Anything top water.  I can count all of the fish that i have caught on top water with 2 hands.  With 0 of those fish having any real size to them. 

 

Fluke style soft jerk baits. I keep trying them periodically but, again I think I've caught maybe one fish on them.  Maybe I'm just not fishing them when I'm supposed to or how I'm supposed to. I dont know. 

52 minutes ago, Mbirdsley said:

Anything top water.  I can count all of the fish that i have caught on top water with 2 hands.  With 0 of those fish having any real size to them. 

 

Fluke style soft jerk baits. I keep trying them periodically but, again I think I've caught maybe one fish on them.  Maybe I'm just not fishing them when I'm supposed to or how I'm supposed to. I dont know. 

I was here several years ago.  For topwater, I was convinced that bass in waters around me just weren't ever interested.   It wasn't until I watched a video of a guy hammering them on my lake with topwater.  So I tried at least a few casts each morning.  Turns out that some days topwater kills.  I won't force it for long if I don't get interest, but I will try for a little most outings.

 

   Similar for flukes.  I don't get bit very consistently, but there are occasional days when it is absolutely the ticket.  Usually around grass in shallower water.

Underspin !  Nadda 

Which doesn't make sense.

Throw a spinnerbait in the same area and gets hammered.

Lipless is another non producer.

Ned rig or most finesse baits... A drop shot is about as finesse as I'll get... 

lipless crank and bladed jig tied for last

Anything with a total weight under 1/4 oz.

I've never really been into topwater, which is odd I know because a lot of people bassfish for top. I've always considered ot a low percentage hookup method, and I hate missing bites, but the more I've learned I want to incorporate it into my arsenal. What if topwater is the best way to catch them that day, though it might be a rarity? Then I need to know how to catch em on top. Plus those blowups are just awesome. And can show you where fish are

Carolina rig hands down! Only use them in tournaments when desperate. 

 

Allen 

Lipped crankbaits. I don’t have much need for them since I am not in deep water much. I personally love using them.

Spinnerbait.  

Dropshot is bottom for me. I got setup for them this year after seeing YouTubers swear by them. I can't buy a bite on them. I have much better luck with a Ned Rig in similar pressured, finesse, or just cold scenarios.

 

I'm actually super frustrated by this because I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. North Carolina water is maybe just too cloudy or muddy for them.

It’s a shorter list of what I do use. I got rid of all my spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, bladed jigs. I only use crankbaits when I’m trolling. 90% of the time I’m throwing a fluke in shallow water or a drop shot in deeper water. 

Spinnerbaits.  Not only now, but a legacy of not catching.   I've caught three fish lifetime with a spinnerbait.  Three!   I've done it fast, I've done it slow, I do medium retrieval, I yo-yo, I change colors, I change blades.  Nothing, nada.   Kinda ticks me off to hear people all the time talk about how great they are; what am I doing wrong?  I've got plenty of them, but mostly they are really good at splashing the water.

Rattle traps and chatter baits. It seems like I have a better chance catching a fish on my sofa than with either of those. It’s not for lack of trying either. 

12 hours ago, Rucksack said:

Dropshot is bottom for me. I got setup for them this year after seeing YouTubers swear by them. I can't buy a bite on them. I have much better luck with a Ned Rig in similar pressured, finesse, or just cold scenarios.

 

I'm actually super frustrated by this because I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. North Carolina water is maybe just too cloudy or muddy for them.

IME your water in NC is similarly colored to ours in SE VA (and the NE NC waters I fish), and a drop shot is highly effective here. Finesse worms seem to be the ticket most of the time.

13 hours ago, Rucksack said:

Dropshot is bottom for me. I got setup for them this year after seeing YouTubers swear by them. I can't buy a bite on them. I have much better luck with a Ned Rig in similar pressured, finesse, or just cold scenarios.

 

I'm actually super frustrated by this because I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. North Carolina water is maybe just too cloudy or muddy for them.

Totally forgot about the drop shot. Not much fun to fish. I hate casting it too.

 

Carolina rig can be awkward to cast but it least it’s fun to fish.

Drop shot 

On 4/12/2025 at 9:10 PM, bp_fowler said:

Any topwater bait.

 

 

Same.  It's been like beating a dead horse for what seems like years now.  Kind of unfortunate too, because topwater fishing is an exciting way to fish.

 

Drop shot...that was never alive here so it's still dead lol.  Even a zombie apocalypse won't revive it.

Lipless crankbaits... Years ago I used to catch all kinds of fish on them but for some reason I can't get them to produce anymore. 

14 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

It’s a shorter list of what I do use. I got rid of all my spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, bladed jigs. I only use crankbaits when I’m trolling. 90% of the time I’m throwing a fluke in shallow water or a drop shot in deeper water. 

 

So you're telling me that most of your fishing is trolling with cranks or a drop shot in deeper water?

 

I honestly would not even take up fishing if those two presentations were my route to success.

I've never caught a bass on a traditional skirted spinnerbait.

Never thought I'd see spinnerbaits make the " ineffective " list. 😳

A top 5 all-time bait of mine.

5 minutes ago, Bird said:

Never thought I'd see spinnerbaits make the " ineffective " list. 😳

A top 5 all-time bait of mine.

You, me, and @TnRiver46

Hardly any baits in here that don't catch a ton of bass.  We just all have our areas of expertise etc

12 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Hardly any baits in here that don't catch a ton of bass.  We just all have our areas of expertise etc

That's it in a nutshell.