I decline to accept this challenge.  

20 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I was recently looking at the small TW warehouse I’ve collected over the last dozen years trying to pack for a day on my kayak.

 

In an attempt to simplify my tackle and thought of @Swamp Girl’s posts telling of her simple canoe & rigs.

 

I’ve decided to take ONE rod with ONE lure out for the next dozen trips and see what happens.

 

I challenge the membership to do the same and report back here.

 

The lure is up to you. I’m challenging myself and picking one lure that’s either very ‘old school’ or way out of my comfort zone.

I’ll post that lure before my first trip (I’m currently on a cruise ship in Alaska).

 

Thank you and good luck to all who accept my challenge!

I have so much tackle that some friends borrow lures to see if they want to buy their own;  I don't mind at all.  I try to hold myself to rigging 3 lures each time out;  my best days always come when the first lure I throw produces well and I do not switch.

8 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

I never just throw one lure, but there are times when the spinnerbait rod becomes glued to my hand for hours as I huck it over and over. 

Yup!

In a club last year we did a one lure tournament. Some liked it some didn't.  I loved cause I won.  Of course I used nothing but a worm. But that's me.

I am waiting for @Team9nine to respond.

 

Remember this?

https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/member-breaks-record-11421.html

 

I decline as I'll probably lose my one lure on the first cast.

1 hour ago, BASS302 said:

I am waiting for @Team9nine to respond.

 

Remember this?

https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/member-breaks-record-11421.html

 

I decline as I'll probably lose my one lure on the first cast.

Lol - Yeah, one rod/reel and one bait the entire trip is something I’ve done so many times over the years - probably hundreds. I dare say I wouldn’t even consider it a “challenge” 

One good backlash and you're done for the day.

Went out and did this today essentially. I had a ribbon rail rigged on another rod. Threw it some. But not even a bite. So I just carried it around with me. And threw the other rod with a choppo 75 on it. Fished it at 2 different ponds. Lost count on fish. 

I do it regularly with lures I am getting confident with. Today, I did 2 short trips. First was a stick worm, second was a drop shot.

 

I often do a 2 lure day. Whereby I will have 2 that I'm working on rigged, and thus, if they don't want one or the other I have an alternative. 

20 minutes ago, Bazoo said:

I do it regularly with lures I am getting confident with. Today, I did 2 short trips. First was a stick worm, second was a drop shot.

 

I often do a 2 lure day. Whereby I will have 2 that I'm working on rigged, and thus, if they don't want one or the other I have an alternative. 

Pretty much my method as well. I don’t spend a ton of time changing lures. I rig a couple options and that’s what fish. Some call it force feeding. I call it they’ll bite it or they won’t and I enjoy being out there. 

I'll accept. I already only take one combo kayak and bank fishing. I also mostly only take two or three lures with me while out anyhow. This is just further streamlining.

 

My lure of choice, for a while, with this challenge is going to be a little unorthodox. I've decided I'm going to master the popping cork this summer. I'll be fishing mostly brackish, so wanted something multi-species. I've heard everything from a largemouth to a flounder will hit it. It also seems to fit the bill, at least in freshwater, of throwing a presentation a bass probably has never seen before. It might have legs when I move back to the middle of the state then.

 

Is this going to be the secret juice to end all juice? A disaster? I'll report back. 

Maybe not one lure, but the past couple years I did a similar challege to get better at specific things.  The first time it was the all soft plastics trip.  Looking back at that trip report (second page of the thread) and the learnings, I've definitely carried a few of them forward and caught bass specifically because of that trip.  Moving from a jig to a texas rig has been big for me to the point that I rarely tie a jig on anymore.  And I've caught a lot of good fish in the change.  Sunline has become my #1 mono.  And the bait monkey won as he always does (I have a dedicated frog/toad rod now).  

 

 

Last year I did the all finesse outing.  Like the first time, I learned some things that I wasn't doing before.  Spinning setups aren't all that bad and I need to broaden my game there (the bait monkey always wins).  A ned is generically my preferred finesse lure because I can swim it slow instead of dragging it, but it takes the right heads and bait (the bait monkey always wins).  BFS rods are a great tool for this (the bait monkey always wins).

 

 

So if I were do to a "one lure challenge" like you're proposing, it would be either a ned rig or a rage bug.  I wouldn't limit to just one instance of that bait, aka I'd have a bag or two of the given plastic and associated terminal tackle.  It would depend on the lake and conditions so I'd have to pick the color and specific ned bait when I get there.  For the rage bug it would either by GP or BB.  I could just go straight to 'no brainer' which is half and half and be fine if forced to choose before leaving.  If it is a ned bait then it is probably a 4" senko in the same colors on a bass union 1/8 oz head.  If it is a really finesse/tough day then it might just be a ned plastic, maybe in straight black.  In all cases I reeserve the right to chartreuse tip the tail.  

 

Update. Threw the popping cork with a artificial shrimp lure this morning. Weird conditions (multiple storm systems over multiple days), very shallow water, and heavy weeds. Was throwing from shore, with really little structure at all, and had a lot of trouble getting out of the submerged weeds. This was going to be a rough day no matter what I did clearly.

 

Stuck with the cork and caught a nice little 1.5 lbs largemouth bass! The fact I caught anything at all makes me think this technique has real promise.  Key was trimming the leader and getting the popping cadence right.

 

☝️ If it wasn't for this challenge, I'd have given up. It forced me to adjust until I got something on a technique I had no experience with. It also has gotten me excited to try it in pure fresh water.

I have done this fairly regularly if i am sliding out on my kayak for an hour or paddling along with others. I use a paddletail on a swim jig hook, since i can fish that fast or slow and at all depths. I have had to paddle back if some little perch chomps the tail off though.

I call into the existential void, to ask the question troubling my mind:

 

"Would using only one lure improve my enjoyment of fishing?".  

 

Silence.

 

A moment passes.

 

Then, ever so faintly, the yawning chasm before me breathes its reply:

 

"No."

My hesitation in doing this is that it's an investment of time/effort/energy to get the boat ready, hooked up, to the lake, and out on to the lake - to then toss one lure and potentially have a torpedo fish/pike saw it off the line - and then be done....

I would consider one rod and one style of lure/bait (maybe a 3600 box of them) so when a toothy critter decides to take it off the line to add it to their collection I would have several others to tie on....

The open water time here in MN is limited, add in thunderstorms/tornado warnings/high wind days - and limited days (due to work) - it all adds up to a no for me (to go out on the water with one rod/one bait/lure)

I'm debating fishing a frog only tournament... But I will have several different styles of frogs rigged.

 Ummm, no.  I am not going to use only one lure.

FM

Thanks for all your replies. I’m going back to the beginning of it all for my one lure.  I picked a 1/4 oz Mepps Aglia in line spinner I’ve had at least 30 years and am throwing it on a 7’ ML/MF Kistler KLX.

 

I’ll report back every few tips.

 

I’ve been out with my one lure twice, both shore missions. The first was on Cape Cod with my wife. The trip lasted about an hour, casting into 15 mph winds. Needless to say I goose-egged.

 

I switched to a 9’6” ML/F rod for the second trip in an attempt to get better casting distance, which I got somewhat. I caught two dink SMB and a decent 1 1/2 pounder on the last cast.

 

I’m going to give my BFS setup a go for the next couple trips.

 

It’s difficult to NOT switch lures, but I’m on a mission…. Only ten more trips.

These guys make it work, at least for 1 trip. Anyone wants to do this, I'm down for some friendly competition.

 

I would get stuck on bottom first 10 minutes and break off 

On 6/13/2025 at 10:11 PM, 12poundbass said:

Reading Mike Iaconelli’s book, that’s what he did as a kid. Fish one lure for a summer, and another the following summer. Didn’t turn out too bad for him.

When I was a kid, my dad only fished a black 6" worm for bass. He would say "If they don't want a black worm, they either aren't here or they don't want anything." Later he amended that statement to include purple. There was something to that. He was kind of a minimalist, as well as a fishing cheapskate. So for years, we fished for bass like that. Later, he came to see the usefulness of the spinnerbait and crankbait.

 

I'm not going to limit myself to one lure. But if I did it would be the black and blue Yum Dinger.

On 6/13/2025 at 9:29 PM, WRB-2.0 said:

Too much to drink on the cruise ship🍸 1 lure “type” eliminates loosing your only lure and done! 
Tom

Who says you can’t have logical thoughts on alcohol! 🤣

 

I did the one lure challenge last Saturday, sort of.  Fished a small black popper around the shore of a small lake.  I had other lures, but after 40 bass in less than three hours, no need to change anything I figured.

 

But I should accept the challenge and just fish a swim jig one day.  I have a few, have heard how good they are, but I’ve never thrown one. 

On 6/13/2025 at 9:28 PM, Joedodge said:

I do this when I want to get good with a bait. I’ll go walk the bank with one rod and one lure. And that’s all I’m fishing. Makes ya figure it out and get confident in a hurry. But ya gotta be willing to stick with it. 
 

I may jump on this. And see what I can do. 

I did this when I started using jigs! Only bring a jig out with some trailers! 

Well you gotta bring more than one of said lure. Cuz if you lose it  your done for the day. 

2 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Well you gotta bring more than one of said lure.

MR. AQUARIUM STRIKES AGAIN!

Let's see... the lures I'm confident in fishing a single lure challenge with would be:

 

Jig

Texas rigged worm

split shot worm

fluke

curly tail grub

beetle spin

 

Of those, I'd probably choose the Texas rigged worm using a Powerworm in Plum color.