The Red Devil ® is one of the most popular freshwater fishing lures in North America. It is particularly prized in Northern Canada, where it is an old standby for fishing Pickerel/Walleye and Northern Pike.

A Red Devil is the first spoon lure most sports fishermen have in their tacklebox. Originally a popular pattern for homemade lures, the distinctive red and white swoosh, like the side of a Coca Cola can, was trademarked by Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, a Brainerd, Minnesota tackle company, in the early 1960's. According to Lindy, the Red Devil is most effective in dark water as found in the prairie lakes of Midwestern America, or the stained, turbid lakes of the Canadian Shield.

The Red Devil, while trademarked by Lindy, is available as a pattern from most tackle companies. The spoon size ranges from 1/4 inch walleye spinners to 8 inch lake trout spoons. The distinctive red spoon has an 'S' shaped white stripe down the middle. The pattern is also replicated in other colors, like the less common Blue Devil, a personal favorite of mine. The roughly teardrop shaped lure usually has a three pronged barbed hook attached at the apex of the wide end.

Lindy recommends baiting the Red Devil Spinner with a minnow during in the spring and fall fishing seasons. From personal experience, trolling an unbaited Red Devil at low speed is just as effective. The bright colors, tapered spinner design and rattling hook are all attractions to the fish. The spinner emulates a wounded baitfish, which would be an easy snack.

I highly recommend the Red Devil. It was the mainstay of my tacklebox as a kid, and I still use it regularly. It is the cornerstone of an effective dark water tacklebox.