Old School

[Guest]

Old school Mepps Bucktail

 

by Phil F on Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:48 pm

Been fooling with a Mepps # 4 bucktail. I have two friends who swear by them one for muskie the other for smallies. They both catch a lot of smallies on them. I cut one of the hooks off the treble and smashed down the barbs. Nice lure for working the backs of pools where the bottom starts to come up. Also good below riffles and if you slow your retrieve down you can work deeper in pools. Good weight for throwing long distances. Use a swivel as they twist your line. I might try using a split ring and putting the swivel on permanently.

Phil F

[Scott Ferguson]

The number 3 and 4 Mepps are some of my favorites. I never use the ones with the squirrel tails (they aren't bucktails). The fish don't mind and they are at least a buck cheaper per lure. I also never use a swivel. If they are twisting your line, there may be a problem with the lure. The blade should spin, not the lure. I also use Fireline all the time so line twist is not as much of a problem as it is with mono.

[John Gillio]

I've been using the size 0 - 3 Aglias for most of my life and find that using a good ball bearing swivel makes a world of difference when it comes to line twist on a mono line. I'm told a good braid cuts back on twist too.

The Mepps inline spinner is a great lure for all types of fish.

[Guest]

Scott

I remember standing down river from you on the Kankakee and you catching 2 or 3 nice fish on a mepps. I should have been paying more attention. Bucktail might make them ride higher and retreive a little slower, useful in colder water? Probably bent the shaft on the lure making it spin.

Phil

[Scott Ferguson]

It's easy to get them bent up. I started using inline spinners almost 50 years ago with a bait called an Abu Reflex spinner. In the late 80's and 90's, I was using a Rooster Tail Vibric. The bodies were cone shaped and the hole for the wire shaft was drilled off center which made it act like a keel and kept the bait from spinning.

I did a houseboat trip on Rainy Lake several years ago and we had a guide who swore by the plain Mepps #3 for smallies. Had all of his customers using them. I'm pretty sure the fish I'm holding in my avatar was caught with a plain #3.

 

I have found the #4 increases the average size of the fish caught and cuts down (slightly) on the number of rock bass. I got this walleye on the number 4 a couple of years ago on opening weekend in Wisconsin.

I rarely fish without having a couple in the tackle box.

 

[John Gillio]

Great fish Scott. I like the plain ones best also. They catch everything and don't break the bank. As Phil points out ,the squirrel tail ones can be fished much slower if there would be a need to do so.

[Guest]

Nice fish pictures. Hitting some ponds today a couple with smallmouth hope to get on a river tomorrow. i'll work the Mepps on the lifts on the river and in the shallows on the ponds.

Phil

[Guest rich mc]

I rarely see mepps used at shabbona except for the musky killers im givinga few to the high school anglers to use at the regional event friday. and a few warriorswim jigs and big hammers. rich