LuckyCraft Lures & Halibut —
- Thread starter Ken Jones
- Start date
I do a bit of lure fishing in San Francisco Bay. From boats, Lucky Craft are effective, but most of the places I fish from shore are snag risks and I use swimbaits or hair raisers. For the price of one LC, I can easily have three swimbaits, including the jigheads, and stay on the water. I don't have the budget where I can stock up on LCs, which range from $12 to $20 each.
From the surf, "safer" and (I think) yields more large fish. Good SoCal lure.
When I first heard about Lucky Craft lures, years ago, my friend had just bought one for $15. He is the most skilled fisherman I've ever wet a line with. Also one of the luckiest. We were in Santa Cruz on the surf and his first cast with this lure went SNAP! Gone beyond the reach of waders and all hope. We continued fishing. A half hour later a kayak beached and its owner walked up to my friend and wordlessly handed him the lost Lucky Craft. True story!
Good depth read for halibut, Ken. Most of it applies to clearer, oceanic water (and bait species) but the shiner part was excellent. I once caught a nice halibut on a bait you got because you knew where the shiners were. I fished it at the same depth and a good fish was measured, photographed, briefly admired, and released.
I think I got that one beat. A few years ago while fishing at Fort Point (Torpedo Wharf), a young man was using his prized "LC" to plug for stripers from the pier. On one of his casts, SNAP GOES THE LINE and his lure goes sailing away heading east with the current.
In a panic, the guy hands his rod to one of the other fishermen and dashes off the pier and down the shoreline trying to keep track of the lure as it's being pulled away by the current. He eventually catches up to the lure, which was now about 70 yards east of the pier and about 40 yards from shore. At that point he strips down to his shorts, and dives in! And yes, he was able to swim out and get his "baby" back.
I'm with the Wanderer on this one, it just ain't worth it.
In a panic, the guy hands his rod to one of the other fishermen and dashes off the pier and down the shoreline trying to keep track of the lure as it's being pulled away by the current. He eventually catches up to the lure, which was now about 70 yards east of the pier and about 40 yards from shore. At that point he strips down to his shorts, and dives in! And yes, he was able to swim out and get his "baby" back.
I'm with the Wanderer on this one, it just ain't worth it.
I like the discussion here. Agree the LCs can get snaggy especially if you keep the treble hooks. They can always be swapped out. Somehow I've not yet lost one, though I've gotten close. I usually test the waters with something else (like a swimbait) to identify snag points and then use the LC. When I return to those spots I know where to cast next. I have, however, cracked one open on the rocks. It had caught some keeper stripers so I figured I'd gotten my money's worth.
Personally, I actually am more confident with LCs than swimbaits because of the floating action. With swimbaits I'm just not confident or skilled enough yet in feeling out the water depth and retrieval speed accurately, and thus actually feel more prone to snags. But with LC Flash Minnows I know I'm 1-2 feet under water at all times.
Interesting. FWIW I find that these floating models are terrible from an elevated pier (unless we're talking about a different LC model other than the Flash Minnow). The angle just doesn't work.
Personally, I actually am more confident with LCs than swimbaits because of the floating action. With swimbaits I'm just not confident or skilled enough yet in feeling out the water depth and retrieval speed accurately, and thus actually feel more prone to snags. But with LC Flash Minnows I know I'm 1-2 feet under water at all times.
Interesting. FWIW I find that these floating models are terrible from an elevated pier (unless we're talking about a different LC model other than the Flash Minnow). The angle just doesn't work.
Lures from piers are a challenge. Some people like inline sinkers to keep the offering at a desired depth. It's worked for Heddon or Excalibur crankbaits and jerkbaits in the past. When I throw Rat-L-Traps from a higher elevation, I sometimes have an exaggerated drag so the lure travels a little slower and stays down. For swimbaits I stepped up to a 1oz jig to maintain proper depth from piers or ledges. I prefer single hook lures because the Bay is notorious not only for snags but for ubiquitous seaweed, especially eel grass, and treble hooks seem to find that green salad way too often.
Two more points.
1)The right lure for you is the one that catches you fish. Confidence and comfort are crucial to presentation and success. It's the old saying: if It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It. The time to switch lures is when you lose faith in the one you are using (or see others achieve success on different offerings). During a "dry" spell I will practice with alternatives, which helps alleviate boredom as well as perfect technique and augment my arsenal.
2)I found that having the drag somewhat loose is a good way to prevent permanent snags. As soon as I feel the obstacle, I'll stop rather than impale the lure even more. More than half the time this allows me to retrieve my lure intact. It also prevents a snapped line when a fish strikes savagely. But you have to be aware and pay attention.
yes lure are about confidence and their value is how you value your experience and time. Its risky if you are not accustomed to lure fishing. But if you are into fish and your time and energy is valuable to you then a 25dollar lure is worth it when you also spend 40 dollars in gas, 8 dollars at starbucks and 65 dollars a month for internet
Yes i agree this thinking is sound. So many anglers act like their time is of no value and pinch pennies in places where it makes no sense. I'm not much of a lure fisherman. Just haven't developed the confidence in them. I like the idea of lure fishing. Seems clean and elegant but I'm much more confident fishing bait. If I want part of the experience of lure fishing, I'll move my bait through the water.