For me, buzzbaits and Senkos. Not for lack of trying, though.

 Crankbaits.  I have put time in. Bumping them off structure I still seem to snag stuff.  

spinnerbait / chatterbait for me. Thrown and thrown them but can't catch anything 

Chatterbait for me, but I haven't given them much of a chance (too many baits competing for my attention!)

Before this summer, my nemesis was a Buzzbait -- always owned a few, but never so much as a blow-up, so I just ignored them most of the time.  All it took was revisiting them with a little extra patience this last summer, and BAM! All of a sudden, I couldn't keep bass (and pike) off them, all the way until I hung things up for the season before the freeze. One even produced a new PB. I might not go anywhere anymore without a buzzbait tied on now.

Here's hoping I can do the same with a Chatterbait/bladed jig in 2016.

I'll 2nd chatterbaits. Threw them every chance I got a few years back. Mine had more issues misbehaving after the cast (fouled up, tangled, etc). Between that and never getting so much as a tap on it, it was just enough already.

Deep diving crankbaits. Used to carry a couple with me just in case, now I just leave them behind.

Giant swimbaits. They're all the rage in Socal, I see guys with 9' surf rods and 80 lb braid fishing them in small water. They'll fish them 8 hours a day just trying to find the big one. I have one Huddleston that I got as a gift, and maybe I haven't given it that much time - but I haven't even gotten a follower on it for the hours and hours I've spent with it tied on. For the price, I'd rather pick up a handful of other baits. Just my 2C.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Senko lover said:

I really and truly feel sorry for you guys who aren't throwing buzzbaits. 

I throw them but ...... 

jerkbaits.......1 fish in 4 years.  Yet I still have a half dozen of them in my box.....why???? just incase. 

Topwater Frog.....Ive had plenty of blowups and hooksets but no fish yet. Maybe this year my luck would change.

For me it's the A rig, and buzzbaits. Jigs would be close. I've caught some fish on them, but I've never had a great day with one in my hand.

16 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Swim Jig...Spinnerbaits no problem...Swim Jigs = Goose Egg!

Don't give up on them yet. Think of it as a finesse spinnerbait. Throw one with a small boot tail as a trailer something like a swim'n senko/swimmin' dinger or a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper. When your spinnerbait bite slows down usually the swim jig bite picks up. Or if you've went down a productive stretch with a spinnerbait, throw on a swim jig and double back and more likely than not, you'll pick up a few of the stragglers that you missed with the blade.

Wacky rigged Senkos.  Never....nothing...nada....nope

17 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

Wacky rigged Senkos.  Never....nothing...nada....nope

Are you sure you're casting it in the water and there's a hook attached? 

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Are you sure you're casting it in the water and there's a hook attached? 

 

Hook?

21 hours ago, scaleface said:

Zara Spook . I have caught fish with it but my hook up percentage is so low that I havent thrown one in years , Bad part is I can work it well . Walking the dog is simple . I can half step it around a stump . Just havent had much success with the things .

 

I cant think of any popular lure that I gave a good go with  and have been skunked on it .

That's mine too. I've fished them until my arms ache and never hooked a fish on one.

Senko style worms are  a close second. I've never caught a bass over 2 lbs. on one. I've T-rigged 'em, fished 'em wacky rigged, etc., nothing but dinks.

 

Tom

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Are you sure you're casting it in the water and there's a hook attached? 

OMG, too funny !!!

1 hour ago, Jaderose said:

 

Hook?

Oh…….that changes everything.

2 hours ago, WIGuide said:

For me it's the A rig, and buzzbaits. Jigs would be close. I've caught some fish on them, but I've never had a great day with one in my hand.

Don't give up on them yet. Think of it as a finesse spinnerbait. Throw one with a small boot tail as a trailer something like a swim'n senko/swimmin' dinger or a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper. When your spinnerbait bite slows down usually the swim jig bite picks up. Or if you've went down a productive stretch with a spinnerbait, throw on a swim jig and double back and more likely than not, you'll pick up a few of the stragglers that you missed with the blade.

Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a whirl.

 

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Are you sure you're casting it in the water and there's a hook attached? 

Too funny  ... I actually have better luck t-rigging them for whatever reason

20 hours ago, EricTheAngler said:

Soft Plastic Lizards, it could be that I just started bass fishing in the late summer. 

Try them around bass on the bed. Use white so you can see them when the bass bite because sometimes they'll just move them away.

17 hours ago, Senko lover said:

I really and truly feel sorry for you guys who aren't throwing buzzbaits.

What he said. use them around wood cover, stickups, blowdowns, docks... Bump them off of the cover. Fish hate that and want to kill this bait. Fish them as slow as you can and keep them on top. I find that for me black is the best color.

1 hour ago, tholmes said:

That's mine too. I've fished them until my arms ache and never hooked a fish on one.

Senko style worms are  a close second. I've never caught a bass over 2 lbs. on one. I've T-rigged 'em, fished 'em wacky rigged, etc., nothing but dinks.

 

Tom

I think the Spook doesn't work as well for in stained water. That seems to be my experience. I have several Super Spooks, one junior and a couple BPS Excalibur knockoffs. I've had one banner day on a Super Spook. But I bought a Chug'n Spook, Jr last spring and I did quite well just before sundown after the dog days hit. It seems to draw them in better than just the quite swim-swim action. It will walk, but you can also pop it. When you do it splashes a little. I caught a couple over 5 lbs last summer on it.

T-rigged Senko-type stick worms. Not a bite although I had great luck wacky rigging them in early to late spring.

Dropshot, thought I haven't given it a fair chance.

Jig. Always get bored and pull out the ol' T-rig. I feel like I get 4X the bites on the T rig.

Johnson silver minnow. One bite-missed. I've caught two flounder on it though.

I forgot the tube. Nary a bite on a bass-sized tube. Although the crappie size tube really draws in all kinds of fish. It's one of the best baits I've found in creeks too. I've been bass fishing with my buddy when they won't bite and we'll start trolling for crappie and catch a few bass mixed in.

I think I have caught a bass on every lure I have ever used...........but I do have a small  list of lures I have zero confidence in, zero interest in fishing again, and will not be in my rotation anytime soon. Those are:

Brush hog type creature baits, I don't care who makes it, I don't like any of them.

Buzz baits...........I would just rather throw a soft plastic buzzing frog.

A-Rig

XXL Cranks like the 10xd/etc.

 

 

Buzzbait.

Tube baits

Spook type baits

Shakey-head anything's

Deeeeep cranks

Dropshot everything's

2 hours ago, the reel ess said:

Try them around bass on the bed. Use white so you can see them when the bass bite because sometimes they'll just move them away.

What he said. use them around wood cover, stickups, blowdowns, docks... Bump them off of the cover. Fish hate that and want to kill this bait. Fish them as slow as you can and keep them on top. I find that for me black is the best color.

I think the Spook doesn't work as well for in stained water. That seems to be my experience. I have several Super Spooks, one junior and a couple BPS Excalibur knockoffs. I've had one banner day on a Super Spook. But I bought a Chug'n Spook, Jr last spring and I did quite well just before sundown after the dog days hit. It seems to draw them in better than just the quite swim-swim action. It will walk, but you can also pop it. When you do it splashes a little. I caught a couple over 5 lbs last summer on it.

That could be the case. Almost all of the water that I fish regularly is stained to some degree. I catch plenty of bass on other topwaters like Jitterbugs, Pop-Rs, and the much-maligned buzzbait, but not a thing with the mighty Spook.

 

Tom

Scatter Rap.  I think they're nothing more than a poorly tuned, low quality, too light to cast gimmick lure --

Still haven't caught bass on a fluke, they are my go-to for white bass and hybrids but no large mouth yet. I've caught drums, carps, catfish, walleye, gars, no bass