I got to thinking about this last week. Wednesday we caught two limits of 15"/16" trout trolling flashers with a night crawler. Not my favorite way to fish but it usually works and the guy I was fishing with has family members that wanted some fish.

Came back two days later: same kind of weather, same time, same area in the same lake, same rig. Skunked for two hours or so. Tied on a Rattletrap, trolled it, by itself, the same distance behind the boat and limited again with the same size fish in an hour.

It's not always my first choice but I've caught more different types of fish, both fresh and inshore salt water, with Rattletraps than any other lure.

Trolling-- a number 7 jointed rapala in rainbow pattern.

Trolling or casting. I've caught more with the Rattletrap casting.

worm, oont hook.

some sort of dry fly, followed by a diver fly

Dober

I've caught more varieties on this plain silver HOT'N TOT than anything else and on occasion channel cats will fancy taking a bite of them too...

Tube jig, the one Bass Pro calls a tender tube, in smoke color

not a lure but a hook a minnow and a sinker has accounted for walleye, sauger, shovelnose sturgeon, channel cat, snot rocket, goldeneyes, buffalo, crappie and carp....prolly a few other things ive forgotten

as for a "lure".....leech harness prolly.....walleye, sauger, snot rocket, drum, smallmouth bass, crappie, goldeneyes.....

Nightcrawler. Lure? Rebel Wee Craw moss green or brown craw. Northerns, walleyes, perch, bluegills, LM bass, SM bass, white bass, crappies, bluegills, catfish, carp, sheephead, pretty much anything loves a crawdaddy - me included!

probably this one...trolling and casting. Lakes, streams, rivers.

The floating Rapala.

Used them in various sizes since the 60s. Trolling or casting will catch a wide variety of fish.

Personally have caught largemouth, smallmouth, white bass, striped bass, yellow bass, white perch, perch, walleye, northern pike, pickerel, crappie, freshwater drum, American shad, channel cat, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, kokanee salmon, rock bass, several varities of sunfish, and even carp on one version or another.

Jigs.

Between the #7 shad rap and a 1/4 Oz leadhead jig with a yellow 3" twsiter tail it's a tossup.....both are permanent fixtures in my tackle box

Can't go wrong with that one in this area. From panfish to Pike and both types of bass found here, that black backed gold Rapala catches them all. Just put a small split ring in the nose loop to add to the action, then very the retrieve.

In the faster warm water streams here the size 0 to size 2 mepps plain copper spinner gets alot of attention once spawning is done.

In Canadian lakes, about even between a Johnsons Silver Minnow and a Daredevil in the red and white or yellow and red diamonds.

Lately the various leadheaded jig/swim shad combinations have caught everything from white perch, croaker, blues, weakfish, redfish, sea trout, and stripers in the brackish water of the lower Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay in general.

The one fly to not go without in fresh or Saltwater around here is a Chartreuese over white Clouser minnow. We have caught everything in the area on these.

I must agree with Deertracker and fyshbum, the 3" Rapala and maybe a Panther Martin will catch just about anything in freshwater.

I pretty much only fish for trout. Popgear and worm has always equaled success when trolling where I usually fish. If I want to try and catch something bigger I really like using a flat fish.

Casting from shore I've had good success with a red and white dare devil.

Lots of good suggestions on here though.

White Marabou jig

plugs and spoons

I fish with two poles. One with a crawler and another with a lure. The crawler catches the fish, and the lure gives me sonething to do in between.

Berkely power grub in yellow or white 3''...catches everything that swims....

If I was limited to one lure, I would reach for a white single blade spinnerbait, HANDS DOWN! I've caught everything from bluegill and rock bass, BIG largemouth and smallmouth, to northern, and tiger musky!

#7 Rapala Original Floating black/silver. Everything from crappie, a few species of trout, LM and SM bass, all sorts of stuff.

Fyshbum

At least you didn't give away the whole secret og catching fish and left one of the top 3 list out.

MEPPS-game over.
Yellow Perch
Crappie
Sunfish
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Northern Pike
Lake Sturgeon
Shovelnose Sturgeon
Bullhead
Channel Catfish
Musky
Walleye
Sauger
Rainbow Trout
Brook Trout
Brown Trout
Steelhead
Cutthroat Trout
Silver Salmon
Pink Salmon
Chum Salmon
King Salmon
Sockeye Salmon
Dolly Varden
Arctic Char
Grayling
Speckled Trout
Redfish
Irish Lord
Black Rockfish
Dusky Rockfish
Quillback Rockfish
Olive Rockfish
China Rockfish
Starry Flounder
Rock Sole
Pacific Halibut
Kelp Greenling
All of these species I have caught with a Mepps spinner and there has to be a dozen more that have slipped my mind. This has got to be on the top ten of all time greatest lures.

If I could have only one lure to fish I'd take a Blakemore Road Runner.

Hello. I'm new here. Great site. Thank you having me.

I mostly fish for peacock bass in the tropics. By far the best lure I've had is the little Torpedo with a propeller on the back. White body, red head popper. A killer.

On the ocean, fishing for dolphin and sail fish, Island Lure, white body, red head.

A white and red lure ought to be a required piece of gear in any survival pack.

If it's fly fishing - fishing wet with a nymph and trailer.

trolling from a boat - Gold panther martin.

fishing from shore - crappie rig with crawlers and corn

Small (about an 1 3/4") white twister, on a flouresant orange 1/4 jighead from crappies- pike, and sunfish- channel cats.

Panther Martin 1/8 oz.- black body gold blade.

lure

This, but they don't make them anymore. Next is a purple and white tube jig. miles

It was my second time through this thread when it dawned on me that ice fishing for trout our secret weapon years ago was a "Dickey Pearl". We'd tip it with a few maggots and man did we catch fish with it. But alas, as all things go away so did the Dickey Pearl. Gone forever except for the couple dozen put away in a safe spot!

I would have to say any jig or red devil spoon has accounted for many fish

I would have to pick trolling with worm harnesses.
I tie my own when the urge hits, and have over 300 tied up (great time killer when you can't get out to fish).
Here's some I tied today...



We usually use them for walleye (9.75, 9.5 and 4 pounds)


But we get a lot of lakers (28#)..



Smallmouths (+/- 5#)..



and have caught a lot of large perch 12"+ when trolling for walleyes.

I hate trebles, but once you replace it with a good single hook, a krocodile will take both fresh and saltwater fish with aplomb.

F11 Rapala

My best is the Rapala Husky 13. Discontinued and a collector, but I have many.

In the South the plastic worm is king for bass. I have caught many large trophy bass on a Thinfin & the Rattletrap is a great general purpose lure. Also, caught lots of pickerel on Mepps spinners.

The truth has been spoken. (I would also add, from personal experience) that a much higher hooking percentage will ensue if you remove the protective plastic tubing that sometimes is run up over the point and barb.)

It took some looking, but I found one

Alabama rig!!

i set up a small tackle box with only the top producing lures i had in it, just a grab and go.

roostertail spinner green and yellow
yellow twister tails and 1/8 oz jigheads
4" rapala floating minnow
4" rapala shad rap
couple minnow harnesses with spinners
couple bobbers and small worm hooks
small red and white spinnerbait

if i can't get a bite on those, i leave cuz they ain't biting lol

Roostertail inline spinner is probably #1, white if stuck to one color.

Roadrunner jig is probably tied with a plain jighead and tube.
Colors on the tube jigs...everything from obnoxiously flashy to dull. If I had to stick with two, it would be all white, and all purple. Colors can make a difference though.

I tried a lot of diff colors on jig heads before I just decided to paint them all red, or go with no paint.

Add a floating Rapalla, and I'm good for about 90% of what I'm fishing for. If I need more than that, the fish aren't biting good enough to be fished.

Plain old 1/8 oz bucktail jig w/1/0 hook in black-brown.Bass,crappie,carp,striped bass,catfish,bream, and gasper goo(drum).Best all round lure witer or summer and anytime in between. powdr

You just saved me the work of typing it out myself.

Tube Jigs.

Bottom bouncer w/ Lindy Rig Chartreuse float w/minnow. (Live Bait)

About even between a Perch color or Chartreause Rapala for castin.

"What lure have you caught the most types of fish on?"

Blue/white Rapala. By far the most varied species on a single artificial.

But live bait fishing is my favorite.

Mepps #2 with brown squirrel tail and brass blade. Other colors and sizes can work better depending, but as a duz-all proposition that one.

1/8 oz Blakemore Roadrunner.
PoP- R
4.5" Yamamoto Sinko
1/8 & 1/4 oz.Lucky Strike Finesse Football heads with Zoom Finesse worms
5/16 oz. Eakins Round head with a scented Chomper Trailer
3" Sweet Beavers
10" Berkley Power Worms9 If you fish brush pilescand main lake points

4" senko, wacky

White roostertail and the smallest floating rapala.

A 3" twister tail with a # 4 hook with a 1/4 ounce sinker. Best smallmouth bait on earth for small rivers. Also a #7 rapala.