With so many diffrent  techniques to catch bass what are your 3 favorite baits that you have tied on most of the time? I was bringing to many rods with too many baits so I decided to scale back and make life simpler. Here are mine that I use from spring to fall excluding any top water. I use others but always have these tied on. Some people find it hard to put down the jig but I find it hard to put down the tube for both smallmouth and largemouth. 

 

1. Tube  internal jig head. Snap it, drag it, swim it.

2. Texas rigged worm/lizard/creature bait. Craw it. Hop it

3.  Shakeyhead. Drag it. Shake it. 

My three that are consistently on the deck year round are:

 

1. Something T rigged

2. A jig

3. A spinnerbait

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senko  . tx, wacky , nail weight 

 

Rapala original floater .. does it need explaining ? It's responsible for my love of artificial lures. 

 

Jig .. so many types of jigs right.. If I could only have one it would probably be a smaller 3/8oz with a rage chunk or zoom chunk depending on conditions 

 

 

If I could do 4 I'd say dropshot as well. Roboworm, kut tail , senko , and here recently (thanks to bass resource) reins bubbling shaker. 

17 minutes ago, Ski213 said:

My three that are consistently on the deck year round are:

 

1. Something T rigged

2. A jig

3. A spinnerbait

I am very close if not the same. 

1. Texas Rigged worm is guaranteed 
2. A Dredge Brush Jig from http://siebertoutdoors.com
3. Either a Peppers Custom Spinnerbait or a Crankbait rod with a Mann's Baby 1-Minus or a rattling KVD 1.5

 

My top-3 change with the seasons.  Some of them (like a jig), cover multiple seasons.

 

Right now:

- Squarebill

- Spinnerbait

- T-rigged Structure Bug

1. Ned rig (ZMan TRD);

2. 4" Senko, rigged wacky (weightless);

3. Crankbait (model varies based on season).

 

I think ones answers may say more about the waters they fish than what works best universally.  From my 3, it isn't difficult to figure out the lake I fish is shallow, fairly clear, not much vegetation & loaded with docks.

Trig plastic

 

Weightless plastic

 

Jig

 

Of course I fish others but these are always on deck/in hand

Give me a swimbait and a jig and I probably won't need a third bait

A jig of some sort

A crankbait of some sort

A 2/O Clouser Minnow

 

I like catching fish a lot of different ways, but those are amongst my favorites right now.  That'll likely change by June.  

1. Topwater! Hollow body mouse frog, or hard baits like poppers.

 

2. 4" or 5" T-rig Senko type bait. Not my "favorite" way to fish, but it brings them in consistently.

 

3. The other stuff I try, but while wishing it was topwater.

1 Texas rigs

2 crankbaits shallow and deep

2 Lipless  cranks

I do have my favorite but I will change or rotate plastic/lure to the one that never catch fish. My fav are

1. Dropshot (have not fish with this technique for quite some time)

2. Texas weightless (Senko fat Kia including fluke in this category)

3. Shaky head.

 

Love tubes "ANY" time of year...well....maybe not so much in winter.

Texas Rigged plastics either weighted or unweighted

 

Jig-n-Craw

 

Spinnerbait

1. Spro Frog

2. Bladed jig

3. 3/4 oz flipping jig

1. Grenade

2. Electricity

3. Jedi Mind Trick

                

                       Alternatives

 

1. Jig/craw

2. Frog

3. T-Rig

1. Jig

2. Skitter Walk

3. Wacky Senko

1) drop shot

2) under spin

3) keitech fat impact

 

Tough to pick only 3.  I could pick a top 20 bait list easier.

1. On the Top

2. On the bottom

3. In the middle. 

A-Jay

1.  Squarebill 

2   Finesse worm on 1/16 oz t-rig

3   Grub or other similar soft plastic