Buying the lures...

[Matt Fleming]

Ok, the musky bug has hit me full swing. Extremely exciting fishing. I guess my question is, I am still fairly new to the sport and adding to my collection of lures. What is the best place (in terms of price, selection, etc) online or available in a catalog (dont tinhk ill make it to wisconsin anytime soon) that you can purchase lures from? Most stuff i have came from Bass Pro-shops but thier selection of lures is very limited. C'mon experts. Give me a few tips. Thanks for any and all help, Matt

[Phish Freak]

Rollie & Helens www.muskyshop.com you cant go wrong with Rollie

[Tom B]

This is the time of the year that many Muskies, Inc. chapters have lure swaps. While you will find the occasional dog at a swap, alot of times there are people that have switched lure preferences (gone from jerks to hair, for example) and you can find many good deals. I would also check the swap board here, on Muskie Hunter and ebay.

If you want to buy retail, check out Thorne Bros, Reeds, Mills and Gander Mtn, they all have good selections with occasional specials that are too good to pass up.

Tom B

[HerbB]

Matt,

First, be sure to have all the necessary equipment to land a large fish, a good rod and reel, and go from there. I'd recommend starting with some basic lures like what you'll find at Gander Mountain or Fleet Farm. I'd recommend getting lures like the following: Baby Shallow Raider, Baby Depth Raider, Ernie, Jake, TopRaider, a Giant Killer bucktail, Buchertail 500 and 700 bucktails, Harrasser Bucktail, and then go rent or buy a copy of Joe Buchers volume 2 video collection and watch it a couple times. That will get you started.

Good luck.

Herb

[btpf]

Without a doubt get it at www.muskyshop.com

You cant beat the selection anywhere.

Not to mention how fast they ship the stuff.

Order your stuff and when you come home from work a few days later.....

Smiley face time. :)

[ToddM]

http://www.trentu.ca/muskie/muskiehotlist.html

This site has a ton of links and a ton of places to buy lures. You can spend days on it.

[Matt Fleming]

Thanks a lot guys. The info is good and most likely my purcahses will come from muskyshop.com I have spent all evening on the site! You guys are a wealth of information. I already have a few bucktails, in black, chart, and a funky suirrel hair with white under fur. One thing i have done is take methods that I have a lot of confidence in, and transfer them over. For bass and hybrid stripers and walleyes, I used a lot of Bomber Long A's and I have confidence in this bait. So i got the Long A Magnums. 2 to be exact. Had a small muskie follow me in while burning a smaller one for walleyes so im sure this one will work. looks good in our clear water too. Also, I tie flies. Have several 8 inch or better flies for follow up's if i see a big one and dont connect. Made a few huge bucktail spinenrbaits too for smashin the weeds when they pop up this summer. With a few suicks, a walk-the-dog topwater (another confidence bait and a lure im good at working) and a depth raider for when i get lazy I should be set! thanks guys.

[tomcat]

visit www.jacksonlures.com they have really good deals. Be prepared when you call Rollie and Helens...the majority of guys who answer the phone "pretend" they don't know the diffence between a Suick and and BullDog. Their shipping is over priced, as most place are. If you call them, be prepared w/ a item # or whatever it's called or your order will take about 100 time longer. Leave the small talk to yourself, they don't want to hear it. Get your questions answered here on the message board or from friends, you won't get much help from the musky shop. try www.jacksonlures.com Ed jackson is good guy w/ good deal and even better shipping rates. Sign up for is monthly special too. thorne bros is MN is been a great place for me to pick up some great baits as well. Don't get bent out of shape w/ the Rollie & Helens info, i'm just sharing my experiences. also, some of the bait companies will sell them direct (muskymania.com) ect...you can't have too many lures.
keep it reel
tomcat

[Otter]

Personally, I'm pleased with Rollie and Helen's. Large selection, ship fast, and I don't think their shipping is overpriced. Not a commercial for them, as I also order from Thorne Bros. and am pleased with them.

[MuskieKid]

Good question. In terms of selection, Rollie and Helen's has always been very good for me. I recently bought some items from Smokey's Musky shop. They also have a great selection of lures. If you're looking for something special (custome painted) check out Stan Durst, Durst Products-he does a great job at a very reasonable price. I have links to all of them on my catalog page.

I might add that the service was great for all of them.