primetime

I love the Sebile SU 77 and it has caught me some good fish when the condition are right. I purchased about 5 lots on ebay back when they were discontinued and won a bunch of auctions, so I have a bunch and glad I do.... You can pitch them into tight spots and they suspend perfectly most of the time. The one issue I have had is I had to change hooks on a bunch of them, and now they do not suspend the same way, even taking off a split ring causes them to swim different or float slowly which is not bad. I like to throw a suspending Lipless around the spawn or flats and will just let them soak in areas where I think fish are, or fish them above grass and not have to worry about snags etc.... Cotton Cordell has the Suspending Spot which is actually a good bait at times as well. The one lipless crankbait I have never had luck with is the floating traps which I still think have potential...Just hard to cast and I never tie them on, but I like the idea...

My girlfriend actually made me a couple of Tackle binders after I almost spent $20 on the Berkley one at Dicks a few years ago...I now have 2 size freezer bags with the quality zip lock, and I have 10 bags with a grommet in the corner and then a carabena? Clip that attaches to my belt. When fishing on a Kayak, shore or anywhere, I keep my top soft baits seperated only by color or shade since I only throw a few. I will usually mix Black/Blue with Junebug, Watermelon with Green pumpkin, and just seperate by Grubs/Trailers, Flukes/Stick worms, big worms, finesse, flipping baits etc... I use Black, Purple, Green Pumpkin and watermelons 99% of the time, then white for swimbaits or flukes. Usually I rarely need to grag anything else, If I have a green pumpkin Purple flake, I just dump it in with watermelon Red etc..They may bleed in a day or two, but often the "Swirls" look really good. Junebug and Black and blue mix really well imo, Throw in some green pumpkin and you get good natural looking swirls which are uneven which I actually prefer. It actually works really well as a way to have quick access without carrying too many baits.

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to make an effort to throw them in a few ponds that I know have a healthy population of bass during the week when I have a few hours to kill during work. Maybe I will actually gain some confidence in them....Pretty much all the water in my area, especially the ponds that are usually good are really stained. It's strange, I use Electric chicken and Pink for saltwater all the time, Up north for stripers, a Pink Sluggo or Fluke is the first bait I throw. Nothing Pink is swimming in saltwater either, so I think I need to start throwing them and see how it goes. I actually used to put a Pink Stripe on the sides of cranks and rattle traps with the Spike it pen a few years ago after noticing that the bluegills had a pink/Purple tone to them in most of the lakes, and I stopped doing that for some reason. I guess a white Trick worm is just as bright for what the fish sees in stained water? Not alot of Junebug baitfish in lakes yet that is my go to color most of the time..... I guess I need to carry MORE colors now. Minimizing soft baits is really hard to do, but as long as I don't need pink craws and creature baits I should be able to manage.

I am always trying to minimize the amount of tackle I carry, and my biggest struggle is with soft baits. I have been able to consolidate all the plastics I need for a day into one 3600 tackle bag, and even though that is still more than needed, I realized last night that I have been carrying the same bag of Pink Trick worms, and Pink Sluggos for a good 5 years without once throwing them. I know pink will catch fish, but I would have to be in a really tough spot to reach for a pink worm with all the other choices. I know guys use them and catch fish because when I used to sell Plastics in Bulk, I would always get tons of pink swirls Senkos, Leeches and other baits that were overstocks. I would sell the Pink swirls and finesse worms at a pretty good clip, same person would often buy a few hundred in a year. Should I keep them in the bag? I always do the "What If" and that game can take you down all sorts of scenarios which never happen. I would like to know if anyone relies on Pink as a color, or Orange etc.... When do you grab a pink or super bright bait and truly throw it with confidence for more than say 10 minutes without a strike? Thanks. Interested in responses.

Both are really good lines, I like Stren because I have used it for years and if you like to watch your line for strikes, the original blue color is a line I have used for decades. I find that Stren, Big Game, Trilene XL are all quality and priced right. All are easy to handle but I have found that for me, Trilene XL and Stren handle the best on both casting gear and spinning gear and rarely get twists etc...I use XL around cover and do not break off more fish than I would using a stiffer more abrasion resistant line. I actually think I break off more fish on FLuorocarbon that costs 4x the money at times. Stren just doesn't adverstise much, but it is still pound for pound as good as any other mono imo. Just get whichever you like best in terms of color etc...

I texas rig tubes just like any other plastic, Put them on pegged weights, sliding bullet weights, weighted hooks, weightless etc...One of my favorite ways to fish a tube is on a Slider Jig head or Darter style head which is a trick I was shown for Salmon Fishing in deeper water.... For weeds and texas rigging, Trokar had a Tube hook they marketed a few years ago and was basically just a kahle style hook with the plastic barbs to keep the tube in place. I just like using a regular Wide EWG hook.. I have never noticed a brand working better, although I used to use the Gitzit tubes in smaller sizes up north when Tubes first became popular and I would imagine that is never a bad one to start with. I have tubes from BPS, Venom, Zoom....BPS has the best selection in sizes and colors, styles of tubes imo. You can get them cheap right now and they are as good as any. I feel like a tube is starting to get popular again especially for punching pressured lakes. Never a bad idea to try new baits to give fish a new look, tubes can be fished like a fluke or dragged..Can't fish em wrong, kind of like a senko or trick worm.... I need to start using them more as well. Too many baits to choose, not enough time.

Some brands make a 3/4 or 7/8 oz trap that is a smaller profile than the standard 1/2 ounce. I think the Rapala Rippin Rap has one that is 7/8 and casts a mile, not much bigger than a 1/2 so you can fish it in alot of same places. Just sinks quicker. They are certainly not too big, the Red Eye shad in 3/4 is a good size lure but small bass kill it. I like a heavier lure when fishing more "open" Water so I can cover areas quicker. I think the Spro is 5/8 and not all that big. I use the bigger spro all the time and it can fish like a 1/2 oz.

Z-man used to make a weighted hook called the Trigger hook. They have the bait buttons on them, I believe you can probably find the hooks cheap, but all you really need is a bait button. Saltwater guys who fish deep water for Grouper put them on live bait rigs in glow colors or pink etc. and they sell them in a box of 100 for like $2. I think Tsunami or gottcha makes them. They are soft and kind of do the same thing. Maybe that would work. Wouldn't a bobber stop work? I am thinking the string kind you use for slip floats. I think Z-Man puts them on all their worm hooks now that I think about it.....I am sure they can be purchased cheap in bulk from somewhere like Hagensfish etc.

I will sometimes swim a big ribbon tail worm in open water, on top, over cover, pretty much any time I am bringing it back from a cast, I will try and keep it at a steady pace and kill it just before bringing it in in case something follows. Swimming worms work when you swim them...Sometimes as good as a horny toad.

Exude used to make a bait called a Fan Tailed Shrimp which looked like a chigger craw with a rattle chamber in the front, actually it looked more like a Paca Craw with a rattle pocket in the front. Had good colors, Redfish killed them, they also were apparently good pitching baits as well. I still have bags of the Prototype Slimy Slugs they made in tri alive colors, I have a few bags of orange firetiger 4.5" sluggos that work well in stained water. The colors are good....They still make good baits, they just don't do the marketing or have the sponsers needed, but they have the best clearance sales on their website all year long......99 cent bin you find the Floating hawg Frog which is similar to the Manns Toad, buzz bug...They have a bait similar to all the others, made in same OEM, they just pick alot of gimmics like the pocket series etc. The G-Grub was a popular bait for guys who fished for Walleye and were good pond baits since they looked kind of like a hybrid leech with the rage style tail years ago....Plus the spots on the lizards and G grubs made them good for sight fishing....They do change baits every year it seems.... I still use Keeper hooks with small worms under 6" on split shot rigs or weightless, light line. They will bend on heavy line and big fish, but growing up that is the only hook I used until Gamakatsu hooks came out. Keeper hooks weighted are also good, same with the Kahle style for Tubes. People think they are like the Mustad Keeper style hooks which tear up your baits and suck, but the keeper hook will keep a 6" culprit or Phenom tail on the hook for multiple fish, can skip and it stays straight. Exude is popular for saltwater down here. The Flukes and Twitch bait which looks identical to the Damiki Stinger stick bait is popular in saltwater and MR. Twister Grubs are obviously good. Next time you need a few fish and can't find the .99 Luck E Strike 6" stawberry scented curly tail worms at walmart which work so well (For Real) a Black blue tail phenom tail is awesome no matter how you fish it. Mr. Twister makes good baits, Culprit makes fantastic baits that never get the press they deserve imo. Lunker City would be another under rated company. Lunker City has a killer lineup of soft baits for fresh and saltwater besides just the Sluggo.

My only suggestion would be to buy a few of the baits mentioned like the S-Waver, Savage, BBZ, Huds, then see if you enjoy throwing them consistently. I enjoy buying new lures, trying new stuff (Half the fun...Love trying to find something new) and I decided I would get into the big swimbait game after seeing pics of 5-6lb Bass my nephew was catching up in CT lakes and ponds. I invested in a nice Calcutta and already had a heavy rod for saltwater that worked well...Long Story Short...I realized that I do not have the patience to throw a big swimbait or glide bait all day, and often it takes work to get the few big bites if any. I caught a few decent fish (Never anything over 7lbs like I invisioned while filling my cart with #20-$50 lures.... had a few really big followers that still bother me today, but now I have a nice looking box of expensive swimbaits I never use. I do like how the box looks though, fits well with the other 25 boxes of tackle I rarely open. I didn't realize my nephew would throw the Hudd all day for 2 fish while everyone else was catching fish at a normal clip...I don't have that patience in me. Long Story short....The Calcutta makes for an awesome flipping/Pitching Reel, crankbait, kind of my favorite reel I own, so I guess that phase was worth it. Catching Bass on A Big Swimbait obviously takes patience and skill, but if you have it in you, it certainly can pay off, My nephew has broken the 7lb barrier a few times now on huge swimbaits the size guys use for Musky and Pike...He has been into it for a good 3 years, so he can tell the difference between $10 lure and $50 lure etc...I never could...

Sometimes Green Pumpkin will catch Fish....IF that doesn't work, Junebug, Black or blue, or Houdini.

I own a few Boy Howdy double prop baits but never throw them...They come with cheap treble hooks, and I often lose confidence in a topwater that needs to be balanced if I have to change treble hooks. For the price, the Devils Horse just gives me more confidence but I feel like I catch alot less fish on line less than 12lb test. That is often a problem over submerged grass, so the Rapala X Rap Prop is my new go to double prop for longer casts, more buoyant line, and it will cast well on casting gear and has a smaller profile. Counter rotating blades also seem to allow it to create a different sound, but at the end of the day...Both are great. I seem to prefer the slimmer profile, I get less strikes on the big Devils horse, but the Rapala is the perfect size imo. . The one prop bait Cordell makes that I used to catch fish on and for some reason never use anymore is the Crazy shad which is a double prop bait in a shad shape. I now use the Torpedo and Tiny Torpedo when I want something smaller since it has strong hooks and casts well on casting gear and I can get away with heavy line. I think all the ones mentioned are good....I also fish alot of Floating Minnow baits over submerged weeds here in Florida, If I have 6"-3' of water, I will often go with the Bagleys Bang O lure single prop Minnow which is a great wake bait, prop bait, or Shallow diving balsa jerkbait that only needs a few inches and is buoyant. If they are not hitting it with the prop, I just remove it and go with the jerkbait since it is buoyant and casts better than a Rapala in same size. I will still take the Bomber Long A over grass as my first Hardbait pretty much all the time, but in the Spring Prop baits seem to work well since they must sound like a bluegill. I have a double prop bait in my box that was made by Luhr Jensen and is all wood. I forget the name but you can find them on Ebay, for some reason it works really well, has a different lip, kind of has a gliding action with the mouth a similar shape to say the Strike King Walking bait. One of the things I do in grass when fishing a hardbait where everyone else throws flukes etc.. Is go barbless so I can shake off grass and any debris. I feel as long as you do not leave any slack, and keep tension, you land just as many fish. I also do the same when ripping traps out of grass, not having barbs helps keep the lure clean...Just my take...I borrowed that from a guy who is pretty good at the hardbait over submerged grass, I believe it is on the lake you mentioned.

Kind of hard to beat a Texas rigged plastic worm when you are not sure what to use. You don't have to worry about snags, if shallow or soft bottom, just go weightless....I started pitching a Senko a few years ago with a pegged weight and it works awesome. You would think the heavy weight would kill the action, but I think it's like a tube, it falls in a way that generates reaction strikes....For some reason I always thought pegging the weight on a senko was not "Correct" but I was certainly wrong.... Anytime I take someone fishing who is not used to weeds or soft baits, I tend to simply give them a senko or trick worm, with or without weight and just tell them to cast it and let it sink, then twitch it a few times and stop...Kind of always works if you are on fish.

I would imagine the hook up ratio would be very poor on that design, but it does look the part. I actually purchased the bill norman weedless rattle trap a few years ago to get to $50 on TW, and the only time I ever hooked up on it was when I added the treble hook which defeats the purpose. When I fish in places with a soft bottom, I rarely use a crankbait, but I would simply slow down and then do a random hookset to create a deflection/direction change. You can find crankbaits that dive 2-3' but one of the things I do in a few ponds where I live, is throw a deep diver like the DT 10 and fish it in 4-5' of water and bottom is soft. I simply pull it down quickly to the bottom, let the bill hit, then kill it and let it float up slowly....then just repeat, the bigger bill protects the hooks. The rapala seems to work best when I do this since it floats slowly, and is not too loud. It either scares the fish, but if they are active, it often gets choked by a bigger fish. I am not a crankbait expert by any stretch, but I think the vertical action and bigger body creates bigger strikes in ponds. I rarely throw cranks in ponds for the reasons you mentioned, too many weeds and soft bottoms, but in order to get long casts and fish a bit differently, I usually try this before leaving, and when it works, they rip the rod out of your hands, or you simply spook everything, so I do it last. Hope that helps.

I rarely throw a spinnerbait anymore, not sure why, it was one of my confidence lures growing up in NY, but for some reason I have never had much success with them here in Florida. The only time I have success is when fishing a private lake or pond that doesn't see much pressure. I rarely add a trailer, if I do, I use the BPS split tail trailers or a 3-4" curly tail grub in white or black for contrast. I have messed around with different trailers and find that I miss strikes if I use a bigger soft bait, too much vibration, or it will run sideways etc... I would imagine the Rage Menace would work really well, I love that bait on a jig or just with a hook in it. Been throwing the menace more an more lately, kind of a perfect bait.

I agree, The Tiny Torpedo works best for me compared to the other sizes. I will throw the normal size at times, but I notice the tiny version seems to get more strikes. One of the things I like about it is it comes with saltwater grade hooks, and you can throw it on heavy line, Med Heavy Rod if needed around weeds etc....It casts really well for such a small profile. I re-stocked my torpedo arsenal a few years ago when a local store had a bunch of older ones for $2.99. They came with the old Silver heavy guage saltwater Xcalibur Rotating treble hooks that look like they are bent and need to be replaced...However, they are actually good hooks. Bass typically choke it anyhow, but with all pradco lures, sometimes they come with cheap hooks that need to be replaced. I have never really noticed one color working better, although I do like the baby bass and the rainbow trout pattern, neither are pretty patterns, but the torpedo is a great lure that I always throw when fishing topwater. I find I can work the torpedo faster than double prop baits with good results.

I thought I was one of the only people who can't stand the drop shot. I seem to get line twist and think I work it too quickly. I also fish it too fast, I don't like leaving it in one place for some reason...Although I like using the Ned rig and my favorite is just taking a small TRD or worm, fluke, and putting a split shot in front of it. I feel like I can work it like a shaky rig, carolina rig etc... The few times I had success with the drop shot, the fish seemed to be mostly smaller, and when I would take out a finesse rig, I seemed to do just as well. Too many rigs to master....I guess the drop shot is now the Tokyo Rig, Wacky Rig is Neko Rig, Jika rig....I just like throwing soft baits with some weight somewhere on the equation. The Ned rig or slider rig still catches fish just about anywhere, plus I can fish it quicker which I like. Drop Shots require patience. If I need to focus on patience and working slow....I will throw a jig or big worm and this way I know my strikes will be better quality...Most of the time. I probably fish too fast in general...Maybe I need to focus on slowing down. I shake a drop shot too much which catches smaller fish for sure. The guys who can deadstick a dropshot seem to get bigger fish.

Thanks for the responses. I typically prefer night fishing since less traffic and the Bass often seem more aggressive since they will be moving more on some nights... I need to get some single Colorodo blade spinnerbaits. For some reason I can never find them in stores. Everything is tandem, I used to use a single hammered colorodo blade as my main spinnerbait when younger, but everything now seems to have colored blades and nothing hammered or in a big colorodo. I am sure Tackle warehouse has some. I am going to start trying to fish the same way I always do and see how I make out. I think Maybe I just like Topwater fishing and have a hard time breaking the habit. The only thing I notice that is different about night fishing, is the first 2 hours it gets dark are usually pretty slow. I think it takes an hour or two for the eyes to adjust. I also notice if I am fishing from shoreline, I spook less fish, and often times can catch them right on the bank 10 feet away when that never happens during daylight. Going to try my normal worm fishing and focus on bottom baits etc. Maybe it will result in better quality fish, or a few extra strikes in areas I have worked over. I notice at night certain spots will replenish for hours, so you don't need to do as much traveling......

Lures From Bomber, Cordell, all the Pradco lures are good, however, the baits have changed over the years. Lures like the Red Fin, Bomber Long A, Bomber Model A cranks, Heddon Torpedo, SPit n image and more are just as good as always. If you can find the older versions of say the Rebel Popper, they have a different sound, the Long A was once an XCalibur lure and was heavier with molded eyes, screw tail, and the new ones are good, but the older versions of most lures are better (At least I have confidence in them, but nothing wrong with the Pradco lures today. Keep in mind...The cordell cranks and lipless cranks at walmart, bomber lures etc. are not always the same ones you would find on Tackle warehouse. The $1 Cordell crankbait looks like the Big O but is not, that bait bonanza is a budget version but they will catch fish I am sure. I found a bunch of spooks at walmart for a dollar, super spooks, they look the same, fish the same, just came with crappy silver hooks that was different and packaging was different as well. Not sure why Walmart gets different versions at times. A new Bomber long A is usually $7, I notice the ones for a buck are often different. The $3 Cordell Super spots at Walmart are the same as the ones you buy anywhere, and they catch fish. I find the spots and traps both work equally as well. If I had to only throw one large Wake bait for rest of my life, I would choose the Red Fin over any other, and I have a box full of nice ones from Tackle warehouse that were expensive. They flat out work the best imo, there is a reason Saltwater Striper Surf Casters throw the Red Fin more than any other hard bait to this day. It also imitates a shiner perfectly.

This is actually in my wheelhouse. I love prop baits and the XRAP Prop has replaced the devils horse for me. The double prop bait and prop baits in general work really well in Florida and did in NY as well when younger, and I fish them several ways. Roland Martin just did a video on pattern fishing and he spends a good 5 minutes on prop baits and he had a devils horse and xrap tied on...The one thing he mentioned that I have also found to be true is having some orange on the belly in the spring often makes a big difference. Most people will tell you to cast it out, let rings disipate, then try to keep it in place..Barely let the blades move. Work it super slow since you are typically target casting. The longer it stays in one spot with tiny twitches and pauses, the more likely you will get a strike. However, I always experiment and will usually fish it like a buzzbait after cast is done back to the boat or bank and sometimes you will get a strike just as you pull it out of the watter cause they love to follow prop baits for some reason. I start out slow, then will fish it like a popper, 3 twitches and pause, then maybe reel slow, pause, rip it, pause...Can't really fish it wrong, let them tell you what they want. You can make the bait walk if you leave slack in the line as well. Overall...Slow tends to be best, but like anything else, sometimes they like it fast, when you get that high pitch buzzing sound that sounds like a bee, that is often the speed that gets bit when buzzing it. Its a fantastic lure that is proven. It also catches bigger fish. There is a guide on Lake Harris in Florida who has articles online who literally only fishes a Devils horse year round and wins tournaments with it, and catches giants. I like the X Rap prop better than the devils horse because it casts better, and also the blades rotate differently, so you have the best one imo. Keep throwing it. You won't regret it. One of best topwater lures you can fish.

I have started night fishing a few hours as often as possible, and so far been having pretty good results, but of course never completely satisfied until I crack the code of how to get bit on every cast. (I know) Here are a few questions I have....When you throw a bladed jig at night, do you wake it near surface or focus on slow rolling it on bottom? Also, what style spinnerbaits work best for you since I never throw them at night but keep hearing that is a good way to catch them. I have kind of figured out over the years that black certainly works as a color for topwater and big swimming worms, creatures etc....But some nights, I do just as well if not better with White, Firetiger, and basically 2 toned colors. This time of year it seems orange bottom topwater and wake baits, Jerkbaits seem to produce the best. I carry 3 rods and will always throw the Jointed J11 Rapala and either wake it slowly, or fish it really aggressive if they are shallow. I also rig up a Torpedo prop bait which is my second go to lure and technique, and lastly, I like a 4-5" swimbait with light weight buzzed on surface or experiment with different depths. I have a ton of weeds in areas I fish, and do not like to use light if possible, and a jig can be frustrating with snags so I was thinking about adding a punch skirt in front of my paddle tail swimbait like the EZ swimmer or Keitech. Anyone else use a punch skirt on a swimbait? I also use speed worms and Swim Senko's, and was thinking about pitching them instead of just swimming? Lastly, If you catch them during the day pitching a Small Creature like the menace, would that work just as well as night. For some reason I never pitch at night? In theory, shouldn't the fish be feeding on the same stuff, so really no need so switch how you fish during the day except the Bass are usually more aggressive.... Any suggestions would help. Anyone still use the Jitterbug? I keep bringing it but can't bring myself to tie it on. Does anyone focus on bottom contact at night, I never do, maybe that is a mistake? I typically would fish with a culprit or senko with a light weight during the day and just pitch it, swim it, drag it etc...Maybe just do the same? I guess that is where I am kind of confused, I just feel that fish are feeding up at night. Maybe I am wrong. Thanks in advance.

I have watched some you tube videos of the bait, and for some reason that hook hidden under the fin has kind of sold me on buying a few packs. I know that when I head to bass Pro this week to use some gift cards and pick up some stuff I truly need, I will end up buying some of the Darkstar swimmers and also some spark shad. I have noticed that bass are charging the shorelines in alot of the ponds I stop at during the day in my travels with work, and they are feeding on small 2-3" bluegill and then heading back out deep. I see that as a perfect imitation to the little bluegill, and those colors look like they will be good in stained water. I have no doubt they will work, I sometimes will use that little Creme spoiler shad they have at walmart if I have a spot where the weeds are not bad.....Hiding the hook and not having to rig up an easy shiner or shad tail perfectly seems enticing. The creme bait and little storm weighted swimbaits catch fish, but I lack confidence in them. The darkstar looks to have a better action and can fish it through weeds and hopefully you hook up with most strikes. I say good purchase. $6 for 2 quality swimbaits with a different look by a company known for quality is never a bad idea. I have also found small catfish in the throat of bass over the years, so I am thinking it is a good style to mimic both.

I just want to be able to always catch fish, find fish, and even better...When I find them, like yesterday, I do not spend 6 hours catching 1 13" bass, and missing the 2 good blowups I had on a Hollow Frog. I really need to get better at casting accuracy and skipping baits into bushes etc. I spend the last year focusing on Saltwater/Brackish water canal fishing and only Bass fishing a few times a month, but now that I am back into it, I realize my casting is way off and that is more important imo than the bait on the end of the line. Nothing more frustrating than trying to skip a soft bait or frog into bushes, under trees, and getting backlashes with braid, or having the bait smash the water too loud cause you are not throwing at the right angle. I guess Fishing is not supposed to be easy. I don't feel so bad, I broke out the ultralight for half hour and they wouldn't touch the little Yamamoto IKA which is usually like candy to smaller bass, bluegill etc.. Lets hope tonight is better. I think I like Night time fishing better anyway. When its good, its usually really good and stays that way for a few hours....

The Ned Rig started out as a mushroom head light 1/16-1/32 oz. jighead with a beetle as the soft bait, not the small stick worm like it is now....Ned Kehle? At the end of the day, the beetle spin is a spinnerbait.....Road runner won a classic a few years ago, just a bigger version that the the hair jigs...Those hair jig versions of the road runner work well in cold water, I remember seeing Jimmy Houston use them as a Kid on TV for bass and still throw them on light spinning gear when I need a strike from something. I Truly believe that using baits that are older and not popular anymore often work better since the fish have not seen them, and they are already proven winners. A jitterbug is essentially one of the first Wake baits, same with lures like the Red Fin, Rapala floater and countdown, Rebel Popper, Torpedo....Rooster tail and mepps spinners....They are still on the market and do not advertise much after all these years..That says something. I actually was thinking about old lures when I noticed Dicks was selling the creme Scoundrel worms in the earthworm color....I imagine that is just as good as a trick worm still. I actually have some of the midget crawlers that I used as a kid, the prop in front of the creme worm, 2 small hooks on a mono leader...Kind of a spy bait look, I bet if I took that with me, put a split shot in front like I did as a kid, that would work well....Megabass puts a Propeller on a jighead and gets $10 for 2 of them..... Beetle spins catch big bass in ponds down in Florida kind of often....I think more people throw them then we know about. Good post. Its so true. Another good lure is the Hula Popper but you get strange looks when you tie one on....