Have you got a lure you refuse to give up on? 2024
fin reply :
It looks great in the water and you love it, but the fish don’t. You can’t catch a fish with it, or maybe you caught one the first time you used it and never since. But you keep on throwing it. Or maybe it cost so much you’re determined to catch a fish on it. Or maybe it’s what your buddy catches all his fish with, and you fish at the same place, but you never catch a fish with it. You’ve got other lures you know you can catch a fish with, but you keep throwing this one.
What is it?
Largies4Life reply :
The Teckel Maracker frog.....I used it this past summer and although I would catch bass on it here and there, I missed too many fish with it compared to all my other frogs. My theory is that the bass are hitting the shiny, noisy part of the bait, which in this case, is the back end of the bait so I think they are all just striking it at the back and missing the hooks.
Troy85 reply :
Superfluke. I won't throw one for months, then I'll read an article about how effective they are, or a buddy of mine will be catching fish out of the back of the boat throwing one. So I'll give it another try, always ends the same though, with a big fat zero.
Crestliner2008 reply :
8" Huddleson swimbait for sure. Love the action. Fished it a ton of times over many various structures. I keep tossing it with no results! Yet I keep trying. Have been much more successful with the BBZ. I think it's time to throw in the towel.
IgotWood reply :
Jerkbaits...
Junger reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 12:38 AM, Troy85 said:Superfluke. I won't throw one for months, then I'll read an article about how effective they are, or a buddy of mine will be catching fish out of the back of the boat throwing one. So I'll give it another try, always ends the same though, with a big fat zero.
Same - except, my dad will throw it, catch a 4lber, and I'll get nothing. I'm pretty sure I'm working it too fast.
Derek1 reply :
Hollow body frog never a single bite.
Bankbeater reply :
It’s Beetle Spins for me. I’ve used them for years, but I have never caught anything on them.
fin reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 5:53 AM, Bankbeater said:It’s Beetle Spins for me. I’ve used them for years, but I have never caught anything on them.
During the dead of winter one year, when nobody was catching anything, I saw a guy catch a decent size bass on a beetle spin - the standard beetle spin, black with a yellow stripe. Up to that point I always considered beetle spins more of a crappie bait, so I never used them fishing for bass. Well, after seeing that guy catch a nice bass, I decided I’d give it a try. It seemed like a cheap lure, but I got hooked on buying a bunch of different types of jigs and grubs and spent the rest of that season trying to catch something with a beetle spin. I still try every now and then, and I may have caught one or two, but the results were not worth the effort. I’ve caught lots more using spinnerbait and I really don’t understand why that is.
Sam reply :
Alabama rig.
Wears me out and I have never had the results the magazine articles claim will happen when you throw it.
Happybeerbuzz reply :
Spro BBZ-1 Shad in slow sink.
2019 will be year 3 and the closest I have come to catching a fish with it is seeing the water stirring behind it once when I was fishing it near the surface.
Dorado reply :
Any type of buzzbait. Not even a single missed strike. But, I see how many BR members praise em, and I never loose hope.
GReb reply :
Traps. Can’t catch squat on them but I keep trying. Actually just bought a LV500 last week. One day.....
CroakHunter reply :
Buzzbaits, brush hog,
WRB reply :
Nope
Tom
Jaderose reply :
Whopper Plopper. I try, darnit, I try. 3 years of owning a couple....one dink. I've just about given up on it. Plenty of other baits that do work
BassWhole! reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:16 AM, WRB said:Nope
Tom
X2. Fish don't want it, I don't throw it.
fin reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:16 AM, WRB said:Nope
Tom
Never?
On 1/12/2019 at 7:34 AM, reason said:X2. Fish don't want it, I don't throw it.
So, do you have a time limit or what?
BassWhole! reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:34 AM, Hank. said:So, do you have a time limit or what?
A time limit on a lure that I never catch fish with? Yeah, zero.
All the lures I use are ones that have proven themselves over time, so I have confidence in them.
fin reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:44 AM, reason said:A time limit on a lure that I never catch fish with? Yeah, zero.
All the lures I use are ones that have proven themselves over time, so I have confidence in them.
So you never try anything new?
BassWhole! reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:58 AM, Hank. said:So you never try anything new?
Of course, usually when I face conditions not adequately handled by the arsenal, or when something becomes available that outperforms what I already use. Keep in mind that I've been doing this a long time, and I am always tinkering and modifying as conditions dictate, so it's fine tuned by evolution. I'm sure that if I moved to an area where the conditions and bodies of water were very different, I'd recalibrate and make more changes. As far as the latest and greatest lure de jeure? I keep an eye out for them and throw them when they intrigue me, but more times than not they are no better (and often no worse) than what I'm already using. I view lures as tools, they either work for the job at hand or they don't.
fin reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 8:09 AM, reason said:Of course, usually when I face conditions not adequately handled by the arsenal, or when something becomes available that outperforms what I already use. Keep in mind that I've been doing this a long time, and I am always tinkering and modifying as conditions dictate, so it's fine tuned by evolution. I'm sure that if I moved to an area where the conditions and bodies of water were very different, I'd recalibrate and make more changes. As far as the latest and greatest lure de jeure? I keep an eye out for them and throw them when they intrigue me, but more times than not they are no better (and often no worse) than what I'm already using. I view lures as tools, they either work for the job at hand or they don't.
Okay, so zero is not the time limit. That's kind of what the subject is about - whether you spend too much time trying something.
I keep fishing records, and over the years patterns become clear, as you mention. Certain things work better at certain times of the year, and in certain spots on the lake/river/whatever. Sometimes I fish what has worked historically, but I find it kind of boring. Trying something different is a big part of fishing to me.
Log Catcher reply :
For me it is a brand of baits. I'm trying real hard to like 6th Sense crankbaits. So far have not had much luck with them. I have been using some in shad and bluegill patterns and have only caught one White Perch. I have bought some in the colors A-Jay has recommended in some other posts. It will be a while before I get to try them.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 6:50 AM, Dorado said:Any type of buzzbait. Not even a single missed strike. But, I see how many BR members praise em, and I never loose hope.
You’re kiddin
DSTN reply :
I would have said buzzbaits until last summer, don't give up! Mine would be a hollow belly frog thats not a Sprinker Frog. Just haven't been able to make it happen yet.
Gundog reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 3:48 AM, Derek1 said:Hollow body frog never a single bite.
Me too. I still throw it when ever I see any lily pads or weeds that reach the water's surface. One of these days.....
Bluebasser86 reply :
blade baits, they make sense and I have confidence in them, but I bet I haven't caught 10 bass on them. I watch YouTube videos, ask questions to knowledgeable guys on here that have success with them, I'm determined to make them work. I fish all winter and catch them on jigging spoons and flutter spoons, I know they'll eat a blade bait.
EGbassing reply :
Frogs. Never had a bite on one and I've fished them a lot.
mcipinkie reply :
3/4 oz. Gary Klein Heavy Cover flipping jig. I can't guess how much money I've won on that jig, or how much I've lost because I won't put it down. In an average tournament year, I'll bet I have that jig in my hand over 50% of the time.
Way north bass guy reply :
I’m amazed at the number of people that have said something like a frog or buzzbait. I honestly can’t think of a lure style I’ve not caught many fish on, not that I use every type all the time, I do definitely have more confidence in some baits over others though.
Saying that, I guess for me, for quite a few years it was a crankbait. I caught the fire out of em on a lipless, or jerkbaits, but never could get much on a crankbait, until one year I decided enough was enough and threw them WAY more than I used to. Once I started connecting with fish, they just became another tool in the rotation.
I have found in the past when I really want to learn a new technique, is to leave all the other rods in the locker and really concentrate on using the new rig until I get the feel of how it works and get a few fish on it, then the confidence builds and I feel much better about using it in the future.
Catt reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 7:16 AM, WRB said:Nope
Tom
Exactly!
If they don't get bit they don't hang around!
Koz reply :
Crankbaits, specifically diving crankbaits. I do OK on lipless crankbaits when I throw them, but not divers or even square bills. That's probably because I bank fish. I think that I've caught less than a handful on them in all of my life. But I still keep 3 or 4 in my bag and once I month I cast them only to be disappointed once again.
NorthernBasser reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 3:48 AM, Derek1 said:Hollow body frog never a single bite.
Man, this one surprises me the most. Also makes me sad for you. Probably the most exciting way to catch a bass (to me anyways). Love fishing the slop.
Derek1 reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 3:25 PM, NorthernBasser said:Man, this one surprises me the most. Also makes me sad for you. Probably the most exciting way to catch a bass (to me anyways). Love fishing the slop.
Yeah, I’m sad about it to. I did have a bird almost grab it once though lol.
Smokinal reply :
A-Rig for sure
I've caught a few on it but never had the results of what's seen on TV or read in mags. And even though this has been my experience with it, doesn't mean I don't think it's a great tool; I just need to learn how to make it work in my waters.
I will beat this bait!
BigAngus752 reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 3:48 AM, Derek1 said:Hollow body frog never a single bite.
What???!!!!! This is the worst sentence I've ever read. Please tell me what part of the country you are in so that I NEVER accidentally move there.
Derek1 reply :
I live in mass. I’m sure they work here,I fish from shore and never seem to get a bite on them.
keagbassr reply :
Hey @BigAngus752 I can give to you a lot of reasons NOT to move here (snow, taxes,potholes, frozen pipes, dopey neighbors)but lack of a frog bite ain't one of them. @Derek1 keep chucking 'em they can be had from shore.
jimmyjoe reply :
What's glaringly obvious from reading through this thread is that every lure that's a total disaster for one fisherman is a great producer for another (or many others), maybe even in the same locality. I used to have lures like that. Then I put my stubbornness aside (no small task; brick walls cringe when I walk past), asked a few people who loved that particular lure HOW to fish it. Then I caught fish. Just buying a lure and throwing it in the water wasn't enough. I had to learn the little details that made the lure a success. (Thanks, L.C.!) It's kinda like shifting a 4 speed. Some people refuse to do it. Other people do it, but not well. Some do it real well, like second nature. And they're all on the same road in the same place at the same time.
Details, details, details. The devil's in the details. jj
Dorado reply :
On 1/12/2019 at 9:39 AM, TnRiver46 said:You’re kiddin
I wish I was. I’ve used black cavitrons, fished after rain, fished during windy conditions, fished them at night, use higher speed ratio reels, used white buzzbaits, and so on. I don’t get it.
FishTank reply :
Megabass Cyclone SR-X. I sort of got a deal on few of these about 10 years ago for $15 a piece. They are an awesome looking bait. They have great action and run true but for whatever reason I have only caught a few fish with them.
Columbia Craw reply :
Black Dog Shell Cracker
Mobasser reply :
I don't have one. I eliminated what didn't work for me over 20yrs ago.
scaleface reply :
There are popular lures that I have done poorly with . I dont use them much . If i would spend the time with them they would be effective, like a chatter-bait .
FishDewd reply :
Chatterbait, buzz bait, blade baits... I haven't come across a species of fish yet that is even willing to take a swipe at them... never had a bite.
Russ E reply :
Big swimbaits and glide baits.
They look like they should catch big fish.
Still waiting for a fish to take a sniff.
One other for Black Bass is the blade bait.
White bass won't leave them alone. I have only caught a few small black bass with them.
FCPhil reply :
I know the minnows are junk, but those sweet soft plastic buzzbaits...I just can’t admit defeat...
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 1/13/2019 at 3:27 PM, FCPhil said:I know the minnows are junk, but those sweet soft plastic buzzbaits...I just can’t admit defeat...
I caught a lot of fish on a Banjo minnow when I was a kid, a lot.
On 1/13/2019 at 12:29 PM, Russ E said:Big swimbaits and glide baits.
They look like they should catch big fish.
Still waiting for a fish to take a sniff.
One other for Black Bass is the blade bait.
White bass won't leave them alone. I have only caught a few small black bass with them.
Throw a big white glide bait at Wyco and watch the bass come out of the wood work to chase that thing. I won a lot of money in the Wednesday night tournaments throwing swimbaits.
fin reply :
On 1/13/2019 at 12:29 PM, Russ E said:Big swimbaits and glide baits.
They look like they should catch big fish.
Still waiting for a fish to take a sniff.
This is a big one for me. I've pretty much given up on them, but will still throw one every blue moon. I've got several of the H2O Academy multi-jointed hard body swimbaits. They look great in the water, but I'm pretty sure I've never caught a fish on them and I've thrown them in the middle of schools of bass in a feeding frenzy more than once. It's not a real complicated bait to work, I mean there aren't a lot of options or different techniques to try.
A-Jay reply :
For the past few seasons, it's been the A-Rig or Umbrella Rig, whichever name you like.
Whatever it's called, I threw that thing until one or both of my arms were about to fall off but with much less than the desired results.
But last August, I got on some fish with it. Still not exactly certain if I was 'doing it right' or if perhaps the bass were feeling particularly suicidal, either way somewhere during the next 2 months "the light went on".
I'll be throwing it again too - as soon as my casts stop bouncing.
And then there's The Glide Bait - Got a whole box of'em.
Been tossing this one around for twice as long as the A-Rig; sort of hate these foolish things.
I just don't Get it !
Even fished it south of the border where I totally expected the bait to get Hammered . . . . . nope.
It was like I was fishing a shoe.
I'll keep at it though because at this point - it's personal..... . . . . .
A-Jay
Russ E reply :
On 1/13/2019 at 9:50 PM, A-Jay said:And then there's The Glide Bait - Got a whole box of'em.
Been tossing this one around for twice as long as the A-Rig; sort of hate these foolish things.
I just don't Get it !
Even fished it south of the border where I totally expected the bait to get Hammered . . . . . nope.
It was like I was fishing a shoe.
I'll keep at it though because at this point - it's personal..... . . . . .
I like the shoe analogy. it just feels awkward.
Like you said it is now personal. I spent a lot of money on these things and sooner or later I will catch a big fish on one.
kenmitch reply :
Not yet....But thanks to the bait monkey I've got plenty that I haven't even tried yet.
MO_TightLines reply :
For me, it’s Jerkbaits. 2 years ago I was determined to improve my skills and start catching some cold water bass with Jerkbaits.
So I went out and bought some Strike King KVD’s & Ima Flit’s. Fished them the entire winter and NOTHING.
So the fall of 2018 I addressed it again, yet this time I decided if I spent the $25 for MegaBass then I would surely start catching more cold water bass. Did I, sure...ONE(1). Yep one Largemouth and still going at it.
I’ve decided to take a different approach for 2019. I plan on fishing them in the early spring during prespawn & spawn when I know they will be more active, so I can put fish in the boat and acquire that confidence needed to throw a bait. Then come the colder water of fall/winter, I will have my cadences down and the confidence to throw them and trust they will produce.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/13/2019 at 9:02 PM, Hank. said:This is a big one for me. I've pretty much given up on them, but will still throw one every blue moon. I've got several of the H2O Academy multi-jointed hard body swimbaits. They look great in the water, but I'm pretty sure I've never caught a fish on them and I've thrown them in the middle of schools of bass in a feeding frenzy more than once. It's not a real complicated bait to work, I mean there aren't a lot of options or different techniques to try.
Those h20 baits are good stuff. Slow steady retrieve. This one is my favorite, the fish that hit it are usually bigger........ This is just the first pic I found
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/14/2019 at 1:06 PM, MO_TightLines said:For me, it’s Jerkbaits. 2 years ago I was determined to improve my skills and start catching some cold water bass with Jerkbaits.
So I went out and bought some Strike King KVD’s & Ima Flit’s. Fished them the entire winter and NOTHING.
So the fall of 2018 I addressed it again, yet this time I decided if I spent the $25 for MegaBass then I would surely start catching more cold water bass. Did I, sure...ONE(1). Yep one Largemouth and still going at it.
I’ve decided to take a different approach for 2019. I plan on fishing them in the early spring during prespawn & spawn when I know they will be more active, so I can put fish in the boat and acquire that confidence needed to throw a bait. Then come the colder water of fall/winter, I will have my cadences down and the confidence to throw them and trust they will produce.
The cold water jerkabait thing can be fun! The first time I got a bite when it was sitting completely still it was crazy! I was just standing there........in the sleet....... Watching slack line. All of a sudden it zipped through the water million miles an hour and I felt a strong hit. Guess what? 9 inch crappie haha. But, once I learned to leave it sitting still, on a SLACK LINE, I started catching. I was initially worried about not being able to feel the strike on slack. They hit it way harder than I thought.
fin reply :
On 1/14/2019 at 1:24 PM, TnRiver46 said:Those h20 baits are good stuff. Slow steady retrieve. This one is my favorite, the fish that hit it are usually bigger........ This is just the first pic I found
Good to know. A lot of times I rip it and then let it slowly sink, because it looks really good falling. The next time I try it, I'll stick with a steady retrieve and see what happens.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/14/2019 at 10:08 PM, Hank. said:Good to know. A lot of times I rip it and then let it slowly sink, because it looks really good falling. The next time I try it, I'll stick with a steady retrieve and see what happens.
Well that rip/sink can work too!!! It does sink nicely. I seem to get more just swimming it though , it doesn't sink that fast so you can go pretty slow
fin reply :
On 1/14/2019 at 1:06 PM, MO_TightLines said:I’ve decided to take a different approach for 2019. I plan on fishing them in the early spring during prespawn & spawn when I know they will be more active, so I can put fish in the boat and acquire that confidence needed to throw a bait. Then come the colder water of fall/winter, I will have my cadences down and the confidence to throw them and trust they will produce.
I think this may be a key to my problem. I try new things when they aren't biting. When they are biting, I want to catch as many as I can. I do experiment sometimes when they're biting, but probably not as much as I should.
WVU-SCPA reply :
For 2018 it was the scrounger head with various trailers. Every time one runs beside the boat I utter the words " I would eat that". The amount of wobble with that a super fluke jr. creates as a trailer has to elicit some strikes even when its not deflecting off things.
It did catch a decent fish the first time I threw one, which led to 100's of fishless casts the rest of the year. They have to work, just haven't put them in the right conditions.
roadwarrior reply :
riverbasser reply :
Jerk bait for me as well. They look great but are poor producers. Only positive is that when I fish one fish show themselves regularly by coming up to look at it, but they rarely eat it
FCPhil reply :
On 1/13/2019 at 12:29 PM, Russ E said:Big swimbaits and glide baits.
They look like they should catch big fish.
Still waiting for a fish to take a sniff.
One other for Black Bass is the blade bait.
White bass won't leave them alone. I have only caught a few small black bass with them.
On 1/13/2019 at 9:50 PM, A-Jay said:For the past few seasons, it's been the A-Rig or Umbrella Rig, whichever name you like.
Whatever it's called, I threw that thing until one or both of my arms were about to fall off but with much less than the desired results.
But last August, I got on some fish with it. Still not exactly certain if I was 'doing it right' or if perhaps the bass were feeling particularly suicidal, either way somewhere during the next 2 months "the light went on".
I'll be throwing it again too - as soon as my casts stop bouncing.
And then there's The Glide Bait - Got a whole box of'em.
Been tossing this one around for twice as long as the A-Rig; sort of hate these foolish things.
I just don't Get it !
Even fished it south of the border where I totally expected the bait to get Hammered . . . . . nope.
It was like I was fishing a shoe.
I'll keep at it though because at this point - it's personal..... . . . . .
A-Jay
I spent awhile trying to figure out glidebaits and still am. After awhile I realized every fish I have caught with them was by short turn of the reel, causing the bait to “walk” back and forth underwater. Kind of like a slow motion jerkbait. Only once did I catch a fish on a steady retrieve with them, and that when I was retrieving it over a beaver home and the fish struck just before it was out of reach.
Also, I stick with the 5”-6” glidebaits because the big ones get bites so rarely.
the reel ess reply :
Big swimbaits. Especially glide. I know they require patience. But when you can get big bass to bite the usual stuff, I just can't make myself throw the swimbaits for long. I want to take about 6 hours and go to my local dink factory and see if I can catch the biggest bass in the pond, throwing only the biggest baits I have.
the reel ess reply :
On 1/17/2019 at 1:23 PM, riverbasser said:Jerk bait for me as well. They look great but are poor producers. Only positive is that when I fish one fish show themselves regularly by coming up to look at it, but they rarely eat it
My buddy and I mopped up on the bass one spring with the floating rapala minnow in gold. I have only caught one jerkbait bass since. I see it as a clear water bait. And we rarely have very clear water here unless it doesn't rain for weeks.
On 1/15/2019 at 4:19 AM, roadwarrior said:
I have one of these. I used it ata place where there are monster bass to no avail. I took it to my buddy's dink farm and caught 12 dinks on it. LOL. I was amazed those little bass couldn't leave it alone. That was a very steamy summer evening. I have the natural mouse color.
On 1/12/2019 at 3:48 AM, Derek1 said:Hollow body frog never a single bite.
This is one of my best producers in mid spring to late summer. It produces best in a place that has no real deep water. Bass just seem to respond to topwaters better in a place where they can see the surface from almost any spot. The trick to it is to use it when you know bass are in the weeds. I mean, you see bass attacking bream or minnows in the lilies or mats. They'll usually let you know they're there. Another tip is to spot cast it to any wood or other cover or structure in the mat. If there's a bass there, you usually won't even move the bait before it gets bit. Trim the skirt legs to about the same length of the body or a little less.
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