What are the baits that have stood out in your fishing so far this year in terms of numbers and size? Anything new that’s working well? Anything old that just isn’t doing it so far this year? 

Zoom Mag II U-Tale 7.5" worm has caught a lot of fish this year. It has been productive in Redbug, Junebug and Watermelon/Red. 

Doing much better this year for both numbers and size of smallmouth on spinnerbaits than in previous couple years.  Have seen no reason to fish anything new.  The ‘old’ stuff works too good.  
If there is anything ‘old’ that has stopped working for me it’s the Ned rig.  I grew to never expect anything of size, but I could count on numbers.  Now both numbers and size seem to have fallen off.  I don’t miss it.

 

Same things, always the same things

 

Magnum UV Speed Worm

Rage Bug/Craw

Super Spook

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Culprit FatMax.....Junebug....red shad..... better than last year so far......at least 40 percent more...... I'm having a good year..

1 minute ago, crypt said:

Culprit FatMax.....Junebug....red shad..... better than last year so far......at least 40 percent more...... I'm having a good year..

Dang!!

 

How can I forget the Fat Max!! (red/shad)

Sorry Max!

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

T Rigged Zoom Ole Monster caught the biggest 9.9 pounds.  Bladed jig has landed a couple over 7 pounds,  DT 10 and DT 16 have produced some nice bass, and a Pop R has been good on top.

I've been really lazy with my bass fishing this year and basically all I've thrown is a Ned rig. I've caught a few hundred fish on it since April so guess I don't really need anything else.

Haven’t had too much variation from normal this year, other than adopting a new favorite spinnerbait. 
 

My heavy hitters have been:

 

Zoom 6” lizard - Salt&Pepper, 3/16 oz free rig

Nichols Catalyst - 3/8 oz in “Bombshell Shad”

Red Eye shad, 1/2 oz in Citrus Shad

 

 The wildly productive early season Lake Menderchuck one two punch of a jerkbait and a wiggle wagon continued again this spring.  However as we slid into the summer season, I have reaquainted myself with the wacky rig.  For quite some time, I pretty much despised fishing a stick bait of any kind.  Really can't articulate as to why.  But one day a while back, I just woke up hating them.  Either way, it's seems to have run it's course and I'm now setting my sights on sticking a few big brown bass this fall on one.

Did a little R & D recently and after some minor tackle modifications I'm feeling pretty spunky.

So the old/new A-Jay says

"I love me some wacky"

So there's that. 

More to follow

A-Jay

 

Spro rock crawler

KVD squarbill

 

For 6poundbass

 

weighted T-rig with a Rage bug

@Siebert Outdoors Fogy

A jerk bait was my top producer this spring for smallmouth. Lately, a neko rigged stick bait has been slaying largies.

 

I may be on pace for my best season ever, which was in 2020.

 

 

Spinnerbait " as usual ".

Wacky finesse worms.

Ned rig.

Topwater has been getting it done. Popmax, frog, and a CL8 mouse. The mouse in particular gets smoked. When the topwater bite dies, the free rig and drop shot pick up the last few.

 

Fewer football jig and flippin fish this year. Picking up the jika rig to try and give them a different look in the cover.

I went on a bladed jig binge for a couple of weeks to try and get better at them. Success!  Nothing huge but good numbers. Wasn’t happy when a large fish, I assume Muskie, took my pricey Thunder Cricket. At least it wasn’t an even pricier bladed jig.

 

Other than that, I just can’t put spinbaits down, just too much fun. 

Why does the forum change Jack you know the rest and cheddar bait to a bladed jig?

Spro frogs

Buzzbait

1 oz grass jig with 4" swimbait trailer

10" ribbon tail worm on t rig 

Trick worm weightless 

Mag speed worm on t rig 

Rage bugs,

Siebert Brush jigs,

Pop Max & X,

Skitterwalk 

 

Only surprise is the spinnerbait not being on my list, but I’ve also purposely been trying to throw other things. When I get on a roll with a the spinnerbait, it can become hard to put it down. 

 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I have reaquainted myself with the wacky rig.  For quite some time, I pretty much despised fishing a stick bait of any kind.  Really can't articulate as to why.

I’m with you. I love the catching power the wacky rig has, but man I hate throwing the thing. I don’t know why. There is no denying it catches fish, and I love to catch fish. But somehow that equates to me hating it. But it takes dozens of fish for me every year, especially when the fishing is tough. My domestic PB was even caught on one. I have no excuse to hate it, but I do!

2.8" Keitech Fat Swing Impact on a 1/8oz ball jig has put a lot fish in the kayak this year.

I did well with a bunch of techniques, but a few stand out.

 

During the prespawn, I crushed them shallow on a weightless Yamamoto DShad.  

Once post-spawners started showing up, there has been a transtion to topwaters (buzzbait and frog) and texas rigged creatures either pitched to shallow cover, or worked along the deep weedline, around 8-15'.  

 

Broke my PB twice, once dragging a t-rigged lizard on 15' deep shelf, and once pitching a Rage Tail Space Monkey into thick shoreline spatterdock.

 

That's for largemouth.  I've only caught 4 smallmouth so far and haven't had much chance to target them yet. Hoping to get on the rivers for some more bronze over the next month.  I'm expecting a popper, rage menace, 3-4" keitech, and senko should do well.

 

The Missle Baits Magic 6” worm by Roboworm has been this years surprised soft plastic…who knew? The Magic worm is fatter with a different wiggle, the Ed’s Orange is getting it done.

Going BSF Karachi jerk bait is my go to lure.

Still catching bass on everything else just no need to use the tried and true as often now.

Tom

1 hour ago, WRB-2.0 said:

The Missle Baits Magic 6” worm by Roboworm has been this years surprised soft plastic…who knew? The Magic worm is fatter with a different wiggle

How does the magic worm compare to the Roboworm 6” fat? 

 

1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

Broke my PB twice, once dragging a t-rigged lizard on 15' deep shelf, and once pitching a Rage Tail Space Monkey into thick shoreline spatterdock.

awesome man! 

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

10" ribbon tail worm on t rig 

That’s something ive never put much time into but know I should. What’s your main ribbon tail? 

3 hours ago, gim said:

A jerk bait was my top producer this spring for smallmouth. Lately, a neko rigged stick bait has been slaying largies.

 

I may be on pace for my best season ever, which was in 2020.

 

 

Wow, you gotta stop making the rest of us Minnesotans look bad 😂

6" line-through swimbait 

1/2 oz bladed jig, fished slow

slither rig with an 8" lizard or big yamamoto ichi worm.

 

Those take the cake for the numbers of "get the net!" fish. 

 

Don't be afraid of the 6-7in swimbaits, 3lbs fish are happy to eat it too. 

 

Early on Most of my catches came on plastic worms and swim jigs. After the temps started to warm up some I did have some luck with a few other baits.

 

Plastic Worm

Swim Jig

Crankbait

Lipless Crankbait

Senko Type

 

@10,000 lakes Bassin - for my big ribbon tails, I use a lot of 10" power worm, local pours with floating plastic (deep creek lures and Dave's tournament tackle), Zoom Ole Monster and Mag 2 and the Big Bite Baits B2.

 

I have fished other ribbon tails and they all work good but these are the ones that I go back to the store and pick up packs of.

 

Oh yeah culprit!  Those are also great!

 I’m not a guy that’s gonna handcuff himself to one bait or tactic, I love variety in my life. Even when jigs were literally all I needed in June, I still fished other things because I’m just not a tethered angler. Paddle tails and big smallmouth were the start of the season in

late April. I’ve since adjusted and transitioned as needed. I’m mostly catching greenies, and currently my top three baits have been 

 

1. skirted casting jig in 3/16oz

2.t-rigged creature bait 3/16oz

3.t-rigged power worm 3/16oz

 

I’ve started my big worm game and will stay with that through August because the fish responded surprisingly well to a 10” thumper worm in bright sun the other day, so I’m now real interested in this bite. I don’t have much interest in top water, chatterbaits, swim jigs etc. I don’t fish a ned rig, but do run stick worms various ways if needed