When it rains,

When it rains, it pours. 
When I buy lures, my boxes overfill.
It seems a dozen is a good unit to pick up lures at a time, but soon later it turns out to be decent enough for life-time fishing.

I like these big minnows, too. Yes, Bomber Long-A's.
I've used 15A lures for more than 30 years, but have never tried 16A's and 17A's for bass fishing. I'm afraid these are too big, but I'd like to try them in Lake Biwa.

More Florida lures

Speaking of Florida lures, you cannot discount Jim Pfeffer baits. I've just got some Plastic Bananas that my friend has been strongly recommending. The green head/back one looks very beautiful, though I'm not sure if the 2-piece card box is a correct one (marked #120*) for the color. I can say the faded belly color of the frog looks either "yellow (#102)" or "white (#109)", but supposedly "white", as the yellow paint of the frog pattern on the back is brighter than the belly color. The red head one with red spots is well fished and just in fishing condition. I like the fish flashing color, too.

* The code of green head/back color is found to be #108, so the box is incorrect. 
   Now, I'm wondering what color #120 is like.  

PS: After writing this article, I went out for fishing early in the morning, but got skunked again. I went there just to breathe cool air and watch wild birds...

Today's tackle: ABU Ambassdeur 5000 De Luxe, Fenwick SP634 (custom), Stren 14lb (Low-Vis Green), Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Jim Pfeffer Banana, Rebel Jumpin Minnow, etc. 

BF=3/7

Eger (Rhoden) stickbait

I recently bought a bunch of Florida lures, which include many 3-hooker stickbaits made by Eger Bait (later Rhoden). I didn't know of the correct name of them, but now find 'Dolphin'. All of them are without boxes but in mint condition, and I guess the previous owner collected them very carefully. I love Eger's color petternings, especially striped ones with dotted eye shadows. I got two matching ones with my Sweet 16s, yellow (orange) with black stripes (color #1604) and yellow with red stripes (#1602). Unfortunately, Eger was bought by Luhr Jensen in the early 2000s, and then Luhr Jensen was also bought by another company.

Factory Sample Zara Mouse

Presumably, this bait is a factory trial production (prototype) of Zara Mouse lures. Marketed ones were first sold in the early 1990s (1991?), so I can imagine that this bait was made in the late 1980s or a little later.

The same body as Meadow Mouse is used, but the line-tie eye is different. On the belly and tail, it has holes for hooks, but nothing is marked on the body surface. The fluorescent red eyes are carefully painted, much more carefully than marketed ones, but the tail slit looks roughly hand-filed.

I'm very happy to get it in my collection. I'm afraid this bait is not good for fishing because of bad attachment of single weedless hook, but it is a good collectible lure.
 

Overlooked lures

These are not so popular here in Japan, and have been overlooked. I like them very much and they're very beautiful collectible ones.

Fishathon Bait MFG Co. Dizzy Floaters

Older tack-eye ones

  

Newer recessed-eye ones

Got skunked

I have little time to spare today, but went fishing just early in the morning. I could field-test many lures, but got skunked. Only one bite I got was with a MH Custom Lure's Walkin' Minnow.

Today's tackle: ABU Royal Gold LE, Fenwick Boron-X custom, Stren 12lb (Low-Vis Green), Heddon Original Zara Spook, Zara II, Chugger Spook, Storm Shallo Mac, Mann's Mann Dancer, Bowfin, etc.

BF=3/6

What I recently got

These are what I recently obtained. I've just sharpened or changed hooks of them, and am looking forward to casting them as soon as possible.

Mann's Mann Dancer and Bowfin

 Storm Shallo Mac, which Retrom strongly recommends

Who's next?

I hope to catch a bass with a Zara Spook or similar sort of lures next time.

Heddon Magnum Tiger

I feel much better in my low back now.
I went fishing early this morning and visited three ponds. Maybe because of heavy rain we had last week, it got muddy and I got skunked in the first and second ponds. 

In the last one, I didn't feel I could catch a bass, either, and I almost gave up seeing a face of fish today. However, I finally got a bite in a reedy area and caught a small bass with a Heddon Magnum Tiger (L, perch color). I struggled but was happy with the fish.
In spring, minnow-like lures really work fine even when fish were slow.

Incidentally, I'm now running out of my stock of Stren Hi-Vis Gold lines in 12lb and 14lb, and mainly use Low-Vis Green lines. Green is also good, but I had hard time to tie a lure in the dark. Hi-Vis Gold and Clear/Blue Fluorescent are much better.

Today's tackle: ABU 5000 DL, Fenwick 2053 (Fenglass Lunkerstik),Stren 14lb (Low-Vis Green), Heddon Big Bud, Zara Spook (NLT), Original Zara Spook, Chugger Spook, Magnum Tiger, Big Hedd, etc.

BF=3/5