Question 1:  My Husband has a tackle box full of lures.  Why does he need more?

Here are the top reasons:


1)  Lures don't last forever.  Fish are most often found near weeds, rocks, logs, and other underwater cover.  The fisherman must put their lures into this cover to catch fish.  Unfortunately, this means lures will get snagged and lost.  Other lures will be lost when large fish make off with them.  Still other lures, such as plastic baits, wear out quickly and must be replaced.

2)  Fish are cold blooded.  This means in cold water they will be sluggish, and must be tempted by more natural and slow moving baits such as Lindy jigs or Zoom Flukes.  In warm water, flashy and fast moving lures such as the Booyah Buzzbait or Rapala Shad Rap will work better.   The fisherman needs many types of lures to handle various situations.

3)  Fish may be feeding near the surface, which requires lures that float or sink very slowly.  At other times fish will stay within inches of bottom, requiring diving or sinking lures.

4)  At times a certain color lure significantly outproduces all others.  In clear water, natural colors may work best, but in stained water bright colors such and orange and chartruese may work better.  It pays to have a wide variety of colors on hand.

5)  Lure size can make a big difference.  In the spring, small minnows and crayfish are the predominant food for gamefish.  By fall, all the baitfish and crayfish have grown significantly.  The fisherman needs lures in a variety of sizes.

6)  It is very likely he has many lures that he never uses.  Sometimes a lure looks good in the store but doesn't seem to catch fish.  Once the fisherman loses confidence in a lure, he will rarely try it.  It will just sit in his tackle box.

7)  The lures that work best for Walleyes will not work as well for Pike.  Each gamefish has different tendencies.


Question  2:  How do you choose the lures to include in each basket?

I have enjoyed fishing for over 30 years and during that time I've tried thousands of lures in hundreds of different lakes and rivers.  Over time I have developed an appreciation for which types and brands of lures catch the fish I'm going after.  I'm no professional angler, and I'm not sponsored by any manufacturer.  That leaves me free to include lures that have been successful for me, no matter who makes them.

Sometimes you have to pay a little more to get quality, but not always.  I've been on fishing trips where the Rapala minnow has outfished similarly priced minnow lures by Rebel by a ratio of 4 to 1.  You can bet when I go fishing I reach for the Rapala first.  That's not to say Rebel lures are all bad.  They make a diving lure called a Deep Wee-R that at times is great for bass, northern pike and even crappies.  When it comes to jigs there are dozens of manufacturers that produce nearly equivalent products, so there is no need to buy the most expensive.  As a teenager I learned that bass love the cheap plastic worms I found at K-Mart for a buck a package.  I personally don't think you need to pay $6 for "top brands" such as the Senko worms.  I had to learn all this the hard way, but you can take advantage my successes and failures.  

These days there are lots of TV shows where the hosts tout various lure brands.  You can bet they are paid well for their recommendations.  I personally tend towards lures that have been around for years, often many decades. They don't survive that long without catching fish.  Example include Mepps spinners, Eppinger Daredevles, Fuzz E Grub jigs, and the aforementioned Rapala.  I only S-L-O-W-L-Y add new lures to my list of favorites, as they prove themselves.  The Zoom Flukes are an example of a newer lure that has won me over.


Question 3:  Why did you decide to start a business selling Gift Baskets for fisherman?

I often wished someone would help me pick lures that will work for the type of fishing I want to do.  Lures are expensive, averaging around $5 each for a Rapala or a Bomber, and can be over $15 for large musky lures like the Lindy M&G Spinnerbait.  I always hated spending good money on lures that looked good but didn't catch fish for me.

Some manufacturers create "packs" of their lures and give them designations such as "Bass" or "Walleye".  But since all the lures are from one manufacturer they don't provide the variety needed for all situations.  Sometimes you will see tackle boxes pre-loaded with a variety of tackle and these can be fairly inexpensive.  But what is included is generally a bunch of cheap junk.  No man really wants a pile of hooks, sinkers, bobbers and off-brand lures.  Time spent fishing is precious, and a fisherman won't waste it trying equipment of questionable quality.

I searched the internet for gift baskets designed for fisherman, but they were really boring.  First, a man has no use for a wicker basket.  Second, he may like choco-doodles and fish-shaped chocolates, but he isn't going to jump for joy at a basket of them. Finally, gummy worms really have nothing to do with fishing and honestly show a lack of imagination.  I knew I could do better.

Seeing that there was no one currently providing packages of quality lures, I decided to take a shot at filling the niche. I decided all my lures would be packed in tackle boxes or utility boxes that can be used for years to come.  I also decided to include only lures I use myself, whatever they may cost.  I am not about to skimp on quality to offer low cost baskets.  It is silly to spend hundreds or thousands on boats, motors, gas, lodging, boat launch fees, rods and reels, and then try to save a few dollars on the fishing lures.  Finally, I use professional quality shrink wrap and decorative shred to make the baskets very attractive as gifts.

It helps that I love fishing lures, and always have.  The wide variety of types, styles and colors make them interesting to buy, use, or just collect.  If you don't believe me, search eBay for collectible fishing lures.  Since lure models tend to come and go, lures that go out of production can become quite rare and valuable.   Heck, even the EMPTY BOXES for some lures fetch good prices (and I'm kicking myself for not saving the boxes from 30 years ago!)

Question 4:   I don't know what kind of fish he likes to fish for.  Which basket should I choose?

My baskets are organized by the type of fish.  If you aren't sure what kind he fishes for you could probably just ask him.  Most men would not suspect anything if you asked them.   Most likely they would be happy to talk about fishing!  You may also be able to find pictures of the sportsman with his fish, and compare those to the pictures found on this site.  But even if you cannot determine what type of fish, don't let that concern you too much.  A rule of thumb is that in the South, the largemouth bass is king.  If he fishes in the south you pretty much can't go wrong with the Largemouth Bass Gift Basket.  These lures are excellent quality and often can be used for other types of fish as well.

In northern states, besides largemouth bass you will find walleye and smallmouth bass are quite popular. Walleye and smallmouth bass prefer clearer, cooler water than largemouth bass.  They can both be caught on very similar lures in many cases, however the walleye lures are typically a bit larger.  If he fishes in the north, you can't go wrong with the Walleye Gift Basket or the Smallmouth Gift Basket.

The Northern Pike and Muskie Gift Basket is quite specialized.  Only order this one if you know he hunts these large predators found mostly in northern states and in Canada.  The lures are large and will not be useful for smaller types of fish.

Salmon are most often found in the Great Lakes of the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and the Northeast.  These large silvery fish are often caught by charter boats trolling on large bodies of water.  Here is an idea:  If you can find his fishing license, check to see if he has a "salmon" stamp attached to it.  This is a dead giveaway that the Salmon Gift Basket will be a hit!

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