What lure or bait was your most productive last year, and what was the color? Under what conditions were you the most successful at catching fish? To really fuel the fire, where did you catch the most fish last year? By answering these couple of questions, I tried to choose my favorite lure. It would be easy to have a list of lures and associate each with a location and condition. We could be here all day talking about my book of hotspots. But I've scaled down my list, and decided to choose one lure, and my favorite location for fishing.

Deciding my favorite fishing location was an easy choice. The important aspect was not the geographic location, but the approximate time. First, there is sunset, or dusk when temperatures drop and the night feeding begins. Next there is mid-day when the sun is high, temperatures are high, and the fish are low and hiding. Nighttime fishing is good because nocturnal feeding occurs, and crowds are scarce. Finally, all that remains is sunrise or dawn. Sunrise or dawn is my favorite time to fish. Getting up in the dark, prepping rods while trying to eat, and getting to the hotspot at daybreak is all part of this small window of fun. The lake/river is calm, and probably has fog or mist rising with each increase in daylight. Fishing at daybreak gives me that sense of individualism, yet also being part of nature and the surroundings.

Daybreak is the time that I tie on "that lure" and watch the action. My rod/reel combo of choice would be a St. Croix rod matched with a Quantum Baitcasting reel. The lure choice for this moment is a topwater plug, preferably a Storm Chugbug. Storm makes many color choices, but for consistent results, I like the bass pattern in 3/8 ounce. I start out by sneaking up on a particular point, and decide where to place the first cast. I admit, I'm doing this as I shut the boat down, and rig up. As the trolling motor goes into the water, I'm casting to the chosen spot. The chosen spot would be over a narrow point, adjacent to a main lake point. A couple of quick rod twitches causes my bait to dance, and then my chugbug is engulfed in a boil. What possible reason could that bass have to hate my lure?? Hate or love, I don't care, the fight is on, and I plan to win. After a great struggle, I land a beautiful bass that could win a tournament. I admire the catch, then release the guy to fight again. The three easy steps to my catch were the quick twitch of the rod, the surface boil, and then the fight. There is nothing like watching the calm surface erupt into a boil of frenzy. I have had many fishless days that have been recouped with the occurrence of one big surface boil. It's that unexpected visual action that lures me to topwater fishing.

Despite my favoritism towards topwater fishing, you can enjoy similar fishing on your favorite spot. The routine occurs every morning, the sun rises, and the bass begin feeding. This morning bite doesn't last long, but it consistently is available to fisherman. Next time out, fish topwater at daybreak and wait for the results. That's my description of a favorite lure and location. It would be nice to have 12 months of open water, but I do enjoy the change of seasons. We now have a small window for icefishing, but soon we'll have open water. When spring hits, don't call me at sunrise, I'll be on the lake throwing a Chugbug.