5 Fishing Lures That Do Double Duty

If you are like me, the first saltwater fishing lures that come to mind are for deep sea tackle like soda can sized skirted plugs used when trolling for marlin or giant jigs that rocket to the bottom for halibut or reef fish such as snapper. But in “skinny” water or when schools of feeding fish are in range, saltwater anglers cast fishing lures that look similar to freshwater lures but may be a few sizes larger, heavier, or brighter.

Here some examples of saltwater and freshwater species that can be caught on the same lure.

Try a Baitcaster, or Spinning Tackle

• Inshore redfish will hammer fluttering spinnerbaits that are a favorite of largemouth bass.

• Pelagic mahi-mahi can be caught with flashy salmon and trout spoons.

• Amberjack can be tempted to blast the same large chugging topwater plugs that a muskellunge might whack. (Or that a striped bass would launch skyward, in either saltwater or freshwater for that matter.)

• And fishing guide, Capt. Clay Eavenson of Tampa, Florida catches “tons of snook” using the lipless Rat-L-Trap crankbait which can be used to catch walleye among other species in freshwater.

Fun with Fly Fishing

• Tarpon flies will also get inhaled by northern pike. And vice versa.
  

• Tarpon can be taken on a pike fly.

• All saltwater and freshwater fishing lures try to imitate a prey item. Generally, saltwater fishing lures are built to attract attention from greater distances or depths but many lures will work in both types of water. I can’t wait to chuck some of my larger freshwater lure collection in the surf to see what happens.

When fishing in the ocean, make sure to check your coastal state regulations before you go. And then tell us about it. Have you caught saltwater fish with freshwater lures? Or the other way around?

Photo courtesy of Capt. Clay Eavenson

Andy Whitcomb

Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.