Lures

Question
Hello,

I am wanting to buy lures for my husband for Christmas. Which ones do you recommend for the winter. He fishes in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. I believe the kind of fish is crappie, large mouth bass, trout and wallie. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated. I just have no idea what to buy or what colors.

Answer
Hello, and thank you so much for the question. I apologize for the late response as its been the busy part of the year for me at work.Fishing in winter would require ice fishing tackle this time of year, unless you live in the southern part of the United States. If you live up north, some simple jigs for ice fishing would work, especially for crappie. Most guys use live bait when they ice fish. Because I'm not sure of what part of the country you're in, I'll try to give a good guide line for lure selection. Now if you want to pick out lures for open water, crappie is really simple. Try to get small lures like the original Rapala, stay within anywhere between 2 to 4 inches in length for those. Small jigs, bobbers, lots of crappie tackle is almost like bluegill fishing, bobbers, hooks, the guy at the tackle store should know how to help you make a good selection. Largemouth bass, this is something I know about. Keep in mind, I'm speaking of open water, and during spring to late fall, when most bass fishing is done. Because bass in mostly in heavy cover, some great lures would be.....topwater frogs, any top water bait, like poppers, walking lures, like a Heddon Zara spook. Crank baits is a great lure selection, try to get a variety,  shallow to deep, most manufacturers have the depth of how deep the bait will run. Spinnerbait are a good selection, try to buy different blade combinations. I would dive into soft plastics, but I want to try to keep this simple for you without being overwhelming. Walleye, once again, being open water, weight forward spinners, crankbaits, are good picks for walleye. As far as color goes, if he fishes dirty water, or dark water, go with bright colors, or black, black/blue combinations.  Now if the water he fishes is clear, go with colors that are more natural, like dark greens, or black/silver. Nothing bright and flashy for clear water. I hope this helps you out, if you need more detail or any more help, please shoot me another question.  Have a Merry Christmas,  and thank you for letting me help.