When times are hard and you don't know what to do, what is your lure that you have most confidence in using?

 

Mine is gonna have to be a Texas rigged senko in black and blue flek.

i would also have to agree with the texas rigged senko. but i use white or yellow on a cloudy day or a stained water and red or brown and watermelon if it is sunny and clearish water

Rage Cut R first, if that doesn't work a Fat Max ribbon tail. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Good choices, if black and blue doesn't work I like to go with watermelon red. If the water is merky and they aren't biting black and blue I'll go with something with a kicking action like Mike L was saying, a ribbon tail or speed worm.

Zoom Lizard - Mossy Pumpkin or Black w/ Red Flake ..... they will make the final decision. 

7" (or thereabouts) ribbon-tail worm, tequila sunrise, 3/0 round bend worm hook, 3/16 bullet weight.

For faster moving lures, a 1/2 oz. Strike King Red-Eye Shad in Sexy Shad.

 

Tom

Green pumpkin jig with a rage craw or chigger craw 

3/8 brush jig with rage menace or twin tail grub

 

Past several months this is being replaced by a crankbait. No one in particular because it depends but I've been getting bit on cranks at times and in places that they won't bite anything else

Wacky or neko rigged senko. 

I do like to fish with a football jig (preferably black and blue), I'll get as big as 3/4 ounce and no smaller than three eighths. I normally fish with a rage tail, menace, creature hawg and probably my favorite trailer that's really subtle is a Berkley power bait.

Z-Man Finesse TRD in green pumpkin on a mushroom jighead.

 

A year ago it would have been a wacky rigged Yum Dinger.

6 inch roboworm. Morning dawn.  

depends on the season for me 

spring is a lipless or big glide

summer its a deep crank or t-rig

fall its a frog or jig

winter is just when i crying 

Topwater

I don't really have enough experience to have a "confidence" bait.  A week ago I was out for the first time this season, and I tried most of the soft baits mentioned above and never got so much as a nibble.  Changed to a red craw colored DT-Flat medium diving crank (6-10 feet) and almost immediately caught a 17" walleye.  Then shortly after that I brought in a smallish, maybe 7" white crappie.  After no more bites for a while I switched to a bluegill crank, same depth, and caught another walleye.  After that I got nothing.  Never saw any sign of a bass.  Water temp couldn't have been more than 40°.  I'll be heading back to that same spot (100 acre pond about 1/2 hour from home) as the water warms up and see if I can find the bass that are supposed to be in there.

 

So if I had to pick one that gives me confidence right now it would be a crank, because I at least caught something on it, even if I didn't find any bass. 

I don't know much about northern fishing, but I do know that cranks are a very versatile bait when it comes to fishing for LMB's. Any fish will hit a crank because what does it imitate, a bait fish of some sort. What type of bait fish do you see in the water? You could even throw a crappie colored crank bait around those pilings that the crappie hang out at. Strike king makes my favorite crank baits. I like to fish the 3.5 when they are more aggressive and in deeper pilings and the 2.5 for the lay downs on the bank. Good luck on your pond fishing journey.

A Texas rigged something .  Doesnt really    matter if its a craw ,lizard , worm ,tube as long as I can bounce it around inside heavy cover I'm confident it will get bit .

Depends on the season / month ~ 

 Early Spring / April ~ it's a Jerkbait or a hairjig

Late Spring / May ~ it's a Rattle bait or a hairjig

Early Summer / June ~ it's a squarebill or a jig

 Mid Summer / July~  it's a drop shot or a jig

Late Summer / August~ it's a spinnerbait or a jig

Early fall / September ~ It's topwater or a jig

Mid Fall / October ~ it's a swimbait or a jig

Late Fall / November ~ it's a blade bait or a hairjig

And we don't do winter here - casts bounce.

A-Jay

 

My confidence big bass lure is a jig n pig (the real thing), numbers soft plastic worms.

Tom

I'm seeing a lot of one particular lure and it's one I rarely use but I'm making myself use it this year. 

Got to be a senko

Plastic - Junebug Zoom trick worm fished shaky head

 

Moving Bait - Strike King 2.5 KVD Sexy Shad Square Bill

 

Topwater - White skirted buzzbait

26 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Depends on the season / month ~ 

 Early Spring / April ~ it's a Jerkbait or a hairjig

Late Spring / May ~ it's a Rattle bait or a hairjig

Early Summer / June ~ it's a squarebill or a jig

 Mid Summer / July~  it's a drop shot or a jig

Late Summer / August~ it's a spinnerbait or a jig

Early fall / September ~ It's topwater or a jig

Mid Fall / October ~ it's a swimbait or a jig

Late Fall / November ~ it's a blade bait or a hairjig

And we don't do winter here - casts bounce.

A-Jay

 

I think I noticed a theme there.  

I wish it wasn't a senko. But it is.

Lol, so lots of senkos and jigs. My kinda fishing. That's what I started fishing with.