Making a Case for Glow
By Adam JohnsonThe crappies were biting, but not on what I had tied on. They were biting on a bait that had a glow option. You've seen these lures. You give them a blast with a little blue LED light and they emit a colored glow that is supposed to last for about 30 minutes and attract every fish within the confines of the lake over to the lure for a closer look.
My partner who was sitting right next to me was using a red-glow jigging spoon that he had tipped with a minnow. I dug in my box and found a green-glow lure that didn't come close to resembling what he had. Did it work? Even better.
I started outfishing my buddy by two to one at least. Where I was crying moments before, now my fishing friend was digging in his box for a lure like mine. Fortunately I only had one, so no lifelong feuds were started. My fishing buddy has three of every lure ever made so it wasn't long before he was catching fish right along with me.
Glow lures work well in dinghy water and when you're fishing at night. They also work great in the day when you're fishing deep and the light's not penetrating the water way down where that lure is resting.
A glow lure needs very little action because it already has that built-in attraction. That doesn't mean you just want to let it rest. A little twitch now and then can add to the attractive ability of the lure and convince a shy fish to take a look.
If there have been any conditions that have caused me to switch from a glow body to one without glow I cannot remember what that might be. I truly have not discovered where a glow lure can be a hindrance to the presentation at this point. I have targeted crappies, bluegills, walleyes, perch and pike with glow-finished lures and all of these species seem to generate a positive response to the glow properties of the baits Ive dangled in front of them.
Many anglers that have the ability to ice fish are discovering the value of a glow finish on the lures they use. Open-water anglers can benefit as well.
When you're swimming a jig with a grub tail through a stump field in the back of a dark-water bay big bass and crappies can key on that glowing jighead.
When you're vertical jigging a big school of crappies that are sitting over a sunken brush pile in 25 feet of water the subtle red glow of a jigging spoon tipped with a crappie minnow can keep those fish biting long after t hey might have quit touching a standard lure finish.
I've even started using a glow-style hook on my live-bait rigs when I'm fishing those deep walleyes in the reservoirs. There's something about that glowing nose on that nightcrawler or leech that generates a bite.
Good for ice fishing, good for open water, and good under any conditions. Add a little glow to your program and see if it works for you.
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