1/2 oz Jig. Green pumpkin/and a few strands of blue. Craw trailer in either Okeechobee craw or green pumkin.

That bait has caught me fish in every season of the year and is almost always tied on or laying in the front deck.

Im surprised more people didnt say a jig. Its my go to and my fall back.

 

The jig IMO is my go to bait and a lot of members here will most likly agree as to the effectivness of a jig, I will fish a jig over soft plastic baits anytime if the soft plastics are not working,  but think about what happens here in our areas, when the bite really slows down and even the jig bite does not work that great, if at all, answer me this, why do you think the jig stops working when it is usually a go to bait?

 

My answer is the fish are suspended, either feeding in a shallow layer of oxygenated water or holding close to that oxygenated layer, if you know where you can find some rather large humps or some type of structure that allows the fish to gather in areas like these the chances of you being successful are going to be slim, when the bite is really slow, I tend to revert back to my winter patterns, yes the jig is one of those baits I will utilise, but unless the bass are on the bottom or holding tight to some type of structure then the jig becomes much less effective, so what do you do when the fish are suspended and lock jawed? you have to slow way down, just like winter, I will break out my jerk baits and my drop shots and work them both to death.

 

My favorite is the Jerk Bait, especially suspending Jerk Baits. 

You are certainly right that when fish are suspended the jig is not the best answer. And the jig is not the only lure on my boat. Like everyone else, ill still use other techniques. But this is where fishing styles come in. I like fishing structure, shallow and deep. Fish will always relate to structure. When theythe seem toto beme suspended, unless they are stacked up thick, im looking for big humps, steep points, riprap points. More than half of my fish this winter were caught on either a 1oz football jig or a 1/2oz arky style jig.

Ill give you this tho Nitro, Jerkbait isnt a bad pick. Normally its my most productive winter lure...not so much after early spring... not for me anyways.. i i could only pick one type of lure... its the jig.

For me its the swim senko. Usually watermellon or pumpkin depending on how dirty the water is. Whether its in the canal behind my house or out at Lox they have been the go to for me and my 6 Y.O son.

Junebug Senko T-rigged weightless and a gold/black back 1/2 oz rat-l-trap. Anytime, anywhere.....

Around here there is nothing that beats creature baits IMO, either by theirselves or tied on a jig, almost a fish every time you cast.

 

Nitro, try a small(ish) creature bait on a shakeyhead It's unreal!

 

 

 

Edit: As for the topic, the bait that always catches me fish when I really need one Is a 4" Zoom dead ringer, watermelon/red teamed with a Siebert Outdoors Zenith shakeyhead.

yesterday i was atving deep in the everglades at 1 of my fishing holes & since i only had a backpack on & had to travel lite weight on my atv.i only had a wallmart lite fishing rod with 10lb & with a small plastic crawfish from wallmart too.it was chilly yesterday cold front came thru,the bass were not biting but i had a blast catching,Gars,Oscars & snakeheads till my plastic crawfish was bitten to peaceses hahaha..since it been really dry in south florida the fish in those smal ponds about the size of a swimming pool r dammmmmmm hungry..

I would have to say the trick worm, fluke, and frog (in no particular order)down here in South FL. If you do not get hits on any of those baits pack it up and call it a day.  

Senko or swim jig.

KVD 1.5 in Gizzard shad.

Wow, I guess it would be a 5" Senko pumpkin/chart tip, wacky style. But, durn it, a Senko any way is better than good. For smallmouth, Always a crawfish colored tube jig.

Hard bait: SK 1.5 square bill

Soft Bait: Robo Worm 

A jig with some sort of trailer on it.

My two are a black neon yum ribbon tail, and a SK RES.

Largemouth:  swimbait, jig, fluke

 

Smallmouth: Pop R, fluke, swimbait

Drop Shot'n a roboworm

last year for me it was Caffeine Shad, tore them up all year long on those babies.

Versatility would be mine, that said my go to for finding fish would be a crankbait in most situations. No one crank does the job as I have a variety that will fish the surface down to app 20' deep and everything in between. 

LMB: All time would be spinnerbait, this year would be KVD 1.5 sexy shad.

 

Smallmouth: All time would be a  SpiderJig, this year hula grub.

Jig and Craw for size, which is what I fish for. If I was going for numbers, then a crank or Senko would probably be it.

For numbers, a 7-1/2" ribbon-tail worm, T-rigged, in Tequila Sunrise or Red Shad.

 

For big fish, a 1/2 oz. jig w/craw trailer, black w/blue flake.

 

Tom

Jig

I would have to say the trick worm, fluke, and frog (in no particular order)down here in South FL. If you do not get hits on any of those baits pack it up and call it a day.

Are you sure that you don't mean Louisiana?

spinnerbait for me colorado/willow and white skirt.....if i could only use one lure thats what it would be

Wacky rigged watermelon Yum Dinger. My best producer.

hands down a Jig. Preferably in a sunfish/bluegill pattern.