Lure Specialization Vs Variety 2024
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
Seems like you always hear about people taking lots of baits with them, and you hear about guys who are particularly good at one type (e.g., Jimmy Houston and spinnerbaits or Larry Nixon and worms).
But, you don't really hear about people who fish only one type of lure year round. I'm thinking of trying this with spinnerbaits since they are so versatile. Anyone ever try this? Or anyone ever take just one type of lure with them on a trip? Seems like you would really learn a lot doing this.
BTW, just caught this guy last night as it was getting dark. I used a 3/16 oz. Booyah Pond Magic spinnerbait (dark green/black skirt and gold willow/colorado blades).
roadwarrior reply :
There are usually a few baits at any point in time that are "hot". Right now what's working
for me are Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits and The Bug. We (Mid South) are on the verge of
Square Bills, Alabama Rigs, topwater and jerkbaits.
Catch and Grease reply :
I would hate having to use one lure all year, I like those pond magic spinnerbaits BTW good little lure.
BassinLou reply :
Just limiting yourself to one bait, regardless of its versatility will limit the amount fish you will catch. There is no doubt, that on any given outing the spinnerbait will work. But what about the day it isn't, and another common lure is the "hot lure" of the day. Why limit yourself?
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 6:25 AM, BassinLou said:Just limiting yourself to one bait, regardless of its versatility will limit the amount fish you will catch. There is no doubt, that on any given outing the spinnerbait will work. But what about the day it isn't, and another common lure is the "hot lure" of the day. Why limit yourself?
I would limit myself to force myself to get really good at understanding the in-depth intricacies of one type of lure. I wonder if when people say "what about when the lure isn't working" how much of it is actually the lure and not the person using the lure.
einscodek reply :
of course joe shmoe w/ a spinnerbait vs KVD/Clunn/Houston aint the same
in many respects its the man behind the weapon
Getting good and isolating a lure practice always a good idea but some lures arent that comprehensive
imo a spinnerbait is
in fact Ive caught spinnerbait fish all year round (I dont count winter sorry) and yes in clearwater
Ive several spinnerbaits I use in clearwater and they are as effective as my plastics in clearwater
I just let the fish tell me in clearwater situations which they prefer on that day
you aint going wrong with spinnerbaits
I've posted some 20+" fish on the forum which absolutely crushed my spinnerbaits one having snapped one in 2 pieces
fish CRUSH spinnerbaits
gulfcaptain reply :
The only time I limit myself to 1 type of bait is when fishing a big swimbait....why, because it forces me to keep fishing it and not decide to try something else. But then that is a time of year pattern for me normally from the midde of Nov. to Mid April depending on the body of water I'm fishing.
WRB reply :
No reason to handicap yourself by fishing 1 type of lure, bass react to a wide variety. If you want to focus on using a specific lure type to learn it, good idea but not all year unless you are a very slow learner.
I often use jigs, worms, swimbaits and crankbaits during a days outing and settle on the 1the bass prefer. If I see or determine bass want spoons or top water or whatever, I will try it. Still learning how to fish the A-rig, however I try to learn when the bass are active and easier to catch, not waiting to try something new when all else fails.
Tom
Texas Pride reply :
Some times when im gonna fish for a hour only i will carry what i have on the pole tipicaly crankbaits and popp ers my favriot
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 7:41 AM, WRB said:No reason to handicap yourself by fishing 1 type of lure, bass react to a wide variety. If you want to focus on using a specific lure type to learn it, good idea but not all year unless you are a very slow learner.
Tom
Ah, but each season brings different conditions and fish behavior so you have to go a year to get the comprehensiveness of the self-training this is designed to produce.
Bruce424 reply :
cool idea. I usually use a jig, spinner bait or square bill. trifecta for me. as people are saying its a handicap for using one lure for a year... I see it as trying to master a technique.
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 8:03 AM, Bruce424 said:cool idea. I usually use a jig, spinner bait or square bill. trifecta for me. as people are saying its a handicap for using one lure for a year... I see it as trying to master a technique.
I'm gonna try it for a while and see what happens. Yes, "mastering a technique" is what its all about. I usually bring a spinnerbaits, worms, and jigs with craw trailers.
WRB reply :
The few things I have learned after 60+ years of bass is not to force feed bass lures I like to fish.
KVD made his name using Nichols spinnerbaits, covering water making hundreds of casts and it for him.
Spinnerbaits don't work for me very often, unless the bass are very active eating baitfish near cover edges.
The reason being my style of fishing is slower and deep structure where the classic tandem spinnerbait doesn't work well.
Good luck!
Tom
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 8:29 AM, WRB said:The few things I have learned after 60+ years of bass is not to force feed bass lures I like to fish.
KVD made his name using Nichols spinnerbaits, covering water making hundreds of casts and it for him.
Spinnerbaits don't work for me very often, unless the bass are very active eating baitfish near cover edges.
The reason being my style of fishing is slower and deep structure where the classic tandem spinnerbait doesn't work well.
Good luck!
Tom
Yep, but slow rolling a single colorado blade is a classic winter/deep water spinnerbait technique. Try it out this winter!
PersicoTrotaVA reply :
I think it all depends on confidence. I love to wacky rig fish but I can't get my brother to try it. He likes to fish grubs, I am not to fond of it, even though I have caught fish with them. I don't limit myself to one technique but I do know what my strong one is(wacky) and which ones are not as strong(jig, crankbait). I should practice my weaker techniques more next year and I will. Hopefully by 2016, I will be the bass angler I want to be.
Team9nine reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 7:22 AM, Todd Ward said:I would limit myself to force myself to get really good at understanding the in-depth intricacies of one type of lure. I wonder if when people say "what about when the lure isn't working" how much of it is actually the lure and not the person using the lure.
Personally, I think you're on the right track and line of thinking. I do it all the time; sometimes for a single trip, sometimes for months at a time - just depends on the specific bait/technique. It works for things besides lures, too, like line types, rods, etc. IMO, the absolute best and quickest way to learn as you put it, "the in-depth intricacies of one type of lure." If you do it and stick with it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome 
-T9
ClackerBuzz reply :
if the fish aren't biting that particular lure that day all ur going to become is a master caster.
yes i'm out there to enjoy nature but i also like to catch fish so why rule out catching possibility b/c of only one lure.
i prefer to go with minimal tackle instead. 3-4 strategic rods that will cover fast to slow, top to bottom.
maybe a jig, spinnerbait, drop shot, crankbait. i can usually get them to hit one. after that i'm free to 'learn' that technique for a few hours. as opposed to learning that they didn't want a spinnerbait that day.
i've even gone out with 2 rods: a senko and 8" swimbait. after i'm defeated by swimbaits i can just re-inflate my ego with a quick senko fish 
i'm amazed when a guy tells me how much he learned b/c he stuck with a crankbait all day, 8 hours on the water, hundreds of cast, dozens of locations. and in the last hour he caught 4 fish which made it all worth it... 'sticking with his plan'.
imo the crankbait bite turned on at sunset and he wasted 7 hrs of his day.
Edited by ClackerBuzzTexas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 9:52 AM, ClackerBuzz said:if the fish aren't biting that particular lure that day all ur going to become is a master caster.
yes i'm out there to enjoy nature but i also like to catch fish so why rule out catching possibility b/c of only one lure.
i prefer to go with minimal tackle instead. 3-4 strategic rods that will cover fast to slow, top to bottom.
maybe a jig, spinnerbait, drop shot, crankbait. i can usually get them to hit one. after that i'm free to 'learn' that technique for a few hours. as opposed to learning that they didn't want a spinnerbait that day.
i've even gone out with 2 rods: a senko and 8" swimbait. after i'm defeated by swimbaits i can just re-inflate my ego with a quick senko fish
i'm amazed when a guy tells me how much he learned b/c he stuck with a crankbait all day, 8 hours on the water, hundreds of cast, dozens of locations. and in the last hour he caught 4 fish which made it all worth it... 'sticking with his plan'.
imo the crankbait bite turned on at sunset and he wasted 7 hrs of his day.
Yeah, the fish I caught in the picture was caught at sunset too. If they really aren't biting the lure on a particular day that is knowledge in the bag. But before I would make such a statement I would look at all the weather factors at play as well as the myriad characteristics that can vary within the type of lure used. By focusing on one type of lure you get that specialized knowledge.
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 9:09 AM, PersicoTrotaVA said:I think it all depends on confidence. I love to wacky rig fish but I can't get my brother to try it. He likes to fish grubs, I am not to fond of it, even though I have caught fish with them. I don't limit myself to one technique but I do know what my strong one is(wacky) and which ones are not as strong(jig, crankbait). I should practice my weaker techniques more next year and I will. Hopefully by 2016, I will be the bass angler I want to be.
Yeah I avoid crankbaits...just can't get into them. I tend to avoid treblehook baits in general and go with spinnerbaits, jigs, and plastic worms.
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 9:09 AM, PersicoTrotaVA said:I think it all depends on confidence. I love to wacky rig fish but I can't get my brother to try it. He likes to fish grubs, I am not to fond of it, even though I have caught fish with them. I don't limit myself to one technique but I do know what my strong one is(wacky) and which ones are not as strong(jig, crankbait). I should practice my weaker techniques more next year and I will. Hopefully by 2016, I will be the bass angler I want to be.
Yeah I avoid crankbaits...just can't get into them. I tend to avoid treblehook baits in general and go with spinnerbaits, jigs, and plastic worms.
MassBass reply :
The thing about spinnerbaits is that their are so many different ways you can customize your spinnerbaits for different conditions and locations. I feel I could fish only spinnerbaits all year and do half decent. But I would need to fill my whole binder with a ton of different spinnerbaits.
Texas Hawg Hunter reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 11:19 AM, MassBass said:The thing about spinnerbaits is that their are so many different ways you can customize your spinnerbaits for different conditions and locations. I feel I could fish only spinnerbaits all year and do half decent. But I would need to fill my whole binder with a ton of different spinnerbaits.
...or you "get to" fill your binder with spinnerbaits 
I'm just going to focus on the big things first like a larger and smaller size, a lighter and darker color, and a willow vs colorado blade.
gobig reply :
If I was going to roll with one style of bait it would be a swimbait hands down. If you pay attention will learn more than you ever thought possible.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Denny Brauer didn't fish much more than a jig his entire career and did alright for himself
WRB reply :
The twin spin with spreader wires and #2 Colorado blades ( home made) works a lot better on deep vertical walls and humps with sharp breaks in the cold water period. Single spins can be good at night at times, not a go to lure for me.On 10/22/2014 at 9:08 AM, Todd Ward said:Yep, but slow rolling a single colorado blade is a classic winter/deep water spinnerbait technique. Try it out this winter!
I fish custom hair jigs every outing year around, rarely fish with just 1 type of lure, like to keep the bass honest. If I am fishing deep structure with my jig, like to give a swimbait a try or a Scrounger, something for a change of pace, even when the bite is good.
Tom
reelnmn reply :
I personally feel like this whole notion of 'if fish aren't biting xyz' on a particular day to be complete bs. I vary lure selection to match the cover/structure I am fishing. I change lures between trying to get fish to react or coax them into biting.
If you spent the entire year specifically locating fish, I bet your catch rate would go up regardless of lure selection.
RAMBLER reply :
I didn't do it, but I met a man who fished with only one lure. He also had a trolling motor repair shop and sold fishing tackle. But, he only sold and used one thing. Zoom trick worms/watermelon red. He caught a lot of fish including 10 pound ones. The stories I heard weren't just from him but from a couple of other people that knew him, so, I think most of them were true.
buzzed bait reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 7:44 AM, Todd Ward said:Ah, but each season brings different conditions and fish behavior so you have to go a year to get the comprehensiveness of the self-training this is designed to produce.
but this will have you thinking next year the fish will be in the same place, same pattern, same behavior, etc. which is just not always true.
it's a novel idea and frankly only works with a bait as versatile as a spinnerbait, swimbait or plastic. reason being is that one couldn't set out with only a topwater bait all year long or only a deep diving crank all year long. the reason the spinnerbait will work for year round is you can really cover the whole water column with it. otherwise you're missing out on a lot of fish.
you shouldn't need more than a month or two to really learn the bait itself. then you need to spend the rest of your life trying to understand the fish....
roadwarrior reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 7:41 AM, WRB said:I try to learn when the bass are active and easier to catch, not waiting to try something new when all else fails.
Tom
Great advice! There is no way to judge a new lure or technique if the fish just aren't there or not biting.
Bassun reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 9:08 AM, Todd Ward said:Yep, but slow rolling a single colorado blade is a classic winter/deep water spinnerbait technique. Try it out this winter!
I learned this years ago on a spinnerbait it had modified for night fishing. I had put a bigger black colorardo blade on a blue and black spinnerbait. I stopped by the river to eat lunch one day and thought, hey why not try it. On like my third cast a really nice smallmought slammed it. I agree, you can catch fish on spinnerbaits year round.
On 10/22/2014 at 7:41 AM, WRB said:... however I try to learn when the bass are active and easier to catch, not waiting to try something new when all else fails.
Tom
Of all the things I've read in your posts, I think this is the best advice yet -- especially for novice anglers. Immediatly I thought back to plenty of hard days where I starting throwing things that I never throw, and have no confidence in, just trying to get bit instead of backing up - rethinking - and reapplying what I knew.
I've learned over the years to trust my gut more than a lure but even now there are times I will still catch myself swaping lures instead of rethinking the situation and adjusting my approach.
geo g reply :
I have hundreds of baits at home, some I use occasionally and some I never use. I do have several confidence baits I will always throw on ever trip regardless. 1). a 4" senko type bait. 2). a zoom watermelon red fluke. 3). watermelon red trick worm. These baits I know can catch bass under all types of conditions, and locations anywhere in the country. These confidence baits have changed over the years but this is my latest.
One tier below are the frogs, black/blue jigs, chatterbaits, and in-line spinners.
I'm sure several years from now, there will be changes to the list.
deep reply :
No thank you, I like catching over fishing. Now, I don't fish a ton of different lures- a couple classes of bottom baits, and two or three covering-water type of baits, and swimbaits- which would be another whole can of worms (lol). I have confidence in those. But fishing one single style of bait is not for me.
"You always should follow what the fish want. If you use a certain technique when conditions are not right for that technique, you're wasting your time." - Bill Murphy.
ColdSVT reply :
I know i have a jig on deck all year and it is rare that i dont catch atleast one on it...but i also have condition specific stuff on deck as well
Right now i have a jig, 6xd, jerkbait and topwater handy
BassmanDan reply :
A big part of the fun for me is catching them in different ways...a vicious topwater strike on a buzzbait, or the thump of a big fish hitting a jig in the wood, or ripping a lipless crank through the grass and it getting slammed by a five pounder. A spinnerbait is a versatile lure but limiting myself to one bait wouldn't be as much fun for me. But you know what they say about different strokes for different folks.
primetime reply :
learn to fish either a texas rig or jig/jighead and a plastic worm would be the way I go, a spinnerbait can get boring, plus it is not my first choice since fish on pressured lakes do not always want a spinnerbait after a cold front and way too many variables that I can't control. I can't fish a spinnerbait in heavy cover, in thick grass, and I am all about figuring out a pattern, finding fish that are feeding, and with spinnerbaits you will surely have days without getting a strike as they may not be where spinnerbaits are at their best, or just too flashy or providing too much thump based on what they are feeding on. if I know fish are feeding on crawfish why would I want to be chucking and spinnerbait and working when I can just too a jig and trailer and do much better.
I am all about taking an entire day to fish nothing but a jig, or tube, etc...Because those baits will work anywhere you go, shallow, deep, weeds so thick you wonder if 80lb braid is heavy enough, so spinnerbaits are great (Used to be much better 10-20 years ago) bladed swim jigs work better now, fish get conditioned and I have been in many conversations with other anglers about the spinnerbait not being as effective as it was years ago, and honestly, a spinnerbait is one of the easiest lures to learn imo. Master the Jig, and you will catch bigger fish and all year anywhere, and it makes plastics and spinnerbaits easier to use since a Jig can be a spinnerbait, Not other way around.
hatrix reply :
On 10/22/2014 at 8:29 AM, WRB said:The few things I have learned after 60+ years of bass is not to force feed bass lures I like to fish.
KVD made his name using Nichols spinnerbaits, covering water making hundreds of casts and it for him.
Spinnerbaits don't work for me very often, unless the bass are very active eating baitfish near cover edges.
The reason being my style of fishing is slower and deep structure where the classic tandem spinnerbait doesn't work well.
Good luck!
Tom
I actually do that a lot sometimes. It does depend on how much I have fished recently and how well I have done. Sometimes I get at a point where I would rather fish something "I want to fish" then throw a T-rig for example. I might be able to kill it with a T-rig but sometimes Lots of times I look at it like no matter what you have tied on and what the conditions are no matter how backwards it could seem at the time. There is always a fish that will bite that thing right now if you get it in front of him. Of course not being open to all options will limit your success but it can be more enjoyable. This is really true at places I have fished a bunch or fish all the time. I really could care less about catching 2# or something. Actually there has been days where I won't even set on them cause I don't care to catch them and its almost a hassle. I am sure lots of people on here sorta feel the same. Like how many thousands of 2# fish will I catch in my life. They are just plain and boring sometimes.
hoosierbass07 reply :
I received Charlie Brewer's book on Slider Fishin' a few days ago. There is a really good paragraph that I think he's very right on mark. He recommends people to specialize in four or five lures and not try to master all the ones on out there you can buy. He said often times fishermen master one lure and then switch to a new one and try to master that. Then master that lure and then switch to another. He said his catch rate had gone way up when he stopped trying to master all the lures out there in the market and instead focused on a few lures that he knows works.
This year - I caught 99% of my bass on soft plastics. There was one day I caught four or five bass in under an hour with a small spinnerbait. Those were decent sized bass too. But that was the only day spinnerbaits have worked for me. There was one day (and one big bass) a crankbait worked for me. All other days I fished this spring/summer/fall, the only thing that has worked has been soft plastics. This reminds me of Bill Murphy's book on Big Bass Fishing, he said crankbaits may only be the hot lure one hour or so out of the whole day, or two weeks out of the whole year. Really, from my own experience and the opinion of other great fishermen, I keep asking myself - why use any other lure beside soft plastics worms/stick baits/lizards?
papajoe222 reply :
It seems that every season brings with it a different bait that just seems to outproduce the others and I'll always have that bait tied on. For the purposes of learning the ins and outs of a certain bait or presentation, I have limited myself to just that bait for an entire outing. I did that exact thing with a Norman Deep Little N and by the end of the day I could tell what type of bottom I was fishing, when the bait was approaching a limb or large rock, when the bottom rose or fell and sadly that I needed to retie frequently.
Although a great way to learn, the biggest majority of time I'm out to catch fish and I don't limit myself to just one bait.
mjseverson24 reply :
I love to junk fish, I would enjoy fishing much less if I only used one lure. I do enjoy when I can establish a pattern(especially in tournaments) but I really enjoy catching fish a variety of different ways...
Mitch
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