Dardevles® and Bucktails - Lure Review:
A couple of tried and true classics for bringing home the big fish
Reprinted with permission from PIKE & MUSKIE Magazine, copyright 1999

Since this is our very first issue and we seem to be covering other "basics" of pike and muskie fishing, we thought it would be a good idea to cover two classic lures. So this issue we will be reviewing the eternal pike catcher - the red and white spoon - specifically Eppinger’s Dardevle® brand. And we will be reviewing the tried-and-true bucktail spinner - specifically the Mepps® Musky Killer® bucktail.

Pike Catching Dardevle®

While fishing in my home state of Minnesota years ago, I made an obvious discovery. Dangling on the ends of most steel leaders were Dardevles®. In fact, besides being casted and trolled, I have seen people still-fish them with a bobber (really! - I have even tried it), jig them for hours, and even use them illegally as a spearfishing decoy. They without a doubt catch the eye of pike - large and small.

Chatting with old timers as I fished from shore as a kid - I quickly learned that many of them carried only Dardevles® (or less expensive knock-offs). Typical Minnesota "old-timers" are frugal to say the least. Occasionally when I would see a Minnesota pike fisherman with a tackle box and they opened it - it was full of Dardevles®. Mostly red & white, but the yellow with red diamond variety is a close contender, and my father seems to prefer a bright lime green version with a yellow stripe. In my mind it looks more like a weed than bait, but it produces well for him. Maybe he catches the vegetarian pike. Sometimes you may see a plug of some sort in these guy’s tackle boxes, but usually they are still in the box - most likely a gift from a non-fisherman.

I think one reason spoons are so heavily fished, is they are relatively simple. You strap on a one-ouncer and cast or troll until they strike. About as straightforward as you can get. There obviously are various ways to retrieve, but for the Minnesota fisherman who wants to get away from milking cows or the fields for a few hours the Dardevle® is a simple no-nonsense consistent pike catcher. It can be fished deep or shallow, fast or slow - dependent on size, weight, line diameter, and the retrieve or trolling speed.

Most Dardevles® have a trailing treble hook, but a few have single or weedless hooks. Always carry a couple of these with you, and if you can carry only one lure off into the wilderness for a day of fishing, take one of these.

Muskie Catching Bucktail

From my experience, the bucktail is to muskie fishing, what the Dardevle® is to pike fishing. I am relatively new to muskie fishing, because muskie fishing is relatively new to central Minnesota. (Note: See next issue’s article on the Muskie/Walleye Lake Miltona controversy.)

While many companies make a bucktail spinner type lure, Mepps® manufactures many varieties, and has been doing so for many years. This type of lure, only smaller - works well for almost any fish. There are spinners similar in type for bass, walleye, trout and panfish. It’s the size, and the bucktail (hair & feathers) that separate these lures from the pack, and makes them effective muskie snaggers.

Bucktails come in many sizes and colors - but the black, yellow and white haired, silver spinner varieties seem to be the most popular. Trailing red feathers often spice-up these winners.

A final note is that Dardevles® will catch muskie, and bucktails will catch pike. These fish are brothers to each other and have very similar feeding habits. 

These two lures are by no means the only big fish catching lures. They are only two of the classics, of the hundreds of effective lures available to fishermen. Next issue we will be reviewing one or more of the newer pike and muskie lures to enter the water.

"Originally printed in PIKE & MUSKIE Magazine at www.pikeandmuskie.com "