Depends on whether I'm targeting smallmouth or largemouth.

Year round, regardless of season, I will always have these on deck:

Largemouth:

Spinnerbait

Jig

Senko

Some kind of T-rigged plastic creature bait or worm

Smallmouth

Spinnerbait

Splitshot (bait varies: grub, finesse worm, dice bait, reaper)

Tube

Hula Grub

Crankbait in warmer months, hair jig in colder months

Jig head

I can switch between plastic worm, fluke/minnow, grub, or paddle tail bait.

I also put live shad or nightcrawlers on them

I use A LOT of jig heads

Mostly fishing after work, I try not to be fiddling around with looking thru tackle boxes for a bullet sinker, worm hook, or tying on leaders so it seems to me a jig head is the easiest, fastest, and most versatile option (on straight mono)

I still love all manner of bait that’s aren’t spinnerbaits but keep jig heads at ready

34 minutes ago, Glenn said:

Depends on whether I'm targeting smallmouth or largemouth.

Year round, regardless of season, I will always have these on deck:

Largemouth:

Spinnerbait

Jig

Senko

Some kind of T-rigged plastic creature bait or worm

Smallmouth

Spinnerbait

Splitshot (bait varies: grub, finesse worm, dice bait, reaper)

Tube

Hula Grub

Crankbait in warmer months, hair jig in colder months

I like this a lot. The only thing I’d add is a bladed jig but that’s because I just got them dialed in and I’m catching fish on them haha.

Flipping Jig (I will switch this out for a Swim Jig if conditions dictate to do so)

Flipping Tube

Texas Rig (I'll usually have a worm, 4" Salt Craw, or an Ultra Vibe Speed Craw)

Spinnerbait or Buzz Bait

Texas rigged Senko

Jig w GY twin tail grub

Lucky Craft BDS 2

1/4-3/8 Excalibur pop r (spinning)

1/4 oz spinnerbait

It changes for me depending on where I"m fishing, but the one thing I always have ready is a 2.8 " Keitech Fat Swing Impact on a 1/8 once ball head jig.

Probably dependent on how much room you have on your deck. I don't like having more than 3 or 4 setups on mine otherwise it's a giant mess. The rest remain in my rod locker until I need one.

I would say the 3 that are out there the most are:

for largemouth

spinnerbait OR bladed jig

wacky OR neko rig stickbait

ned rig

for smallmouth

jerk bait

crank bait

tube

17 minutes ago, gim said:

Probably dependent on how much room you have on your deck. I don't like having more than 3 or 4 setups on mine otherwise it's a giant mess. The rest remain in my rod locker until I need one.

I would say the 3 that are out there the most are:

for largemouth

spinnerbait OR bladed jig

wacky OR neko rig stickbait

ned rig

for smallmouth

jerk bait

crank bait

tube

Yea 4-5 rods is the max I want in this boat lol. I used to do well on Ned rig. But haven’t in recent years.

The ned rig is more of a last resort type of thing for me. I've never gone fishing and said "I'm gonna ned rig this time" to myself. Ever.

But when times are tough, it generally does get bit. I upsize to the bigger TRD. It reduces the number of 12 inchers I catch.

Really depends on the water temp. Summer and late fall/early winter will look different.

Water clarity also changes things.

But the majority of the time I'm going to have the following:

Worm - wacky or neko

Topwater - popper or walking

Football jig

Crankbait

Swim jig

Chatter/spinnerbait

Cold water? Add a jerkbait, might even have two rigged up

Slop? Add a frog rod

Then there's the big bait rod and the small bait rod (BFS), which is arriving Friday.

I carry 8 on my kayak most of the time. That's the max.

Need to buy a boat this year, just need to find one.

Nothing is always on the deck for me, but a Ned rig is pretty close.

If I'm after largemouth, a bladed jig and either a jig or T-rig has a really high potential of being out also.

For smallmouth, there's either going to be a jerkbait if the water is colder, or some kind of walking topwater if the water is warmer.

I'm going to almost for sure have a Ned rig laying out no matter which one I'm after though.

There is never a scenario that I don’t have a spinnerbait rigged up and ready to go. Jig, wacky senko, and when the water is north of 50°, a popper, are always tied on in the boat as well.

Spinnerblade, Texas-rig worm, crankbait, underspin paddletail……….always.

Largemouth:

Rage Bug

Spinnerbait

Fogy

Swim jig/jig

Crankbait

Paddle tail swimbait

Smallmouth:

Dropshot

Hula Grub

Ned

Tube

Vision 110

Rattlin Vibe

Spinnerbait

Something vertical, horizontal, and suspending. Something on top when water temps reach 60.

A bottom jig, either pitching or football jig with a craw or beaver trailer and a swim jig with a paddle tail.

I'm a jig guy. LOL

Flatside crankbait, lipless crankbait, jig and a t rigged worm

Whether it’s largemouth or smallmouth, heavy cover or open water, 40 degree water or 80 degree water, sunny or cloudy, spring, summer or fall, windy or calm, no matter how deep or shallow the fish are, tourney or fun fishing, regardless of whether or not I know I’m gonna slay on a different bait, I will ALWAYS have a jig and zoom super chunk tied on. My confidence with a jig is the same as my confidence that the government will still be crooked tomorrow. When I’m fishing a jig, I WILL catch numbers and size. If I went fishing and forgot my jigs, I’d go home to get them lol. I usually have two on at all times. A 5/8 black and blue and a 3/8 watermelon/gp

Lots of factors go into what I pre-rig before hitting the water (water temp/deep/shallow/tons of vegetation/low vegetation/wind/no wind/ect....) - I bring 5 or on rare occasions 6 rods with me (limited space on the boat) - Last year 90% of the time I pre-rigged and had the following tied on before getting on the water:

-small bladed/chatter bait with a trailer

-3.8 or smaller swimbait on a bladed jig head

-a topwater lure

-a drop shot set-up (my least used technique as I love to chuck moving lures, but when nothing else was working having this rigged and available was an option)

There’s a few more variables that determine what I rig…river or lake, water clarity, time of year, wind, target species, etc. But generally speaking, keeping in mind I prefer plastics and finesse, I will have a Ned, a Senko (weighted and weightless), a dropshot, a DShad (fluke style) and some sort of moving bait (crankbait, lipless, spinnerbait, bladed jig).

I dont have a dedicated crankbait rod, or spinnerbait rod or buzzbait rod... but I do have a wormin rod and its always within reach.

Pre-spawn:

Spinnerbait - flukes - jigs - t-rig lizards.

When the water warms up:

Ned - Flickshake - drop-shot

A jig and craw, and a Texas rig are my two constants.

Jig

T-rigged craw

Senior (was supposed to read Senko, but to be honest, there is always a senior on the deck ready to go!)

Lipless

Personally, a shaky head, jig, bladed jig (lately a Baby Jack), 3.3-3.8" paddle tail on a jig head, frog, Ned rig or a weightless 2.5 yamatanuki and whatever else my heart desires. I've been throwing the shaky more than anything for largemouth lately, but for smallies the bait on the shaky changes from a worm to a 3" Yama Craw, the head does not.