I feel confident that I could catch smallies in fast or calm water on a 3.5" Brown tube year round.. Other baits may be better during different times of the year but I can drag a tube during winter, texas rig it during spring, jig it during summer, then double rig it during fall and catch 2 at a time out of a wolf pack!!

4 inch Trigger X Swimming Grub in chartreuse or Rapala X-Rap size 8 in Pink

Two years ago on the 2011 RoadTrip Big O and our two soldiers caught 144 during the flood,

including at least 2 PBs and maybe a third if Big O fessed up! Some of these brown fish were

caught on Red Eye Shad, but the majority were fooled by the Rage Tail Baby Craw. This intel

was shared with everyone on the trip and needless to say, it was the Baby Craw that ruled the

outing.

 

 

 

4.5 inch Robo worm in AM on a drop shot.  I have got bit on this combo everywhere I have fished for smallmouth.

 

+1 to that! I love that combo up here in WA.

Tube, tube or tube, watermelon, watermelon/black flake, green pumpkin, smoke/ black flake, pumpkinchartrusetail.

Rodney

weightless fluke

I like smoke curl tail grubs.

Gitzit Tube in a dark color.

I would probably have to go with a C&S lures stand up footbal jig with a netbait paca chunk sr. in summer craw on the back.

Keitech shad impact in Ayu rigged weightless, weighted hook or DS.

Ika, green w/ purple flake

only one crank... either kvd square bill or rapala shallow rap shad. Only 1 soft plastic=GULP! smelt. only 1 popper.. oh what a horrendous reality.  In the end a hula popper or skitterpop beats em all for spring, summer, and fall in favorite holes here in IL. I'm just glad I don't have to choose.

Finesse worm on a drop shot

For size, Any walk the dog type top water for me. For numbers, rooster tail.

If I wasn't limited to rigging options, a 4" senko. You can dropshot it, drag it on a jig head, wacky rig it, and on and on and on.........

Jig.

A 4-5" soft bodied tube.  Can use it with an inside tube weight, a bullet weight or no weight as a substitute for floating frogs when fishing over pads or around reeds

tube

If I only had one bait and one way to rig it?

 

6" Watermelon Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm texas rigged weightless on 12lb moss green P-Line Floroclear. 

3/16th shakey head,Zoom green pumpkin trickworm.Close second 3/8 oz jig brown-green pumpkin blend.

Man, this would be a real problem

I'd be forced to downsize my rods, reels, tackle bag, tackle boxes, fishing lines, my boat, trailer, car, house....

Only usuing one lure would be life changing

Anything finesse is good with me .

4" BPS XPS grub (smoke or green pumpkin), 7' ML spinning rod, 10lb. Sufix 832 w/ 8-10lb. fluoro leader.

 

Close second would be a Zman Finesse ShadZ (green pumpkin) on either a shakey head or a drop shot.

If I were stuck with one bait I'd choose something I could cover some water with, fish slow or fast, and vary my retrieve. A jerk bait no doubt. Well, several jerk baits that is, sizes, colors, depth, etc.

vision 110