MAGIC LURES AND SECRET BAITS FOR BASS
The Search for the Magical Bass Lure
 EDITOR'S
NOTE: Once while walking along the white, sandy shores
of the Gulf of Mexico, I stumbled across an unusual
looking bottle. Captivated by the beauty of the bottle,
I decided this container would make a unique flower
vase for my wife. However, as I rubbed the water stains
from the glass, it quivered in my hands and began to
shake. The cork popped off, and a beautiful genie appeared.
As I told myself that this only happened in story books,
there she stood in her harem robes. When the genie asked
me, "Oh, master, what is your heart's desire? I'll
grant you 10 wishes and be your slave for the rest of
your life," I decided I'd hit the mother lode.
However, not wanting to appear too greedy, I thought
I should ask for something that would help all mankind.
As I wondered what would be the one wish that would
pay the biggest dividends for my friends for the longest
time, I received my answer like a bolt of lightning.
I looked at the lovely genie and said, "I  want
1-million dozen of a magical bass lure that will catch
trophy bass on every outing and large numbers of bass
every time it's cast." She crossed her arms and
blinked her eyes. In her hand, a lure appeared. Behind
her was an acre of cardboard boxes filled with lures.
Quick as a flash, I climbed on top of the cardboard
boxes, ripped open the lid of the top box and grabbed
a lure. As I looked at the magic bass lure, I felt myself
falling off the boxes. Then with a heavy thud, I hit
the ground. When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in Gulf
Shores, Alabama, on the beach but rather was on the
floor of my bedroom with the covers tangled around my
head. The genie and the magic bass lure had been only
a dream. However, at least for one second, I had held
the lure all anglers seek as we search for a secret
bait that will cause bass to go on a feeding frenzy.
Thousands of dollars are made each year by lure manufacturers
who believe they have produced such a lure. Many  anglers
swear by baits they claim will produce bass under any
weather or water conditions. Even though pro fishermen
won't admit to having magic baits, they do use the words,
confidence lures, to describe these baits instead of
the word, magic.
The first magical lure I ever fished was a hard, plastic,
black worm with white spots produced by the Creme Lure
Company - one of the first plastic worms ever made.
That black worm with white polka dots consistently produced
more bass for me than any other lure I fished for a
number of years. Another bewitching bait at that time
in the 1960s was the Rapala - a lure so deadly and hard
to find that sporting-goods stores in Mississippi once
rented each Rapala out for $25 a day. I know because
I rented one. Although the Rapala was ordinary looking,
it seemed to mesmerize bass and cause even bedding bass
to explode on the surface and  inhale
the lure. Even in the middle of the summer when no other
lure seemed able to produce bass, the Rapala would call
a limit to your line.
Then the Slug-Go worm, a large, soft-plastic lure that
darts across the surface like a Zara Spook, has caught
fire and been viewed by many to be the latest magic
lure on the market that enchants bass. But what causes
a lure to be magical? How do you find and use a magic
lure? How long does a magic lure's spellbinding characteristics
last? Can you make any lure in your tackle box magic?
Let's find out this week.
TOMORROW: WHAT CAUSES A LURE
TO BE MAGIC
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