Most Productive Baits ~ A Seasonal Review 2024

A-Jay reply :

As I work through the somewhat painful process of putting up my gear for the hard water period. I like to look back and see which baits did what over the course of a season. Now I’ll openly admit that the more a lure produces the more I fish it – but there have been times I’ve made a switch during a good bite “Just to See”. I don’t do this as much as I used to because I think I missed a lot of potential bites re-tying & all that. But it’s still a good way to gain confidence (or not) in a new to me bait (or technique).

It should also be noted here that a good percentage of my fishing especially this season, was done on new to me lakes. A couple are much larger than what I’ve been able to fish so there was a requirement for quite a bit of prospecting. Fortunately, the vast majority of that was done before I ever left the ramp (Humminbird Contour Elite). Once I got to my spots, I tried to fish as “Small” as I could.

In addition to what’s listed here & as one would expect, I fish many, many other baits & presentations over the course of the (way too short) season; to include but certainly not limited to drop-shot, jigs (football, swim & structure jigs), smaller paddletail swimbaits, deep divers, and quite a bit of Texas rigged soft plastics; craws, worms, tubes, creature baits and dare I even mention – Stick baits. That was for you @Darren. :smiley:

And so as this past season progressed, the colors / patterns of the baits pictured below were the ones I reached for the most. Others did catch of course but these were the baits that seemed to routinely get bit the most; making them the Go-To’s. And I usually dislike that term, but it does apply so . . . . there ya go)

None of this is new or remotely earth shattering stuff, just felt like sharing. Ok – enough of that . . .

Topwater ~ Duo Realis 110 Pencil – I throw this bait a lot – it’s easy to work, and catches fish. Love this one. If I’m throwing a walking bait during low light or overcast conditions – this is often it.

And then there’s Paycheck Baits Repo Man – a bait I received a few years back as part of the BR X-Mas gift exchange. (sorry CRS has kicked in and I am unable to remember which BR member sent it – but Thank you ) Fished this one a ton this fall ~ It Got All Kinds of HAMMERED !

Squarebill ~ SK 1.5 & 2.5 – I had several fantastic outings throwing these bait exclusively – like for an entire day. In time tested fashion early & late in the season while bass were shallower is the classic time when these shine but late summer I started burning these like a spinnerbait. That’s one I’ll do a whole lot more of. The Strikes are a ton of fun. Honorable mention goes to the 6^th Sense X75 – which is a flat sided bait that has been a bass magnet for me for a few seasons now.

Spinnerbait ~ The Megastrike Snapback Colorado Willow. With so many excellent choices in this category, it’s hard to pick one sometimes. The jointed mid-section on these however is effectively different than most other baits on the market. I’m not a huge spinnerbait thrower but burning this one over, through & around shallow vegetation was a blast for me this season. The SK KVD Perfect Plastic Blade Minnow made for a nice trailer on as well. I cut off about ½ an inch (the head essentially).

Medium Depth Crankbait ~ The Spro Mike McClelland RkCrawler 55 Crankbait. This one was very good. I particularly like the somewhat translucent color patterns and the subdued rattle which routinely did the trick in the mostly clear waters I’m throwing it. It essentially replaced the SK 5XD which up until this year was my bait of choice for mid-depth cranking applications.

Jerkbait ~ This one was a bit of a surprise for me. The SK KVD Jerkbait; both the standard 3 hook model and the Deep version. For the past several years, ALL of my jerkbait fish came on one of the (way too) many Lucky Craft baits in the collection. The LC”s are certainly quality baits that run true, have great actions & come in a mind boggling array of colors & patterns & get bit. But for whatever reason, this spring I picked up a few of the KVD Jerks – and I am Very Glad I did. Bait’s a winner. Doesn’t look like much in the package or at first in the water. But I’ll be the first to tell anyone that will listen, these baits are M O N E Y. Super early (still ice on the water) and very late (right before ice up) the deep bait filled the live well many times over. And the addition of a red treble on the front didn’t seem to hurt either. Up here – it was all about the Perch pattern.

Lipless / Rattle Bait ~ SK Red Eye Shad ½ oz. (Rattle & Silent) The new Tungsten 2Tap accounted for a ton of tight lines as well. I like fishing this style of bait. It’s remarkably versatile and effective in many depths. And although the collection includes other brands like 6^th Sense, Duo Realis (g-Fix) XCaliber & Jackall, the SK baits see more action.

Blade Bait ~ Original Silver Buddy in 5/8 oz. A very close second goes to the ½ oz Damiki Vault.

In order to fore fill complete disclosure here – I had several magic days on smallmouth water very late season fishing a rattle bait low & slow in the same fashion that I do a blade bait. In particular the Duo Realis G-Fix 68. It’s a tungsten filled, super thin profiled bait that seemed to excel for this deep water application.

And something that is sort of glaring – are the baits NOT mentioned. Like for instance Larger Swimbaits. I have them & fish them: and enjoy doing so. But having so many soft body baits just completely Shredded by pike time and again, I’ve all but abandoned their use. Baits like Matt lures, Hudds, and the JSJ Hitch that I Really like but just get totally bummed out when they get sliced & diced or worse get cut in half.

Then there’s the U-Rig or the A-Rig or whatever it’s called now. I made a concerted effort to fish this one – hard. Was a lot of work and ended up being a bit of a disappointing deal for me. Despite throwing it a ton (sore shoulders) there was very little to show for it. But I haven’t given up completely on this one. Then there’s the infamous Spy bait. Whipped this one around a fair share as well. Did have a few takers but still it didn’t really produce as I’d hoped.

So there you have it.

A-Jay

Here the Repo Man Topwater bait in action (last 5 minutes of this clip are fishless )

Darren. reply :

@A-Jay, takes a real fisherman to admit stick baits
work well!

A-Jay reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 2:03 AM, Darren. said:

@A-Jay, takes a real fisherman to admit stick baits
work well!

We Both Know There is NO Doubt they are very effective -

But for whatever reason, I just do not like fishing them.

I might be mentally defective.

A-Jay

Yeajray231 reply :

Thanks A-JAY. This kind of stuff is why I frequent this site. Experienced fisherman sharing their knowledge and gear.

Darren. reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 2:05 AM, A-Jay said:

We Both Know There is NO Doubt they are very effective -

But for whatever reason, I just do not like fishing them.

I might be mentally defective.

A-Jay

Based on a lot of what you like throwing, you are
a speed junkie like KVD!

I am less inclined to such things...perhaps a deficiency
on my part.

A-Jay reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 2:10 AM, Darren. said:

Based on a lot of what you like throwing, you are
a speed junkie like KVD!

I am less inclined to such things...perhaps a deficiency
on my part.

The KVD comparison is nice but other than fishing some of his gear - ENDS RIGHT THERE. I'm a Hack.

And you do more than OK yourself.

A-Jay

Darren. reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 2:14 AM, A-Jay said:

The KVD comparison is nice but other than fishing some of his gear - ENDS RIGHT THERE. I'm a Hack.

And you do more than OK yourself.

A-Jay

Heh, I was also going to compare your speed junkie-ness
to your upgrading to a power boat from a canoe...

I consider my kayak like a stick bait, LOL. Works well for
the amount of places I get it to.

MIbassyaker reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 2:19 AM, Darren. said:

I consider my kayak like a stick bait, LOL. Works well for
the amount of places I get it to.

Love it. "Kayak: The stickbait of watercrafts"

William Rossi reply :

Good post. ty

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Me thanks you a lot, but not my wallet since I have to go out and buy all the lures you mention lol.

roadwarrior reply :

For me:

Rage Tail Structure Bug, J-rigged

Siebert Outdoors Jigs/ Rage Tail Baby Craw, Craws & Lobsters

Fat Ika

Rage Blade/ Rage Structure Bug trailer

Norman Fat Boy (Redear pattern)

The Rig

Senko

Rage Tail Thumper (purple)

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

BPS Tender Tube (#71)

Megabass Ito Vision 110

Megabass PopMax

MegaStrike MegaTube Craw

MegaStrike Strikeback Spinnerbait (white)

Strike King Red Eye Shad (blue chrome)

Rage Tail Cut-R

GYCB Kut-Tail/ MegaStrike ShakE-2

A-Jay reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 11:45 PM, roadwarrior said:

For me:

Rage Tail Structure Bug, J-rigged

Siebert Outdoors Jigs/ Rage Tail Baby Craw, Craws & Lobsters

Fat Ika

Rage Blade/ Rage Structure Bug trailer

Norman Fat Boy (Redear pattern)

The Rig

Senko

Rage Tail Thumper (purple)

Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad

BPS Tender Tube (#71)

Megabass Ito Vision 110

Megabass PopMax

MegaStrike MegaTube Craw

MegaStrike Strikeback Spinnerbait (white)

Strike King Red Eye Shad (blue chrome)

Rage Tail Cut-R

GYCB Kut-Tail/ MegaStrike ShakE-2

Nice List Kent ~ Going have to try that Rage Blade / Rage Bug Combo ~

Do you rig it flat or side ways - (horizontally or Vertically) ?

Thanks

A-Jay

roadwarrior reply :

I rig The Bug horizontal on the Rage Blade, vertically as a swim jig trailer.

Another trailer I REALLY like for swim jigs is the Rage Tail Shellcracker (vertical).

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 4:56 AM, roadwarrior said:

I rig The Bug horizontal on the Rage Blade, vertically as a swim jig trailer.

Another trailer I REALLY like for swim jigs is the Rage Tail Shellcracker (vertical).

Excellent ~

Thank You

A-Jay

riverbasser reply :

Here's a few

Seibert outdoors jig(deep throat hook with rage craw or fat Albert twin tail

Netbait t-mac on shaky head

Strike king 1.5 square bill

SK sexy dash Jr

Booyah pad crasher

Spro popping frog

Hack attack swim jig with swim senko trailer or twin tail menace

Strike zone ledgebuster

Zoom ultravibe worm

Brushhog

Fluke

Berkeley wild thang

Pop-R

Logan S reply :

Cool idea A-Jay, can I join too?

My MVP's: Black/Green 3/8 Jig, Texas Rigged Rage Bug (probably the single MVP of the whole year), Bladed Jig (mostly Bluegill colored, sometimes plain GP), and a Trick/Finesse worm on our club's own jig/shakey head (not for sale ).

The 2nd tier: Double Willow Spinnerbait, Bronzeye Shad Frog, and a Swinghead with a Rage Bug (occasionally a Menace too).

Honorable Mentions: MB Vision 110 (and variants), Mann's Baby 1-Minus, 1/2oz to 1oz Punch Rigs, Zell Pop, Various Squarebills (KVD 1.5, LC 1.5, and MB Knuckle mostly).

As you can tell, it's a lot of shallow stuff...Our tournament schedule this year happened to favor shallow water fishing essentially all year, so the deep water stuff I like to throw a lot didn't really play a whole lot. That's normally 5/8oz or 3/4oz Jigs, Mid and Deep Cranks, Drop Shot, and Carolina Rigs. In 13 events this season I think the deepest fish I weighed in was probably 8 feet...and since I basically tailor my whole year to our tournament schedule, I didn't really fish any other places where I wouldn't be fishing shallow. This list would typically be fairly different, it's funny how these things work out like that. Will be interesting to analyze it next year....

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 7:10 AM, Logan S said:

Cool idea A-Jay, can I join too?

My MVP's: Black/Green 3/8 Jig, Texas Rigged Rage Bug (probably the single MVP of the whole year), Bladed Jig (mostly Bluegill colored, sometimes plain GP), and a Trick/Finesse worm on our club's own jig/shakey head (not for sale ).

The 2nd tier: Double Willow Spinnerbait, Bronzeye Shad Frog, and a Swinghead with a Rage Bug (occasionally a Menace too).

Honorable Mentions: MB Vision 110 (and variants), Mann's Baby 1-Minus, 1/2oz to 1oz Punch Rigs, Zell Pop, Various Squarebills (KVD 1.5, LC 1.5, and MB Knuckle mostly).

As you can tell, it's a lot of shallow stuff...Our tournament schedule this year happened to favor shallow water fishing essentially all year, so the deep water stuff I like to throw a lot didn't really play a whole lot. That's normally 5/8oz or 3/4oz Jigs, Mid and Deep Cranks, Drop Shot, and Carolina Rigs. In 13 events this season I think the deepest fish I weighed in was probably 8 feet...and since I basically tailor my whole year to our tournament schedule, I didn't really fish any other places where I wouldn't be fishing shallow. This list would typically be fairly different, it's funny how these things work out like that. Will be interesting to analyze it next year....

ABB - SOLUTELY ~ !

A-Jay

TheRodFather reply :

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the button you are tapping with your left foot when you have a fish on?

IndianaFinesse reply :

Looking back in my logs, the lures that caught the most fish this year in order are:

Half of a green pumpkin ZinkerZ on a 1/16 ounce mushroom jig

Booyah junior pad crasher in crinket frog pattern

Booyah popping pad crasher again in cricket frog pattern

Wacky rigged senko and senko imitations (mostly some version of green pumpkin, and also a fair amount of junebug)

Rebel magnum Pop-r in tennessee shad color

Several jerkbaits, mostly a doctored suspending rogue and recently a vison 110

Texas rigged senko and senko imitations, same colors as when wacky rigged

Green pumpkin Z-man finesse worm-z on a 1/16 ounce mushroom head

Strike king 1.5 squarebill in chartruse/black back color

Yeajray231 reply :

Aye @Logan S you'd make my day if you tell me what craw you have on the back of that jig in your first photo..

Logan S reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 7:52 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Aye @Logan S you'd make my day if you tell me what craw you have on the back of that jig in your first photo..

Reins Ring Craw.

Gundog reply :

Aside from my river baits, the lures I caught the most bass on this year are the same as last year. The first one is a 1/4 oz football head with an Arkie Salty Crawling Grub and the second one is a Terminator T-1 in 3/8 oz. with a pearl shad skirt, Strike King 4.5 size willow leaf blade and a Big Bite Baits 3inch Fat Grub in clear/salt & pepper trailer.

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 7:39 AM, TheRodFather said:

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the button you are tapping with your left foot when you have a fish on?

It's the foot activated switch to either lower or lift one or both of the 12 ft Minn Kota Talons ( shallow water anchors) mounted on the transom.

A-Jay

Outdoor Zack reply :

Top 3 bass lures this year for me:

1. Bottom hopper in June bug on a 1/16 oz t-rig

2. 5" Yum dinger (weightless) in watermelon red on t rig

3. Baby brush hog in watermelon red on a 1/16 oz t-rig

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 8:08 AM, Gundog said:

Aside from my river baits, the lures I caught the most bass on this year are the same as last year. The first one is a 1/4 oz football head with an Arkie Salty Crawling Grub and the second one is a Terminator T-1 in 3/8 oz. with a pearl shad skirt, Strike King 4.5 size willow leaf blade and a Big Bite Baits 3inch Fat Grub in clear/salt & pepper trailer.

Man - giving up the Secret Stuff ~

A-Jay

scaleface reply :

I caught an awful lot of fish on crankbaits again this year . For Square bills Rapala crankin Rap was number one . Rapala Fat Rap saw a lot of action at 5 to 6 foot .Mid depth the Norman Deep Little N was awful good againthis year. A little deeper the Rapala Crankin Rap CR!4 was probably my most successful diving bait of them all . Then for maximum depth 15 to 17 foot the S K 6x was the lure . Lipless bait , the SK Red Eye Shad was my top producing lure in deep water. I just started fishing it this year and I'm sold . I'll be tossing and hopping it it a lot from now on .

Top water was almost non-existent for me . I did catch a few on a Cavitron and Original Lunker Lure . I'd call it a tie .

Spinnerbaits , a homemade single spin willow leaf was by far my best .

Soft plastics , I think Jelly Worms was all I threw .

Thats about it for me .

scaleface reply :

I'll hit on the RedEye shad just a bit longer . I have a one knocker . A silent chrome lure that the weight came loose in, I guess . Man , it worked good jigging off the end of points . When fishing from an aluminum jon boat , I can hear it do its magic below me . I can hear it falling and hear strikes . Sometimes I hear the strike and not feel them . A-Jay , does any of your silent ones rattle ?

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 8:35 PM, scaleface said:

I'll hit on the RedEye shad just a bit longer . I have a one knocker . A silent chrome lure that the weight came loose in, I guess . Man , it worked good jigging off the end of points . When fishing from an aluminum jon boat , I can hear it do its magic below me . I can hear it falling and hear strikes . Sometimes I hear the strike and not feel them . A-Jay , does any of your silent ones rattle ?

Yes Sir - this one. Picked it up the year the silent models came out.

I think I made a post about it a while back. Either way - the faint click, click, click it has, rather than the loud rattle or the Big Knock is often times all they want. I've change the hooks on this one so many times I've lost count. It started out as Gold Sexy Shad but I'm thinking the color plays less of a role these days. This pic is from 2015 - there's virtually no paint left on it now and I think it's missing an eye ! This is one I might actually go swimming for.

A-Jay

scaleface reply :

^ That lure has been through a lot .

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 9:11 PM, scaleface said:

^ That lure has been through a lot .

Indeed - mostly LM & SMB but Old Mr Tooth Face Pike has done a fair amount of finish removal as well. Which is why this bait is fished exclusively on a small trace of wire - all day - every day.

A-Jay

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 8:35 PM, scaleface said:

I'll hit on the RedEye shad just a bit longer . I have a one knocker . A silent chrome lure that the weight came loose in, I guess . Man , it worked good jigging off the end of points . When fishing from an aluminum jon boat , I can hear it do its magic below me . I can hear it falling and hear strikes . Sometimes I hear the strike and not feel them . A-Jay , does any of your silent ones rattle ?

This is one of the things I miss about not fishing in an aluminum boat anymore, I could always hear the rattles of my lipless bait and would often hear the "Tick", when a fish struck. Recently stole the old aluminum blue boat from @gardnerjigman and got a very violent reminder of what that strike sounds like.

The Bassman reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 9:08 PM, A-Jay said:

Yes Sir - this one. Picked it up the year the silent models came out.

I think I made a post about it a while back. Either way - the faint click, click, click it has, rather than the loud rattle or the Big Knock is often times all they want. I've change the hooks on this one so many times I've lost count. It started out as Gold Sexy Shad but I'm thinking the color plays less of a role these days. This pic is from 2015 - there's virtually no paint left on it now and I think it's missing an eye ! This is one I might actually go swimming for.

A-Jay

Want to be careful and not hijack thread but has the subject of rattling cranks putting fish down after a few casts been discussed?

A-Jay reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 9:48 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

This is one of the things I miss about not fishing in an aluminum boat anymore, I could always hear the rattles of my lipless bait and would often hear the "Tick", when a fish struck. Recently stole the old aluminum blue boat from @gardnerjigman and got a very violent reminder of what that strike sounds like.

Nice ~ while fishing Lake Baccarac we had a big time rattle bait bite for 3 or 4 days - Our Guide Manual, was telling me to set the hook well before I actually knew I had one on - said he could hear it. Apparently besides having hands of stone, I'm fairly deaf as well.

A-Jay

On 11/27/2016 at 10:43 PM, The Bassman said:

Want to be careful and not hijack thread but has the subject of rattling cranks putting fish down after a few casts been discussed?

Seems to happen less to me if I put the first few fish in the box instead of releasing them.

Start a new thread if you want.

A-Jay

Jeff H reply :

I catch fish on a variety of baits every year, but my most consistently productive are ALWAYS jigs and T-rig worms in all their variations. I fish a bit of everything, like everybody else, but these 2 baits bring more LM bass over the gunnel than all others combined. For smallies, I do best with tubes, shallow or deep and drop shot is a close 2nd.

scaleface reply :

My silent Red Eye with the loose weight after two days of fishing . Hopefully next season it will look like A Jays .

A-Jay reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 12:19 AM, scaleface said:

My silent Red Eye with the loose weight after two days of fishing . Hopefully next season it will look like A Jays .

Nice ~ it will if you have pike there.

If not and your heart is really set on having a chewed up bait - send it to me & I'll see what I can do . .

A-Jay

scaleface reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 12:44 AM, A-Jay said:

Nice ~ it will if you have pike there.

If not and your heart is really set on having a chewed up bait - send it to me & I'll see what I can do . .

A-Jay

Pike are very rare here and none that I know of in the lakes . The Mississippi has some .

BrackishBassin reply :

Most effective for me has been plastics, but I did manage to catch one on every lure in my box this year except top water and jigs. I plan on focusing on both of those until I mange to hook up with something. The top water is probably doable, but I think I'm going to struggle with the jigs. Everything I have to fish locally is soft bottom that's covered with grass. Definitely not great jig territory.

Baits I'd like to try fishing this upcoming season (or this winter if I can find some water that isn't frozen) - chatterbaits, underspins, and some bigger spinnerbaits.

riverbasser reply :

I guess I'm guna buy a silent RES and hit it with a hammer when I get home to knock em loose.

A-Jay reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 4:16 AM, riverbasser said:

I guess I'm guna buy a silent RES and hit it with a hammer when I get home to knock em loose.

6th Sense Custom Lures makes a lipless bait called a S N A T C H 70FRS. The FRS stands for Faint Rattling System.

I've had decent results with it. It's a little wider / thicker profile lure than the RES and does not possess the same slack line sinking action or swim on the sink either. But they eat it none the less.

http://www.6thsenselures.com/******-70frs

A-Jay

bchase44 reply :

I only fished from June - present this year but here are mine in order of most confirmed bites / caught fish:

1) Roboworm Desert Craw 4.5" drop-shotted in shallow water

2) Jointed Shad-Rap 1/4 oz I believe

3) Cotton Cordell Super Spot (caught the two biggest bass of the year (around 3lbs each) in one day.. Lost lure next trip

4) 5" GYCB Senko watermelon/black and watermelon/red flake (weightless and wacky)

5) Z-man Ned rig set-up, 1/8 oz. (most variety of fish award: Bass, crappie, Freshwater Drum, Rock bass)

6) Rebel Big/Wee Craw Crankbait (All smallmouth, 1 LMB, 2 Ozark Red-Eye Bass)

Honorable mention goes to Strike King 4.5" watermelon tube, while I only fished it for an hour all year it did catch me a 3.9lb Channel Catfish yesterday

Total LMB bass 43, Smallmouth 3

Lures that are loved by many but I could not catch a single fish in 2016:

1) Any Chatterbait

2) Any Frog

3) Any spinnerbait

Paul Roberts reply :

Spent so much time working on bass behavior videos I actually fished much less than usual. Here's what I did make use of:

Swim Jig (Mango) -Top of the list simply bc... it's a jig, and it fishes through the dense milfoil and coontail I have here, and just about anything else. I can safely throw into wood, up on the bank, even up into overhanging shoreline brush and tree limbs. Even makes a good slop bait.

Grub -paddle-tails mostly.

X-Rap -Didya know they fish through veggies darn well?

Big O -Great old GoTo.

DS and Jig-worm (“Shaky”) -under bluebird skies.

Stick-worms -sight fishing. No shame. Then again… no real pride either.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 2:43 AM, BrackishBassin said:

Most effective for me has been plastics, but I did manage to catch one on every lure in my box this year except top water and jigs. I plan on focusing on both of those until I mange to hook up with something. The top water is probably doable, but I think I'm going to struggle with the jigs. Everything I have to fish locally is soft bottom that's covered with grass. Definitely not great jig territory.

Baits I'd like to try fishing this upcoming season (or this winter if I can find some water that isn't frozen) - chatterbaits, underspins, and some bigger spinnerbaits.

Try a swim jig in that lake.

fishwizzard reply :

This is the first year I have seriously gone after bass and here is what seems to have worked best.

1) Ned Rig, assorted plastics and jigheads, but mostly a half zinker on a zman 1/20oz jig or Owner 1/16 Ultrahead. Never really found a pattern in respect to color other than some days they wanted "natural" and some days "loud". The Ned was my go to smallmouth lure and despite building a little collection of tubes I never managed to catch much on them. Going to give tubes and short stickbaits a good try this season before I give up and go all Ned.

2) Rage Menace grub, t-rigged with either a 3/0 Owner Straight Shank or an Owner 2/0 Twistlock. Better hookups on the former, easier time fishing cover/weeds on the latter. Most of the time I fished it weightless but started using a 1/16th steel weight as sort of a nose-cone to protect the plastic and let me run it fast just subsurface. I have also used it as a trailer, a pitching bait, and on a small shaky head jig. It caught me some of my biggest bass of the year.

3) Flukes/soft jerkbaits. Love these things, they work great for bank fishing and and are great for covering water quickly. I fish them across pads a lot as well, letting them drop into holes. I tried to get proficient with senkos this year but I can't resist fishing them too fast and usualy ended up putting a fluke on the line in short order.

claya reply :

Spring:

Shad rap 6 dark red crawdad

DT Thug blue back herring

Summer:

Jackall MC60SR ghost sexy shad - Easily my #1 best bait for the year

Ima Skimmer ghost blueback herring - My #2 best bait for the year

Fall:

Spinnerbaits - Once again accounted for my biggest bass of the year. White/translucent colors in shad lakes. PBJ color in non-shad lakes.

White Buzz baits

Honorable mentions:

Bobby's perfect frog

Underspin with a swimbait trailer

Jackall Squadminnows

I like to turn the handle.

cgolf reply :

This was a really off year for me and the river bite was zilch due to low water and heat early.

Top was the RES. On a week long trip I caught 6 species on this including 2 nice muskies.

Second was the good old tube, always in the top three for me.

Third Gambler ugly otter and Rage Menace. Both really caught em but tore up quickly, gambler gets the nod here due to cost, especially right now at TW.

Honerable mentions

Anglers choice wart hawg Ned rig, skinnier than a Zinkerz and heavily salted

Zinkerz rigged weedless on a slider spider head fished around docks, need to work this one more next year.

Rippin Rap worked but not as good as the RES.

That is about it for me, just looking forward to next season, hoping for a big rebound year.

BrackishBassin reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 8:58 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Try a swim jig in that lake.

I'll give one a shot. Thanks! Have to be pretty light though, to stay out of the muck.

cgolf reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 8:07 PM, BrackishBassin said:

I'll give one a shot. Thanks! Have to be pretty light though, to stay out of the muck.

Do you fish T rigged soft plastics on the bottom? I have found bass jigs to have about the same to less gunkupability than a standard Trig. I was really impressed how they came through millfoil.

Paul Roberts reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 8:07 PM, BrackishBassin said:

I'll give one a shot. Thanks! Have to be pretty light though, to stay out of the muck.

Nichol's makes a 1/8oz Mango Jig that covers 0 (slop) to 4 feet. Killer.

A-Jay reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 11:45 PM, Paul Roberts said:

Nichol's makes a 1/8oz Mango Jig that covers 0 (slop) to 4 feet. Killer.

Nice Paul ~

I really like the looks of that one.

A-Jay

Choporoz reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 7:10 AM, Logan S said:

..My MVP's: .... Texas Rigged Rage Bug (probably the single MVP of the whole year), ....

Funny thing....I've probably thrown Rage Bug more than any other single bait the past two years....and I can't remember ever T-rigging it....I probably have, but since I first put one on a weighted hook, that's what I use most. I also use a lot on chatterbaits, shaky heads and swing-jigs, though.

Paul Roberts reply :

Killer.

WRB reply :

Repo Man is a knock off of R2Sea Vixen when they stopped making it, now it's back in the R2Sea offering agian. Glad to see that the Repo Man works, less expensive lure than the Vixen.

Excellent review, well done!

Tom

PS, looks like the Vixen is gone agian they now offer Rover.

Logan S reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 1:52 AM, Choporoz said:

Funny thing....I've probably thrown Rage Bug more than any other single bait the past two years....and I can't remember ever T-rigging it....I probably have, but since I first put one on a weighted hook, that's what I use most. I also use a lot on chatterbaits, shaky heads and swing-jigs, though.

It's amazingly versatile that's for sure. The texas-rig was so productive for me because I did a lot of pitching/flipping this year, just the way things happened. Texas-rig gets it in and out of the thick stuff much more effectively. The weighted-hook method just hasn't fit in with the places/times I've fished, I'm sure it will eventually though .

From May this year, all on 1/2oz texas-rigged Bug...Not many baits can fish this stuff efficiently, especially that first fish ...The wood is just as thick (if not thicker) below the surface. (Don't mind all the dinks, only the 1st and 2nd fish in this actually culled for me)

A-Jay reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 2:39 AM, WRB said:

Repo Man is a knock off of R2Sea Vixen when they stopped making it, now it's back in the R2Sea offering agian. Glad to see that the Repo Man works, less expensive lure than the Vixen.

Excellent review, well done!

Tom

Thank you Tom - I appreciate the support.

A-Jay

Scarborough817 reply :

This year my most productive baits were a chatterbait fished around laydowns as well as the ned rig. i also did well on a buzzbait and t rigged worms

BrackishBassin reply :

On 11/28/2016 at 9:48 PM, cgolf said:

Do you fish T rigged soft plastics on the bottom? I have found bass jigs to have about the same to less gunkupability than a standard Trig. I was really impressed how they came through millfoil.

I do. Usually weightless. Any weight at all and they get hung up. The issue with jigs is that they sit down in the grass where nothing can see them. At least the bass get a look at the plastics ( weightless) on the fall.

On 11/28/2016 at 11:45 PM, Paul Roberts said:

Nichol's makes a 1/8oz Mango Jig that covers 0 (slop) to 4 feet. Killer.

I'll check it out. Thanks!

WRB reply :

As most of you know I am not into soft plastic jig trailers and use GYCB Huls grubs when not fishing hair jigs with pork trailers. 2015I made a change and added Berkley Chigger craws and also tried a verity of SK Rage craws. This year 2016 I discovered making a Hula grub by welding GYCB spider skirts to Chigger craws was the hot ticket for soft plastic on plain painted jigs. This gives the Chigger craw a little added flake color and movement that trigger strikes for me. I even caught a 6+ lb NLMB at Big Bear lake in 50 degree water on this jig, big bass at Big Bear!

Also continued having a good year with Yo-Zuri lipless Vibe 3DB in prizim silver black and gold black everywhere this year including some good striped bass.

Tom

j bab reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 4:42 AM, WRB said:

Yo-Zuri lipless Vibe 3DB

What do you find to be the advantage over, say, a RES? I don't hear yo-zuri get talked about too often, but I've always liked the look of their baits.

WRB reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 5:03 AM, j bab said:

What do you find to be the advantage over, say, a RES? I don't hear yo-zuri get talked about too often, but I've always liked the look of their baits.

The 3 DB Vibe has a unique action on verticle fall where must other lipless tend to sink with little action. Instead of the typical fast crank retreive a stop and go works very good similar to a slow jerk bait retreive. The Vibe also works good as a fast retrieve lipless. If the bass are feeding on smaller size bait, the Vibe excels.

Tom

Catt reply :

Great write up Jay...as usual

I spent the bulk of 2016 honing my shallow water techniques fishing nothing over 10' & heavily vegetated.

#1 setup: Zoom's Ultravibe Speed Worm in Watermelon Neon, 1/8 oz bullet weight, 2/0 straight shank hook.

#2 setup: Zoom's Finesse Worm in Gooseberry, 1/8 oz bullet weight, 2/0 straight shank hook.

#3 setup: Bass Assassin's Tap Out Worm in Trickster, 1/8 oz bullet weight, 3/0 straight shank hook.

#4 setup: a tossup between a Culprit Worm in Red Shad or Tequila Sunrise, 1/8 oz bullet weight, 3/0 straight shank hook.

My top water bite was near nonexistent, caught few on hollow frogs, solid frogs, & buzzbaits. Couldn't establish a pattern all year & from what I've heard I wasn't alone!

Spinnerbaits smoked chatterbaits hands down. #1 Santone Matt Herren Got 5 Spinnerbait, a smaller profile that will attract big fish!

Any & all flipping/pitching/punching was done with a Strike King Swinging Swim Jig 3/4 oz, Rage Structure Bug.

Yeajray231 reply :

My most productive soft plastics this year by far.

A-Jay reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 11:27 PM, Yeajray231 said:

My most productive soft plastics this year by far.

Nice Selection right there.

A-Jay

00 mod reply :

Without a doubt, the single best lure for me this year was a 1/2oz or 3/4 Siebert brush head jig with a Rage Swimmer/Keitech/Skinny Dipper trailer. This combo alone accounted for more than 20 fish over 5lbs and up to 9.30lbs for me this year alone! Tell anyone and I will kill ya!

PS- This is fished on or near the bottom. Drug, hopped, and sometimes but rarely swum.

Jeff

A-Jay reply :

On 11/30/2016 at 1:49 AM, 00 mod said:

Without a doubt, the single best lure for me this year was a 1/2oz or 3/4 Siebert brush head jig with a Rage Swimmer/Keitech/Skinny Dipper trailer. This combo alone accounted for more than 20 fish over 5lbs and up to 9.30lbs for me this year alone! Tell anyone and I will kill ya!

PS- This is fished on or near the bottom. Drug, hopped, and sometimes but rarely swum.

Jeff

Nice Jeff ~

A-Jay

DubyaDee reply :

On 11/26/2016 at 1:57 AM, A-Jay said:

It should also be noted here that a good percentage of my fishing especially this season, was done on new to me lakes. A couple are much larger than what I’ve been able to fish so there was a requirement for quite a bit of prospecting.

It's been great watching you fish my dream lakes this year in the new Lund. One day I hope to vacation in those spots regularly and hunt those smallies down. Figuring out new water is a challenge with a sweet reward.

This year I've been addicted to throwing a spybait for smallies. Spinbait 80 is easily #1 in my book. I hope you give these a shot in 2017.

1. Dou Realis Spinbait 80 in morning dawn

2. Canadian mist tube jig

3. Vision 110 in yellow perch

4. Evergreen SB 125 in Skeleton Chartreuse

A-Jay reply :

On 11/30/2016 at 5:25 AM, DubyaDee said:

It's been great watching you fish my dream lakes this year in the new Lund. One day I hope to vacation in those spots regularly and hunt those smallies down. Figuring out new water is a challenge with a sweet reward.

This year I've been addicted to throwing a spybait for smallies. Spinbait 80 is easily #1 in my book. I hope you give these a shot in 2017.

1. Dou Realis Spinbait 80 in morning dawn

2. Canadian mist tube jig

3. Vision 110 in yellow perch

4. Evergreen SB 125 in Skeleton Chartreuse

Thank You for saying - I appreciate it.

Give me a heads up on where & when you plan on heading north, I might be able to offer some local & current intel . . .

A-Jay

burrows reply :

Chatter bait, senko, rage menace, shad rap, rc scarebill.

ErikmonBillsfon reply :

On 11/29/2016 at 7:08 PM, Catt said:

Swinging swim jig

I got one of these and I like that it's a jig that bass have no leverage and most importantly I can make a swimbait weedless. I thought it would be more of a moving or swimming jig. As some one who wants to learn more flipping and pitching why do you prefer that to a Trig or something like a hack attack jig? It's so weedy where I fish I'm always afraid to use a jig but if I can use that swinging jig to pitch and flip? I really want the confidence to use jigs more

To the threads question I would have said kietech swing impact fat 3.8 male perch 4/0 weighted screwlock with the SK structure bug a close second

Catt reply :

On 11/30/2016 at 10:21 AM, ErikmonBillsfon said:

I got one of these and I like that it's a jig that bass have no leverage and most importantly I can make a swimbait weedless. I thought it would be more of a moving or swimming jig. As some one who wants to learn more flipping and pitching why do you prefer that to a Trig or something like a hack attack jig? It's so weedy where I fish I'm always afraid to use a jig but if I can use that swinging jig to pitch and flip? I really want the confidence to use jigs more

To the threads question I would have said kietech swing impact fat 3.8 male perch 4/0 weighted screwlock with the SK structure bug a close second

I was throwing one a while back & I came across some pretty flipping water & instead of getting my jig rod out I started flipping the swing jig.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Like this thread, finally remembered to get pictures of my own.

Plastics- Rage Menace, Crock-O-Gator Ring Craw, V&M Smallie tube, Big Bite Baits YoMoma.

Berkley Skinny Cutter 110-chameleon vapor, LC Pointer 78 green threadfin, Berkley Warpig-blueback, Buzz's Baits 110-Sizzlefry, LC slender pointer 97MR/Flash Pointer 100-gunmetal, SK RES Tungsten 2 tap-chrome black back, R2S Whopper Plopper 90-Sooner, Spro Bronzeye popping frog-tropical white.

3/8oz black/red Cavitron, 1/2oz Crock-O-Gator Head Knocker (2016 PB on this bait), 3/8oz War Eagle copper/white, homemade bladed jig-Ivy ( @roadwarrior got to see the effectiveness of this one in person), homemade bladed jig-golden shiner, homemade brush jig/Zman Batwingz-junebug/sapphire blue, homemade swing head/Zoom Z-craw or SK Rodent, Ned rig, wacky rig with a BPS stick-O or Havoc Flat Dawg.

Will Wetline reply :

I fish smallmouth in very clear water. The photos below illustrate baits that produced for me this year. Some are fairly new to me while others I've been using to trick smallies for the past two decades.

You can be sure I'll have a LC Pointer in a perch pattern tied on, either a 100 or a 78 size, when the water temp is in the 40ºs to low 50ºs. The 5/8 oz. blade bait is assembled from Barlow's components. The sharp-eyed will note that I've deleted the front treble. Don't think I missed fish by doing so. I lift and drop this bait off the bottom when the water is in the 40ºs. I grin whenever I think about small (1/8 oz. approximately) bucktail jigs - they've produced so well for me in cold water. Don't think that a double tail trailer won't work in water in the 40ºs, either on a jig or on a GYCB Hula Grub (an all-season staple of mine for years). With water in the 40ºs and low 50ºs, drag it, pause it, drag it, pause it . . . It was my first season throwing the LC Staysee 90. I ordered a backup on sale.

This was my third season slowly working a Duo Realis Spin Bait 80 through the water column. Its magic started to work when the water hit the mid 50ºs. When the water reached 60º I added this Strike King Denny Brauer Bitsy ElazTech trailer to the small hair jig that had been producing undressed at colder temperatures. This trailer looks chewed on after several decent smallies but I think it will last until I wedge the jig between the rocks.

I bought a Duo Realis Pencil 110 because one of BR's most prolific posters, A-Jay, spoke highly of it. Well, Hell's bells, on my first cast with it this year it produced a 4+ lber. before I could even start it walking! On the next cast it made a zig, a zag and a zig before getting crushed by a 3 1/4 lber. You might wanna get one. I wacky rigged a 4" Senko when I noticed "dimpling" on the surface of the 69.9º water, informing me that a hatch was happening. Would this little stickbait approximate whatever kind of insect was struggling out of its casing and making its way to the surface? Yup. You want a slow, twitchy retrieve. This 1/2 oz. tandem spinnerbait (made from Barlow's components) is what you want to be throwing on a sunny, windy day. This design has worked for me for years. Here's Duo's Spin Bait again. It's worked for me when it's calm, windy, sunny or cloudy.

Started using Z Man's Hula StickZ during June when the sandgrass was thick. That's a Gamakatsu 1/0 standard wire EWG hook which turned out to be thin enough and sharp enough to set using 6 lb. Tatsu and a 7' ML rod. My strange human logic was disappointed that the tentacles on the tail of this little bait clumped up but that didn't bother the smallies whatsoever.

Next year I'm looking forward to fishing more of Z Man's ElazTech products and replacing baits only when I break them off. Projects while Quabbin is covered with ice will be molding, painting and dressing jigs from Do-it's new Midwest Finesse Jig mold and their Poison Swingtail mold.

Winter well, smallies. I'm comin' after ya in April . . .

Mike L reply :

For me it's been....

T Rig...Rage Craws, Bugs, Brush Hog

Swimming Plastic...Cut R and Sluggo

On Top...Spooks and Pop R

Frog...Scum and Live Target

Swim Baits....Skinny Dipper for action, Big EZ for thump

Jerks...Bomber Long A

Spinnerbait...War Eagle double willow

Traps...Red Eye

Crank...Bomber A

Punching...Sweet Beaver and Rage Bug

Mike

CTBassin860 reply :

I'd have to say my KVD swim jig with a Bruiser baits twin tail trailer,T-Rigged Yum dinger,Booyah Pad Crasher.

fishwizzard reply :

On 12/5/2016 at 12:28 AM, Will Wetline said:

.My strange human logic was disappointed that the tentacles on the tail of this little bait clumped up but that didn't bother the smallies whatsoever.

This drives me crazy too. If you give each one a good long stretch and lube them with a bit of megastrike they sway around nicely.

scaleface reply :

Heres my 2016 All Stars

A-Jay reply :

On 12/5/2016 at 10:50 PM, scaleface said:

Heres my 2016 All Stars

Excellent Line Up.

A-Jay

Columbia Craw reply :

These baits have been berry berry good to me. Have you tried a Hot Lips yet A-Jay ?

A-Jay reply :

On 12/6/2016 at 1:04 PM, Columbia Craw said:

These baits have been berry berry good to me. Have you tried a Hot Lips yet A-Jay ?

Nicely Done ~

What's that drop shot bait on the left, third one down with the hook in it ?

I think I like it

A-Jay

Columbia Craw reply :

It's just a Robo Worm FX Sculpin in Aaron's magic. I did catch some fish on a Dream Shot, and a couple of jigs but they weren't the players I expected them to be. The body of water they do well was impossible to launch on almost all year. I missed the late fall bite on the Super Spook altogether. I expect this upcoming season will be very similar. These are my bread and butter lures.

Doug

A-Jay reply :

On 12/6/2016 at 10:41 PM, Columbia Craw said:

It's just a Robo Worm FX Sculpin in Aaron's magic. I did catch some fish on a Dream Shot, and a couple of jigs but they weren't the players I expected them to be. The body of water they do well was impossible to launch on almost all year. I missed the late fall bite on the Super Spook altogether. I expect this upcoming season will be very similar. These are my bread and butter lures.

Doug

Thanks Doug.

Looking ahead, Good Luck to you.

A-Jay

cgolf reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 9:08 PM, A-Jay said:

Yes Sir - this one. Picked it up the year the silent models came out.

I think I made a post about it a while back. Either way - the faint click, click, click it has, rather than the loud rattle or the Big Knock is often times all they want. I've change the hooks on this one so many times I've lost count. It started out as Gold Sexy Shad but I'm thinking the color plays less of a role these days. This pic is from 2015 - there's virtually no paint left on it now and I think it's missing an eye ! This is one I might actually go swimming for.

A-Jay

Funny thing, I was looking through my RESs last night and I have a silent one that has a faint click like a weight is loose, and it dates back to the timeframe they came out. It appears to be the same color as yours, but with all the chrome because I have never tossed it. Will be tossing it a lot next year though to see how it works.

Scarborough817 reply :

On 11/27/2016 at 4:56 AM, roadwarrior said:

I rig The Bug horizontal on the Rage Blade, vertically as a swim jig trailer.

Another trailer I REALLY like for swim jigs is the Rage Tail Shellcracker (vertical).

do you have any pics of the shellcracker rigged up on a swim jig?

roadwarrior reply :

cgolf reply :

On 12/10/2016 at 9:06 PM, roadwarrior said:

Do you think the taller body makes a difference vs rigging a menace the same way which has a similar tail? Not sure if the skirt covers up the difference in body sizes of the two baits.

riverbasser reply :

Bait seems to be a good shell cracker or really any panfish imitator but that is a lot of plastic on that hook.

Yeajray231 reply :

Yea I like kalins lunker grubs, zoom or Berkley twin tails, paddle tail swimbaits and the rage menace on my swim jigs. But you could put almost anything on the back of one.

CTBassin860 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 3:47 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Yea I like kalins lunker grubs, zoom or Berkley twin tails, paddle tail swimbaits and the rage menace on my swim jigs. But you could put almost anything on the back of one.

Try the Bruiser Baits Evil Twin tail on the back of a KVD Rattlin swim jig.That setup gets smashed consistently for me.

cgolf reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 3:47 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Yea I like kalins lunker grubs, zoom or Berkley twin tails, paddle tail swimbaits and the rage menace on my swim jigs. But you could put almost anything on the back of one.

The kalins grubs are awesome, doesn't take much to get the tail moving and they are both soft and durable. The 5" seems to be the right length for a lot of swim jigs.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 6:06 AM, MassBassin508 said:

Try the Bruiser Baits Evil Twin tail on the back of a KVD Rattlin swim jig.That setup gets smashed consistently for me.

At 2.99. I will give them a try. Just threw em In the cart. June bug.

On 12/12/2016 at 6:22 AM, cgolf said:

The kalins grubs are awesome, doesn't take much to get the tail moving and they are both soft and durable. The 5" seems to be the right length for a lot of swim jigs.

I have luck with em just on a jighead too! It's one of my "panic baits"

CTBassin860 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 6:31 AM, Yeajray231 said:

At 2.99. I will give them a try. Just threw em In the cart. June bug.

I have luck with em just on a jighead too! It's one of my "panic baits"

TW or do you get better deals elsewhere?

Yeajray231 reply :

@MassBassin508 I already have a 175$ order I'm about to pull the trigger on so I figured whats 3 more dollars. They have alot of baits that I can't find locally. Like the fat ika.

CTBassin860 reply :

On 12/12/2016 at 8:13 AM, Yeajray231 said:

@MassBassin508 I already have a 175$ order I'm about to pull the trigger on so I figured whats 3 more dollars. They have alot of baits that I can't find locally. Like the fat ika.

I read the "Magic Lure" post earlier.The fat ika is in my cart as well.Now I can't find that post

iceintheveins reply :

Reaction Baits, Early Spring Season (Water below 60)

1. Jerkbaits (LC Pointer, Dynamic Lures J Spec, Rapala X Rap)

2. Spinnerbaits (Nichols Pulsator, Pepper Custom Baits Spinnerbait, Terminators)

3. Lipless Cranks (Strike King RedEye Shad, Savage Gear Fat Vibe, Rat L Trap)

4. Cranks (Livetarget Bluegill, Shad Raps)

Jigs/Plastics, Early Spring

1. Pepper Custom Baits Jig, with Zoom Super Chunk or Culprit Dw2 chunk, Also Rage or Paca Chunks

2. Ned Rig 1/15 oz (Finesse TRD and HulaStix)

3. Senkos

4. Drop Shot (Roboworms, Reaction Innovations Flirt)

5. Carolina Rigs and Finesse Carolina Rigs (Zoom Centipede, Zoom Finesse Worm, Roboworms, Reaction Innovations Flirt)

LATER SPRING (Spawn and Postspawn)

1. Spinnerbaits (same as above)

2. Squarebills/Shallow Runners (SK 1.5, Norman Fat Boy, Norman Mad N)

3. Medium Runners (Bomber Model 6A, Rapala DT6, Norman Middle N)

4. Deep Runners (SK 3xd, SK 5xd, Spro Baby Little John DD, Bomber Fat A 6A and 7A)

5. Topwaters (Skitterpops, Booyah Boss Pops, Heddon Poppin' image Jr, Heddon Spook, Spook Jr, Zara Puppy, Cavitron Buzzbaits, Rage Shads

Jigs/Plastics

1. Jigs (same as above)

2. Senkos

3. Soft Jerkbaits (Super Flukes, Castaic Super Jerky Js, Sluggos, Lake Fork Tackle Live Swimmin' Slug)

4. Lizards (Zoom Lizards, Luck E Strike Lizards)

5. Various Creaturebaits (Brush Hog, Pit Boss, Rage Space Monkey

6. Worms (Zoom U tail, Lucky Strike 6" Curl tail worm, Berkley 7" Power Worm

7. Ned Rig

Summer Through Early Fall

1. Jigs (same as above)

2. Senkos

3. Soft Jerks (same as above)

4. Lizards (carolina and finesse carolina rigs)

5. Creatures (same as above)

6. Worms (same as above)

7. Ned Rig

8. Carolina Rigs and Finesse Carolina Rigs (centipedes, ring fries)

9. Drop Shot (Same as usual)

Reaction baits

1. Spinnerbaits

2. Squarebills/Shallow Runners

3. Medium Runners (same as above)

4. Deep Runners (same as above)

5. Topwaters (same as above but add Hollow Bodied Frogs)

Mid Fall Through Late Fall

1. Lipless cranks (same as above)

2. Spinnerbaits

3. Squarebills/Shallow Runners

4. Topwaters minus hollow bodied frogs when water was in the low 60s

5. Medium Runners (same as above)

Jigs/Plastics

1. Jigs (same as above, primarily with Zoom Super Chunks

2. Ned Rig

3. Finesse and Regular Carolina Rigs (Centipedes, Ring Fries, Finesse Worms)

4. Senkos

5. Drop Shot

PaBassMan13 reply :

I would have to say that my number one bait for 2016 would have to be a Ned Rig. I used a BPS 3" Stik-O (California Craw) with a BPS 1/16 oz. Shroom Head. Fall of 2016 was PHENOMENAL with that rig. I plan to use it more in 2017 but the Berkley Havoc Flat Dawg on a Wacky Rig so far has been very good to me; could be my top bait for 2017.....we'll see.

5996

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