What is the Most Important thing you look for in a Lure?

[bigredfishing]

For me, its always just been the 'feel' a "Je ne sais pas" if you will

[Fish Stick]

   Is it on sale?

[mrwalleye]

action, without a doubt.  northland airplane jig is deadly on walleyes at dusk through the ice.  i like green on silver, glow in the dark, or just regular.  im going to give away my best secret....tip the treble with a silver crappie sparkle nibble, made by berkley.     scent coupled with action is the best

[Fat Boy]

I can't vote for any over the other.  But if I had to, action (as long as you can describe lack of action as an action too).

Why?  Because it depends.  Weather and water conditions, the species that you target, the type of structure or cover that your fishing, and most of all the mood of the fish.  Sometimes lures that have no action work better than those that do.  And sometimes, and this is where I agree with Big Zig, you can take a lure with no action and impart the action yourself.

Will a Zara Spook catch fish if the angler doesn't walk the dog?  Yep, but the angler imparting the action of the lure that it was designed to do makes it more effective.  Senkos and French fry worms are another example, cast them out and let them sit - dead stick - and they catch fish.  Better yet, impart action to make them more effective.  And still, wacky rig them to give them a different action.  The lure doesn't do it, the angler does.

I find that the combination of the features that we're voting on is the key, not any one of them.  Size, color, action (or inaction) and most of all, presentation (or knowing how to use the lure) all combine to give the angler success.

Size - there are some muskie lures that have great action but just aren't good bass baits simply because they're too big.  You'll catch a few bass once in a while, but often you'll be more successful using the same type lure only smaller.  And, during cold front conditions, sometimes size is the number one key, or when fish are feeding on small forage.  How many ice anglers out there have found that the "typical" size ice jig that everyone on the lake catches a few here and there, but there's one crafty curmudgeon (Scott ) that downsizes to such a small jig that many laugh but then you look and he's got a pile of gills on the ice when others don't.  Match the size of the bait to the fish you are after and then match that to what you best think the forage at the time is.

Color - muddy water, action is very important here, but color can make the difference.  Take a fat tail grub for bass, using smoke has action enough to provide some vibration but the fish have a hard time finding it.  Make it chartreuse, white or black, and you have more effective lure.  Spinnerbaits give off more vibration and are effective, but choose the right color and it will stand out.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's all important.  To get the big picture, to pattern properly, you have to take all of it into account.

[TGF]

action, without a doubt.  northland airplane jig is deadly on walleyes at dusk through the ice.  i like green on silver, glow in the dark, or just regular.  im going to give away my best secret....tip the treble with a silver crappie sparkle nibble, made by berkley.     scent coupled with action is the best

So shape must be very important to you Mr Walleye because airplane jigs act the way they do due to the shape of the lure.

I'm with you Fatboy. My top 3 all interact with each other. Thats why I have lots of lures of different shapes, colors and sizes.

[Fat Boy]

Terry, that's why I could open my own tackleshop with the lures in my house!   No wonder my daughter doesn't have a place to sleep (I'm kidding, I don't use her bed for storage)

[TGF]

Yeah when I die my kids tell me they will just have to sell all my tackle to take care of my unpaid debts and funeral expenses.

[MickeyFinn]

To me its all about the presentation and what I am trying to immitate.. If I am using say a streamer,, I want to know I am using a streamer that resembles a minnow or baitfish that is in the water I am fishing.. How would this baitfish move around in the water? What kind of areas would it be found?

[bassjunky]

Ressurection #2.....I like these Polls and want to see what everybody thinks...so for all those who have not put in there 2cents fire away..

Come on, it's one time in life when people actually ask for your opinon...

[spoonfed]

action first but color second.i try to imitate the bait fish.

[Fishingking]

For me its 
Size
Color
Action
Scent

I have more cofiendent with size then the color

Action I can make alot of lures do waht I want them too

Never been too much of a believer in scent

[pikemaster789]

action and color

[Reel Wet Ride]

I've only glanced at the posts, but I'm with the guys that voted other. There's a lot to be said for all of the choices, but your presentation won't work unless you have them all right on the given day.

Right action + wrong color = not many fish.
Right action + right color + wrong size = not many fish.

ah you guys are smart, you're pickin up what I'm layin' down.

[pirkaus]

Big bait = big fish
action = catch fish
color = fish can see it (looks like food)
scent = taste (if fish has tasted it SET THE HOOK)

[Hood]

the most important feature is what type of dogfood to put in my minnow trap and how many glowsticks then pick and choose from there They usually all work after that.

For lures....I think color, I troll a lot of wobblers and spoons and have seen the exact same action and presentation be completely outfished by a different color on the other rod.