The LURES THAT GOT AWAY

THE LURES THAT GOT AWAY

It’s been well documented that I am a member of fishing lures addicts anonymous. I can’t hide my problem nor can I resist having fishing lures around me. I love finding, handling and using new lures. Fishing tackle are perhaps some of the most beautiful pieces of art created. Not only does it provide visual beauty but it also give promise, hope and a new edge for the possibility of success. Everyone who knows what they are for pictures their favorite huge, scarred, trophy fish coming up from the hidden depths, who after turning its nose up on dozens of other opportunities, finds this lure irresistible. Driven by an insatiable desire to strike at the thing of beauty moving through the water in its own unique way, it hits the lure at incredible speed and force but the razor sharp hooks dig into its lip true and the fight of a lifetime is on. Then you come back to earth, dig deep in your pocket and pull out a marble, a jack and the last $1.79 you had saved from your paper route and gleefully take it to the counter. The fish to come was half way there.

These days I still have the same dream and I dig deep into my pocket and pull out a marble, a half chewed stick of gum, some lint and the $9.79 that I had saved from wastefully falling into my 401K. The only thing that has changed is that now I pay attention to lure rumors. Rapala bought out Storm lures in 2003 and there is still controversy about pre-buyout Storm lures vs. post-buyout Storm lures. I’ve got my favorites and those I stay away from. Favorite molds, types of weights, types of hooks and of course, colors.

I’ve used lures for more things than just fishing. I’ve also adorned them upon my hats during my younger days, partly to have one handy in case I stumbled into a plum bass pond and mostly to attract females. Like a male orangutan’s or robin’s bright colors, those pretty lures drew them in. During that phase, I was hanging around Columbia University with some friends trying to have fun at parties. Most of the kids talked of looking out for the little guy and the working man and the girls thought my lured hat was awesome. When they found out that I wasn’t being ironic, that I actually used fishing lures and was honest, “No, I’m not in pre-law, I’m here visiting a friend.” They didn’t seem to think my lures were so cool anymore nor was the working man, in person, regarded as fondly as the idea of one. Oh well. It is a good thing they never saw my pickup truck.

I used lures to decorate my truck, too. It wasn’t all about the glitz-the lures had functionality. For example, I had a black jitterbug holding up my visor, which was very handy if I stumbled into a bass lake during a full moon. You don’t even need to keep your sun visor up during the evening so it was a win-win situation there. Some people keep a survival stash materials like a weapon, money and a lighter on them when they traveled. I always kept a trusty niti trout killer stashed in a handy place just in case I stumbled into a bad section of a trout stream somewhere.

I am a well-rounded guy; I do have other interests and collections than lures. I also keep a large store of bobbers (known as “strike indicators” to the fishing elite) around my personal effects and always within viewing space and arm’s reach. I kind of over looked the beauty of bobbers until I was a little older only appreciating their functional value until as recently 1987. Maybe if I had some bobbers handy, the folks out in New York City would have accepted me.

You can’t really clip a bobber on your person anywhere; they are more for holding keys or dangling off a shelf when not giving away bites. However, a strike indicator can be snazzy when attached to a hat or a vest. I have to admit though that I still like them best when they are being pulled under water.

Like other members of the game and fish pursuits, I still lament the great lures that got away. Stumps deep in a lake are one thing. I’ve been known to dive down the line pretty far for a good stick bait that I caught fish on. It’s the lost favorite lures to crabs fishing in tidal waters that I still miss. Then there are the ones that were separated from the line by big fish; seldom do the fish give them back.

I don’t blame fish for keeping lures. They are beautiful pieces of art and more. Unlike traditional Picasso’s and Rembrandt’s paintings, lures are art that can keep perfect balance and wobble on the retrieve, can traverse the bottom or the surface of the seas. After a long day of observing the mesmerizing beauty of the intersection of man and fish, the angler falls into wondering if it is art imitating nature or nature imitating art.

See you along the stream