Hey Guys and Gals,

 

If you could have a few batches of your favorite soft baits made in any color pattern, what brand & styles would you want customized? Is there a bait you love but wish they offered it with heavy metal flake?

 

I love so many different soft baits and I like custom colors to give the fish a new look, and I am curious to see what baits mean the most to you, and what color would you choose to add or modify?

 

Last year I went with 6" sticks in a green pumpkin gold flake/Junebug Swirl w/ chart flake...it is ok, but not something people ask to borrow.

 

I also had somei 5" Swimming Flukes made in a Motor Oil chartruese Change over with silver flake which are really good, but my homerun was a Bass Assassin Turbo Shad in a clear translucent body/black laminate w/ Red,purple, silver flake. They ended up being floaters, crazy soft, ripped very easy, but I never get upset if I go through a ton of plastics if the Fish are playing ball. I thought the flake was way to heavy, too loud, but it worked in clear or stained water, and was so versatile. I will take floating mistakes anyday for alot of baits.

 

I want to do some 4" Hollow Bellies in pearl white, light blue back, big Red Eyes.... 12" Ribbon Tail in black/chart tail, w/ copper flake,  and the Yum Mighty Craws in a vibrant bright pearl with black and brown flake in larger dots than normal.

 

I am curious to see how others view color. Is it adding some flash to Junebug or some Red to fill the spectrum? Old school Purples or grapes?  Manns jelly worm colors, or new Roboworm colors on say an Ugly Otter or on a toad? Thanks in advance.

 

Does Culprit still make a Moccasin laminate? A mag trick worm in that color would find it's way onto a worm hook for sure. I used Culprits for years and nothing else until powerbait arrived.

I have always wanted a perch colored

senko/stick bait. Green on top, orange on bottom, and 3-4 black vertical bars. Why? Because perch are a primary forage species around here and I've always had luck on perch colored lures.

Awesome answer....I actually have a few ideas that may work for you, and 2 companies make a really good firetiger fluke and one makes a small 3.5" paddle shad...Culprit owns Riptide and riptide makes a 5" fluke that has a long single tail like a Wave or Yamamoto style, green body, orange belly, and tail is green and orange scale blend...Also, Saltwater Assassin makes the Sea Shad in a color that is orange and green,

 

I love the  idea of vertical bars on a soft bait especially to imitate a perch, and I grew up fishing NY waters, so I know that you need to have natural colors, and the Perch Rapala Shad rap, J-9 Minnow was a killer and so were any baits that were baby bass.

 

You just gave me an idea, and I think it may be a really good bait. I am sure they can do it, at least a swirl....but I am glad you responded. I was not thinking like that for soft baits and that is bizare, I can see a perch pattern good on baits in all the major food groups.....Hopefully you will have a pic, and then a package soon.

Thanks again for helping out

I would like to see a ribbon tail worm (similar to the Rage Tail Cut-R) black body, red translucent tail, with red flakes.

Why? Because I have the best luck with black worms - and a splash of red has never done anything but helped in other soft plastics that I have used.

These Cut-R worms are obviously legit as I hear the word every day.....I agree, Red shad and black red firetip curly tail worms are always good. I would think fish have not seen the tomato core colors in a while as they are not marketed much. I actually use alot of the cheap MR. Twister curly tails in the Translucent colors like Orange with chart coating, and black with red on red is good idea, purple on bright purple is great, so black red makes sense scientifically depending on which studies you trust most.

 

I have used the color chart from Iowa University color study on Bass and color, or was it Idaho...anyway, when we fished in tanic water, I matched chart with a yellow purple shade and we actually did pretty good for a tough day....Thanks, Could look cool, Rage tail is all over for sure..Good stuff. smells even better.

Rage Tail Recon in cinnamon pepper neon junebug laminated & black neon clear tail with lots of silver glitter.

#1 is an extremely deadly cover in any water clairity & at night.

#2 is by far my most deadly color at night!

I have always wanted a perch colored

senko/stick bait. Green on top, orange on bottom, and 3-4 black vertical bars. Why? Because perch are a primary forage species around here and I've always had luck on perch colored lures.

x2 on this. Would love to have some perch soft plastics for mn.

A perfect swimming replica of a GoldFish. Bright orange with battery operated swimming action. Money pure pure money

I have always wanted a perch colored

senko/stick bait. Green on top, orange on bottom, and 3-4 black vertical bars. Why? Because perch are a primary forage species around here and I've always had luck on perch colored lures.

I picked up a pack of 4" senkos in perch color from TW. Haven't tried them yet but they look good. Check them out.

Years ago many companies made a Culprit style ribbon tail worm in a transparent blue firetail similar to the color of this worm that was absolutely deadly on the bass around here. (Note: this is just a sample of the color but not the worm type for its the only photo I could find of the color, make this in the Culprit type 7 1/2 inch ribbon tail and put me down for several bags of them) Please someone bring back this color combo!

 

 

 

 

Many years ago... Gillraker made a color that I personally have never seen since.... One was a

U tale 7" plastic worm..... Black spinal core

Also Red spinal core...... A translucent outer with

A colored inner core... It was my all time best producing bigger fish color ...5 to 8llb largies in Florida circa.... 87? Maybe....

Years ago many companies made a Culprit style ribbon tail worm in a transparent blue firetail similar to the color of this worm that was absolutely deadly on the bass around here. (Note: this is just a sample of the color but not the worm type for its the only photo I could find of the color, make this in the Culprit type 7 1/2 inch ribbon tail and put me down for several bags of them) Please someone bring back this color combo!

 

 

I remember this color from Culprit, and it was also a favorite of mine in the Manns line up. I am starting to get into the culprit worms again and especially the Fat Max and Incredicraw for flipping, but I actually still throw Jelly Worms more than Trick worms, and Augertails still will catch some hogs...I have a catolog from Culprit I saved from years ago (1989 I believe) as I used to mail letters to all the tackle companies when I had my first little jon boat at age 11 and I would stick them all over this thing, it looked awful now that I look back, but I though I was the Man in this thing, especially with my 17lb thrust Minn Kota on the Long Island waters. Culprit was awesome and sent me a jacket, sample bags of baits, shirts, decals and I can say it was awesome coming home from school for a few months.

 

I will always buy Fenwick as they not only sent me Decals, but they sent me 2 spinning rods and it was in the dayys of the Boron rod I think, and I had to have one, so I told them I was hoping to get one at Xmas. They sent 2 good quality rods, and Heddon sent me crazy crawlers.....Heck, I not only had a ton of decals, but I remember one company and I want to say it was Heddon, sent me a box of about a dozen lures, and several were models they had not released and I must have mentioned I loved the Crazy Crawler cause they sent me almost half a dozen, Hula Poppers, and some cool lures I had never seen. I am still loyal to the one's that responded and most did, and were cool, so it was smart on the 5 companies that made the biggest impression as I pitch them to people, buy them, and always look to give them my business. I just wished I still liked to Use Panther Martin Products, as they went overboard, and I may actually buy a new 2 man Inflatable Kayak for the wilderness trips and I saw Harrison Hodge has some nice Sea Eagle options....I tried their Frog, same problems as the bill plummer super frog..

 

Great call, I will be hunting these down on my roadtrip and will let you know if I find them. I think I will. Manns is still making the blue color and I am sure Charlies worm's would maybe do something like  this if not available......Electric Blue Culprit...Plum Crazy, and I think the Translucents need to come back for sure, especially in the new styles of today....Imagine a Senko in this blue, or a finesse worm or frog...Probably work good. Jelly worms worm awesome down here and never stopped in saltwater either.

Custom hand pour soft plastics are available and a way of tournament fishing " secrets" out west for decades and I am sure in other regions. Having a secret custom hand pour that is kicking butt is every tournament bass anglers dream, asking them to disclose those color combinations will get you ......nowhere.

Both Don Iovino products and Josh Uptom, Uptom's Customs, pour excellent custom soft plastics, go online and take a look of their colors available, then triple those for the secret colors. Every lake tends to have a color combo that is hot for a few months, few remain hot for years.

Tom

I was just thinking about brand label baits, and wishing Gambler makes a pearl ez swimmer with red eyes type of thing. I think a buddy I used to fish with used the hand pours you mentioned, everyone in Florida uses Bitters which is not a secret, and we have secret colors on each lake, but those colors are good in all lakes with same color water.

 

I don't believe in secret colors or absolutes in fishing, too many variables, and if I found a true secret lure or color, it is not staying a secret, it is becoming a huge lure on the market. I have my own secret colors I find work best, but I also found out I was not the only one having changeovers done, in same styles, and we always talk and share....I know color matters, but only if in the right hands, right time, and that window could be 2 hours from my experiences. Only rare, but hand pours are awesome, great action, plus I get them to fit my style so I am more confident. I use a hypothosis based on local knowledge, water color, depth, good polorized glasses, and usually when I slay em on a certain color that is a hand pour that I "created" I find that someone at the ramp did 2x better using a 5" Kalins Grub in Lime with a Pink tail on a 3/8 Mushroom jig with a fast but stop and go retrieve to kill them....for first 2 hours of day, then they had a few on a jig, but those 22 lbs were good enough, right time right place has always been my theory, but fishing is not fun if we have nothing new to try or if you don't try new ideas.....Powerbait had science-Berkley Institute, and when I read about fishing, it is usually skill that made the guy who win, was on pattern long enough, didnt lose the big ones....If they have money, some guys win alot of big events cause they can pay locals for maps, pay them to pre-fish during the week, I have noticed and heard lakes get really crowded before big events....

 

Either way, I think some companies make such good quality soft baits that hand pours are still awesome, its a custom so you can do it your way, but I have not been able to find anyone to duplicate the action of certain brands....Kind of wish I could get Yamamoto to make some senkos in Roboworm patterns....May happen, trends are moving in a few new directions for sure...Always more good stuff to buy, tackle has gotten so good in my 30 years, I look at old BP catalogs and see the lures and names and color and it just shows that your statement of "lakes change over time is 100% accurate, Senkos seem to be not as popular in this area any more, guys fishing more creatures, finesse, or just read the last 6 major magazines and that is usually what most guys are throwing in some form.

Years ago many companies made a Culprit style ribbon tail worm in a transparent blue firetail similar to the color of this worm that was absolutely deadly on the bass around here. (Note: this is just a sample of the color but not the worm type for its the only photo I could find of the color, make this in the Culprit type 7 1/2 inch ribbon tail and put me down for several bags of them) Please someone bring back this color combo!

 

 

Have you looked on the culprit site? THey have a color called grape/ red tail, which looks similar. The grape looks more blue, and it has silver glitter

Mister Twister still offers the fire tail worms.

Culprit still offers a colored tail worm too.

Bigfat swim jig in crappie colors!

What about glow in the dark charge with uv torch .

Have you looked on the culprit site? THey have a color called grape/ red tail, which looks similar. The grape looks more blue, and it has silver glitter

 

Yes I have tried those. There okay but not as good of results. Berkley makes or did make one similar to that grape Culprit,  but there is something about the translucent blue that really makes a difference. Everyone use to make that color, even the no name brands and then that color just disappeared.  That color just flat out produced around here no matter if I was at a Lake, Pond or River Fishing. Heck I almost got fired over it for the first time I tried it I was on my lunch break and the bass where hammering it so needless to say my lunch break lasted and extra hour and a half. d**n flat tires, sorry boss. LOL

Thats meant to be what about glow in the dark senkos for night fishing .

A purple or grape colored worm.  I have seen a lot of junebug and purple mixed with other colors, but I haven't seen a purple colored worm in quite some time.

What about flourescent blue or fluorescent green shakers aye .

I actually have a bunch of translucent grape and purple worms that I often throw, and If water is dingy, I find a spike it marker with chart or pink helps big time. I still love black with chart tail and one of the best colors for me is blue with silver flake and it always outfishes black and blue for me..

 

Culprit has a senko style worm in Junebug blue tail that is awesome looking, I actually love the density of the Culprit worms, and I have not used it much yet since I have a hard time not using black/chart tip and gp colors....

 

I recently went out with some 9" twister tail worms that have the big knobs throughout the body and I had them in green pumpkin black flake, and a plum with red flake/Translucent. I started getting strikes with the old style worm 3-1 when my buddy decided he was going to go with a Red Shad SLugg-o since it was Retro day..Don't burry the Sluggo just yet, it is awesome, and the fish seem ok with the idea of us wacky rigging them as well. I told a few friends and apparently the Sluggo was on fire this morning while I was working, so I am starting to think the fish are seeing a few too many senkos coming buy every day, trick worms, and then more senkos and maybe a bunch of flukes as well as they seem to not work as well on the lakes that get alot of pressure.

i

I am going to fish the Manns Jelly worm again instead of trick worms, sluggos instead of senkos, and Powerbait Ribbon Tails instead of senkos and see how things go...Time to grab some Salt and pepper and smoke grubs as well, and some Wooden topwater Prop lures & Gator tail and triple ripple tail worms....Its a new generation of bass so the big fish have grown up with Yamamoto and Zoom.....Time to show them some old school baits and I think this may work. Only problem, If I don't start a day and see a few fish being caught, I will be grabbing all my trick worms and senkos in Junebug, Gp, Watermelon, Black and blue....maybe go outside the box and Junebug red flake.....that should do the trick...Color is all in our heads I think. I have yet to see any studies that are conclusive and the best one I read was done at Iowa univerity and Bass preffered a Yellow worm almost 2/1 over any other colors and I think black and grey were next....In that book "Knowing Bass" but could be another.....Nobody knows, That is why we carry 80 bags with use, Just in case the Pink with silver flake is on fire for a brush hog or fluke...I love to carry pinks with me, yet never throw them. I would never leave home, and I think I did catch a bass once on bubble gum when it first came out, but have to have them....