Lure fishing depths

Question
Hello chris I'm  have a little problem ive been fishing for about 5 years now and in that time ive bought a huge amount of fishing lures, and my problem is i have no idea at what depths my fishing lures will go and i have no idea on how to determine their depths, it would be nice to be able to mark them on how deep the go Is there anything? Thanks for your time

Answer
Hi Kris.  

Very sorry for the delay.  There was an error in the system, and I never received your question until today.

Some lures have the depth stamped on the underside or side of the lure itself.  However, most do not.  The best reference is the lure package itself.  If you no longer have the lure packages, you can do one of many things:  go back to the store where you purchased them - or find the same lure at a different store - and check the labels there; the package should say the depth range, or it may say "sinking."  In the case of a sinking lure - as in bayou boogies and rattle traps - you simply "count down" to the desired depth.  However, some rattle traps and the like are floating lures and thus will have a specified depth range.  Also, a little less accurate way to determine depth (for billed lures) is to see how long and how slanted is the bill of the lure.  Generally, the LONGER the bill and the LESS downward slant of the bill, the deeper the lure will go.  Shorter, more slanted bills are shallower.  With some practice, this will become second nature.  However, I suggested "referencing" them with the lures at a store first.

One last suggestion is for the amount of lures that you say you have.  The more lures you own, the more confusing it becomes to select the proper lure for any given situation.  I have been fishing my entire life and own only one tackle box about 20" X 15" that I use on a regular basis - And I generally only use a select few of these lures.  Try to identify what situation each lure is best used for and organize like lures together in this way.  It will make you a much more proficient angler.

Good Fishing!
Chris "Evin" Carter