5" wacky senko watermelon red flake

3.8" keitech on a 3/0 flashy swimmer

Wacky rigged green pumpkin Senko.

3/8 Rattlin Bettle Spin in the CowAnt color. 

Don't search for it, as it's custom made by a guy that lives in a one room metal shed close to my hunting club.

Free Rig with DoLive Stick/DoLive Beaver

Another wormer here. Texas rigged 5 inch Yum Dinger in either Junebug or Bamabug. 5/16th oz weight.

Senko. Texas rigged, unweighed.

 

Local lakes are pretty weedy. This fouls less than a whacky rig. You can also drag it over lily pads (I prefer a Yum Dinger for this due to the hook pocket), drop it at cover, treat it like a low-slow fluke, or sweep it through flats. I think I've caught half my fish over the past 3 years since I've gotten back into fishing on an unweighted stick bait.

 

I'm surprised so many people replied with spinnerbait. Though I've had a few good days, under certain condition with a spinnerbait, they generally produce nothing for me. I've always chalked that up to fishing in highly pressured waters.

Tempted to say a 4-6" worm on a jighead, such as a jigworm, shakyhead, or slider.  Or, that's what I would have said at one time.

But I have spent significant time and effort the last 10 years or so trying not to have "go-to" lures, to specifically choose presentations based on current conditions and environment, and other circumstances. 

 

So when you say "conditions notwithstanding", the question no longer makes much sense to me, and I'm not sure I have an answer.

A purple worm is my hail Marty lure. Sometimes a stinko , sometimes a track worm. 

texas rig w/ a 1/8 weight and an ewg hook. you never said what the conditions are like and if they were up high or towards the bottom so I'd take this and go with a mag2 if it was clear and calm and an ultravibe if i wanted a bit more thump in the water. you can bounce either of these of the bottom or swim them towards the top of the water column if need be. 

Absolutely knowing I had to have a catch, Berkley 6” power worm on a 1/16-1/8 oz belly weighted EWG hook.

 

or 3/8 spinnerbait

I love the action of fishing "moving" baits, but nothing will run the skunk off quicker than a worm.   Lately I've been having the best luck with a Shaky head.  3/16 weight with a Bizz Baits Dizzy Diamond.   Sometime I think the fall rate is too slow, but I've got a bunch of 3/16 heads.  I'll pinch a couple inches off the worm for a faster fall.   I love a texas rig, but lately a shaky head has been better for me.   I like a wacky too,  especially skipping under docks and other cover.  There's SO MANY ways you can rig, and fish a plain ol plastic worm.   

I've been thinking about answering this thread.

And I cant decide on just one because my answer is driven by the conditions I'm facing. 

 

But you can never err with a 4" G Pumpkin  + black flake senko.

KVD 1.0 Chartreuse Sexy Shad & Natural Shad

5" black paddle tail senko t rigged weightless....doesn't matter the conditions always seems to work for both smallies and largemouth.

Man, reading this thread makes me think I should throw a worm more. I haven't thrown a texas rig in 3 years. The closest I get is a roboworm or fin-eke on drop shot. 

I did buy shakey heads this year to throw...

 

A jerkbait gets the starting nod more times than not.

 

 

 

This thread has become hard to answer as the years go on, but if I've got to catch a fish it's more often than not on a Shakyhead; ³/¹⁶ Big Bite Baits Fintwist paired with a Watermelon Black Flake ZOOM Trick Worm.  I've been throwing that on a Medium Fast casting setup as of late, as I'm able to pitch more easily with a baitcaster and letting a shakyhead soak in a laydown is a sure fire way for me to catch one.

Zoom trickworm.  Junebug, gama round bend offset t rigged with as little weight as possible.

My biggest fish of the year for several years in a row have come on jigs " prespawn " .

Favorite bait to throw - spinnerbait

Bait that puts the most fish in the boat consistently - Jackall flickShake 4.8 watermelon candy on 1/16 wacky head.

On 3/13/2024 at 9:25 AM, Chowderhead said:

Yep, same here -- small profile spinnerbait always gets me something. 

I won a club tournament in tough  post spawn conditions using a 3/16oz Leverage spinnetbait a few years ago.  I had a limit while only one other fish was weighed in.  It was a small limit, but I felt like a boss 🤴.  My answer to the OP is a small finesse jig like the baby boo or bitsy jig, because they work in water from 40-95 degrees 👍.  Tiny crank is the runner up for the same reason.

In the spring here there is too much muck for jigs or heavy weights

My first thought is Spinnerbait, but depending on conditions it could be Jig, Ned, T-Rig.

T-Rigged Plastic Worm 

Rage Bug  T rigged or Rage rigged

depends on what's catchin and where I'm at and conditions and....

but right now, it is the berkley choppo