I really don’t know how I would make it on a reality TV show like Survivor, but I suspect they would vote/kick me off the island pretty darn quick, primarily because all I would want to do is fish.
Some things never change!
But no kidding, if I did end up somewhere remote — in the famed Middle of Nowhere — and I had only one lure to take with me, do you know what it would be? It would be a black 3/8-ounce Booyah Spinnerbait with a silver No. 5 Colorado blade.
Why black? The color black, or even a shade of black, holds its identity better than any other color regardless of whether the water is muddy, murky, dingy or clear. The same is true in bright conditions or low light … day or night. Black is always much more visible to bass. I know because I have caught a ton of bass on these baits in near countless conditions.
Also consider this: bass sense vibrations and scents in water, both of which attract the fish to its prey; but the final straw is sight. They have got to see the bait or lure. I mean I may smell a steak on my neighbor’s grill. And I may even hear it sizzling, but unless I see it, I am not going to get a bite. (No wonder my neighbor has such a high fence!)
Seriously, sight is the predominant sense for bass. Believe me, they can see anything pretty good even in muddy environment, but I think they can see black best … or at the least, they see it much better than white, chartreuse or other colors.
OK, so why did I choose the lure in the 3/8-ounce size? Sure, all the other weights for spinnerbaits have their place, but 3/8 ounce is more universal. It casts better and you have more control than with the other traditional weights for spinnerbaits.
As for my preference for the silver No. 5 Colorado blade, well, it provides more flash. Silver reflects more light than any other shade or finish on a blade. And the Colorado design offers more resistance in the water and therefore more vibration than a willowleaf blade or Indiana-style blade.
You can also work a Colorado blade much slower. You can slow-roll it, free-fall it, etc. You can do many things when working this bait, and all of them slow, and that’s often what’s needed, especially during tough fishing conditions. Again, I have caught a lot of fish with this bait, including times when there was ice in the water.
Also note, however, I never said this was my favorite bait. I am just saying, if I only have one choice, and I need a lure that is most likely to get bit — no matter the conditions — I gotta go with the black Booyah Spinnerbait in this one style and weight. Call it Ol’ Reliable if you want.
And even then, all things considered, should me and some black spinnerbaits go missing for any length of time, remember that I do want to be rescued. Send out a search party ASAP. You better believe I want to get off the island before “the tribe has spoken” and they embarrass me by voting me off.
For more words of wit and wisdom from one of our sport’s greatest legends, check out www.billdanceoutdoors.com.