Have you ever used a lure that seemed especially hard to learn and catch fish with?                                 Starting out, mine was a jig. For whatever reason, I struggled to catch my first fish on a jig/ trailer combo. I almost gave up on it, and nicknamed it the bait of 1000 cast.                                How about you?  Have you had any baits like this?                    What was your own " bait of 1000 cast ?"

same here, a jig. then one day it all came together.now I don't leave home without them.

I was fortunate with a jig honestly ..I caught an 8lber my first time out. There was a learning curve to Ned rig fishing for me...my first time out I smashed them then went like a year or two and could never duplicate t. Then I read some stuff on it, figured out what I was doing wrong and it's been a staple for me since.

Most every new deal I've choosen to venture into, has paid off.

May have taken a season or two,

but there's been at least some varied level of success.

Most recently the A-Rig, The Rat and The Vibrating Jig come to mind.

However, there almost always needs to be at least one stink pickle,

and the Glide bait was that for me.

Never got a sniff with it.

After 3 seasons worth of casts,

Sold them.

I will also completely omit my 'Stitching a worm' crash and burn.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

Crazy as it sounds living in Florida, a prop bait for me had the longest leaning curve of anything I’ve used. 
 

I went through 3 different brands until I finally got them to run true and become somewhat proficient at. 
 

I changed lines, hooks, rod actions, reversed prop angles anything I could think of until I realized it wasn’t the bait itself,

It was all me. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

I'm trying to think of one . I caught on to jigs first time it was used .

Has to be a jig-n-trailer for me. When I was first getting in to bass fishing while living in Missouri in the 1990's, a buddy was teaching me everything he knew. We fished jigs a lot, and I had some success. 

 

I'll never forget fishing flooded timber in my belly-boat with a jig. Pitched it in next to the trunk...watched my braid closely as the jig dropped to the bottom (probably 15-16 feet down). 

 

Line went slack...then started to move to the right...I set the hook and swore I hooked a stump...then it moved...and started fighting back...wasn't a bass...but a nice Musky!

 

On a Jig-n-craw!

 

Fun battle as he pulled me in circles with that belly-boat. I kicked to the shore and managed to get the jig out and release him. 

 

After moving to Nebraska, I stopped fishing jigs as much...mossy lakes make it messy. I should probably tie one on more often...but it's hard to beat a Senko and NED these days. 

I have an answer . A big Bagleys Shad crankbait , made for stripers . I bought that thing thinking it would get big bass to strike . Never caught a fish on it . When the lip fell off  I was finished with it . Thats an experiment that didnt succeed . Also a big wooden musky jitterbug for night fishing . Not a fish . I gave up on it .

Fishing tackle is something that I'm not overly patient with.

If a particular bait or technique doesn't produce in respectful amount of time then I point fingers and move on, even to the point of elimination.

 

Two examples that went drastically in opposite directions.

(1) the very first time I threw a drop-shot and Roboworms an instant love affair was formed and an entire section of tackle storage is devoted to this bait/technique.

(2) the dreaded chatterbait, what can I say.

Gave this bait a fair shake and never produced a fish. It also doesn't help that I'm a huge fan on Spinnerbaits which have produced for decades so no longer own a chatterbait but love Zman.

 

 

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Bird said:

the dreaded chatterbait, what can I say.

I would try a chatterbait for a few cast , then replace it with a spinnerbait  too . The chatterbait just didnt feel "right" . Last year I fished a stream for smallmouths , the chatterbait felt right    and    a few fish were caught .

Not so much a bait but a technique...C-Rig...Oh well, can't get that time back.  

Not really. 

33 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I would try a chatterbait for a few cast , then replace it with a spinnerbait  too . The chatterbait just didnt feel "right" . Last year I fished a stream for smallmouths , the chatterbait felt right    and    a few fish were caught .

Chatterbaits don't seem to work well for me either. One of these days maybe. I D K

I can’t get a bite on a chatter bait.  I probably need to put some more time into it but my time on the water has been limited.  Hopefully this year I can make it happen.

7 hours ago, Mobasser said:

One of these days maybe.

Try it one of these NIGHTS. ? Outside weed edges are usually a good place to start with it after dark. Rocky structure too.

I don't think there's anything I have actually cast 1000 times before getting a bite. There are plenty of baits I've never tried, and plenty more I have tried a little with no success, and others that took a lot of practice to figure out.  But after maybe a couple hundred casts with a bait, I've either caught something or I've given up on it.

7 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Not so much a bait but a technique...C-Rig...Oh well, can't get that time back.  

this is me. I’ve never caught a fish on a Carolina rig.  I throw one now and again when I think the lake and conditions are right for it, but still none. No matter the conditions I’ve never said in my head that a Carolina rig is the best thing here. 

Jigs for me. Just don't have it yet.

Unless on an Arig the swimbait is my nemesis.

Paddletail swimbaits, I don't get bit on them.  I fish them fine in the inshore salt, but regularly zero with them in freshwater.

Zara Spook.  I know it was at least two years before I figured out how to make that thing walk.

Saltwater fish are always hungry and moving for food. They bite fast and hang on.  Just the way it is.

The Ned rig for me. I haven't made 1000 casts with it yet. Every time I use it it gets hung up and I end up breaking it off and go to something else.

16 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

Saltwater fish are always hungry and moving for food. They bite fast and hang on.  Just the way it is.

Someone has never spooked a school of redfish, had them zoning out on crabs, or found a school of trout after a cold front.  ?

A friend  of mine who I started fishing with about 8 years ago was telling me it took him a year fishing jigs every day at lake Casitas before catching his 1st jig bass there.

Fred made jig molds for local bass clubs and was a good club angler, just not with jigs. So he made a vow to catch a bass using jigs and wouldn’t use any other lure until did.

His 1st jig fish happened when eating a sandwich. He made a cast set down the rod and started eating lunch. Pick up the rod and felt something and set the hook. Fred learned to slow down and started catching jig bass.

me, I have never caught a bass on a Silver Buddy blade lure. I have tried during a good spoon bite and zip. Heddon Sonar is very similar and can catch bass with it, not Silver Buddy, so gave it up.

Tom