Walk into any tackle shop and you can find lures ranging from old school to off the wall. Some look just like baitfish, others look like dead chunks of plastic, and still others look like nothing found on planet Earth. The weird thing is, most of them will catch fish to some degree at one time or another—even the ones that appear to be designed purely for shock value. How many have you gazed at while walking down the isle? How many have tempted you into parting with your hard-earned cash? And more importantly at this very moment, just how well do you know your fishing lures? Let’s find out (and no using AI!!).
1. What kind of zany lure is this?
A. A moon jig.
B. A shad dart.
C. A squid jig.
D. That’s not a lure, it’s a blowgun dart.
2. What’s the most common difference between a twitch-bait and a jerk-bait?
A. There isn’t one; it’s purely a matter of how you retrieve them.
B. Twitch-baits have a lip while jerk-baits don’t have one.
C. Twitch-baits don’t have a lip while jerk-baits do have one.
D. Twitch-baits are neutrally buoyant while jerk-baits may be buoyant, neutrally buoyant, or negatively buoyant.
3. What classic lure is over 50 years old, was invented in America, and is still sold today?
A. The Swedish Pimple.
B. The Mepps Aglia.
C. The Shikari Suspender.
D. The Deschambault Dogbone.
4. This offshore lure is called:
A. The Green Machine.
B. The Green Death.
C. The Tuna Clone.
D. None of the above.
5. Who invented the Lefty’s Deceiver?
A. Lefty Gomez.
B. Frank Ruggiero.
C. Lefty Rosenthal.
D. Bernard Kreh.
6. Which spoon isn’t shaped even remotely like other spoons?
A. The Blue Fox Super Duper Spoon.
B. The Eppinger Daredevil Spoon.
C. The Acme Phoebe Spoon.
D. The Yellow Bird P285 Doctor Spoon.
7. This spoon is rigged with a single hook on the top and no hook on the bottom. This style of rigging works best for:
A. Vertical jigging.
B. Meat jigging.
C. Slow-pitch jigging.
D. Speed jigging.
8. Which of these is NOT an actual fishing lure?
A. The 3D Suicide Duck.
B. Mousey McMouseface.
C. Bucca Baby Boy Bull Rat.
D. Tyrant Dictator Creeper.
9. What kind of jig head is this?
A. A G-Eye Jig.
B. A Froghead.
C. A Spearpoint.
D. A Berkley Fusion 19.
10. What’s the biggest difference between an umbrella rig used for striped bass, and an umbrella rig called an “Alabama” rig?
A. Striped bass umbrellas are trolling rigs, while Alabama rigs are cast and retrieved.
B. Umbrellas used for striped bass usually have four or six teasers, while Alabama rigs have eight to 10.
C. Alabama rigs usually have spinners as the teasers, while umbrellas used for striped bass have plastic shad or spoons (“Spoonbrellas”).
D. There is no difference; they’re the same thing.
Bonus Question: Which fish can be caught on a lure with no hook: white marlin, or gar?
A. White marlin.
B. Gar.
C. Neither
D. Both.
Answers
1. C. The squid’s tentacles get tangled in the little baskets at the end so you can reel them up and get squirted with ink. 2. C. Although you can find some labeled differently in the stores, most called twitch-baits don’t have a lip and most called jerk-baits do. 3. A. B would have been a good guess, but Mepps spinners originated in France, not the US of A. 4. D. It’s a Green Machine knock-off, but the real thing has a very different head. 5. D. If you got this one wrong you get an automatic F on this quiz, because Bernard “Lefty” Kreh was undoubtedly the most famous fisherman ever born in Chesapeake country. 6. A. It’s a rectangle with a bent end that makes it wobble (sort of). 7. D. For the other forms of jigging a hook on the bottom usually works best. 8. It’s a trick question—these are all actual names of fishing lures on the market today. Give yourself the point, tho, as there’s no way any sane person could have known. 9. A. These heads are among the most expensive, but it’s hard to argue they’re anything but the best. 10. A. These are popular in some areas for largemouth bass fishing. Bonus Question: D. In both cases lures with fine filaments that become snagged on the rough surface of the fish’s bill and/or snout can be used to effectively catch these fish.
Scoring
10+ - You should open your own tackle shop.
8 – 9 – You have a solid knowledge of fishing lures.
7 and under - It might be time to overhaul your tacklebox.