Are You Trying to Match the Hatch?

If so, I'll share a little piece of information I picked up earlier today when I was out to West Neck Marina. I originally had to meet my boat mechanic out there to take care of a little job for me. As usual, he made quick work of what I had and was gone in no time.

I was in the process of cleaning up some things afterward when Tom, from the marina, stopped by to chat a spell. During our conversation, he said he had something he wanted to show me and left to go get it. The "something" turned out to be a small plastic bag containing some baitfish from West Neck Creek that he had managed to dip from the water.

This photo of a Spro Prime Crankbait 25 from my tacklebox is darn close to the color of all the specimens in the bag, and this bait, which measures 2.5 inches, minus the lip, is about the same size as the largest specimens in the bag. The other sizes descended all the way down to a length of about one inch, but all nearly were identical in color to the bait in this photo.

The one thing I can't tell you is if the baitfish are this color year round. There could be a difference. If you're trying to match the hatch right now, though, you might do well to dig around in your tacklebox to see what you have in something about this color.

Incidentally, you can't buy this particular lure off store shelves any more--it's been out of production for a good spell now. Probably your best chance of finding it is on eBay, where the prices always are inflated. For example, I found a set of five Spro 25s advertised today for $60.

The Rapala Shad Rap may be another option. However, I couldn't find a color chart of that lure to see what colors are available. I do know there used to be many, but that, too, could have changed since I last bought one.

On a final note, Tom asked me to please let everyone know that another marker has disappeared from West Neck Creek. Marker 6A, which used to be positioned in the vicinity of that cove where all the pieces of PVC pipe now stand, has been removed at the direction of the fella who plans to dredge the area. What you need to be mindful of is that the remnants of a big stump still exist close to where Marker 6A once stood, so watch how you navigate through that area. Otherwise, you may find yourself in need of some lower-unit work.