Is the lowly little Rooster Tail!

I've caught so many different species with it. Crappie, Sunnies, Redear, Warmouth, Sauger, Bass (Up to and including a nice, fat 5# that bent one of the hooks.)

Yesterday, I caught a nice 3# Channel Cat to add to the list of species.

One of my favorite lures.

Spinners, Rooster tails, Vibrax, and Mepps are the Go-To lures in the box

I've got a jointed Rapala that outfishes all my other lures. Going to be a sad day when I loose it. My friend had a magic Rapala once and lost it. Bought the exact same model but wasn't nearly as effective. For whatever reason, some lures just have that little extra something I've found.

I’ve got a Berkley Frenzy topwater, like a spook, in the most ridiculous color you’d think. Plus it’s huge, twice the size of your average topwater lure. I bought it at BigLots for 50 cents about 14 years ago sort of as a joke. They had a whole rack of them all the same size and color, and thinking they wouldn’t work I only bought one. Absolutely the most effective topwater lure I’ve ever fished. It is covered in tooth marks and knicks from being bounced off logs and rocks. I’ve lost it on fish 3 times and always found it a few days later floated to shore.

I've probably got 60 -70 spinners in my tackle box. Rooster tails, Mepps, Vibrax and Panther Martin's in various sizes and colors. These days I catch more fish on soft plastics and don't fish the spinners as much anymore.

Were I limited to one, it would be a road runner.

Small "safety pin" spinner baits - with a loop, not that damned "R" bend.

Bingo! Caught all different species on these. Usually chartruese body with a Flo red head for me.

ONE, versatile lure ?
A Rapala, jointed J-7 in sliver/black.
Catches everything from bluegill and crappie, to large and small mouth bass and all kinds of trout.
That being said, it seems that different waters and different times of the year, different lures work better. Even different times of the day, they seem to prefer different colors and sizes.

The past few years the Rapala X-Rap has been pretty good for me on bass and trout.

Must be a West Coast thing. We're only about 4 hours apart... Caught all of the above with said lure...

A crappie jig made by my nephew. I’ve caught a ton of bass, crappie and perch on them. Even caught a catfish on one too.

https://www.brushlunker.com/collections/frontpage/products/sunset-rubber-tail-jig-1-16th-oz

Its called the dance of death. Those lures are not to be borrowed.

Mepps, 1/8 ounce white spinner bait, small silver rapala are tied for first.

Got a buddy that fishes the jointed countdown rap—nothinelse—catches everything that swims in these waters. 90% of my casting for brook trout is with a bronze and red 3/5 oz little Cleo.

Add me to that list. Been using them for over 45 yrs.

I don't think anything can match a well worked jig, sized to match the species and conditions.

Rooster Tails black, brown in all the weights

The hot lure today was this gold/green/orange J-9 "Brook Trout" pattern.

Rapala:

Northerns
Pickerel
LM Bass
SM Bass
White Bass
Brook Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Lake Trout
Whitefish
Sunfish
Crappies
Sheepshead
Bonito
Mackerel
Carp
Suckers
LN Gar
SN Gar
Flathead Catfish
Channel Catfish
Clams
Muskies
Walleyes
Buffalo Fish
Perch
Sauger
Sturgeon
Dogfish
Eelpout
Eel
mooneye

I think that's most of them

rapala minnow, size 7. runner up is rooster tail in red and green

My love is fishing for pan sized trout in small creeks and lakes. When I'm not fly fishing, my lure of choice is a size 2 panther martin in black and gold. These seem to work on smallmouth, too.

whoops. i meant size 9 rapala

Got a sheitload of Rapalas and the gold and black or silver and black are my favorites. Gold and black for brown trout, silver and black for everything else. Little cleos are absolutely deadly too for whatever reason the action on them is dynamite. Blue/silver for steelhead and trout, gold in bigger rivers.

My go to lure to 5.

Panther Martin. Usually Yellow body, orange blade.

Super Duper. Use it to catch trout, bass, bream, crappie and anything else that swims in the local ponds. Amazing lure.

I think Mepps spinners, Roostertails and the 1/8" oz. clip on jig spinner baits have caught the most varying species for me. Pike ,Muskies to panfish .I even caught some groupers on the mepps.....
My most favorite lure though is an old white and red Zara spook , when pike or muskies hit it it is a thriller!!!!!

P.S as far as any lure , I think the elk hair caddis in various sizes has caught more pounds of fish, trout , panfish , bass and more then a few chain and grass pickerel.........

Curly tail on jig in whatever color or size that's appropriate. Can add safety pin spinner to turn it into a spinner bait.

Second would be kast master spoon, preferable one with bucktail.

If limited to only one lure for anywhere in North America, any kind of fish, fresh or salt, it would be a lead head jig as the most versatile lure in my tackle box. I like marabou but soft plastic is probably more versatile.

Steelhead, salmon, walleye, pike, bass, crappie, channel cat, trout, bluefish, stripers, sand bass, perch, kelp fish, albacore, halibut, rock cod, bottom fish... a lead head jig works for pert near any fish that is predatory for part of its diet. One mid sized jig will catch all of those except the smallest perch.

But who wants to be limited to one lure, even if it is a favorite? My favorite way to fish is a Vibrax spinner in rivers. In salt water and big lakes for salmon and trout my favorite is a Dungness Stinger salmon jig, a lead minnow. I love buzz baits in late summer for topwater pike. The take may give you a heart attack!

Dan, I am admitting my shortcomings, but I cannot catch fish on a rooster tail. A young friend with me Sunday caught nice brook trout with a yellow rooster tail, and they are the favorite of several friends of mine. For whatever reason, I do not fish them well and though I have a few I rarely fish them anymore. Ditto for flatfish. Small flatfish are the favorite of a friend who is an excellent trout fisherman, but I can't catch fish on them, apparently don't have the knack to run them in a way the fish prefer.

It is a curious thing how much confidence in a lure makes it effective.

I'm not sure if you an call it a lure, the old straight hook would be my answer.

Beetle spins

1/8 oz Joe's Flies spinner in black wooly worm. Its a fish catcher but a line twister even with a swivel.

Plus one on Rooster tails...

All good lures mentioned but id have to go with a 2 - 2 1/2" white jig.