I’ve been holding out for a book deal on this dirty little secret but since I’m feeling very magnanimous this evening having just got the green light from the missus to go fish my brains out, I thought I’d pass on this little pearl on to anyone that can stop laughing long enough to try it. A top secret lure that the tackle makers don’t want you to know about. (I’m sure this is the reason I can’t get the book published; but I digress.)
I first stumbled upon the button lure when I ran into an ol’ codger down on the Puyallup in its’ heyday. Day after day he was hammering fish and making the rest of us look sick. Having no pride when it comes to catching fish I finally asked what he was fishin’ and he pulled out a hand full of buttons, not one was the same size or color. He simply threaded his line through two holes of a four hole button (some the size of a 50c coin) or through the single loop of a brass colored metal coat button. Over the years I’ve modified them somewhat to favor smaller buttons threaded within the bait loop (see pics). Anyway this guy was very successful drifting them on a quartered downstream sweep, but I’ve found they also work very well drifting pocket water and rock gardens too. They work well where the current fluctuates. They’re also well suited to the BC South style of fishing (you guys know what I’m flossing, I mean, talking about). Anyway, they’re cheap and it gives me something to do while I’m time hanging with the missus while she’s trolling the quilt stores. Hey, how else do you think I got the OK to go fishing this week.