Fishing small lures 2024
MartinTheFisherman reply :
Hello,
I was just wondering what all of you guys use to fish small lures like, tiny frogs, tiny poppers, Strike King Bitsy Minnow, and little crawfish baits? Im thinking some 8lb mono, is it good?
Thanks,
Martin
Sorry for the horrid quality
jbsoonerfan reply :
Casting or Spinning?
EGbassing reply :
(please delete)
MN Fisher reply :
Unless it's baby-bass, those are mainly panfish lures. I'd use my President 25 with 4# or Avocet rig with 8# for those (Ultra-light or Medium-light)
Scott F reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:05 AM, EGbassing said:Bass don't generally hit lures that small but if you're going for bluegill/crappie/panfish those would work.
Bass generally DO hit lures that small. Ask anybody who fishes Ned rigs. I spent a whole summer fishing mostly very small baits, most smaller than those you pictured. I caught some pretty big smallies along with pike and walleyes on tiny baits. The biggest problem you'll have is casting distance. I used 6-8 pound braid on a long spinning rod. Braid, being so much thinner than mono, will let you cast the lures much better.
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:05 AM, EGbassing said:Bass don't generally hit lures that small but if you're going for bluegill/crappie/panfish those would work.
Have you ever heard of BFS?
OP, bass will hit lures that small. There have been a TON of big bass caught on a Mepps inline spinner. I caught a bunch of big bass when I was young on them. Cast and retrieve.
ScottF has it right. So much misinformation already in this thread.
EGbassing reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:12 AM, Scott F said:Bass generally DO hit lures that small. Ask anybody who fishes Ned rigs. I spent a whole summer fishing mostly very small baits, most smaller than those you pictured. I caught some pretty big smallies along with pike and walleyes on tiny baits. The biggest problem you'll have is casting distance. I used 6-8 pound braid on a long spinning rod. Braid, being so much thinner than mono, will let you cast the lures much better.
Ned rigs seem to be an exception, but I fished a lot of those tiny strike king crankbaits last year and never caught a bass on one. Plenty of bluegill and crappie though. Maybe it's just the pond I fish, but (aside of the ned rig) I never catch bass on lures that small. Plus, those SK bitsy minnow crankbaits are about an inch long compared to the 2.75 in. ned rig.
On 3/26/2019 at 10:13 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Have you ever heard of BFS?
OP, bass will hit lures that small. There have been a TON of big bass caught on a Mepps inline spinner. I caught a bunch of big bass when I was young on them. Cast and retrieve.
ScottF has it right. So much misinformation already in this thread.
^
jbsoonerfan reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:49 AM, EGbassing said:Ned rigs seem to be an exception, but I fished a lot of those tiny strike king crankbaits last year and never caught a bass on one. Plenty of bluegill and crappie though. Maybe it's just the pond I fish, but (aside of the ned rig) I never catch bass on lures that small. Plus, those bitsy minnow crankbaits are about an inch long compared to the 2.75 in. ned rig.
^
Okay, man. You just seem to be one to give a lot of information based off very little experience. I have caught more big bass on a mepps and an h&h spinner bait than you have ever seen in your life. Not trying to dog you, but you need to have experience before you start telling people how it is.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
You dont want 8# mono for those small lures. A Bitsy Minnow weighs in at .083oz. Like mentioned a light braid,nanobraid,fireline,gliss,nanofil--- 6# or .005" will cast that weight way better than light mono.
As far as small inline spinners a size #1 Black Fury think its at 1/8oz caught this its the largest bass I have caught the past 2 years
Scott F reply :
These are four tiny baits that have accounted for many, many bass. On top is a Rapala Mini Fatrap, clockwise, Is a Mini Tad Polley, a Bill Norman Tiny N, and a Yo-Zuri Snap Bean. They measure between 1.25 and 1.75 inches.
jimmyjoe reply :
For 5 years, I fished with an ultralight, because I had to (arthritis). I used 4lb. mono. I caught everything from crappie to pike. I'm not saying that I didn't lose lures ... sure I did. Chomp/tug/empty line. But I got some niiiiice fish, too. Second biggest bass I got - ever - I caught on a 1/6th ounce Wordens Super Roostertail. And I was twitchin' a 1/8 Lil' Cleo in the shallows one time and a pike came up from deeper water and SMASHED it. Luckily, I got him in the hinge of the jaw. I caught catfish (surprised the heck outta me), sheepshead drum and lots of just ordinary, run-of-the-mill bass. Dinks and keepers, both. I'm of the opinion (which is worth what you paid for it) that it's not the size of the lure, but the nature of the lure. If they're hitting on a #5 Chartreuse Aglia, they'll bite on a #2 Chartreuse Aglia. When they hit a 3/4 oz. Purple Haze Devle-Dog, they'll hit a 1/4 oz. Purple Haze Devle-Dog. Many times other fishermen were raking them in on 1/2 oz. Rat-L-Traps, and I got the same success on 1/4 oz. Mini-Traps.
Too many people don't catch bass on small lures because they don't try. And lots of people don't believe you can land a bass on 4 lb. line. Uh ...... yeah. You certainly can.
Try it! jj
Bluebasser86 reply :
I've caught lots of bass on the Bitsy Pond minnow and the smallest size Hula Popper. I like to fish them on a light spinning rod and 4lb test. 8lb test won't allow them to swim properly, 6lb might work but is likely still too large unless it's a very thin 6. Not just little ones eat little baits, this is a 1/80th oz Turner Jones micro jig I was fishing under a bobber for trout when a 4+lb largemouth decided to snack on it.
davecon reply :
I fish mostly for Snook and in the spring/early summer the best lures are 3 inches long. I have to replace the hooks with 3 or 4 x hooks but some of these snook are over 40 inches long and can peel off 150 feet of line before you can blink.
I use 10 and sometimes 5 lb braid on ml and L spinning rods.
Been doing this for many years. Actually have very few breakoff’s. Have caught thousands of snook and hundreds of tarpon on these rigs.
Would I prefer stouter tackle/lures ? You bet, but when they won’t hit the big stuff the lighter stuff works fine thank you very much.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 11:48 AM, Scott F said:These are four tiny baits that have accounted for many, many bass. On top is a Rapala Mini Fatrap, clockwise, Is a Mini Tad Polley, a Bill Norman Tiny N, and a Yo-Zuri Snap Bean. They measure between 1.25 and 1.75 inches.
Was throwing a Snap Bean last Satuday, no bites on it though.
MartinTheFisherman reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:03 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Casting or Spinning?
Spinning
Thanks everyone for all the replies and help
Glaucus reply :
Bass will hit small lures. The only problem is that you'll weed through a lot of crappie, bluegill, dink bass, etc on your way to landing quality. Which isn't all bad. That's a lot of fun too. My favorite thing in the world is take medium light tackle with a Ned Rig and wading or yaking shallow rivers.
For me, with what's pictured, I'm taking medium light spinning gear with 4lb Yo Zuri on a size 1000/25 reel.
Last year I caught hundreds of dink smallies with the Ned Rig. But I also caught the biggest smallies I've ever seen come out of that river using the Ned Rig. Tons of rock bass and crappie too.
Shoot my buddy even caught this on the Ned Rig
Jigfishn10 reply :
Early in the season I'll use small lures. Bass in our neck of the woods this time of year will be slow so casting small lures gives me an opportunity to catch multi species. Catching trout and crappie are a ton of fun and will hit those lures as well as bass.
Just remember, catching something this time of year is betting than casting practice.
@EGbassing and @MartinTheFisherman, appreciate your participation. Glad to see your generation getting involved in this sport. Stay involved guys.
NYWayfarer reply :
I carry an assortment of Rebel lures for pond LMB fishing. Crickhopper, Teeny Wee-R and Hellgrammite all work great. Trout and Bluegill love them as well.
For river Smallmouth it's hard to beat a Rebel Wee-Crawfish.
Jig Rookie reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 7:07 PM, Glaucus said:Shoot my buddy even caught this on the Ned Rig
That's a...dirtfish??
Gundog reply :
I like to throw small baits when I know the conditions are tough. Whether its because of bad weather or heavy fishing pressure, small baits can entice fish that are in a neutral mood. Micro baits are great for post spawn bass.
NYWayfarer reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 9:20 PM, Jig Rookie said:That's a...dirtfish??
Looks like he breaded and fried it right at the bank 
Glaucus reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 9:20 PM, Jig Rookie said:That's a...dirtfish??
Lol it's filthy because it snapped his rod and he had to drag it up the Sandy island we were on by pulling in the line by hand.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 7:07 PM, Glaucus said:Shoot my buddy even caught this on the Ned Rig
Ned rig is my #1 drum catcher by far. I even sight fish them with it. A couple lakes I fish it's not hard to catch a couple dozen on one in a day.
EGbassing reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:56 AM, jbsoonerfan said:Okay, man. You just seem to be one to give a lot of information based off very little experience. I have caught more big bass on a mepps and an h&h spinner bait than you have ever seen in your life. Not trying to dog you, but you need to have experience before you start telling people how it is.
I'm not saying that it's impossible to catch a bass on a 1 inch lure, but it's just not ideal unless your goal is to catch the smallest bass in the lake.
ratherbfishin1 reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:08 PM, EGbassing said:I'm not saying that it's impossible to catch a bass on a 1 inch lure, but it's just not ideal unless your goal is to catch the smallest bass in the lake.
I have caught some large bass on the smallest lures imaginable while going for panfish. I have caught 3+ pound bass while ice fishing with some of the smallest jigs imaginable.
Yes, a bass will hit small lures. While I enjoy fishing bigger things there are times when a small lure will work much better.
EGbassing reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:26 PM, ratherbfishin1 said:I have caught some large bass on the smallest lures imaginable while going for panfish. I have caught 3+ pound bass while ice fishing with some of the smallest jigs imaginable.
Yes, a bass will hit small lures. While I enjoy fishing bigger things there are times when a small lure will work much better.
I've caught hundreds of bluegill on small lures and I've never caught one bass on anything smaller than a 2.75" ned rig. Maybe it's just the fish in my area that don't bite small lures, I don't know.
the reel ess reply :
My buddy caught an 8 lb bass one winter while trolling jigs for crappie. It's not uncommon. In fact, it's essentially the float/fly method. He also uses a crappie trolling crankbait in spring for bass with some success.
I have a combo that's "old school medium" spinning rod and a light reel. It has 6 lb test mono on it. I use it for Rooster Tails and Beetle Spins. I'll take it down to the creek sometimes or to my buddy's pond that's full of stunted bass. It's a hoot because that combo catches anything in the water. 8 lb. would probably work better for targeting bass though. I miss the hookset a bit with the whippy rod and light line even with those light wire hooks.
MN Fisher reply :
On small lures - #0 & #1 Mepps, Beetle Spins, etc - I've never caught a bass larger than 12". Ned Rigs and Drop Shots aside - for me, the smaller lures are panfish/trout only based on my experience.
JLindsey reply :
I catch plenty of bass on small lures, and not just dinks either. I throw 1/8oz KastMaster spoons, small inline spinners and 3” grubs on a medium spinning rod with 6lb fluoro. If big bass and monster pickerel aren’t “supposed” to eat small lures, then it sure seems like nobody told them about it.
Brad Reid reply :
I may have posted this on my similar thread. I caught this bass on 3-22 using 2lbs. Nanobraid and a #2 Mepps Plain Aglia, silver blade. Neighbor Joe was next to me in his boat, weighed it: 3 lbs. 7 ozs. You can see the little Mepps in its mouth.
I think the largest LMB I have caught on 2 lbs. braid was around 4 pounds, maybe a little over. Also 3 pound white bass, a nice catfish, too, which almost spooled me.
That one "insurance" rod to carry along for me, when fishing is tough? I think if panfish weren't in the mix, I'd use a light spinning rod, maybe even an ML, a 2500 reel and size up to 4 lbs. or even 6 lbs. Nanobraid. Whether it is 2, 4 or 6, it is all so very lightweight and fine, I am not certain I could tell the difference. It casts great.
#2 Mepps, maybe a upsize to a #3 for bass, I'd avoid throwing it into tough places, likely use it in coves just outside of vegetation, toss it down creek channels or the deepest part of the cove.
Brad
I should have added something, that when I cast a tiny Mepps with a treble hook? My hand is in position and flipping the bail almost exactly when it hit the water. If not, certainly depending on water depth and what is in it, you can get hung up pretty fast. But, the good thing is the treble hook is so small, it is almost always easily shaken loose to free it.
Trouble is, it is easy for a big bass to leap in the air and sling it off.
Nothing works perfectly!
Brad
WRB reply :
There are dozens of crankbaits under 2" long for bass. Bagley's Honey B and Killer B, Rapala CD #3 & 5, several lipless crabkbaits etc, etc have been around for decades. Structure spoons that replicate Threadfin shad are usually under 2" long, soft plastics between 2" to 3 1/2" for finesse presentation are common. Jigs, most are under 2 1/2" long, some mini jigs under 3/4" less trailers.
Bass eat small size lures often.
Tom
WI_Angler1989 reply :
I frequently catch big bass (for my area) on a #1 Mepps inline spinner. Not sure if you're familiar, but that's a pretty small lure. You'll never know till you try it, man!
Glaucus reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:29 PM, EGbassing said:I've caught hundreds of bluegill on small lures and I've never caught one bass on anything smaller than a 2.75" ned rig. Maybe it's just the fish in my area that don't bite small lures, I don't know.
Sometimes downsizing is the only way to catch them. Smallmouth bass go nuts on mayflies during the mayfly hatch and those things are really small. One of to think of it is, you don't always want the sandwich but you might walk by the table and grab a chip or two.
I think your input is as valuable as anyone else's. Hopefully you know that and continue to give your 2 cents.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
I usually carry a couple ultralights when I go to the river, 6lb mono. Zebco ZO2 with zebco Omega rod.
Usually throw tiny cranks like strike king, rebel. Also throw roadrunners and beetle spins. We use "satilla spins" with is just a local made small spinnerbait. Panfish-Copperheads, warmouth, shell cracker, red breast, and occasionally specks.
Most if the time you end up catching several bass and mudfish. Im also a believer bass like tiny baits.
EGbassing reply :
On 3/27/2019 at 4:57 AM, Glaucus said:Sometimes downsizing is the only way to catch them. Smallmouth bass go nuts on mayflies during the mayfly hatch and those things are really small. One of to think of it is, you don't always want the sandwich but you might walk by the table and grab a chip or two.
I think your input is as valuable as anyone else's. Hopefully you know that and continue to give your 2 cents.
Thanks! Yeah, there definitely are situations that call for small lures. Even the smallest bass in my lake seem to prefer 12" worms over anything else for some reason though. ???? They're odd fish
drew4779 reply :
I've caught more bass on crickhoppers and rebel wee crawls than I can count. I lost my PB (at the time) on the side of the boat with a crawl in the late 90's. Since then I rarely pull out the ultra-light, I can still see that last head shake that snapped the line. I miss it though. Nothing more fun than catching a big ole' bass on an ultra-light.
Brew City Bass reply :
On 3/26/2019 at 10:29 PM, EGbassing said:I've caught hundreds of bluegill on small lures and I've never caught one bass on anything smaller than a 2.75" ned rig. Maybe it's just the fish in my area that don't bite small lures, I don't know.
It's more than likely a list of reasons why they're not hitting your small presentations.
For my lakes, it depends what tiny lure I'm fishing. Tiny crankbaits, tiny jigs, stuff like that never seems to get bit for me. But tiny worms, ned rig, 1" minnow on drop shot, those all get hit by the big girls all summer long.
But I do agree with you, if you wanna catch consistent big fish, use a big(ger) bait. I have fun using a drop shot, but for every 5lber I catch I gotta weed through a hundred 1 lbers and crappie. Most days I am not up for that so I'll opt to throw a big moving bait. The only days you'll catch me drop shotting or fishing a tiny lure is when I've deemed that the fish aren't in the mood for a larger bait, which to be honest is rare. I can almost always find fish willing to bite a jig, crank, spinner, or jerkbait.
On 3/27/2019 at 6:55 AM, EGbassing said:Thanks! Yeah, there definitely are situations that call for small lures. Even the smallest bass in my lake seem to prefer 12" worms over anything else for some reason though. ???? They're odd fish
I'm sure there's a forage in the lake that mimics a 12" worm. There's one lake I fish where they won't touch anything but a worm or craw imitation.
EGbassing reply :
On 3/27/2019 at 8:31 AM, Brew City Bass said:I'm sure there's a forage in the lake that mimics a 12" worm.
There are a lot of snakes in there. That's what I would guess.
Munkin reply :
I use to wade fish a small local creek with a friend. We would use 6' UL spinning rods with 4lb line and catch everything in the creek. Mini Fat Rap in Craw was deadly for SM and I caught several that went 3lbs. Not saying it is a good strategy for a tournament but it was fun on that UL gear.
Allen
Bluebasser86 reply :
Texas' 18+lb state record was caught on a crappie jig. Bass are opportunistic, if a tiny bait wiggles close enough they can suck it in with minimal effort, chances are pretty good they will. A big plus to tiny baits is there's less there to look fake. You have to fish the right gear to get the most out of them though. A tiny crank on what is typically consider light bass gear is too heavy and won't allow it to work correctly. Drop down to 4lb or even 2lb test and they really come to life.
greentrout reply :
hank parker's classic 1/8 oz. white spinner bait ... george cochran's little mr. money and zoom finesse worms have caught me more bass than i can count ...
of course, rebel critters and the beetle spin take a back seat to no one ...
good fishing ...
CHIP-MAINE reply :
my standard #1 lure is a #$ or#5 mepps- catch many and big large and small on it
bigbill reply :
For lighter smaller baits I use a 5’5” spinning rod, with 6lb test, I also use a 6’ spinner rod for larger baits, I use 8lb test.
my Pb of 10# was landed on 8# test. I prayed line don’t fail me now. The Excalibur silver thread line never failed me yet.
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