Few things on Earth are more pleasant than float fishing the Allegheny River in Warren County. This particular stretch of the river has a perfect mix of riffles and pools. Steep, forested hills rise from the valley floor. Wildflowers decorate the river banks. And, oh my, is the fishing ever good.

Where else in North America has a better combination of top notch fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, huge muskellunge, big trout and northern pike?

There were many years when I took along so much tackle for a river float fishing trip that there was barely any room for my feet on the bottom of the boat. Not so any more. Of course I still take more tackle than I really need, but just one small duffle bag. I find that just four lures are at the end of my line about 90 percent of the time, and I will tell you why.

First and foremost, all four of these lures catch a good number of fish. Second, these four lures put me in the ballpark for all of the aforementioned fish.

That is in general. Now, more specifically.

One lure that gets more use than any other is the Rapala Original Minnow. I imagine all of you are well aware of how effective this lure is.

I recommend the size 13 for a couple of important reasons. This lure is large enough to get the attention of muskie and pike. It is not too large for smallmouth bass, walleye or large trout. Also, this lure is easier to tune the way it is supposed to be tuned than smaller Rapala Minnows.

The Rapala Minnow is not intended to be a wobbler. It is most effective when most of the action is a rolling from side to side on an axis from the line eye to the rear treble hook eye. The inventor of the Rapala Minnow even did a television ad explaining this. If the lure does not have this action right out of the package, it tends to get the right action by bending down the line eye and bending up the real treble hook eye, a little at a time using needle nose pliers.

My most effective color has been the old standard, silver with a black back. If you want to juice the Rapala Minnow up, give it a light coat of clear spray, then sprinkle either silver, green or blue sparkle along the sides and back..

Next comes the Rapala X-Rap with a red dressing on the rear treble hook. This lure runs deeper than the Rapala Minnow. It will get down to about 7 feet, depending on the length of the cast, line diameter and a few other factors. It is dynamite on Allegheny River walleye.

It was not on the river, though, that I became convinced this is a great lure. It was on Conewango Creek while drift fishing from a little above the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge to the river, before the dam was torn out.

Lure number 3 is the Rapala Minnow Rap. This is similar to the Shad Rap, but with a shiner-like profile. It will get down to maybe 12 feet on a long cast or trolled. Maybe the shiner profile is better locally than the shad profile because our major forage fish are shiners. Maybe not. The Shad Rap is also a very effective lure for the Allegheny River.

Last but certainly not least is a while leadhead jig. Specifically, I like the Gene Larew 3.5-inch Rally Grub with the Glacier color pattern. This is pearl white with tiny green glitter. It will catch any predatory fish in the Allegheny River. If trout are active, this lure will clobber them. They can not resist it.

To use this jig to full potential, you will need jig heads weighing from 1/16 ounce to 1/4 ounce. Use the 1/16 ounce head for fishing the better trout water around the islands. Some of this water is less than 3 feet-deep. A heavier jig head would snag bottom too often.

Expect problems with finding 1/16 ounce jig heads with hooks large enough for this use. I have been molding my own for decades. The molds are modified by drilling the hook eye cavity a little larger, and filing the area for the shank of the hook larger. You will need to keep the lead very hot and preheat the mold so the lead will flow around the hook. Even still some of the heads will not be complete, especially for the first few castings.

An alternative to regular leadhead jigs is the Blakemore Road Runner, a leadhead jig with a spinner blade attached to the bottom of the head. Many days the added attraction of the spinner blade will increase hits.