im a newbie  so this maybe a dumb question  most of this summer when i would go out fishin i would just bring senkos and grub type jigs with me even though i have crankbaits spinnerbaits etc i never realy use anything else am i shortchanging myself because i noticed you guys talk about all different kinds of lures   should i be reading up on all the other type lures ,i always seem to catch fish on the jigs and worms . are there some guys who fish only worms  and plastics would these type lures always fit the bill or should i learn more about these other lures ive bought but rarely use . thanks  

I always keep a crankbait tied on a rod when fishing.  I mostly use the soft plastics, but I do use the crank quite a bit.

My opinion is yea, worms and jigs are enough. I actually thought about this some today. I went down to the river today for just a couple hours and took one bag of lures, River2Sea's Stand'n Yabbie. I caught fish and had a good time. Then I think about my tournament a couple weeks ago where I spent over $1,000 on the trip. It's amazing how I can think so simplistic when it comes to fishing for fun and then how technical I can make it when tournament fishing.

If you're just fishing for fun then soft plastics and jigs can cover every situation you encounter. Now I think tournament anglers do need more variety, like things that cover the water faster, but for fun you're set with what you have. If I was you I would just concentrate on learning what you have, especially your jigs. You can catch quality fish on them and you can fish them in just about any situation.

I agree, fish your strengths and master them. Fish with what you enjoy most otherwise it becomes work. I too have a lot of crank and jerk baits that I never use, unless I troll with the cranks. I was just over talking to oil company consultant and he was discussing how thats all he fishes with is jigs and worms, he's in his 60's lives on Lake Amistad and is former tournament fisherman, he's most likely got a good reason for his preference.

 There is something to be said for keeping it simple . There is also something to be said for having every lure in BPS catalog. It's all up to you. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle trying to get a few more techniques down pat ...

Jigs are a year round bait so you will be fine.

You're missing a lot if you don't fish crankbaits....

Need? no. Want? YES YES, moooooreee!

On lots of trips I wind up only using jigs and nothing else.  When I started bass fishing I only owned plastic worms.  Like stated master those two baits then move on.  There is no reason to own a lot of stuff when starting out.

90% of my time spent on the water is used throwing plastics or jigs; I let the conditions tell me when to change.

Spinner baits and crank baits are very productive , learn to throw them. It will make you a better fisherman.

I probably catch less fish than my partners when I go fishing, but I love to throw cranks and spinnersbaits. To me, it's a lot more fun... if I were to catch 2 bass per hour compared to 4 bass on plastics, I will fish my cranks and spinners.

On the other hand, if I am not producing, I will go slow. Some days the cranks catch me a lot of fish, but it all depends.

My friend Moises fishes soft plastics about 95% of the time, hardly ever seen him tie a crank of a spinnerbait and after watching a person like him catching lots of fish with soft plastics I 'd say that you can reduce your arsenal to soft plastics only, but there 's a catch, it 's the way he fishes the soft plastics what makes him catch lots of fish with them.

I like keeping my options open by carrying a lot of different baits.  I let the conditions dictate what I throw.

There are times when bass are much more focused on "moving lures".

When baitfish are concentrated and plentiful is a good example. During

these times, minnow type baits will outperform finesse presentations.

When a topwater bite is on, they will always outperform soft plastics

and jigs, especially in terms of numbers.

That said, I fish jigs or soft plastics 95% of the time when I'm after

green bass.

8-)

You can get by but do you want to catch as many fish as possible or not? Sometimes you get more reaction strikes with faster lures than you can with worms. If you dont need search lures then you wont need many other lures but you should get a few spinnerbaits, crankbaits, a couple topwater lures.

Jigs and worms are great baits, but don't limit yourself.  I think of fishing baits as a tool box.  I may be able to get by with a hammer and handsaw most of the time, but there are times when a wrench is the perfect tool.  I constantly work on expanding my tool box and learning how to use each tool.

Each year, I pick a bait/presentation/style that I want to learn or improve.  I might spend $30 on the necessary tackle and always have it tied up and ready to go.  Each outing (if conditions are right) I'll work on the bait/presentation that I am learning or refining for a small part of the day.  I have found that in the last few years, it has really paid off.  

For example, one year I decided to focus on learning how to "walk the dog".  I didn't catch jack, but I got real good at doing it.  Now, this year, for whatever reason, there was a good topwater bite, and I already knew how to walk the dog.

Agreed 10% of the time plastics & jigs will not produce but there again 90% of the time the other baits will not produce.

If you have limited time to fish and a limited budget to spend on fishing tackle you can get by well with plastics & jigs most of the time. However if you fish tournaments or are looking to take your fishing up another level you'll want to gradually incorporate other bait syles & techniques. One example is early spring on clear water lakes, I've seen times where if your not fishing a suspended jerkbait your not going to get bit. I would also pick up a few crankbits which I think is the most effecient lure category for covering water. I used to fish soft plastics app. 90% of the time, now I'm probably 60% plastics/jigs and 40% hardbaits(esp. crankbaits), since I've been doing that I consistantly catch more & bigger fish than I ever have.

90% of my time spent on the water is used throwing plastics or jigs; I let the conditions tell me when to change.

x2 A jig is my work-horse most of the year. But finesse fishing small plastics is a close second.

It never hurts to have some topwaters and frogs and some cranks when you need to cover water. I really like the Redeye Shad for covering water as it can be fished shallow or deep, fast or slow, and falls with good action. Spinner baits and buzzbaits have a place also.

Most of my fishing is with plastics unless the conditions force me to make a change. You are missing a lot of fish by limiting yourself to just the plastics. Not sure about everyone else, but I have a hard time feeling the lure and the bite in 20-30 mph winds. when this happens I wil pick up a crankbait or a blade and go to work. I have seen a few occasions when the fish wanted a faster moving bait. Example is when you get bit reeling in the plastic for another cast. this tells me that I should be throwing a faster moving lure.