A-lure-ing: What are they biting today?

The Flatfish, another of those lures that have been around for a long time, looks like a piece of wood with a slight bend in the middle. It is made to be trolled, but must be fished slowly, thus it has become popular with those trolling with pop gear, which is a long string of blades intended to attract attention. They come in a variety of colors and blends of colors, including stripes, solids and polka dot.

The Gitzit is a tube lure made to slip over the lead-head of a jig. It was introduced more than 30 years ago in Utah. It has a small, round rubber body with little hanging legs that look like a skirt. It's available in more than 90 color combinations. It is made to be cast into bass hideouts, then retrieved in a slow, jerking motion.

Then, of course, there are the assortment of flies with equally unusual names and methods of use, although somewhat more simple. There are wet flies for fishing below the surface, dry flies for fishing on the surface, and streamers that are modified wet flies.

They go by names like Crystal Killer, Renegade, Adams, Blue Dun, Royal Humpy, Parachute Adams, Royal Wulff, Muddle Minnow and Woolly Bugger.

Flies are tied to look like popular fish foods, like ants, mosquitoes, stone flies, caddis, grasshoppers, worms, fish eggs and even mice.

Selecting flies takes a little more practice than picking lures. Avid fly fishermen will check to see just what the fish are eating that day, which could be newly hatched bugs, hoppers that have fallen into the water or below-surface bugs such as stone flies.

All this, of course, is what makes fishing all the more challenging. Not only must the anglers find the fish and present any one of a thousand lures and flies, but must do it in such a way as to make them appetizing.

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