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Great question, and there is no right or wrong answer, some people like to match color, but I feel size is the most important part of the equation, and I just had an example while fishing a public park while letting my dog run around yesterday. I noticed that Good sized bass (2-3lbs) were rushing the shoreline in less than a foot of water to herd a hatch of tiny 1/2" black tadpoles that just hatched and while I was watching this I remembered that I had my 2 piece spinning rod in the trunk, and I alway's carry a box of soft baits for saltwater and freshwater and one of my favorite baits for all fish is the small 1.5" Bass Assasin Tiny Shad twitch baits as they are awesome in saltwater for Snook in shallow water, but great for days when Bass are guarding fry. I did not have any in black, but I did have some that were in a black & red color, so I started using them and did not have much luck until I bit off the front half making it look exactly like the tadpoles and after not getting bit for 10 minutes, making the bait under an inch and casting it in the shallows and letting it sit and then twitching it as the bass rushed the shoreline caused it to get bit by the same fish that passed on it minutes earlier and I am convinced it was because it matched size and stood out from the rest of the tadpoles because of the red and every bass that came in to open their mouths and swallow a few hundred tadpoles, chased down my bait right away....Moral of story, it is often size and I use the same approach when I see bluegills at the ramp in the shallows that are 2" long....If I am fishing shorelines, I know that bluegills are going to be the primary forage since the shad are usually in schools and you know when they are on the menu, but for color, you will never have a lure that matches the EXACT color of the bluegills since every fish is colored differently, change shading in different areas of the lake, so I like to simply go with a crankbait that is 2" long, and in some translucent color (Most Juvenile baitfish are translucent) that has some chartreuse in it. I find a ghost shad color to be the best most of the time and I add some chartreuse with a spike it marker on the side and that usually works, but back to my point, I tend to ramble, go with size, but remember, If Bass are feeding on Tiny 1" baitfish, odds are that smaller bass and crappie and panfish in the 4-5" range are also feeding on them, so that is when I usually look to throw a bass colored bait, or larger size lure to get the larger bass. The biggest bass in the lake is not risking her life by going into shallow water to chase tiny baitfish, she is waiting for the smaller Bass to make that move, and then get them on the way in or way out....You can drive yourself crazy, but to keep it simple, you can never go wrong with fishing a silver lure with a black or blue top, and then adding some chart or orange to the belly.....Bass in ponds that lack shad will still crush a shad pattern, same with craws etc...Just carry baits from 1" to 12" would be my advice. Doug Hannon said it best...."Big Bass like long thin baits as they are easy to swallow and Bass have positive experiences with a 5" long and thin object"...Makes sense, this was before the senko and he loved the Rapala 13 size floaters and even the 7" 18 size as his go to baits before he made his Snakes...Don't buy the snakes unless you collect them, Boggs makes better one's now but Doug Hannon books are great reading.

Looking closer, I would check the Japanese Lucky Craft site, it could be a Lucky as they have hundreds of lures we rarely see in the states on a reg. basis....Hope that helps, but if looking for a killer suspending lipless crank, the cheap Cordell is good, but the Flatt Shad is my favorite by far...Flatt Shadd 77 Sebile is only size and it is silent but puts of plenty of rattle, if you want it to sink a bit, just big up the hooks, or suspend dot, it usually stays in the upper foot of water at all times.

I promise you will find it under one of the companies, keep in mind some are the same or similar even if marketed by other companies.. Check Strike Pro first, then Check out River2sea, it looks like one of the 2. It is possibly a disco'd house brand but I truly think it is a River2sea or Strike Pro, if that does not work, Strike Pro makes many of the lipless cranks out there but the suspending part is interesting, I only am aware of the Cotton Cordell Spot as a suspender or Sebile and that is not either...It has the shape of a lucky strike with the fin and bass pro does have a similar bait with a fin in the back, but it screams River2sea, Spro, or Strike Pro which is usually the same as Matzuo, house brands and more....good luck...Check out Megabait as well.

Thanks for the responses, I need to visit the Bill Lewis website and take a look at some of the full Product lines companies offer...I realize that many are similar but I have a desire for some black and blue flake lipless cranks, watermelon red or some type of Lucky Craft Flash minnow or thin minnow bait that is in a solid dark bases with flake, I may get some custom painted from a company I recently found, but I rarely examine all the colors from lures and I am rarely in a Bass Pro with time to really look around, typically I have a list and simply walk in and get what I want.... I noticed that on the Pradco website they had some colors for various lures that I was unaware of, and are similar but Royal Shad or purple shad color lipless cranks are one of my favorite baits and colors to throw...I have some Reaction Strike LV-75 Lipless cranks which are not expensive and I realize they have a sound that is 100% unique compared to my other 300 or so lipless cranks I have accumulated, but that color in that bait is one of my favs... The Reaction Strike Lipless cranks have a sound as if they filled them with sand......It is almost silent and has a nose down Spro Action that is really good, I found them at a liquidator otherwise I would never have found them, but I encourage anyone to but a $4 Reaction Strike LV Lipless crankbait, the 65 size is the "Standard" 1/2 oz size and 75 is more like the 7/8 Rippin Rap size... Thanks for the Norman and Bill Lewis calls, I like to support both companies since The Rat-L-Trap is like the GYB Senko or Lunker City Sluggo when it comes to creativity, and I also love the fact that Norman makes lures in the USA that have produced for ever....I love that little N and Flat Broke cranks, rarely use them but have had times they have worked well for me. Thx again.

I like to take some sandpaper to most of my lures to break them in, give them a scale feeling, and take off too much flash for a matte finish on many lures..I am alway's modifying lures on the water and love my Markers to add a streak of pink or chart down the middle of a crankbait for flash, file lips, take a silent lure and add a rattle either lead or bb's, usually a split shot that slides helps with casting and will often help a walking lure walk better by giving it a tail down posture... I also add willow blades to the end of lipless cranks, or put a double hook in the front for weeds, shave off barbs at times, but most of the time good quality lures are pretty good out of the package but I believe a different sound or look is key. I was once outfished 5 to 1 using the exact same lure (Bomber Long A) but mine was not as buoyant and he had silicone on this line for more buoyancy, and also sanded off the paint, filed the lip and it looked like a bomber but had more of a Red Fin action, now I mess around in ponds with modifications, some work, some don't, but adding a teaser in front of a floating minnow is a good way for double headers or fish that are short strikers....Tail feathers seem to always help as well, some days they want a white or black feather hanging in the water or even behind a fast moving lure like a lipless crank can use a deer hair dressed treble....

I always go with the following and try to include baits for salt and fresh like Rapala does and not market to any type of species.... 1-Chrome blue, Bone, Chart/Black, all chrome, black & white, gold & black, Clown...

I was just curious, I guess I never really looked at every Norman or Bill Lewis Crankbait in detail, I am a huge fan of the original rat-l-traps especially the models with the Triple grips but I typically purchased the standard colors...Chrome Blue, Rootbeer, Chart/Black, I love the Bill Lewis Translucent craw patterns, and I also usually get a few in chrome chart... I guess I need to look closer, I have never seen a Black blue flake, black and red flake or laminate or blue sapphire crank or jerkbait but maybe I am not looking close enough..I am sure it has too do with marketing since they don't want to use the same names for hardbaits and soft baits... I have a hard time believing that a bass see's an earthworm or leech when it inhales a 12" worm, the only time an earthworm ends up in the water is on a hook or is dead from drowning in water and I doubt it get's past the baitfish at the shoreline...I have no idea what a bass see's when it grabs a big 7" Senko on a wacky rig, but I guess they just feed out of instinct and opportunity.... One of the best selling fluke colors here in Florida is Electric Chicken or flat out Pink especially for saltwater, and I am probably not looking for pink lures since I rarely throw pink, but I will say that Pink sherbert senko's sell pretty good compared to other colors that you would think would be more popular....Swirls are actually more popular than I ever realized and other than craw patterns I never see a Black and blue swirl etc. on a hardbait...I paint my Zara Spooks with a sharpie to change bottom color, almost every topwater comes in the same patterns for most part..I was just wondering, I would think that Bass react to color based on water color and forage, and if they see Junebug the best and that is what they want when a jig is falling super fast, then I would think burning a purple and green crankbait would also work well, I will check out Norman...I like the Norman cranks,especially the Little N which is a killer, and I was a DD22 fan when I lived up North....Great lures for the money and the Bill Lewis One knockers are killer as well.

I like to buy the one on sale because all the Keitech baits are very good.

Slow. Then Slower, and the brilliance of the Rage Tail baits is that you really do not have to move them much to create action.....I find that my favorite technique on many days during the Dog Days of Summer is chucking a Weightless Anaconda Worm or Rage bug (Sometimes I use the Mojo Rig for weight) and I barely move the bait, maybe I move it 3-4 feet every 30 seconds, and the baits move plenty when you are not moving the rod, especially if you have some current.....The great thing about the Rage Baits are the fact they are Heavy and Soft, plus that Flange catches water and Hook size does make a big difference as other's mentioned... I have learned a lot from watching the videos on this site for using soft baits even though I have been using them for 30 years...I still learn something new every time I watch a video or fish with someone new, so I like to brush up on the basics at times, and the Texas Rig only has a few hundred variations in some fashion....But when in doubt, go slower or just kill it.

I was having this debate with a buddy and was wondering why we never see a Junebug or Black & blue flake Crankbait or Top water lure, or even a green pumpkin/gold flake etc... I have no idea what a Bass is thinking when it grabs a Senko, Ribbon Tail, Finesse worm etc...and in some lakes here in Florida, colors like Black with blue flake, Junebug, Watermelon Red, and Green Pumpkin Gold truly shine above all other color's most of the year. Since Crankbaits/Lipless cranks and Minnow baits/Poppers all essentially imitate a Crawfish or smaller fish, any reason as to why companies are not marketing a Purple Crankbait with green flake? Or am I not seeing them.... I have found that any Spinnerbait, Crankbait, or Jig in a Orange/Red/Brown pattern is often the best color during the Pre-Spawn, and then for Post Spawn color's Like Gold and Firetiger begin to produce better & then Chrome in fall. Obviously there are exceptions to every case, and everyone has their own color preferences, but I would think lures in the same color patterns would work well as soft bait colors stay similar for the most part all year long. I like Red Shad soft baits when doing well with a Crankbait in a Rayburn Red color for example, and I would imagine most people are using something totally different with a hardbait when doing well on a Junebug worm for example. Does anyone own a black and blue flake Hard bait and if so, how does it work? or Junebug etc...Thanks, Hope this is not a dumb question but I was really struggling to answer this question while using Chart/Blue crankbaits, Green Pumpkin/gold swimbaits, and black and blue Plastic worms?

The Storm swimbaits that have the interchangeable jigheads are really good at times, I mostly fish them in saltwater but when I do not have weeds I like the boot tail versions that come 3 per pack....I never liked the segmented swimbaits but I also have never given them a fair chance, I have only tried them when nothing else was working so not really a good guage... I know Bill Dance was catching fish on the BPS version which is softer than the Storm baits, but I found they swam offline but again, I have not used them enough to offer any advice, I do like the weighted swimbaits with a boot tail, they are pretty versatile and cast a mile....

When Chatterbaits work, you will know it, they often kill it as soon as you start your retrieve, but like people mentioned, if they want a subtle presentation than no need to try and force feed them something else, but I like to experiment and try different lures as well, you will figure out more and more about the lure on each trip.....It has become my first choice at night for ponds and lakes....It is fantastic at night instead of using topwater's most night but in fishing nothing is a given....Good luck, don't give up, next time it could be the reverse in the same lake at the same time.

I have found personally, that the trailer makes a big difference on a chatterbait and so does the weight and speed of retrieve. I like to wake them under the surface kind of on the slow side in stained water and a 1/2 oz is a good size, or 3/8 and I have found if I use a boot tail trailer it pushed too much water at times and fish will miss it more than they get hooked as it gives the bait a wide swing...I like to use a simple 4-5" curly tail grub and if I can use a trailer hook I will if grass is not an issue, and just like a spinnerbait, I often do best when the bait is at the level where I can barely see it....Some guys bend the blades to get more thump, or add a split ring etc..but for the ZMan baits, I like them with the skirt trimmed short, I like to color the blade with a black sharpie or will use gold in stained water, and often I like to wake it and the bigger the trailer the slower I retrieve it.... You can fish the chatterbait so many ways, it is more of a crankbait to me than a spinnerbait, I like to make it jump and deflect by giving it a few quick turns and pauses here and there, but like most lures, I seem to do better by changing speeds even if it is just a quick stutter or quick turn of the handle....My favorite way to fish them is like using a lipless crankbait in grass..I like to let it tick the tops and then let it bury a bit and rip it out, but some days it is too much and a Spinnerbait or Crankbait is better, or sometimes the small 1/8-1/4 versions are better as they all put of plenty of vibration..... I throw bladed jigs on every trip and some days they will not touch it, some days they miss it but smack it hard and give away location so I follow up with a soft bait, but when they want it, they usually let you know....Don't give up on it, Experiment with trailers from grubs, twin tail grubs, bulky beavers or creatures, floating baits like the Z Man or Strike King Zulu Flukes, and taking of the skirt is popular but I personally like a trimmed skirt and more bulk so I can get more action going slow...I hope that helps, I feel like I learn new things about the chatterbait every time I use it, and the Trailer makes a huge difference, sometimes leave off a trailer or simply use a spinnerbait Cajun style trailer in chartreuse just to give it some color contrast.....

bass pro Swim Sally is more buoyant than the skinny dipper, softer, and has better color imo, exact same size and design, but you will notice the softer body, and it get's great reviews from anyone who throws it..Not as Durable as the Skinny dipper, but better action hands down and they offer some really good colors, I like the 3.5" the best. The Charlie's worms zipper dipper is the exact same bait if you don't have a BPS near your home, just like they share the Humpin toad, they are super soft, and exact same design as the skinny dipper, just softer and more buoyant which is kind of Charlie's marketing line, buoyant soft baits...

If it floats, I like it, mainly the Rapala original minnows and Jointed minnows for waking on spinning tackle and lighter line, if I am throwing on casting gear I like the Long A, Bagley's Bang O lure with prop, or without, Rebel Original minnows, BPS speed minnow which is the old Lew's speed minnows, and I find I start out using a floating minnow bait as a topwater bait, and often it works all day long, letting it sit still near a piece of cover and gently shaking is a deadly method all year long, just make sure to have sharp hooks, it amazes me how fish blow up on a lure with 3 trebles and still will miss it all together....But follow up with your favorite soft bait and that fish will bite 8/10 times....Sometimes you need to fish them like a c-rig, drag it a foot or two and then pause, almost all strikes will come on the pause or when first starting it again.....Long casts are key, and steering it around cover, but letting it float in the wind will generate strikes from larger fish than a fluke normally will imo.

The Food Chain tubes by Power team as stated above is the way to go if fish are feeding on the bottom or feeding on craws, or on pressured waters, I mentioned them above, but on a weighted hook they seem to get bit the most for me and my landing percentage is the best as the hooks come through perfectly and no trimming is needed as they have a unique design better than the Missile style craw tubes.

If you like realistic Baits and Realistic baitfish colors with eyes etc...Reaction Strike makes a tube that has eyes, scales and is a great tube for fishing like a fluke or topwater bait.....I would disagree strongly that a tube is a tube....A double dipped flipping tube is nothing like a standard gitzit style tube, the key is trimming the tentacles as they get bunched together and that messes up the action. We always used the gitzit flash tubes in 3-4" for Salmon Up north and would trim half the tenticles off to make sure none were sticking and often a rattle makes a big difference...I agree that most are the same, that is true, most tubes are designed for flipping and pitching into cover but some companies make thinner models like Zoom, Venom, BPS, Gitzit, Case, Canyon, and then huge tubes like the Tora tubes and old school Yum Doozie tubes are an entirely different bait, I would choose a 5" Yum Doozle tube weightless over a senko any day of the week, or just an Ika which is a senko with a shredded tail... Dick's Sells the Damiki Hydra tubes for like $4 a bag, compared to $8 elsewhere, They have been getting a lot of work from me, and they are awesome tubes for fishing like a frog, or bouncing on bottom, flipping, punching etc...They are only good for one strike, not even 1 fish, but at $4 the action from the floating tails is something fish never see and I like it better than the IKA but the smallest IKA in pearl is a good tube to have for a tournament if in the back of the boat, rig that tube on a split shot rig, small Gamakatsu Split shot hook # 1 or #2 and fish it with 3 foot drags to start, then modify from there, quickest way to get a limit is with a small Ika tube, and as a co-angler often a limit get's you the win.

If trying to imitate a baitfish, I like the Gitzit flash tubes, but any thin body tube works well in a pearl, silver, or green pumpkin etc...but the Zoom, BPS tender tubes in thinner size, not the double dipped.... FLippinng I like the BPS double dipped tubes, Strike King, really all are good, just trim them up and make sure you are getting a realistic action...IF they are feeding on craws, the Power Team Food Chain smaller tubes are awesome because you can rig them with a weighted hook and they fall nicely and hook sets are easy, plus I like their colors and they have a different look than any other tube on the market.... If fishing deeper water and want some gliding action, rig one on a gitzit style flat head or darter head and fish it with your reel for action, reel it fast for 3-4 feet,pause, then same deal...It is deadly on Suspended fish, freshwater, saltwater, crappie, bass, Tubes catch everything and don't ever think a small 2" tube is too small, I have had some of my best days on a green pumpkin 2" tube tail after a Mayfly or shiner/shad hatch...I carry tubes and fish them probably more than any other style soft baits...All are basically the same except the solid body tubes..Fat Ika by GYB is a must have soft bait imo, and Damiki Hydra is deadly just deadsticking it.....Tubes also skip better than any soft bait and are awesome when fished like a fluke or walked under the surface, get creative, especially with rigging...You can put a float inside a tube and float it behind a c-rig and slay fish while everyone else is chucking big Norman DD22's.

I rarely use Senko's anymore or at least the traditional ways, I felt that they worked great up until a few years ago, now I only use them in water I know never gets fished....If you are in new water with un pressured bass, a Senko is hard to beat, but a trick worm will do the job just fine....I do like to punch with a senko since it is heavy and gets through anything.

The Drop Shot rig takes practice, I would still consider myself a relative Novice and I use it shallow so Iike to feel bottom and a heavier weight often helps me not move it too much, I found that my problem was I wanted to shake it like a shaky head, the key to the drop shot is barely moving it, and I also found the swivel hooks help with line twist...The Fish do not seem to mind too many swivels, plus Tsunami makes a swivel that is super strong and so tiny you can tie it to braid and barely see it..... I would suggest watching videos on how to tie it correctly, I found that the Owner Downshot hooks was good, but I never trust a Palmar knot on Fluoro, I only llike the Improved Clinch Knot personally, and I often drop shot with Mono and in weeds I have had success but I only use the drop shot when I know fish are in a spot, I never use it to find fish.....I also have found that the right bait is key, I do best with the KVD Dropshot Bait for some reason. Nose hooking seems to give the bait the best action, but for me, the Split shot rig is more useful in the water I fish than a drop shot for me.... Somebody who is good with the drop shot barely moves the bait, for me that is hard to do, I love to shake and move stuff, and it causes issues and never works as well for me...Not as easy as some make it out to be....The Mojo rig or split shot rig and floating soft bait is my answer. Bait is higher than weight so same principle and easier to cast and retrieve, I don't fish deep clear water much.

You can find videos on you tube how to drill out the rattles on a lure and I have seen it done with the Mann's wakes, and some other Minnow style baits, I give mine to a friend since mine always leek water when I try to turn them into one knockers or add weight etc....Practice on cheap baits from Ebay first...I forgot the Rapala DT-Flat, I think flash when I think flat sides as well as tight action, the glass shad rap is good for casting on heavier line since the shad rap is hard to cast...I have been throwing the Crème Mad Dad Minnow lately which has a weedless hook and for some reason is much better than all the other soft swimbaits with hooks in my opinion especially for the money..Something about that big eye, I like to buy the saltwater version or the 4.5" but the 3.5 is good, 2.5 is good as well but tough to cast, for $2, it feels like you are reeling in a rattle trap with the amount of vibration it puts off, I have never liked the Storm swimbaits or BPS soft swimbaits but the Crème Mad Dad Minnow is cheap and catches fish in places most traps or cranks can't go and they have cool colors..I would buy a few and try them, I just started using them and really like the bait a lot.

The Evolve bait I purchased the Soul is a flat sided square bill that looks great but I have not fished it yet, hooks look small.

Bomber Flat A-, Spro little John is flat, Daiwa has a flat sided shallow square bill, The Sebile Ratsler is flat but has a rattle, I would have to go through my box, I consider the shad rap to be flat same as the speed trap...but The Bomber Flat A is really not a square bill but is the flattest I can think of...The Sebile Flatt shad is either a one knocker or silent lipless bait depending on if it is a suspender or Sinking model and nothing I have seen is as thin as that lure, one of my favorites for any depth, cover etc...

I know Ebsco/Pradco is changing up a lot of their line up ever since buying Bandit....Bomber, Booyah, Exalibur, and Yum are all getting a makeover, same with Bandit...I am sure it comes back...Lurenet is the site for all the Pradco baits and if you call them they are helpful.

They Make a few swim Jigs with a Willow blade on the hook, I think War Eagle makes it....Or Hart, I have never used it myself but sounds like a good idea as it would be a spinnerbait/swim jig hybrid, I would think they would work well.