I know that just about everyone has a lure that fits into this category and if you're like me, a lot of them are discontinued but I want to see baits you can still get.  My list consist of new baits I've tried as well as some old favorites and while the names will be familiar, they really aren't talked about much. The first one is a new baits for me from last year, the Rebel Frog-R, I only saw it mentioned a few times when it came out but I decided to take a chance on it and grabbed one in leopard frog and after using it I simply replaced the hooks with Owner Stinger ST-36 hooks and now I own 2 of every color, very effective topwater bait. The Bomber Square A is another bait that gets little fan fare but it has kept me from going to fishing a worm or jig many days. I'd be on the water for an hour with not much going on and before going to jig and worm fishing I'd tie on the Square A and it would be game on. So what about the rest of you, which baits do you do well with that get little to no recognition?

Salt Water Grade 1/2 oz Beetle Spin. Now I'm able to take the lure I fished on a cheap spinning reel as a little kid and throw it on my dedicated Spinnerbait casting setup!

A 6" Slug-go.

Rebel Jointed Minnow

Salt Water Grade 1/2 oz Beetle Spin. Now I'm able to take the lure I fished on a cheap spinning reel as a little kid and throw it on my dedicated Spinnerbait casting setup!

 

LOL, I had the identical experience a week ago when I saw the big boys and knew I had to buy a few. Which I did.

Lunker City Sluggo, Lunker City Salad Spoon (LOVE IT), Mepps Fury #3 or #4.

Texas Rigged Craw Worms

Johnson Spoons

Rink A Dink

Rebel Jointed Minnow

 

Same here.

I've had the 1/16oz model since 1996.  It's by far my most treasured lure I own. 

 

It accounted for the first bass I ever caught on a crankbait when I was new to angling back in 96'.

It also caught a 3 pound largemouth years later on a very cold afternoon in January one winter on a small lake....I was shocked to catch anything that day on a shallow diving crank, but tied it on when nothing else was working and the rest is history

One of my best angling memories.

Say you use a Rebel Pop-R and people might think you inherited your tackle from your grandfather but I still use them and continue to hammer fish on them.

Xcalibur rayburn lipless. First time using one last night, first 3lber of the season. And they arn't around anymore i passed them up for years due to there 4 dollar price. Never again lol.

Berkley Pulse worms. (discontinued) Caught me more bass than all my other lures put together. Still have 2 bags left but I wish they still made them. Saving them for those tough days.

Also the old Heddon Torpedo is deadly on the smallmouth.

A few of mine that I still use have already been said....

Sluggo, Pop R and Bomber A.

Others that I use are the Scum Frog and yes an underspin jig head that after the Classic is finally getting it's due.

Mike

Mepps Black Fury #4, yellow or orange. 

I forgot to mention inline spinners, and poppers meant for fly fishing (using a casting bubble float).

Traditional inlines can be so frustrating (useless) in the weeds and muck, but worked for me in open water.  I have never seen a fellow bass angler casting straight spinners on pressured lakes, so I always figured they would be something new for bass to see and I was correct (for once).

 

Casting large fly fishing bass poppers with a casting float has rarely failed me when the surface bite is on.

They have such a different look and feel to them than hard topwater plugs, and can imitate almost anything a bass might be interested in eating.

 

Oh and spoons of all types   Fun to fish with and probably not often seen by bass anymore.  Very underrated in my opinion.

Swimbait. Not hollow body or full size trout lures, but a lead/shad head with a 3" or 4" body. I know these have become very popular to use on A Rigs, but before that I never saw them used for Largemouth. When the bass are on a voracious shad bite, these can be deadly! I took a cue from salt water bass fishing and the rest is history. BTW, on the flip side don't think for one minute that salty bass don't eat Cranks, Blades, Lizards, etc. either...

I still use some old stuff like hair jigs with pork trailer, both are custom made today.

Off the shelf lures and soft plastics;

Iovino Splash-It (Pop-R type lure).

Hand pour Reapers ( Iovino or Uptom Custom).

Basstrix Flashtrix minnow and Baitfry, drop shot.

Jackall Pompadour,(expensive $22), very good top water lure that came out last year.

Champ structure spoon and Magabait 3/4 oz structure spoons.

Yozuri 3DB Vibe lipless.

Tom

Manns 6 or 8" jellyworm in purple ,,

Pop-R and a Yum Cristie Craw.

5" Kalins grub, have caught a lot of bass on them along with other gamefish. I guess I could go with grubs in general, work at all times of the year and hardly anyone throws them anymore for Bass.

I still catch a ton of bass on a Weed Walker.  Can't remember the last time I saw one for sale in a store.

Tubes. Like most soft plastics, there are numerous ways to rig them and they come in different sizes. Similar to a wacky rigged stick worm, their action is unique. They are awesome on top of matted vegetation or the tops of submergent weeds when fished weightless. Just let them drop into openings or off the edge of a mat.

Those and a Mepps spinner.

I use the old excalibur dancin-shads.  they said spit'n image on them.  I think heddon makes them now, but I love them as a walking bait when the top water bite is on!!

Snagless Sally!!

Pretty good fishing heavy timber.

Bet you never see basses with one tied on!

Inline spinner baits from Abu's to the large Hilderbrants (sp?)

Reapers

Floating jerkbaits