Favorite Tough Day Baits? 2024
bma3 reply :
Just wanted to know what everyone's favorite bait is to throw on a tough day on the water when you can't catch a fish on anything else. It has been tough lately up here in NorCal so just wanted a little help. Primarily clear water baits btw.
hunterPRO1 reply :
beetle spin or a trick worm
or ill just forget number and go for size and pull out a 12" worm or a swimbait.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Shakyhead, Ned Rig, or a wacky rig in clear water.
Turkey sandwich reply :
A grub fished on a 1/16-1/4 oz ball head. Other runners up include, T-rigged and light C-rigged worms (have forced myself away from in recent years to force myself into using new baits), soft plastic jerkbaits/flukes, jig/craw. I need to force myself to drop shot more on rough days,.
Outdoor Zack reply :
4'' or 5'' senko on t-rig. Toss it into any "cubbies" you can along the bank or right around structure
crypt reply :
baby 1- is my go to bait when it's tough.
Snipe Hunter reply :
Years ago I was fishing a tournament on Lake Anna in Va during the spawn. I could see fish on beds and see fish cruising bluegill beds. I couldn't buy a bite to save my life. I could get them to follow a natural colored Gitzit but they lost interest pretty quickly. The tube was falling too quickly and it laid flat on the bottom. I was using fairly light line on a spinning rod, maybe 8-6 lb? The water was gin clear, like the lakes I used to fish in Ca.
I broke up a Styrofoam coffee cup and stuck pieces of it inside my tube jig. That made it fall much slower and stand straight up on the bottom. That made all the difference in the world and I started getting bit. The problem was the the chemicals in the soft plastic dissolved the foam so I had to "reload" the tubes now and then. Now I keep tube jig floats in the boat. I use "Foam Backer Rod" and cut 1" to 3/4" pieces and keep a bunch on hand. The soft plastic of the bait doesn't affect the foam. It also allows me to use a heavier head so I can cast further.
I've also rigged them weightless and hooked them like a senko with a sliding egg sinker. With light line and a big tube with a big float in it you can cast it out and pump the rod and it will just go up and down in the same spot. Don't even reel it. Pretty cool on a bed. I've also rigged them with just enough weight to suspend it and work it like a fluke or jerk bait. Killer for smallies.
My PB Northern came off one of these rigged on the egg sinker fishing a brush pile in 15ft.
Yeajray231 reply :
Curly tail grub on a jighead.
WIGuide reply :
4" wacky rigged Yum Dinger
scaleface reply :
Often finesse is the problem , not the solution .One trip has made a lasting impression on me . I could not buy a strike . Out of frustration I burned a spinnerbait back and a bass jumped all over it . That was how the rest of the day went .
Another example . I won a club tournament with two bass that weighed 13 lbs . I caught that duo by burning a Bomber Long A minnow next to shallow stumps late in the day . Up until that point bass completely ignored all precision pitches and cast 's .
On 2/8/2017 at 12:12 PM, hunterPRO1 said:
or ill just forget number and go for size and pull out a 12" worm or a swimbait.
"If I'm not catching fish I may as well not be catching big fish" is one of my strategies too .
chattooga_ basser reply :
Been having a lot of those lately, usually I'm fishing either a fluke Jr. on a jig head or a straight tail worm.
Snipe Hunter reply :
On 2/8/2017 at 10:05 PM, scaleface said:
"If I'm not catching fish I may as well not be catching big fish" is one of my strategies too .
I completely agree. That's one of the reasons I don't fish tournaments anymore. Tournaments force me to fish for numbers. I'm perfectly content not catching fish if I'm looking for a wall-hanger. So I'm usually fishing bigger baits than I would if I were fishing a tournament. And if by chance, I bump into a feeding school, they're usually big fish.
J Francho reply :
I like a finesse type worm on a wacky jig.
tander reply :
Ned Rig will get you bites. Try green pumpkin TRD on 1/16oz head. Fish slow and then slow down some more if necessary.
Mosster47 reply :
Custom Leech on a drop shot, if that's not working 8" Hudd. If I'm not catching anything I might as well not be catching something big.
IndianaFinesse reply :
A Ned rig wil get you bites when all else fails. Might not be big, or even always a bass, but it will almost always catch something.
RB 77 reply :
4.5" straight tail worm on a drop shot rig with 5 lb flouro. Especially in clear water like your fishing.
blckshirt98 reply :
Molix Sator Worm on a dropshot is my bait of last resort. If that doesn't get bit by anything it means it's time to pack up for me.
NHBull reply :
Hard to beat a wacky rigged senko, but sometimes it is better to possibly them off!
Burtonxj reply :
Usually a Texas rigged speed craw
NoahWatts reply :
3/8 oz jig in Black Neon with Rage Craw trailer
nascar2428 reply :
Weightless senko.
Spankey reply :
Berkley Power Worm
clh121787 reply :
Deps 250, if the bite is tough and I'm fishing for "just a bite" might as well be a big one. Every once in a while it pays off. But alot of times it dont
iceintheveins reply :
Ned rig, centipede/french fry, drop shot, and a senko.
papajoe222 reply :
I've gotten used to fishing for a few bites rather than numbers, but rather than downsize I concentrate more on precise, repeated presentations to a given target, especially during cold front conditions. Many times it'll be my fifth or sixth cast to the same side of a stump or dock post that gets the bite and it's rarely a resounding thump, so I need to be concentrating 100% or go fishless. It's not uncommon to go four hours without a bite, but I'm out there for the challenge as much as the fun, so I stick with it.
Mike L reply :
Cut R or a BB Cricket
Mike
reerok reply :
Mojo rigging a curly tail grub has saved the day a few times for me.
ClackerBuzz reply :
not a lure but i have two retrieves that clean up year round, even on the tough days. i nicknamed them:
1- picking out a backlashing even though you don't have one.
2- bed fishing when there are no beds.
they are simple and self explanatory yet incredibly hard to put into practice. they are definitely worth the effort, for quantity and quality fish.
Jeff H reply :
For many many years it has been a Producto 4" Tournament Worm on a 1/8 oz Charlie Brewer Pro Series Snagless Slider. Last couple years I started experimenting with drop-shotting 3" Slug Go's and other small minnow imitators and it's working real well.
dsqui reply :
I'm amazed more people havnt said asenko but if I really can't get a bite then I'm switching to a jerk bait it's a confidence bait for me. Plus I can fish it a million ways fast slow shallow deep suspending floating ok guess it's not a million but u get my point
dmlucky45 reply :
Watermelon/Red Flake 5" weightless t-rigged Senko or Jig with craw trailer
Darren. reply :
Well, not news to anyone who knows me, but I'll
throw the same stuff on a tough day as a good day.
I pretty much do "finesse" all the time.
Senkos/knock-offs wacky rigged
Trick and Finesse worms wacky/TX/mojo rigged
Various soft plastics drop shot rigged
Angry John reply :
On cant buy a bite days i am going with a weightless plastic. A 4" cane thumper in watermelon red flake or black blue, and a small 4" lizard. Last bait is a 4" swim bait in the shad shape like the keitech easy shad. I dont fish much smaller than this except in extreme cases i have 3" easy shads for crappie that i will try.
scaleface reply :
Usually if I cant buy a bite , I'm fishing in the wrong places .
ww2farmer reply :
The yum warning shot nose hooked on a drop shot rig was my #1 "tuff day" bait last year, I also like wacky rigging small 3" and 4 " um dingers on a drop shot, as well as scaled down craws/creature baits, like the small pit boss, or 3" chigger craw.
I also reach for a 4" yum dinger, or finesse worm on a 1/16th oz wacky jig on tuff days.
Shaky heads with a finesse worm are also a staple.
If they are not biting well, all three of these options are on my boat deck.
Then you have those bizzaro tuff days when they won't bite "normal" sized moving baits, nor finesse soft plastic presentations, but for some reason are willing to chase small cranks like KVD 1.0's and 3xd's or the small frogs like the little booyah pad crasher.
RoLo reply :
A fishing guide who lives in our community is often under the gun to produce 'something'.
One of Frank's tough-day favorites is a 4" Centipede on a 1/16 oz jighead.
Roger
3dees reply :
4" finesse worm on 1/8 oz. jig head. I have caught everything from big bluegills to a 45" muskie. I should probably fish it more, but I really don't like fishing with spinning gear.
Mike L reply :
On 2/9/2017 at 6:20 PM, papajoe222 said:I concentrate more on precise, repeated presentations to a given target, especially during cold front conditions. Many times it'll be my fifth or sixth cast to the same side of a stump or dock post that gets the bite and it's rarely a resounding thump, so I need to be concentrating 100% or go fishless.
How often do we all do this? I know I don't .
We pull up to a spot, give it a few casts and move on.
Mike
guest reply :
Menace on a ball head jig.
mwh33 reply :
Weightless 4-5 inch senko, zoom fluke, or t-rigged trick worm.
bh91 reply :
WeightLess senko or Ned rig
webertime reply :
Fat Ika
colts11 reply :
Weightless Senko, or a dropshot in super clear water.
scaleface reply :
These baits that work real well when the fishing is tough . They work even better when the fishing is good .
J Francho reply :
On 2/15/2017 at 1:33 AM, scaleface said:These baits that work real well when the fishing is tough . They work even better when the fishing is good .
Maybe. I find the "slow day" bites come from EXTREMELY slow presentations, or physically demanding presentations. Things that come to mind are drowning a senko in 25 FOW, or chucking an umbrella rig all day for five or six good bites. I like those days when you can throw an "easy" bait - walking bait or popper, spinnerbait, Texas Rigged worm or craw, mid diving crank...but yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right. Though I'll probably never know if a Carolina Rig is good on a slow or a fast day! 
kickerfish1 reply :
Texas rigged plastic rodent or beaver. Weightless Zoom super fluke. Drop shot jackall I-shad. Those 3 usually get bit on a tough day. If it is cold and dirty water all bets are off as usually don't much of anything.
scaleface reply :
What if the reason youre not catching fish is because the water turned to mud ? Or the surface temp is 96 degrees ? Or the water is extremely clear ? Or weeds are too thick ? Or half the Bass master elite field is fishing your spot ? ....
J Francho reply :
On 2/15/2017 at 3:35 AM, scaleface said:Or half the Bass master elite field is fishing your spot ?
This is actually funny. Many years ago, on Smith Mountain Lake, this very thing happened. You'd think at a place that big, you could get away from it all....nope. Even after the cut, pros all over the "good spots." LOL, I guess that's why they're "good spots."
WPCfishing reply :
I always go back to a 6" black worm when the fishing is slow under any water conditions.
Swamp Rat reply :
3" Stik-O nose hooked with a split shot about 18" up the line
Slider rig
Snag Proof frog
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