1/2 oz. White spinnerbait. Now I can't tell you the last time I tied one on.

8 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

 

Is that a Heddon "Pal" casting rod? I've got one that looks just like it. Tubular steel.

I guess my first "high confidence" lure was a Helin Flatfish. I use to just love feeing it throb as I retrieved it. And I just knew it was going to get slammed! Sometimes it did too!

 

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000 (red)

 

Heddon Mark Special Purpose #6271 5 1/2' MH Fiberglass with a cast aluminum reel seat & handle.

 

This what I started tournament fishing with

Rooster tail was the first bait I started catching fish on as a kid. When the bite is tough I will still go to it to this day. 

I've thrown a lot of lures in my time and up until the past few years I never had much confidence in any of them. But a few years ago I discovered the Rapala Husky Jerkbait (yellow perch) and I know that if anything is biting out there today it will hit on that.

I love hearing all the responses and reliving some of the baits I havent thought of in 30 years.

I'll always remember my dad throwing a purple mister twister with a red firetail at the sand pit.

 

I had a Bill Dance Excalibur square bill that turned me towards the more reactionary techniques and away from finesse fishing.

That led to a love affair with Poe's 4400 crankbaits.

 

Today I throw a toad/frog and compliment that with a bottom weighted senko.

 

I picked up a zoom horny toad one day and caught about a 3 lber after a giant blow up.

After that I started throwing some sort of buzz frog/toad exclusively just to experience the awesomeness of the topwater strike.

(I have tried spooks, buzzbaits and popper type lures but the toad outshines them for me)

I'll generally run down a bank throwing the toad and then I'll come back down the same stretch and pick it apart a little better with the senko.

 

I've got a small boat and there is just too much lake traffic for me to ledge fish out on the main lake where the big schools are roaming this time of year.

So I stick with the creeks and the back waters. 

I'd rather get one topwater blow-up than catch a half dozen on a drop shot but that just me