There is a lot of discussion about favorites baits, confidence baits, etc......

There isn’t a lot of talk about what doesn’t.  For me, I seldom reach for spinners, as there always

seams to be something more appropriate, thus lowering my confidence in it. The same is true for lipless cranks.

 

After spawn I plan on spending days solely with those bait in an attempt to add some arrows to the quiver.

 

Anyone else struggle with techniques that others seam to have mastered 

 

Just thinking out loud...

I hear ya...There's a couple patterns that when I prefish for tourneys that if that's deal I'm not going to find it.  One is a weightless senko and or a carolina rig.  Do I fish them....yes....do I enjoy that slowwwwwwwing way down stuff....Not really so I hardly ever do it...even though I do and have caught fish this way.

Topwater.  

 

Out of all of the fishing I do...I've only caught about 3 fish on topwater.  

 

I do primarily fish a heavily pressured fishery....which is part of the reason...as I have caught my only topwater fish on other bodies of water...

Glide Baits ~ 

Apparently, I just don't get it.

A-Jay

I've been fishing since I was a little guy but it was primarily in rivers and ponds.  Small rivers and ponds, to be exact.  Jerkbaits would work year round in the river, the floating rapalas were a bait I grew up on, as well as Texas rigged worms.  That was basically it as far as techniques went.

 

My fishing now largely consists of public fishing areas with heavy pressure, so when I found out about weightless senko style worms they quickly became my confidence bait.  Now I'm after big bites rather than bites after adding a double digit to my catches, so jigs are my deal.  The only hard bait I have confidence in is lipless crankbaits.  I'm primarily fishing a jig, followed by a finesse jig, followed by the slow technique that is a Texas rigged YUM Dinger with no bullet.

 

I'm truly a beginner with a year of heavy fishing experience and I keep getting better, but I think I could really up my game by adding some good electronics to the Hobie and finding the least pressured underwater structure on my local ponds and eventually offshore fishing in lakes.

 

I've typed too much at this point.  If it's not a jig, Texas rig with a weight, or unweighted worm, my mind pretty much subconsciously identifies it as something that  doesn't catch fish.  Makes me sad.

 

 

Spinnerbaits and senkos have no place in my box. 

 

Not that I don't like em, just don't seem to have a use for em..

Huge lures . I have tried Striper sized cranks , musky jitterbugs , large spoons  not 1 fish on them .

Flukes.  I know they catch fish, I just never seem to do that well with them. 

Deep cranking. Some guys have mastered throwing the big DD22 or Megabass X300's. It's just not for me. I'll go and try to find a place I can throw a big swimbait, plastic, or a jig of the bite is that deep. 

Ned rig.  Because I don't throw it.  Bought some stuff for it, so I'll give it a try.

Deep diving crank bait, for some reason I just feel more confident in dragging a jig down there or a Carolina rig to get the fish to bite, I don't know that's just me.

Jerk baits, chatter baits, spinner baits, swim baits....I guess moving baits in general are my nemesis. I guess it doesn't help that the two lakes I frequent the most are nearly unfishable due to grass from March to January. But on the rare occasion I fish somewhere else, I have a hard time sticking with these baits because of my lack of confidence in them.

Oh, and FROGS!!! Everyone I know can slay fish on frogs. I've spent entire fishing trips chucking frogs, forcing myself not to try anything else. I've had only two takes on a frog, ever. However, this year I took my first frog fish, and had a couple of bites. So maybe I am finally breaking the curse.

Flukes. I have only caught 1 fish on them and it was a Pickerel. Those dang things will bite anything that crosses their mouth.

 

I want to like them but I can't master them. I have tried T-rig, T-rig weightless and hooking them upside down. Nothing works.

Just now, NYWayfarer said:

Nothing works.

I typically nose hook them.  Dead stick them longer than you feel is comfortable.  Especially good directly post spawn, just outside weed lines.

For some reason I’ve never thrown a jerkbait...

For me, deep crankbaits.  Never used them enough to get good at them

In my years of fishing Ive never caught a fish on a spinnerbait. Its kind've embarrassing really. Supposedly spinnerbaits are a bass staple with a lot of people, but ive never had success with them. I mainly do most of my catching on soft plastics. Maybe i should just try to focus more on learning the spinnerbait.

Never caught anything on a frog or Zoom horny toad. Same can be said for the Ned rig.

No fish on a jerkbait or chatterbait.

Jerkbaits and Jigs

 

I sure give them a try. Mike's jigs are gorgeous, and I have a couple beautiful Duo and Megabass jerkbaits, but I can't catch anything on any of them. 

Jigs. 

 

Almost everyone I know can throw them and catch fish and many call it a big fish bait. I just don’t know what it is about it but I just can’t catch a bass on one. I would say I’m total I’ve caught 4 bass in the 4 years I’ve been fishing competitively. The weird thing is, I throw bottom Baits or what I like to call “the finesse version of a jig” like shakey heads and ned rigs. If I was to be honest I would throw Carolina rigs in there too. I know I don’t fish them enough but when I do they don’t work for me. 

 

I plan on devoting a few days this summer to fishing Baits I never use to gain some confidence for next tournament season.

I catch fish on every standard technique and lure, but what seldom gets me bit is jerkbaits and swimbaits. I usually avoid them. I don't like them, they aren't fun for me, I have little confidence in them, and the fish usually aren't interested in that offering from me.

 

As far as spinnerbaits go, I don't get a lot of spinnerbait bites, but I love spinnerbaits. They have a time and a place. I understand this time and place, and when the conditions are met, they slay fish for me. I think a lot of anglers fail to understand that a spinnerbait isn't always a good choice and generally requires the right conditions, *perhaps* more so than any other lure.

Hmmmm....lets see......

Can't think of a thing. 

 

Good question that got me thinking...

 

Deep Crankbaits - In my entire life I think I've caught all of two fish on a deep crankbait. They've been relegated to the storage bin this year. Lipless cranks are still part of my arsenal.

 

Flukes - I have a few packages of them in my tackle bag but they rarely see the light of day. I've been thinking of throwing some on an A-rig to see what happens.

 

Jigs - most lagoons here are muddy, algae laden bottoms so I avoid throwing them in that slop. I did find a few hard bottomed lagoons recently so my jigs may be making a comeback.

 

For those that have been avoiding spinnerbaits, I suggest throwing a white one with a little bit of grey or silver with a white Keitech Swing Impact trailer. That combo has been a killer for me so far this year!

 

Reading these post makes me feel a little better about myself. ?