A bucktail jig is such a simple thing — just a bit of hair tied to a hook with a scrap of lead molded onto it. But it’s proof that a lure doesn’t need to be complex, or imitate anything in particular, to catch the heck out of some fish.

Hair-dressed jigs were one of the first lures to be mass-produced, right after spoons. Their versatility is amazing — you can catch almost any predatory fish almost anywhere in the world, as proved by the fact that they were included in military-issue survival kits for many years (though not today — the current version has spoons but no bucktails). They come in various sizes and can be fished in deep or shallow water. If it swims, there’s probably a bucktail to catch it.