best lure retrieval system?

[crankybait]

im trying to find a way to make sure i dont lose many lures. i saw the EZ lure retriever at BPS online. has anyone tried these? i need the best thing i can find for under 15 bucks

[WTL]

If I were you I'd just make something. A lot of people have used old spark plugs rigged up with some snaps. All the lure retrieval systems are is a weight that you slide down your line to a hung up lure, jarring it loose.

[va_basser]

I've heard fellas making them from an old bed spring and tire balance weights..cost next to nothing.It ain't pretty but it works

[islandbass]

I agree with wtl and vab.

While lure retrievers do work, you can save yourself some $$.

Here is a pic of one that I made with just a lead weight. It gets down fast and works. I am going to get a cheapy spinning reel to aid in the retrieval.



Just a lead banana weight and some snaps and you're in business!



What's weird is this. Before I made it, I was losing lures galore. And not that I made it, I have only needed to use it once. Go figure!

[crankybait]

i see. and what if the retrieval thing gets stuck too? i think i may just slide a snap with a sinker on it down my line. would that work?

[Rebbasser]

Yep, but it is a good idea to make several. Sometimes it takes more than one to bang it loose.

[crankybait]

ok then, ill use the sinkers i found at sandy hook beach. theyre like a pound each. then ill just put it on a snap

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Be careful or you'll be retrieving broken cranks!

[crankybait]

are cranks that weak? and also, when a crank is stuck, itd usually get stuck on the first treble, since it dives headfirst. what if the retriever gets stuck on the second treble?

[Rebbasser]

If you have a 1 lb chunk of lead slamming into a 3/8 oz. piece of plastic-you can figure that one out. I use a 1 oz. bell sinker-never have had to use more than 2.

The key, though, is to get on top of the lure-as verticle as possible before you drop the weights.

[crankybait]

so id hold my rod tip high as possiblle? i think i got an idea, using an old corkscrew

[crankybait]

hows this?

[Rebbasser]

Only one way to find out.

[zooker]

i use this with crank baits.


i use a telescopin pole for those doh! cast that land in trees..

zooker

[Rebbasser]

I use the same one Zooker does-matter of fact he was the one that showed it to me.

[flfireman]

Someone else posted a contraption using a saltwater/beach weight. It had several brass/copper tines sticking out of the top. One was bent into a loop and attached w/ a clasp. Looked pretty functional. Ill admit I use the BPS version. Not perfect, not good for getting through heavy grass or if theres a lot of branches in the way. But for the most part it's already paid for itself in retreiving spinnerbaits and ratltraps.

[crankybait]

hmm. ok, well i guess i can compare. zooks version looks easy to make, and pretty cheap. and also, would you let the line slack, or keep it tight while you send the retriever down?

[zooker]

cranky
3/4oz casting sinker and clasp. you bounce the the weight with your rod tip. sooner or later i will knock the bait loose. chunkandwind show thisone to me. worked suprisingly well...

zooker

[crankybait]

oh, thats pretty cool. i think ill try finding the stuff next time i go to dicks. do you have complete trust in these? they seem so great, im wondering why they arent sold in stores.

[Bass Ackwards]

I need to get one of those telescoping poles for my float tube, I’ve been cleaning up on finding other peoples lures but using a telescoping pole will be truly useful. Thanx for the idea Zooker.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Cranky, you slay me. The folks who make the $15 lure retriever probably just want to sell inexperienced anglers inexpensively made products and make a nice profit, which is what makes capitalism work. I'm impressed with their design and am sure it works quite well. That being said, you're blessed (as am I) to have found such a great forum to correspond with so many experienced fisherman. I lost so much money to the water before meeting a friendly fisherman who showed me how he dealt with the problem.

Some would call me obsessive when it comes to losing tackle. I've gotten wet, bit, shot at, hospitalized from slipping on slimy rocks, and literally gone out on a limb to retrieve tackle. My lures, bobbers, plastics, and hooks, no matter the expense, must be returned! If I see someone else wouldn't climb or swim for their stuff, I do! My friend told me last spring "Dude, I'll buy you a dozen of those if you don't try climbing that tree." I took the offer and he kept his end of the bargain. Two days later, I fished there again and couldn't help myself. That Rat-L-Trap was taunting me! I climbed, bent the twig my way and barely had the time to slap those hooks in my palm as I fell in the water. Is that obsessive?

[JB]

Best lure retriever I've found yet.............

[Bass Ackwards]

how much and where do you find it?

[crankybait]

wouldnt that be slavery? anyways, i think ill mess around with a few designs to make a sureshotretriever

[JB]

Best thing about her, she finds lures, has a bassboat, and can clean crappies! rofl