It seems that every season, or just about, I become infatuated with one new (to me) lure or another and end up reaching for that bait first when conditions call for that type of presentation.  Last season, it was the Googan 4.5in. Saucy Swimmer paddle tail paired with a 1/4oz. jig head.  This year it was a Bagley Sunny B 05 crank.  Maybe it's just my addictive personality.

Anyone else get infatuated by a new lure this year?

Yes. Max scent Flat Worm.  It proved itself time and time again. Nothing flashy about the shape or color but the smallmouth ate it.  

Zman Popshadz . They skip like a flat rock and fish on top of slop like a frog . I'll have to find more next season .

Big worms. Never used them until this summer so I got some jelly worms and zoom mag 2s and caught some brush fish during the dog days. I also read and watched anything I could about fishing the.

 

Last year was the inaugural season for Megabass Vision 110 +1 Jr. and it 

met and at times, exceeded my expectations; which were admittedly, pretty high. 

This time around it's the HD Goby & a Soft Bladed Vibrating Jig.

Get the net !  (I hope anyway)

Also I need to use that DC reel more - 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

8 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Yes. Max scent Flat Worm.

The Berkley Max Scent tube is my infatuation for 2022.

I had an accidental infatuation when I couldn't replace a super spook last spring and ended up buying a Berkley J walker and a Googan Hound. The hound didn't fit my style but I purchased a few more of the J walkers and fished them a lot. Probably too much as the year went on.

Right now it is the Rapala OG slim for me.

Last year it was jerkbaits, this year it's swim jigs.

 

2021 MVP   Ultra Molds 3.5" Sweet Craw flat out puts 'em in the boat no matter the season. I can't put it down.

 

21 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

It seems that every season, or just about, I become infatuated with one new (to me) lure or another and end up reaching for that bait first when conditions call for that type of presentation. 

"Become infatuated" sounds an awful lot like "develop confidence"

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

 

2021 MVP   Ultra Molds 3.5" Sweet Craw flat out puts 'em in the boat no matter the season. I can't put it down.

 

Woah, can’t argue with those fish. Does that bait flap at all or does it glide like a beaver?

5 hours ago, T-Billy said:

 

2021 MVP   Ultra Molds 3.5" Sweet Craw flat out puts 'em in the boat no matter the season. I can't put it down.

Looks pretty similar to a BBB Yomama, one of my personal favorite pitching baits. They'll for sure put them in the boat.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Yomama/descpage-BBBYMOM.html

4 hours ago, BlakeMolone said:

Woah, can’t argue with those fish. Does that bait flap at all or does it glide like a beaver?

I mostly fish it T rigged with a 3/8 tungsten and a 3/0 snelled flippin hook. It glides like a beaver on a tight line and spirals like a tube if you like it fall with a bit of slack. Nice thick body that holds a burried hook point really well. It'll fish clean through just about anything.

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Looks pretty similar to a BBB Yomama, one of my personal favorite pitching baits. They'll for sure put them in the boat.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Yomama/descpage-BBBYMOM.html

Similar, but the Sweet Craw has a thicker body and no hook slot. It holds a buried flippin hook point better than the Yomoma.

 I had my best year ever thanks in large part to this bait on a T rig, both in numbers and average size. It also produced my #2 LM. Top pic. 6# even, from 40 degree water. 

last year was finesse jigs, this year was finesse jigs

lipless cranks, specifically Megabass Vibration-X Ultra, Jackal TN 60 Disk Knocker, Lucky Craft LV 500, and Duo Realis Apex Vibe 68

The whooper plopper for me, and I still haven’t caught one fish on them. But I’ll still keep one tied on and laying on deck. 

My infatuation was the Gantarel Jr.  Once I watched a bass follow my swimming bluegill, I could not put it down.  I carried a Dobyns Fury 795 SB with a Gantarel Jr. everywhere in 2021.

Last year I switched over to Zman spinnerbaits. 2022 will see me throwing nothing but Zman spinnerbaits......they always stay tuned. 

On 12/23/2021 at 6:45 AM, scaleface said:

Zman Popshadz . They skip like a flat rock and fish on top of slop like a frog . I'll have to find more next season .

Have you caught anything on them? I've tried them with no success.

3 hours ago, GRiver said:

The whooper plopper for me, and I still haven’t caught one fish on them. But I’ll still keep one tied on and laying on deck. 

Try them prespawn this year in water that's colder than you think a topwater should work. The strikes are vicious and the bass are usually big. I got 3 over 5 lbs. on one this year. A 7.93 and a 5.75 same day, same spot.

25 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Have you caught anything on them? I've tried them with no success.

Yes . I caught bass on top of slop and inside a culvert that was mostly blocked with over-hanging  vegetation . I am not good at skipping lures but I can skip a PopShadz . I was skipping it way up in that culvert and caught several bass  in the process .

Not usually.  But this year I did become infatuated with my XPS Glide bait.  I had never fished a glide bait before, and it's so much more fun than I thought it would be.  Sometimes, I throw it even when I know it won't work because it's so much fun to watch.

 

But normally, no.  I typically have old favorites that I stick to.  I always approach new baits with a lot of skepticism.  Give me tried and true any day over new and shiny.  

Still trying to catch up on the new baits I have bought over the past couple of years.

 

Allen

I’ve caught a lot of fish on spinnerbaits this year 

 

Merry Christmas! 

It would be spinnerbaits for me too. I always threw them but this year I started using the screamin eagle. Game changer for me.