So yesterday I posted a selling off your older bait thread the main reason was I have a lot of not so high end baits that I bought when starting out. Examples are strike king crankbaits, sexy dawgs, jerkbaits etc now I don’t have a ton of confidence in these baits and I think it’s just because of the name strike king and realizing they don’t have the best of action in most cases. Do you fish with similar items? Or only fish with your confidence baits?
lastly even think it matters.

I use only lures that have won my confidence in past situations where and how I fish. Colors are an opinion they either don't matter or they do. I have about 8 colors that are my go to favorite's and about 10 different lures I use. I have a huge box of plastics that is all unopened stock, I have another big box that's all lures and colors I just don't use at all. I have a current list of new baits and colors to buy this winter (it's pretty big). I think most bass fisherman have a ton of lures and baits and some they don't know what to do with. I use a local trade and sell site online and eventually sell it to someone local.  Dave

1 minute ago, Tatsu Dave said:

I use a local trade and sell site online and eventually sell it to someone local. 

I have  gads of lures and fishing related stuff  that could be traded  .  A local swap meet would be convenient  .

Personally I fish whatever works no matter who makes it.  My job affords me enough money that I can buy whatever I want.  That being said price does not equate to fish catching ability.  My main example of this is deep diving crankbaits.  A Strike King 5 series outfishes everything I have tried period. I have LC, Megabass, and just about every thing else but over10' nothing comes close. On top of that my #2 crank for that depth is a Fat free shad.

 

Allen 

   I'd like to think I mainly use "tried and true" lures. I've got a lot of other stuff laying around, though, that are "tried and un-true", so to speak. I like to experiment, and not every experiment is successful!     ?       jj

Lure brands are important but not all lures of a brand are the same at attracting bass strikes. 

Back in the day I would buy 6 each of the same crankbait size and color. Try out all of them and 1 or 2 would catch more bass and kept those. These became my confident lures and used to the point the paint was worm nearly off or lost them.

The only reason a lure remains popular is because it works.

There are lures that work well that are kept under the radar but 99% of the time they are the original lure, rarely a store brand or knock off.

Tom 

It's difficult to stick with one brand for any style of lure. Looking for a silent crank, your favorite company may not offer one. Same goes for a double willow spinnerbait, or walk the dog top water without a rattle. That and some companies don't offer much of a color selection so you end up using another brand.  Versatility and productivity go hand in hand.

So now strike king is subpar? Wow

Strike King isn't a bad brand. The crankbaits are great. KVD 1.5s have caught me more 3+ lb river SMB than anything else.

Strike King is popular for good reason. They have reasonable prices, great selection, and they work. 

 

I fish with lots of different brands and always trying new things. I know guys who fish the same stuff now as they did 10-20 years ago and they have the same results and never improve. 

I try 2 or 3 new baits and techniques each year, but I have a core group of baits that I have confidence in and I know that in most cases these baits will catch bass.