What new bait or technique did you use this year that really worked for you?

I think my best new bait was actually two old baits made into one.

I had a lot of success using a Phenix vibrating jig (chatterbait style jig) with a Yamamoto Swim Senko

as a trailer. It was AWESOME! It really had a lot of movement and a very erratic motion to it.

JT Bagwell

I am trying jigs with trailers, was mainly a spinnerbait and senko guy, but trying to expand my aresenal. 

What new bait or technique did you use this year that really worked for you?

I think my best new bait was actually two old baits made into one.

I had a lot of success using a Phenix vibrating jig (chatterbait style jig) with a Yamamoto Swim Senko

as a trailer. It was AWESOME! It really had a lot of movement and a very erratic motion to it.

JT Bagwell

Didn't Brett Hite win on that rig on the Kissimmee chain a year or two ago? Where do you like to fish that rig (guessing over heavy grass)?

I had a lot of lucky with the normal stuff topwater and jigs. I also tried dropshotting and deepcranking a good amount this year and caught some good fish on those two techniques.

There were so many new things I loaded the boat with this year. Best was the Aruku Shad (which is just a fish catching machine), I have never had so many 30+ fish days in water under 45 degrees.

Its not really a "new" rig, but I really have gotten to use the C-rig a lot this year and now I have a ton of confidence in it.

The new technique for me was the shaky head. I also "rediscovered" shallow cranking after not doing it much the last couple of years. One of those deals where you smack yourself on the forehead and wonder why you stopped doing it :-?.

What new bait or technique did you use this year that really worked for you?

I think my best new bait was actually two old baits made into one.

I had a lot of success using a Phenix vibrating jig (chatterbait style jig) with a Yamamoto Swim Senko

as a trailer. It was AWESOME! It really had a lot of movement and a very erratic motion to it.

JT Bagwell

Didn't Brett Hite win on that rig on the Kissimmee chain a year or two ago? Where do you like to fish that rig (guessing over heavy grass)?

I had a lot of lucky with the normal stuff topwater and jigs. I also tried dropshotting and deepcranking a good amount this year and caught some good fish on those two techniques.

You are correct. Brett actually won back to back FLW tournaments (I think last year) on that rig.

I had success with it over grass, around wood and in open water. It is a phenominal combination. On one trip I was fishing clear water and the fish would come from a long ways away to get it. I have some blast it right at the boat and scare me to death.  lol

JT Bagwell

Spinnerbait with ribbit frog 1/2 body and legs as trailer.

I was a little late getting on board with the swimbaits, but when I did, it was phenomenal. Mostly soft swimbaits, but late in the year, the Strike King Sexy Swimmer put a few in the boat.

Falcon

New to me.

Booyah swimming jig with a zoom super speed craw trailer.  Boated hundreds of fish this year with that combo.

I mostly fish senkos, worms & Ikas. This year I had good luck on soft paddletail swimbaits, hard wakebaits, and flukes. The topwater bite was also good this year mostly on the pop r.

New to me

Horny Toad.  Killed them on the local ponds this year.

Stanley Finesse Jig, Deadsticking Senkos, and jigs.

tried out drop shottin for the first time the other day. Caught one on about the 3rd flip. So I guess it's a keeper.

While I fished several different things this year, I really worked on upgrading my equipment and fine tuning my jig fishing technique.

Overall I've slowed down a BUNCH. I had gotten so bad that I couldn't even fish a worm or jig because it wasn't fishing fast enough.

Slowing down, and Jigs. That was my focus.

Not a new technique, but a new lure I fished I really like was the Lucky Craft RC 1.5.

Really like the way it fishes and it comes through the underwater things you always hit. Seems it fouls less and it definately caught fish for me.

Jack

Rage Tail: The Smokin' Rooster is the hottest grass baits since the Brush Hog and the Thumper Worms in Red Bugya better be holding your rod tight

Rattle Head Spinner Bait: This baits ability to come cleanly through Hydrilla, Coontail Moss, Milfoil, and Skunk Weed was unbelievable; usually with a quick flick of the wrist cleared all grass.