primetime

I don't like alot of flash, so I tend to use the old school pearl and black, and then the helinksi shad I think its called. Has some chart and purple in it.... I actually like all Rapala colors. I just carry 2 shad patterns,one craw, one firetiger....I never got into the special colors they have in BPS. Just buy them at Dicks which has the main ones you need. I usually add a few dots or lines on most of my solid color cranks to make them look more natural. Just use a black sharpie.

I was just going through some plastics to pack for the weekend, and I came across a bag of pumpkinseed Culprits and tubes. I used to use that color in NY as one of my go to's. I would think it is still a really good color. Companies do not really make it any more, or at least you rarely hear about it. I guess Green Pumpkin Took over? The culprit color is translucent, Going to try it again. Also going to try the old salt and pepper worm. Strange how colors become less popular. A grape worm was considered the best universal color at one time...Solid purple is rarely on shelves.

I have a bad habit of shaking drop shots too much, moving it too fast....Maybe thats why I only catch dinks on it....

One of the best bass I ever hooked into was after a backlash, and while I was trying to fix it....a good 3-4 minutes later my Devils horse was sucked underwater and unfortunately.....It broke surface and is a bad memory to this day. I have had days where the only time I could get bit on a fluke or senko was when it was sitting on bottom. I typically discover this pattern by accident. I never wait more than 10 seconds for most part, but sometimes they wait for the bait to sit on bottom before grabbing it. Soft baits still move when you are not moving them, it takes patience but it is a legit technique, just not designed for my style.

A double tail or single tail grub is always a safe bet. I will sometimes add a spider grub to give the bait more bulk and slow the fall. The GYB spider grub pretty much catches fish no matter how you rig it or fish it....

Never seen that but it kind of makes sense if using a trailer hook I guess. Alot of times I truly believe its simply giving fish a different look then they ever see. That is a subtle way of almost having it look like a school of baitfish...Kind of the baitball concept maybe. Interesting picture.

I agree with above. add a split shot or rig up a light carolina rig with a bullet weight and leave a leader long enough to rise above the slime. I would use a floating/slow sinking worm, Z-man stick worm, Gambler Floating worms etc... Standard round bend hook, not an ewg imo. I would also use Mono as it floats. I have never found any bait or jig that can come through heavy slime, although a pegged texas rig as stated above is another option if its not really thick.

Manufacturer websites are always worth checking....You can get lucky going on Pradco site, and others....

I always add a trailer, I have confidence in certain color combo's and certain baits. You can pretty much throw on any soft plastic and catch fish on a jig, the fun part if figuring out which ones work best for you.

I have used scents in the past like Megastrike and when I was using it I felt it helped....But I havent added scent in a couple years and do not really think about it. Most baits have scent cooked into them, salt etc....I have always felt that bass do hold onto powerbait longer, but that could be in my head.

The reason they sell a 1000 colors of soft baits with slight variations, is because they catch our money in the store or online....Buying different colors is part of the process of Fishing, part of the fun. I personally believe that favorite color is often related to confidence. If you believe a Blue worm will catch more fish than a watermelon worm, then it likely will in your mind. The only way to ever truly know what color was working best that day,is if you are fishing with someone who is fishing the same color, same depth, speed etc.... With that said....There are "Safe" colors that will always work. Then one day you may throw something outside your range, catch fish, and then it gives you confidence. Or watch someone else slay them on something that glows and it can quickly change your opinion. I agree with what Tom said above, it does seem that colors have staying power for a certain amount of time, certain lakes get a reputation for a color etc... I stick with the same Florida colors for the most part, then I have a few favorites like Houdini, Sprayed Grass, Watermelon/Orange laminate & red shad...Black with blue tail seems to be the new favorite.

In Stained water, Black and blue is typically my go to color for all jigs and softbaits. Or Junebug which is similar. I either match the trailer color with something similar in color, either a craw or swimbait, but sometimes a green pumpkin trailer on black and blue works really well.

I say buy a pack of each. Both are really good worms. I used to throw the original speed worm and caught fish, but last few years I tend to only throw the ultravibe version. Stained water, I throw the Junebug pretty much exclusively. The vibe creates plenty of vibration, if fishing weeds, fish it like a buzzbait and kill it in pockets, Fish often grab it when it is falling after following it. The original does make a good pitching worm, or swimming worm. Both will catch fish, just depends on what mood they are in.

Try throwing an old school Rapala floating Minnow or a split shot rig with a 4-6" curly tail worm.....Both seem to always catch fish when struggling.

bandit, Spro Lil John, Bomber 2a, Flat A since it basically suspends and looks like a bluegill, more subtle approach which works at times....The $4 Square A after changing trebles, Rapala DT, Speed traps, and of course KVD and Academy...I pick them more by color and size than anything else. I don't think I throw any $10 Plus crankbaits. I do love the older Xcalibur silent crankbaits. I have a few of the cheaper super shallow BPS crankbaits that have a rattle and they work well at times, perfect size crankbait. Storm Subwart is a great little crankbait as well....

I have watched guys do really well offshore on spoons in both cold and warm. I have used them ice fishing for Bass, and will use them from time to time if I have open water and schools of shad...There are good videos on You tube of guys catching big bass in the summer in Florida throwing big spoons offshore after its been cranked etc... I tend to use smaller spoons....Hopkins type for jigging, and I have a bunch of Johnson Sprite spoons which are pretty versatile. I used to use the Crippled Herring spoon and Lindy Rattle spoon through the ice for bass in NY, and we would do well...In Florida, I carry a few but rarely use them. I will throw a little kastmaster in ponds from time to time and they work well at times on light tackle.

I have the same issue...I store all sealed bags in large tuperware type containers to keep air out...I also have a ton of bulk baits from when I used to sell them online, and many are older, 2012 etc...I wrap them in freezer bags, and store them in closets, I seal the top with wrap, and they stay in perfect condition.....Open baits store well as long as air doesn't get inside, Freezer bags are the best, seperate by color, and they won't bleed or damage. I included a quick pic of one closet where I store both...I plan on listing them again, but shipping is annoying to sell them online. Impossible to get pics with all the different baits, even if you call them random, people want what was in the pictures....But hope this helps. If you buy the large clear containers at Walmart, make sure they are sealed, and they will last forever. I have bags I purchased over a decade ago, and they are still in perfect shape.

I haven't figured out the Neko Rig. I do put a nail weight in one end when wacky rigging, but only because all my strikes come on the drop, so if I want it to move under a dock, I will put a nail in one end. I have never hopped a Neko Rig on the bottom personally. I like a shaky head for the reasons mentioned, weedless, and can feel the bottom better.

I don't like taking soft plastics out of original bags, or out of any bag...I typically just fill a small tackle bag (3600 size) and it can fit 30 packs of baits or so.....Does the job, you can fit the terminal tackle/Jigs you need in the pockets....I use mostly soft baits, so I typically just put one box of lures on the bottom, then jam the bags on top, use the pockets for everything else like leader etc... I find if I take plastics out of bags they end up drying out faster, if box flips, they bleed etc....A plastics binder is nice because you can just clip it on to your belt.

Norman made a weedless rat l trap a few years ago, it had two double hooks on the back like the older weedless Jitterbugs... Sebile has a weedless model, it has a double hook in front instead of a treble that snugs tight to the body, Creme has a soft body mad minnow that is essentially the same design. I threw the Sebile a few times, and didn't really find it all that much weedless, plus the hook up rates suffer. Its kind of a bad idea, like the Weedless spinnerbait.

Duel makes a crankbait similar to what you are looking for. I found a few on clearance at Dicks for $7.99 & I think some were at walmart...They make one that is essentially a wake bait in a shad profile like the older Yo-zuri SS minnow crankbaits for saltwater. Looks like the River 2 sea movement shape someone mentioned. I don't know the name of the model, but Duel/Yo-zuri have some baits that match what you are looking for, I guess it depends how you define "Wide". As someone mentioned, you can fish the smaller Bomber #13 Long A and #14 long a like a crankbait, any jointed version will give you a wide rolling action on a slow retrieve. The Rebel Jointed Minnow and Jointed Rapala minnows make great shallow crankbaits with a thin profile. You can Fish them like a crankbait, floating minnow baits like the Yo-zuri Crystal minnow have wide actions with the arched back as well.

There is a website that actually has that information from each tournament going back into the 70's....Bass Acrhive I believe..I have not been on there in a while but it has articles from older tournaments and talks about the tackle being used, strategies being used back then etc.. I just did a quick search and this link popped up....Benefits of working from home.....https://www.fieldandstream.com/8-highest-earning-lures-in-competitive-fishing/

There is a website that actually has that information from each tournament going back into the 70's....Bass Acrhive I believe..I have not been on there in a while but it has articles from older tournaments and talks about the tackle being used, strategies being used back then etc.. I would guess Jigs, Worms & spinnerbaits likely still hold the lead overall.....

The Kalin's sizmic shad is probably the stiffest paddle tail swimbait I have used. Cabela's has a swimbait that BPS now carry's which has a different feel, durable, good colors and you get good value...I forget the name but they come in 3.5& 5", I think 3.99 a bag. Similar to the Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper which I would also consider a stiffer plastic...

The bait looks just like the zoom critter craw. Its a good bait, makes a good jig trailer, also good on a texas rig, light c-rig, or on a shaky head as suggested. It has a nice slow glide when it falls, I tend to use them in clear water and lighter line most of the time but they will catch fish. I love the fire claws in both orange like you have, and the blue....