Fishing Rods – What is the Best Fishing Rod to Buy?
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Spin Rods
Spinning fishing rods are most often used in freshwater locations, although you can buy heavier rods for saltwater or boat use. Spin rods are designed to suit an eggbeater style reel and are used for casting and retrieving lures and baits. Many general purpose rods are called spin rods. It is likely that if you want to do a little river fishing, some pier fishing, or maybe light boat fishing that a spin fishing rod may be your best choice. Spin rods generally have lengths of 1.6m to 2.4m.
Surf Rods
Surf rods tend to be the longest fishing rods, and they are usually quite heavy in construction and weight too. They are long to assist in casting bait and sinkers/tackle from the beach out into the surf. Also, you can catch quite large fish with surf rods (maybe even shark) so a rod with plenty of strength is required. Surf rods are designed for eggbeater reels, overhead/conventional reels and sidecast reels. They are typically 3m to 4.2 m in length.
Game Fishing Rods
Game rods are used for game fishing in deeper saltwater. They are designed to catch large pelagic fish, and typically designed to hold fishing line of 10/15kg up to 37kg in strength. Game rods are thick and do not bend very easily. They will often have a gimbal fitting on the butt section so they can be used in a game fishing harness or chair. They will often have one or more ‘roller’ guides instead of regular line guides.
Fly Rods
Fly fishing rods are designed to catch freshwater fish, most usually trout, halibut or salmon. They are between 1.8 and 3.6m in length, and have a thin ‘whippy’ blank. They are designed to hold fly Fishing Reels and are predominantly used for freshwater fishing (although some people now use larger heavier rods and flys for some saltwater fishing too).
Boat Rods
Boat rods are probably a sub class of spin rods, but are shorter and heavier in length, designed for the rigours of saltwater fishing. They may be short to medium length (1.6 to 2.1m in length) and be able to hold line weights of 10 to 20kg. In Australia for example, boat rods are used for snapper and shark fishing, and may be designed to hold overhead/conventional or eggbeater style reels.
Construction
Most rods are made of either of 2 materials, fibreglass or graphite.
Fibreglass rods are hardier, can usually bend more, and cheaper. However, graphite rods can offer better ‘feel’ and now thanks to improving technologies, can be quite tough and resilient too. Graphite rods are usually more expensive.
Value/Quality/Brand
There are many brands of fishing rods in the market these days. Some brands are known worldwide, others are local to a country or region, and there is a growing number of very small brands due to the ease of importing product directly from factories and agent sin China (eg, home eBay businesses).
The fact is most rods in the world are manufactured in asia. Usually in China. The big companies/brands all use very large and sophisticated factories. Smaller brands either use contract factories or piggy back onto the top tier factories. there are many rod factories, so quality can vary. We recommend sticking to well known brands and retailers in your area that can offer support, have good product knowledge and can offer good value too.
Look for good reputable retailers, and do some price research before buying.
Trolling For Rockfish
Trolling is the preferred angling method for those targeting striped bass (a.k.a. rockfish) during the spring and fall seasons on the Chesapeake Bay. The two primary areas that are the focus of this article are the recommended tackle and techniques required to catch rockfish.
TACKLE: Over the years we have experimented with many different setups some that worked well and some that didn’t. Below are my recommendations as to what works best.
RODS: For your planer board rods I recommend a 6 to 6 ½ foot 30 to 50 pound class rod. The rods need to have a gimbal and a solid set of guides. Stay away from guides with ceramic inserts. Roller guides are not required and a likely sign that you over spent. We use offshore angler’s power sticks which are available from bass pro shops and should last a lifetime. Cost is around $90 per rod. All of the required characteristics for your boat rods are the same except I recommend a 40 to 60 pound class rod because your boat rods are going to typically be used to troll relatively heavier baits including in line sinkers.
REELS: For your planer board reels I recommend Shimano Tekoda 700′s and for the boat reels I recommend Shimano Tekoda 800′s. When you get the reels you will want to adjust the reel handles out 1 place to the farthest position as this will give the angler more leverage on the fish when cranking the handle.
LINE: For your planer board reels I recommend 50 pound test mono either clear or dark green camouflage. I tend to stay away from the high visibility lines when fishing the Chesapeake Bay. I also typically do not put braided line on my board reels because braided line has a higher propensity to slip out of the scotty clip. If you prefer to use braided line on your planer board reels, and many folks do, then I recommend at least 80 pound test to ensure the line does not inadvertently slip out of the clip. For the boat reels I recommend 65 pound test moss green power pro. I also have no problem spooling a couple of the reels up with monel wire. I grew up using wire and we still catch plenty of rockfish on wire line each season. As for your leaders I recommend 60 pound test fluorocarbon but given the cost any clear or low visibility monofilament will suffice.
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LURES: We use mostly chartreuse and white tandem rigs with parachutes affixed. We also use umbrella rigs. Our tandems are typically 2 to 4, 4 to 6 and 6 to 8 ounce combos with 9 inch shads attached. We typically use products produced by local outfitters. For more information as to the specific companies and brands we use please contact me via email at the email address given below and I will provide you several folks who can meet your needs. I should point out that we do adjust our trailing baits quite often and have found that green and chartreuse tomic plugs, made in France, work very well. Also don’t be afraid to use a crippled alewive or tony accetta spoon either.
THE SPREAD: We run 21 lines from a 35 foot Carolina Classic express sportfisherman with a 14 foot beam. I know many a charter captains who run many more lines than that. My philosophy is simple. Troll as many lines as you’re comfortable with. Mitigating factors should include the number of accessible rod holders you have, your vessel’s beam width, and your crew’s experience level. The last thing you want to do is compete against a charter boat. Most charter boats run 2 trips a day and deploy as many rods as possible because it greatly increases the odds that they can return to the dock with happy customers in time to pick up their next party. Your typical fisherman that is out there for the love of the sport shouldn’t need a 140 feet span of planer line and 30 rods deployed to catch rockfish.
PLANER BOARD MATH: At the onset of your fishing day you need to stagger your distances and weights as you need to find where in the water column the rockfish are feeding and adjust your trolling depths appropriately. Be careful not to put your heaviest lures to the far outside position on your planer boards because this increases the likelihood of a tangle when the bait is struck. We typically work lightest to heaviest without significant weight variation on our board lines. I would not recommend deploying to the planer lines any tandem with a combined weight in excess of 14 ounces. We recommend you leave the deeper running heavier rigs for the boat rods not the planer boards. When deploying your planer rods be sure to adjust the bait’s distance behind the boat appropriately remembering that the farthest bait out if struck and pulled from your clip will drop the farthest distance behind the boat. For instance, if your planer board is tracking 100 feet a beam of your vessel and you drop a bait back 120 feet and then run it all the way out to the planer board when struck you will have the fish 220 feet behind the boat. Why is this important to note? Because you must be careful to adjust each additional line you put out on your planer board line to ensure appropriate separation. If you fail to do so you’ll spend more time sorting through tangles than fishing. For instance, given the example above you would not want to put the next bait 140 feet behind the boat and send it to a position 80 feet a beam of your vessel because if both baits get struck at the same time the 2 fish will be right on top of one another exactly 220 feet behind your boat. At that point the only distance separating the 2 fish and the 220 feet line spans is the horizontal distance between the respective rod holders.
BOAT HANDLING: At the onset of your fishing day we recommend a trolling speed between 3 and 3.5 knots speed over ground. For some inboard vessels this means you may need to have a trolling valve installed. As a short solution you can use a sea anchor to slow your speed but this is not a good permanent solution and represents another potential obstacle anglers must avoid when landing a fish. You want to pay particular attention to your trolling speed and note at which speeds your having more success. On a slow day don’t hesitate to adjust your speeds. Our basic principle is the colder the water temperature the slower we troll. In the winter months we’ve trolled as slow as 2 knots and caught fish.
FINDING FISH: Work the channel edges in a zig zag pattern from one side of the channel to the other until you locate the fish. Depths from 35 to 80 feet are most appropriate. We often drop our boat rods back a little farther when we are in the middle of the channel and adjust them appropriately as we reach the channel edge. Your really not looking for fish but rather bait as where there is bait there is bound to be fish. Pay attention to diving birds and large schools of menhaden you might see on your sounder. Mark the larger schools and don’t be afraid to circle back over those marks repeatedly from multiple directions.
KNOW THE TIDES: If readers take one thing away from this article it should be the importance of knowing your tide information. Always have a tide chart on your boat and be sure to make note of the high, low and slack tide times for your area before departing the dock. Rockfish always bite best on an ebb or flood tide and are much less likely to bite on a slack tide. If you don’t have a full day to put into your fishing effort make sure you plan your departure time to avoid fishing in slack tide conditions.
Buying the Right Fishing Rod
Fishing Rods come in a massive variety. You can buy fishing rods for fishing out of a boat, in freshwater, in rivers, for fly fishing, off the beach, off the rocks, for overhead and spinning reels and a huge other list of different applications. The trick is to get a rod which is going to fill the requirements of what you are doing. You wouldn’t go and buy a racing car to go four wheel driving, so likewise don’t buy a beach rod and expect to take it out in the boat with you.
Fly fishing rods are very different to standard fishing rods, and overhead reels make rods different too (although some rods can work both ways with an overhead or spinning reel). Buy a rod that is in your budget, but that is going to do what you want it to. If you only go fishing a few times a year then perhaps getting that nice looking graphite rod is not a good idea; knock it only a few times and you are up for a whole new rod. Fiberglass rods are a great start as they are strong and long lasting. It doesn’t matter if you drop them either; unlike the very fragile graphite rods!
What is most important in a rod is usually the length and composition. For fishing off the beach the bigger the rod the better (but don’t get anything over 15 foot) assuming you are a fully grown adult. Kids are better off using small rods for the beach as they are easier to handle. Freshwater fishing, fishing off the rocks and fishing from a boat can be done with a smaller rod, but boat rods tend to be a little less flexible (depending on what you are trying to get!). There is a huge variety of rods that you can get, but you should get the help of someone who is experienced when you walk into a fishing store.
Buy the Award Winning ‘Esca Lures’ online at http://www.innovativefishingtackle.co.uk/
About the Author
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Surf fishing lures
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saltwater surf fishing rods and reels + lure bag and lures!!! daiwa shimano $650.00 |
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VINTAGE POINT JUDE SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $450.00 |
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Daiwa Pluton 200HL Left hand reel surf bait lure fishing salt water fresh wate $350.00 |
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Fenwick PS 105 10.5 ft Surf Saltwater Fishing Rod Reel Lures Ranger Water Boat $299.99 |
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VINTAGE GAMSBY WIG-LIT SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $195.50 |
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VINTAGE EMMERSON & RUHREN SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $187.50 |
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VINTAGE SNOOK BAIT CO. BABY WEASEL NY SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $127.50 |
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VINTAGE SNOOK BAIT CO. NY SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $125.00 |
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VINTAGE CAPT COLEMAN’S NEW THING SQUID SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $76.00 |
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VINTAGE GOO GOO EYES SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $66.00 |
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Vintage Point Jude Cutlass 13/4 oz Fishing Lure – Mackerel/Surf (T 5) $60.00 |
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VINTAGE SIGNED STAN GIBBS SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $56.55 |
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Aquaskinz Small Tall Fishing Lure Surf Bag $54.95 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $52.01 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $52.01 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $51.01 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $51.01 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $51.01 |
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VINTAGE GOO GOO EYES SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE $51.00 |
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Vintage South Bend Surf-Orene 963F Fishing Lure in Original Box $50.00 |
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Aquaskinz Small Fishing Lure Surf Bag $49.95 |
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VINTAGE CAP’N BILLS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER WOOD FISHING LURE $44.87 |
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VINTAGE ATOM SALTWATER SURF STRIPER WOOD FISHING LURE $38.77 |
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VINTAGE MASTERLURE SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $38.00 |
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VINTAGE KRYSTOCK CONNECTICUT YANKEE SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $37.66 |
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Vintage small Blue streak swimmer salt water striper surf fishing lures $36.99 |
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Old Vintage South Bend Surf Oreno Fishing Lure $36.99 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $36.88 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $36.88 |
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VINTAGE DANNY PICHNEY SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE $36.00 |
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VINTAGE WOOD FISHING LURE SOUTH BEND SURF ORENO METAL STUDS 3-3/4″ STRIPED $35.99 |
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Vintage South Bend Surf Oreno Wood Fishing Lure RARE Antique Collectable Tackle $35.95 |
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VINTAGE FLOYD ROMAN SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $35.51 |
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Vintage South Bend Surf Oreno Fishing Lure Collectable found in RARE tackle box $35.21 |
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2 Vintage Blue streak salt water striper surf fishing lures $35.00 |
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VINTAGE FLOYD ROMAN SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $31.00 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $30.99 |
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VINTAGE BLUE STREAK SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $30.00 |
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Life Is Good Mens FISHING LURE Short Sleeve SS – Small SURF Green $29.95 |
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Life Is Good Mens FISHING LURE Short Sleeve SS – Large SURF Green $29.95 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $27.66 |
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VINTAGE FULLER BROTHERS SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $26.00 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $25.00 |
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Vintage Blue streak Large Squid salt water striper surf fishing lures $25.00 |
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10 Vintage Tin Squids Surf Lure7- 1 1/2 Butter Fish 3- 1 oz F-14 (F-B) $24.95 |
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18X New Generation Quality Surf Poppers Fishing Lures In 3 Sizes Gift Box $24.66 |
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VINTAGE WOOD FISHING LURE SOUTH BEND BEST OF LUCK BABY SURF-ORENO GLASS EYES $24.00 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $23.50 |
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CUSTOM RURU SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $23.29 |
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Life is Good Mens “FISHING LURE” S/S Crusher T-shirt -Size -LARGE-NWT-SURF $21.99 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $20.50 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $20.50 |
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VINTAGE KRYSTOCK CONNECTICUT YANKEE SALTWATER WOOD STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $20.49 |
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Vintage Mint Blue streak swimmer salt water striper surf fishing lure $20.00 |
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Cap’n Bill Streamliner salt water striper surf fishing lure $20.00 |
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Vintage Mint Cap’n Bill Streamliner salt water striper surf fishing lure $20.00 |
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2- New Surf Fishing Lg. Sea Slugger 4 1/2Oz Pencil Popper plug Lure (FC) $19.95 |
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Custom Wood Saltwater Striper Surf Fishing Plugs / Lures/ DANNY BL.HERRING #19 $18.50 |
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VINTAGE HICKY-DO SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE EMPTY BOX $17.50 |
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Saltwater Surf/Shore Casting Fishing Tackle~ 28 Piece Lot ~Lures,Sinkers,Bobbers $14.99 |
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6 X Quality Huge Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Yellow Colour With 3D Eye $14.80 |
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6 X Quality Huge Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Blue Colour With 3D Eyes $14.80 |
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6X New Generation Quality Huge Surf Poppers Fishing Lure Exciting New Red Colour $14.80 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $14.50 |
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1922 OLD MAGAZINE PRINT AD, SOUTH BEND BAIT, SURF-ORENO BASS-ORENO LURES, FISH! $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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Dblue Pencil Popper 8″ Wood Surf Casting Fishing Lure $12.99 |
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6 X New Generation Quality Medium Surf Poppers Fishing Lures Yellow Laser Colour $11.84 |
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6 X New Generation Quality Medium Surf Poppers Fishing Lures Red Laser Colour $11.84 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $11.50 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $11.50 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $10.50 |
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VINTAGE STAN GIBBS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $10.49 |
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3 Vintage Wooden Needlefish Lures-Plugs-Hand Crafted- Swimmer-Surf Fishing-Black $9.99 |
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VINTAGE WOODEN JNT SALTWATER STRIPER SURF FISHING LURE $9.99 |
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VINTAGE CAP’N BILLS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER WOOD FISHING LURE $9.99 |
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VINTAGE STAN GIBBS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $9.99 |
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VINTAGE STAN GIBBS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $9.99 |
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VINTAGE CAPT. ELMERS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE $9.99 |
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VINTAGE STAN GIBBS SALTWATER SURF STRIPER FISHING LURE IN BOX $9.99 |
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1952 AD South Bend Fishing Lures Pike Baby Oreno Dive Surf Babe $9.99 |
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8X New Generation Quality Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Blue Colour $9.86 |
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8 X New Generation Quality Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Silver Colour $9.86 |
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8 X New Generation Quality Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Yellow Colour $9.86 |
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8 X New Generation Quality Surf Poppers Fishing Lure On Exciting Red Colour $9.86 |
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Custom Muskie Musky Pike Striper Fishing Lure Jerkbait Swimbait Saltwater Surf $9.50 |
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Vintage unknown wood popper with glass salt water striper surf fishing lure $8.00 |
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vision surf eel blue bunker fbsfebb3 6″ 1oz saltwater fishing striper lure $7.95 |
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1921 SOUTH BEND BAIT Casting Reel Fishing Lure magazine Ad bass Surf-Oreno w1060 $7.95 |