lure retriever

[striker]

Do those lure retrievers really work and if so what is a good one to buy?

[RickK]

I don't know if you can still buy this one,..I saw it in a sports mag. and it said it was hard to explain how it worked so take the authors word for it it was the best out there. It is called FISH ON! and it goes down your line and graps the end of the lure eye (obviously it can't work if you have a slip sinker or something that stops it) but it works much better than the others I've tried,..(I think I have used all that have been in Bassmasters Cat.) You MAY lose a hook from the lure,..as this think really can tear it out of just about anything,...I'm going to cry if I lose it!!!

[striker]

Thanks for the help.

[gpbrown]

Striker,
Been using the one from cabelas for over twenty years. Cost around 7 bucks but has saved me/partners thousands. Pretty much a 2 man operation but can be done by yourself if no wind. Get directly over top of the snag and get line good and tight. Slip the ring over line and hand-line to the lure. Jig the the line until you've hooked up to the lure or whatever is holding the lure and bring up. Not 100 percent effective but I'd guess about 90.

[mac]

Boat control is the big factor, so like he said, it's either a two man operation or it needs to be pretty calm. Get everything under control and open the bail on the rod that has the snagged lure, so that you don't endanger a rod tip. That said, it's a great investment.

[Popeye]

I use the yellow one with the three little chains. It has payed for itself many times over. If I lost it I would go out and buy the same one again.

[JCarp]

Use a marker buoy. Wrap the weight around your line. If you want to upgrade - spool the marker buoy onto an old baitcaster with a short section of rod.

[Lund 50]

How does that work?

[JCarp]

Many marker buoy's use a lead weight that wraps around the marker when not in use. It's about 6" long and maybe a wide as your thumb. When snagged, simply wrap the weight in a circle around the snagged line and let it slide down the line the same as a conventional retriever. Very rare to not get a lure back.

Adding the reel - remove the marker buoy and spool the buoy line onto an old baitcasting reel with a short stiff section of rod. Little more convenient. Another "upgrade" is to add a big snap or "office supply binder clip" to facilitate attachment.

Same as "store bought" retrievers, lift and drop the weight til you get loose. Boat control/wind are the only downside to retrievers. You have to keep your snagged line tight (somewhat loose drag just in case of problems) and as vertical as possible while working the retriever. Gets easier with practice, but there are times when it's just not practical. I'd suggest picking a relatively calm day for your 1st attempt.

[Stump]

I'll tell you what...I have used a few different "plug knockers" and I believe the best one that I've used is my dads old sulution.Attatch a big snap swivel to the gap end of an old spark plug and bend the contact down.Get as verticle as possible and clip the snap on your line.Let the sparkplug slide all the way down and snap the rod tip a few times...the weight of the plug knocking your lure or jig almost always gets it free.Some of the old remedies really do work!Thanks DAD!
John aka Stump

[Dave S]

I have several commercial lure retrievers and my home made version works the best. I have a nylon chord wrapped around a Lindy marker. One end of the chord is tied to the Lindy marker and the opposite end has a heavy chain snap attached. I have used short sections of chain attached to the snap to snag the lure hooks with limited success. To increase the ease of hooking the lure, I have taken several pieces of orange nylon sack (the kind that onions and oranges are shipped in ) which has a 1/4" mesh and tied it to the chains also. The pieces of nylon sack will hook much more readily than any chains, is very strong, light weight, never rots or rusts, and doesn't retain any water.

The key as previously mentioned is to get a vertically over the lure as you possibly can in order for any lure retriever to work. If the heavy weight of the snap does not dislodge the lure, if you touch any of the lure with the nylon sack you can easily catch a treble hook. The treble hooks can be disengaged from the nylon sack with a pliers or in rare instances cut out with a knife if need be.