I've been trying to pair down the number of lures I use, the number I want to master, and just in general go lighter. I find myself going to a core of about 5 lures that I know will work. I try to use something I don't like or am not proficient with occasionally, and I try new stuff here and there but I always come back to the tried and true. 

 

So, lets say 10 lures, with the only variation being different colors of the exact same lure (same brand, weight, size), what do you choose? 

6 in Magdraft

Senko

Bladed Jig

War Eagle 1/2 oz spinnerbait

Pop Max

Vision 110 Jr +1

Bellows Gill

3.8 Keitech

Hula Grub

7 in Power worm

 

11 hours ago, Bazoo said:

So, lets say 10 lures, with the only variation being different colors of the exact same lure (same brand, weight, size), what do you choose? 

Zoom finesse worm

Zoom ol monster

Modified Megabass SV-3 spinnerbait

Nichols Depth Finder 1oz

Rapala DT6

Rapala DT20

Oldham Trailer Hitch Jig 5/8oz

Strike King Bitsy Flip Jig 1/4oz

Megabass Popmax

Spro Bronzeye 65

 

3/4oz Spinnerbait 

Weedless Frog

5” Senko 

Big popper

Small Popper

3/8oz Brush Jig

1/2oz Brush Jig 

Rage Tail Structure Bug

Netbait Paca Craw 

Zoom Baby Fluke

Right now? Learning new waters after moving across country lol 

 

war eagle finesse spinner bait

3/16-5/16 finesse swim jig

5” stick bait

3/8 mini Max blades jig ( never caught a dang thing on a bladed jig tho) 

4” creature of some kind 

Large ribbon tail

 

tbosw woild be mine and what I’m confident and productive or want to learn to fish. 
I don’t complicate things much. And only really fish a couple color baits 

I can't believe I haven't seen the Bronco Bug in any of these posts yet!😂

 

Zoom Fluke

Rapala DT 8

Zoom Magnum Lizard

Crush City Bronco Bug

bladed jig

Battlebaits brush bomb

Battlebaits Suppressor

Bass Reaper Bait co. Tap That ned bait

Yamamoto Zako

Yamamoto Senko

 

1- 3/4 oz spinnerbait White, White/chart. Black/chart.

2- 1/2 oz bladed jig.  White/chart.

3- Balsa square bill crankbait, Chart/black back

4- Academy sports H2O square bill shad.

5-6th Sense mini mag square bill Chart./black back

6- DT 10 DT 16  something with chart. and some type of shad

7- Spro Rock crawler any color

8- Zoom Ole Monster, Zoom magnum trick worm Junebug

9-Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper purple smoke

10- Magnum Ragebug Okeechobee craw. 

 

 

 

What ten baits work in the areas that you fish? Someone could say a deep crank but if you fish ponds that are less than 10 feet that’s not going to be very helpful. Somebody could say a punch rig but if you fish clear rocky water then that wouldn’t be the most effective either. And most importantly what ten baits do you enjoy fishing the most. Most of us fish for fun so there’s no point in using something that you don’t like using. 

Currently my choices would be:

1. drop shot - roboworm 6" straight tail (hard to decide between this and a yamamoto sensei)
2. 5" senko
3. texas rig - zoom mag2
4. mid size rage bug on a 1/8oz 3/0 owner weighted twistlock cps ('the mini rage rig'...trust me)
5. bladed jig (either an evo or a thunder cricket with a zako on back)
6. 3/8oz matt herren flippin jig w/ a 3.5" adrenaline craw
7. 5" fluke
8. hog farmer 3 blade mini a-rig w/ a 2/0 core tackle tush and a reaction little dipper
9. lipless - lucky craft lv 500 
10. shakey head (very hard choice between this and a squarebill for the last slot...this wins since a squarebill is a bit more seasonal)

1. bladed jig 

2. Bandito Bug 

3. Senko

4. 10in Mondo Worm

5. Frog

6. Choppo

7. Jerkbait

8. Shallow Crank

9. Deep Crank

10. Ned Rig

One bag of 3” slim senkos. Watermelon with red and black flake. That’s all I need. 😊

Not including terminal tackle, top three are all I need. But the entire list I could fish the rest of my life and never get bored. 

 

Dobyns Beast Spinnerbait

Riot Baits Lil creeper football jig

Riot baits Little fuzzy beaver

Yum Dinger

Zoom Fluke

Bass Mafia unloaded dangerous swimbait 

Spro kgb Chad Shad

Megabass Karashi

Megabass vision 110 Jr +1

Megabass pop max

Rapala Crush city mooch minnow

Dobyns Beast spinnerbait

 

13 Fishing Dual Pitch walking bait

 

KVD walking bait

 

Various T-rigged worms (I have no preference. They all work.)

 

Underspin

 

Whopper Plopper

 

Yamamoto Zako on an underspin or spinnerbait

 

Depp's Sakamata T-Rigged

 

Bronco Bug T-Rigged, on a spinnerbait, or underspin

 

Popper (No preference. They all work.)

bladed jig

Spinnerbait 

Sammy

Lipless crank

Jig

Roboworm drop shot

Large glide bait

Keitech swimbait

Frog

Mojo rigged soft plastic 

 

huddleston 68 special rof 5
kgb chad shad
spro popping frog size 70
senko 6"
s-waver 168
r2s rover 128
r2s fat mat daddy
vision 110
sweet beaver
s.g. line thru bluegill slow sink/rof 5

what can i say, I like swimbaits and frogs.

16 hours ago, Bazoo said:

 I want to master, and just in general go lighter. 

 

I've fully embraced this method of fishing, inspired by Japanese bank fishing and my love of JDM tackle/techniques.  I'm sufficiently confident in my abilities and techniques that if I can't catch fish with the minimal baits I use...the fish won't be caught that day with anything.

 

As best as possible, the baits need to have flexibility and be able to be used for more than one technique. Of course this isn't always possible. But IF a bait can be used for multi techniques or multi use, all the better. Also, I'm constantly testing new baits to see if one can "knock out" and replace a bait I'm currently using. Sometimes this can be for bait performance (most often) or ease of availability and cost (a frequent problem with some JDM baits).

 

So here's what I use and why:

 

1) bladed jig. This is used for covering water. But the specific bladed jig I use can also be fished like a jig. However, I primarily fish it like a bladed jig

 

2) Wake bait.  Also used for covering water/top water bite. 

 

3) Due to flexibility in presentation, I fish the Free Rig. As such, 3 styles of bait are important for me here.

 

a) Bluegill/flat fish profile: I'm currently using the Raid Hira Tailor for this purpose. But have used the Geecrack Bellows Shad, OSP Dolive SS Gill, etc in this role.  The Hira has far more thump. To that end, I want to try the Bottom Up Gimmy but have not done so yet.

 

b) Flapping appendage/craw bait: OSP Dolive Beaver is the gold standard on the Free Rig. Recently, I have been going back and forth with the Raid Egu Chunk due to the massive vibration and thump which is a consideration due to our always dirty water.

 

c) Minnow/small bait fish. OSP Dolive Stick. This is, by far, the most flexible bait I use. It can do nearly everything. Trailer, drop shot, swimbait, jerk bait, wacky rigged, etc

 

4) Worm/Stickbait  The Dolive Stick works here. But for an actual worm, I use the Flick Shake. It is my primary Drop Shot bait wacky rigged and excels. I also use it for actual Flick Shaking technique

 

5) Poop Bait: I have fully embraced the high density/high gravity baits and bug baits. It is a primary technique and I use it every single outing. Despite what people think, this is a very flexible bait. Fish it like a Senko, punch it, backslide it, walk the dog, drag it, soak it like a Ned, use in heavy cover etc

Deps Cover Scat remains my standard..but I think I *may* have found a replacement. But it's going to need to be exceptional to knock out the Cover Scat.

 

6) Ned: I fish this infrequently these days due to using poop in this role. But I think the Duo Realis Wriggle ND Slim is the best tiny Ned stick bait (sub 3"). Even when soaking, it quivers beautifully. 

 

7) Swimbait: sometimes they just want a swimbait. Keitech Fat Swing Impact is my standard. Though if I'm fishing for Smallies, I use a Goby-style bait for this purpose.

 

That's more or less it. I've explained in other threads how I carry this for fishing with my minimalist bag/gear set up.

 

Good luck and don't look back! 

 

 

 

1. Spinnerbait

2. bladed jig

3. Skirted Jig

4. Texas Rig Weightless Stick Bait

5. Fluke

6. Texas Rigged Beaver Style Plastic 3/16 oz weight

7. Top Water Frog

8. Finesse Worm 4" Split Shot Rig

9. Finesse Worm 4" Drop Shot Rig

10. Rage Swimmer Swimbait 1/8 oz Jig Head

1. Spro Bronzeye 65 - clear chartreuse 

2. Strike King Red Eye Shad - Blue Gizzard 1/2 oz.

3. 1 oz grass jig gizzard skirt with 4" swimbait trailer (Siebert Grass and Storm Largo)

4. 7/16 oz tungsten sinker pegged 3/0 offset worm hook - 10.5" ribbon tail (Power Worm motor oil red flake)

5. Zoom Super Fluke weightless on screw lock hook.

6. 1/2 oz white chartreuse Nichols Impulse buzzbait with a rage menage trailer.

7. 1/2 Oz Tandem Gold willow silver Colorado TN Shad Bizzbaits spinnerbait. No trailer.

8. 1/2 oz drop shot weight 2/0 offset worm hook Zoom Trick worm - green pumpkin 

9. Weightless Magnum UV Speed Worm Green Pumpkin - 3/0 offset worm hook.

10. 3/0 offset worm hook weightless weedless rigged Gary Yamamoto Senko green pumpkin.

 

Zoom Trick Worm 

Ned Rig

Zoom Super Fluke

3.3” Keitech

4” Crush City Mayor

Zoom Mag II

1.5 Squarebill

3/8 Oz Baby Structure Jig

3/8 Oz Mini Max

1/2 War Eagle Double Willow

 

…and of course all of the associated terminal tackle for the above.

 

I am a moving/topwater fisher though my most successful bait is a weightless t-rig 6" Mann's jelly worm. Besides that:

plopper/choppo in black or bone

Flat sided squarebill

Jerkbait

Frog

Walking bait

Swimbait

Glide bait

Spinnerbait

Buzzbait

As mentioned T-rig

 

 

 

 

I am a moving/topwater fisher though my most successful bait is a weightless t-rig 6" Mann's jelly worm. Besides that:

plopper/choppo in black or bone

Flat sided squarebill

Jerkbait

Frog

Walking bait

Swimbait

Glide bait

Spinnerbait

Buzzbait

bladed jig

As mentioned T-rig

 

 

 

 

21 hours ago, Bazoo said:

I've been trying to pair down the number of lures I use, the number I want to master, and just in general go lighter. I find myself going to a core of about 5 lures that I know will work. I try to use something I don't like or am not proficient with occasionally, and I try new stuff here and there but I always come back to the tried and true. 

 

So, lets say 10 lures, with the only variation being different colors of the exact same lure (same brand, weight, size), what do you choose? 

 

1. 5 inch Senko

2. Ned Rig

3. bladed jig

4. 110 Jerkbait (I like Jacakall Rerange)

5. 3.8 inch Keitech swimbait 

6. 3.8 inch Keitech Crazy Flapper (Creature Bait)

7. 1/2 Oz Spinnerbait, White blades

8. 128 Walking Bait (R2S Rover)

9. 75 Whopper Plopper

10. Jig (Keitech Casting Jig, 3/8)

 

Jigs

Soft plastic worms

”     “ creatures

Top water, walking

Top water, poppers

diving crank baits

lipless crank baits

Spinner baits

Buzz baits

Spoons

Tom

I can keep it under ten. I like keeping my lures simple. I do variations in size, weights, and color of this core lineup. 

 

- Caffeine Shade in white (don't have luck with color variations here) 

- Bladed Jig 

- Senko 

- Double Willow Bladed Spinnerbait 

- Brush hog

- Ned Rig (mostly only VERY clear water) 

- Whopper Plopper (least productive bait, but I think they're fun and I'm working on getting good) 

 

Limit yourself is not in my vocabulary.  If you fish on body of water you can come close.  
 

Super Spook Okie Shad

Choppo in Bone

Teckel Sprinker Bone

1/2 Spinnerbait w. Double Willow blades

3/8 Green Pumpkin Bladed Jig

1/2 Sieberts Living Rubber Jig B/Blue

Robo Worm Fat  Char-Bluegill

SK Rage Bug Blue Craw Red Flake

Senko 5 Inch Green Pumpkin Blue  lam.

1/4 LJ Hot Lips custom Columbia Craw

 

I guess I’ll have to go through withdrawal for not having a Jerkbait, squarebill, hula grub and tube.

If I had to, I think I could get by year round with just Rage Bugs and blade baits.