3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I'm going to commit heresy and say that live bait is a blast...in the wildernes

I don't think that's heretical at all. It's what our forebearers used, it's probably what we all started with, and it's what fish naturally want to eat.

3 hours ago, SC53 said:

And the topwater bite isn’t what it used to be, at least for me.

I'm curious about this comment. I don't fish top water. Any idea what might be causing this shift? Climate? Pressure?

Love, LOVE throwing a buzz-bait at first light, on a calm lake. Favorite way to fish.

Spinnerbait is a close second...and gets high points cause I can throw it in calm, chop, clear water, muddy water, in the open, and around cover. It just produces and I love throwing it.

Most productive, a 1/15 oz. NED, in green pumpkin.

@Rucksack man I wish I knew. Used to be a spook, bang-o-lure or devils horse was money down here in Florida. Not so much any more. I know these are old school baits but they always produced. I’ve tried a lot of the newer baits too but haven’t much success with them either.

I think having cleaner water helps the topwater bite. On the lakes and St. John’s river where I fish, waters not as clean as they used to be. I attribute that to the increased boat traffic that causes the wave action that dirties up the water. And the fishing pressure since Covid has probably doubled.

While I don't catch a ton of fish on a JB from mid spring to mid fall, the way they can turn a cold school with lockjaw, hot really quick. In the winter the majority of baits im throwing are fished painfully slow and the JB is a nice changeup where I can work them somewhat fast and still get em. It doesn't happen often, but the days when the fish are keyed in on JBs are unforgettable and represent many of the best days, number wise, ive ever had on the water. So, I would have to say JBs are my favorite, but there are quite a few other ways to catch them which I really enjoy.

Jig fishing is really fun. You can pitch or drag them and they produce good fish.

I really like fishing squarebills or shallow flatsides in lily root patches or stump fields in late winter.

bladed jig bites are a favorite of mine as well. Late Feb early March, the bladed jig is such a versatile weapon. I start out fishing them like a jig, low and slow. By mid-march the fish are willing to chase and react. The bladed jig doesnt just get numbers, it gets quality as well.

Although it similar to grinding a crank along the bottom, grinding a bifflebug across a hard bottom is a blast. The hits are violent and I rarely lose any.

Top water or a jig bite. Absolutely. Amazing. And happen to be very productive for me

I love throwing poop/bug baits like no other! Currently having a load of fun throwing the Kunnery 3.6 around. It's a fish catcher!! Photos below.

But my most effective is definitely the Free Rig. It's soooooo versatile.

I love a hyper aggressive walking bait bite but I will go to bat for a buzz bait bite in the dark where you are just barely crawling it along and a five gallon bucket of a mouth just sucks it down. Nothing better.

On 6/27/2026 at 5:17 PM, SJS said:

What is your most fun lure to fish?

Is it also the most effective for you?

The most fun lure for me to fish is any type of topwater lure. And within the broad group of topwater lures, my favorite are the walk-the-dog style of topwaters. There are many good walk-the-dog lures out there, but my favorites are any of the ones in the Spook category made by Heddon.

Is this my most effective lure? Sometimes. It depends on the conditions.

First, low light conditions whether it's overcast (especiallyif it's also raining), early morning or late evening, or a shaded area if it's still bright and sunny out has to be one of the conditions.

The second condition is the water surface is completely still — it needs to look like a sheet of glass. I have caught bass in choppy water (especially if it's choppy because it's raining) with a topwater, but I catch far more on a topwater when the water is perfectly smooth. If the conditions are low light and a smooth surface, then I do very well with a topwater.

This last condition is one that determines which lure will be the most effective for anyone is this: what mood are the fish in? And you folks all know this last condition is determined by a multitude of factors (time of the year, water temp, water clarity, etc.).

Overall, I don't have any one lure that is the most effective. Just like with my topwater lures, any other lure I have can be the most productive lure for catching a bass — it just depends on the conditions I'm fishing under that day.

— Matt

Jigs are my favorite, but I also really enjoy squarebills and fishing a carolina rig as well. It's all good if it's catching fish.

On 6/28/2026 at 3:36 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Buzzbait and frog

I would have bet money, you would say spinnerbait.

Jig or bladed jig are my favorite baits to fish. My most effective is probably some kind of finesse bait, either a Ned or Neko.

Greetings and Happy Fourth All,

My effective and fun approach happen to address both qualities in the single package. Effective cause it catches a lot of fish. Fun because it catches a lot of fish. Yeah, just a recreational angler that managed to find something that appears to work well in all the regional waters, all year long.

My solution theme somewhat parallels @RRocket approach using the smaller bait profile rigged weedless for versatility.

I'm using the TRD baits rigged weedless with a #1 EWG hook. If configured weightless it can be used much like a top water or jerk bait. Pretty effective all along the shorelines, with or without weeds.

Add a small 1/64 oz bullet weight and you've got a slow sinker that acts much like the free rig as the TPE floats nicely. Even though it is a small lightweight, I do use a very small glass bead to protect the knot during the cast. I'm generally using 4 pound mono. Good to make use of the most knot strength I can have.

The small bait profile provides that full range of multi-species opportunity which is all about the catching!

Be well, Cheers!

Evergreen Showerblows. Lots of different ways to fish it and it catches fish