Most soft plastic companies make the same styles in most baits. Lets take the "beaver" style bait for example. Currently I own at minimum 4-5 different companies variation of this lure. Sometimes I get bogged down on what to take on a particular trip. If I think that this bait will be productive on a particular day, it seems like I am loading up on every single one that I have.

 

How many different brands or variations of the same bait do you carry? And how have you solved the problem of which ones to take?

The only soft plastic I use with any regularity is a fluke, Zooms work just fine.

Seriously? I have no idea how many different kinds of each style of bait I use. They all serve their purpose and get used when the time is right. 

I have bought many different styles of baits in the past, but I'm starting to move to  one brand thing, I'm mostly buying big bite plastics these days. I use the same bread of reels, rods, spinnerbaits.... It's just started clicking for me like that

What I've found is different brands have different fall rates.

Senko, Yum-dinger, & Big Bite all fall at different rates.

Trick worm, Bass Assassin Tapout, & Roboworm cast different & fall different.

Rage Lobster, Gene Larew Hawg Craw, & Paca Craw cast & fall diffetent.

Aint but one Structure Bug! Rage Tail

For the most part Rage Tail, MegaStrike and GYBC.

 

 

 

 

I make my own so I don't carry brands.

I keep it simple, the only plastics in my arsenal are Berkley Havoc, Gulp, and power bait. All of my hard baits are Strike King, and my jigs are home made with Boss components.

Havoc has taken front seat for most all my plastics now. Still use zoom craws and flukes tho

No hard questions.  Seriously, if there is a soft plastic company out there that has any distribution in the Midwest area, I've probably bought some of their product.

There are definitely some differences in sink rate between different brands of similar plastic baits.  Also some differences in durability.  For that reason, I carry some similar plastic baits from different manufacturers.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

That's the problem!

I see something I haven't got and think Ummmm I wonder??

Man, That looks good! If I was a bass I'd eat that! Throw it in the basket.

I learned that leason.

Unfortunately, Ive done that so long I got bags I haven't opened yet!

As far as brands, yes I've settled on 1 or 2 brand's now for almost all styles of plastics.

Mike

I like variety and will buy different brands to try them out. 

Offhand I think I have around

10 brands of senko style baits

10 brands of lipless cranks

10 brands of frogs

5-8 brands of spinnerbaits

 

I just got 3 more brands of stick baits Flat Dawg,Megastick,Keitech salty stick to try out.

 

Oh as for which ones I take on any given outing just a spur of the moment or whatever is the newest, nearly always have senkos though.

Ill challenge myself certain days and only take one specific lure say 3/8oz white spinnerbait and thats it. Next day only Palm Trees.

If I have it I carry it. Zooms with a single tale to busier and big bite. Like others have said different baits have different fall rates. But also the variation of style affects the movement. Now if I have 3 bags of the same I will leave extra at home.

I'm an impulse shopper

If it looks like a good deal

Then it has to be

This was one of those days

I hit this site 3 times lol

For me it's more of a "better stock up" so I have it

Kind of mentality

i like to K.I.S.S.

I guess I'm just wondering, if you find a particular brand's lure works, do you still find yourself buying others? I know I'm guilty of this fairly often.

I have seven different brands of senkos. Each of them have different fall rates and of course different durability. When I choose to use a different style of plastic I use Havoc or Big Bite Baits. 

I know I have some GY, BPS, and Zoom baits.  I would have to go through the bag and look. If I see something on the shelf that looks good I tend to buy it.

Your example of beaver-style makes it a different question for me.  That is the best example of a bait that convinced me that I need NO other beaver-style baits besides Rage Tail Structure Bug.  Nothing else has come close since I tried them. 

 

   As to other styles.....it depends.  I'm just glad that I don't have sponsor to worry about..LOL...I'm fickle and I like to play the field. 

Oh...and as to the question of what to take?   I try to avoid the question, bite the bullet and take the whole 50 pound duffle bag. 

Haha 50lbs

I always do a pre plan and look at all my plastic

I'll decide on a few different things and grab a few colors of it and put in a zilock and stick in my pocket this is of course for walking to the creek

When I ride to the pond or drive to the lake I take all

I try not to buy multiples of the same bait style from different companies. I try to find a specific bait that I like and if it works for me I'll stick with it. The times I buy from a different brand are the times when the ones I like don't have a specific color that I'm looking for. I try to keep it simple, even though trying and actually doing couldn't be farther apart sometimes. lol

I think this cover most of what's in the "Ready" bag

 

So in Alphabetical order ~ 

 

A l l u r i n g   Baits

Berkley Power Bait

Culprit

GYBC

Mann's

Provider Tackle

Reaction Innovations

Strike King (most Rage Tail Products)

Trigger X

Xcite Baits

Yum

Zoom

 

A-Jay

mostly gambler and zoom