy and action of the lure, so care must be taken to assure that the addition of rattles does not destroy the desired action of the lure. Most lures require that any rattling weights be restrained within a limited space inside the lure because the movement of the weights within an open body cavity causes a constantly changing center of mass which will make the lure unstable to the point that it will not perform satisfactorily. Some lure designs, frequently called lipless crankbaits are not greatly affected by a changing center of mass. This body type permits inclusion of multiple free floating rattles, which can be very effective in attracting the attention of fish at considerable distances. The Mag Wart is highly unusual as a deep-diving crankbait in that its body design is so stable that it allows the same multiple rattle system as the lipless crankbaits. The Mag Wart has proven to be one of the most outstanding deepdiving crankbaits available. A third purpose in adding internal weights to a lure is to adjust the buoyancy of the lure to change the way a particular body design can be fished. There is little difference in the operating depth of these lure types when steadily retrieved. However, the fisherman can allow the sinking lure to reach a greater depth than its normal operating depth before starting the retrieve. In other words, you can fish the sinking lure from the bottom upward to its normal operating depth rather than from the top downward towards its operating depth as with the floating model. Sinking lures are frequently designed to sink at the approximate rate of one foot per second, which allows you to count the bait down to the desired depth before beginning your retrieve. Another objective in adjustment of 6 buoyancy may be to attain neutral buoyancy so the lure will suspend at its current vertical position in the water when forward motion is stopped. Suspending lures are designed to contain precisely the amount of weight necessary to bring the specific gravity of the lure to the same specific gravity of the water (i.e. the weight of the water displaced by the submerged lure is exactly equal to the weight of the lure itself). Exact suspension of a lure is an ideal and will rarely be achieved since the density of water varies with its salinity and assembly of the lure is not absolutely precise. Precise adjustment of a lure to function as a suspender, sinker, or slow riser, can be obtained by using the small incremental adhesive weights. Remember that the classification of a lure as a floater/ diver, sinker, or suspender is not a reliable gauge of the depth at which the lure will operate when it is steadily retrieved. BODY MATERIALS Basically, crankbait lures are made from, two main types of materials - molded plastic or wood (such as balsa or cedar). Buoyancy in wooden lures is dependent upon the nature of the wood itself but can be varied by the addition of weights implanted within the wood. Buoyancy of plastic lures is a function of the amount of empty air space within the hollow body cavity of the lure. Unless a plastic lure develops a leak so that water enters the body cavity, buoyancy should remain constant regardless of the condition of its external paint. Wooden baits, however, will absorb water if the outer paint seal is broken and this can change the way they function. As long as there is no water absorption or leakage and external weights such as hooks, etc. are not changed, both wooden and plastic lures can be designed to achieve equivalent purposes. The greatest difference a fisherman might notice between plastic and wooden lures will probably be that plastic is generally more durable. DESIGN OF DIVING PLANE OR LIP The design of the diving plane of a lure affects both the depth attainable by the lure and the attitude of the lure as it moves through the water (whether the movement is a tight wiggle, a slow wiggle, a rolling wiggle, etc.). Although exaggeration is not unknown within the lure industry, the manufacturer s description of a lure s depth and action are usually reliable. Still, there are a few generalities a fisherman can use when selecting a lure for attaining a particular depth. In general, the longer the diving plane on a lure, the deeper it may be expected to go. The angle of the diving lip, and the position of the line-tie eyelet on the lip are also major depth determinates for any crankbait. A lure with a short lip and the line-tie eyelet located above and forward of the intersection of the lip with the lure body, will usually identify a relatively shallow-diving lure. Attainable depth will generally increase if you use a larger size of the same body design. A lure with a long diving lip whose line-tie eyelet is positioned on the lip itself will probably be intended to really reach for the bottom. Here again, overall size of the lure makes a major difference as to the maximum depth attainable, with the smallest and shallowest, and the largest and deepest. Remember though, that the objective with a lure is rarely to get as deep as possible, but instead, to get the lure to the fish at whatever depth they are located. Thus, it is important to have available the proper tool (lure) to let you do your job of presenting the fish with an opportunity to strike. Remember

7 also that a lure is not always at its maximum depth and that you are fishing during the entire retrieve. Be sure to position your casts so that the downward arc of the lure as it dives from surface will position the lure at your targeted depth when it passes the underwater structure you feel is hiding your lunker fish. Lipless lures are generally categorized as shallow-running lures when steadily retrieved or trolled, although when cast and allowed to sink, they can be used to fish deeper waters. The next topics deal with factors external to the design of the lure itself, which can affect the depth potential of a lure. EFFECTS OF VARIABLES IN LINE DIAMETERS AND TYPES Other than design of the lure body itself, the biggest factor affecting depth of operation of a lure is the amount of drag caused by pulling the line through the water. The lure is always pulling not only itself toward the bottom, but also the attached line. Water dragging against the line will always cause an upward force, which must be overcome by the action of the lure. Thus, any reduction in drag on the line will result in a greater efficiency in the diving action of the lure and a greater overall depth attained. Use of a smaller diameter line will sometimes make a dramatic difference in the depth of a given lure. It can also make a dramatic difference in whether you land your fish or not, so be sure to keep this in mind. Additionally, the amount of line in the water can make a great difference in depth of operation, particularly when trolling. Depth for a lure will generally increase as distance from your rod tip increases, but this effect reverses when the additional drag from having more line in the water begins to pull the lure toward the surface. Experimentation with a specific lure when using your preferred line will enable you to estimate the operating depth at a given distance from your boat. The type of line you use will also effect the depth at which your lure performs, and variations in line type can purposely be made in order to achieve deeper or shallower operation. In general, single strand mono line will cause the least drag in the water, but variations in surface finish (whether slick or dull) will make some difference. Braided line will normally have more drag than single strand lines of the same test. Wire lines, however, are a different thing altogether, for their purpose is largely to use the weight of the line itself to pull the lure down further than its normal operating range than when used with nylon lines. Even this has its limitations, and it is a bit harder to gain the confidence with wire line so that you know the depth of your lure at varying distances from your boat. Stretching of the line is another element which should be considered as there is considerable stretching with certain lines and much less with others. Casters will find relatively little difference in depth attainment between stretching and non-stretching lines, but trollers should take this factor into consideration. Remember when choosing your line that the operating depth of your lure is not your only concern. Always take into consideration the type of fish you are fishing for, its expected size and fighting characteristics, the habitat of the fish, any structure or cover that might be present in the water, and your method of fishing, whether casting, driftfishing, or trolling. POSITION OF ROD TIP/ LENGTH OF ROD Optimum depth will be achieved whenever the beginning point from which your lure is being pulled (the rod tip) is as low to the water as you can get it. Casters will frequently dip their rods into the water, even kneeling down and stretching until their reels are almost in the water, in order to make their lures go even deeper. Trollers achieve the same effect by utilizing downriggers to lower the initial point of pull and place their lures right where the fish are. Maximum depth is not always the best depth, so you can use the positioning of your rod tip to give a real element of control to the actual depth at which your lure is swimming. Raising the rod tip quickly when your lure begins to bump the bottom can keep it from snagging, yet still allow you to continue fishing until you reach deeper water. Position of the rod tip is critical when tuning your lure to run true. Tuning is best accomplished when casting the lure. The rod needs to be kept high enough to enable you to see movement of the line to either side during the retrieve, but not so high as to cause such a steep angle to the lure that it cannot dive properly. The length of your rod simply determines the range over which you can influence the depth of operation of the lure, with a longer rod enabling you to reach either higher or lower to change the depth of the lure. METHOD OF FISHING TROLLING OR CASTING Due to the shorter distance attainable from the rod to the lure in casting, the maximum depth of a cast lure will be less than that for the same lure when trolled (with the exception of sinking lures). Remember, though, that other factors such as the amount of 7

8 line in the water and the speed of movement through the water could make your trolled lure run shallower than it otherwise might. SPEED OF MOVEMENT THROUGH THE WATER How fast a lure is retrieved or trolled has a major bearing on depth capabilities. It s often confusing to know just how fast to crank a lure. A good rule to keep in mind is to remember that maximum depth will be achieved when its diving lip is working most efficiently. Higher speeds will create more turbulence around the diving lip as the lure wiggles faster and faster. This increased turbulence tends to reduce the efficiency of the lip and will reduce its operating depth. A good practical approach to getting the best depth from your lure is to begin your retrieve with a short burst of quick reeling to get the lure down quickly, and then continue the retrieve at a moderate pace. Once the lure has achieved its operating depth, even a slow retrieve will keep it at that depth. This feature is subject to some variation according to the design of the particular lure, so, once again, you should practice with each lure type to learn its specific characteristics. 8 The proper speed when trolling a lure is very important because each of the factors affecting the ultimate depth achieved is exaggerated by the fact that the lure is at such a great distance. Obviously, increased speed will increase both the drag of the line in the water and the turbulence around the lure, making it even more difficult to know just at what depth the lure is running. Probably the best answer to knowing the best speed for a given lure type is to experiment until you feel that the lure is performing best, and then consistently troll that lure type at that speed. Remember, though, that you do have the ability to affect both the depth and how vigorously the lure swims by increasing or decreasing the speed of the boat or by sweeping your rod forward occasionally to make the lure move faster than the boat for a brief period. CONNECTION OF LINE TO LURE The best connection for most crankbait-type lures is a stainless steel snap. Normally no swivel is required or desired. Directly tying your line to the line-tie eyelet when no connection link or split ring is provided will cause erratic action of the lure unless some type of loop knot is used which will not pull down tight against the eyelet. Although some lures are equipped with split rings on the connecting eyelet for the fisherman s convenience, the double width of the split ring wire will not move as freely within the eyelet as will the single wire of the stainless snap. Any restriction in the movement of your line connection to the lure will result in improper operation of the lure ranging from a somewhat reduced depth of operation to causing the lure to roll to the side and run along the surface. TUNING OF LURES Keeping lures properly tuned, or adjusted, can make all the difference in the world in several facets of a lure s performance, including depth. If a lure is out of adjustment, it cannot reach its full potential of either depth or action. If the lure runs to the right, gently bend (do not twist) the connecting eyelet to the left with a pair of needle nose pliers; vice versa if it runs to the left. As mentioned previously, tuning is best accomplished when casting the lure, and it should be done in calm water. OTHER EQUIPMENT/AC- CESSORIES USED WITH LURES Sometimes fishermen like to add things to their lure set-up ranging from putting felt strips for scents on the lure, to adding weight, rigging trailers such as pork-rind, or with the addition of flash tail or Flashabou even changing factory installed hooks. Some of these additions help a lure run deeper while others may inhibit the lure s depth capabilities. Trolling equipment such as downriggers, diving planes, and/or trolling boards are commonly used with artificial lures. Customizing your lure can be a lot of fun, but you should always expect a change in its operating depth when you change the lure s configuration. Running a Mack s Lure Hot Wing in front might be the exception due to the ultra light weight and low drag.