What is your favorite lure that doesn't work? 2024
billmac reply :
Do you have any of those lures that you just love the look of, and just can't catch fish with it?
Jermination reply :
two of these bad boys laying in the floor of my boat covered with rust.
TnRiver46 reply :
Yeah I got boxes full of them. Spinnerbaits crankbaits and jerkbaits
GrumpyOlPhartte reply :
Most of ‘em. But spinnerbaits are my nemesis. Never had luck with them. Then, the summer before last on a cloudy, breezy summer day I nailed six bass in the one-to-three-pound range in less than an hour. Since then ... nothing. Man, I hate spinnerbaits!!! As for white and chartreuse - I don’t believe you can catch a cold with those things. Ok, I can’t. Gotta give me credit for trying though.????
scaleface reply :
Musky Jitterbug . I've all but given up on that lure . Its suppose to be this great night big bass catcher .
Jermination reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 5:06 AM, scaleface said:Musky Jitterbug . I've all but given up on that lure . Its suppose to be this great night big bass catcher .
mountain lakes only my man. dont even bring them with me unless im going to hiwassee, fontana, or chilhowee
BoatSquirrel reply :
Can I please catch a bass on a glide bait? Please?!
billmac reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 5:09 AM, BoatSquirrel said:Can I please catch a bass on a glide bait?
Only if you tell me what a glide bait is. I can't keep up.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 5:14 AM, billmac said:Only if you tell me what a glide bait is. I can't keep up.
Large swimbaits, sometimes jointed, that glide back and forth. They are often huge and shaped just like a fish. Not a minnow size like a keeper crappie size. I feel like they started as Muskie baits and evolved into bass lures
fishballer06 reply :
Ned rig and a dropshot (outside of Lake Erie).
Bankbeater reply :
Beetle Spins. I've used these ever since I was a little kid, and the first and only time I have caught a bass on one was about 11 years ago.
billmac reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 5:37 AM, Bankbeater said:Beetle Spins. I've used these ever since I was a little kid, and the first and only time I have caught a bass on one was about 11 years ago.
That's amazing, because I hardly ever put them down because they have worked so well for me. To be fair, I use Meeney Spins, but it's basically the same thing.
Dens228 reply :
Another glide bait. I don't get it. I try and try. I think I've caught one bass on a glide bait.
Finessegenics reply :
I've never caught a single fish on a chatterbait. I've thrown them for hours with nothing to show for it.
M Bruns reply :
Lipless crankbait for me
suzuki2903 reply :
chatterbait as well. i have yet to catch anything with one.
DanielG reply :
Another Ditto on the chatterbait. Funny because I love fishing with it always thinking that it will be irresistible but deep down knowing that catching anything with it is probably not going to happen.
Hartwood71 reply :
I have to admit, I was told for years about some silly plastic bait. People said it was great; a next-level finesse bait that bass just couldn’t resist. I bought a few packs, tried them out and had no luck. Tried again and again with no luck. Then they sat, for about five years, taking space up in my tackle box. I tried only a couple more times. Then one year, I watched my buddy crush me in a little challenge. After that, I found my stride and it’s hands down become my most productive confidence bait, helping me catch three of my four largest LMBs.
The bait: Gary Yamamoto Senko
Moral: Good advice needs a willing listener.
Hammer 4 reply :
For y all that don't want those glide baits, ect...you can send them to me @...
keagbassr reply :
Man is this a trick question?, the answer is NO! If it doesnt catch fish I don't like it.
MIbassyaker reply :
Anything by LiveTarget.
(Actually, that's not completely fair -- I've gotten the hollow-body frog and the crappie crankbaits to work. But they're all overpriced)
Tizi reply :
I think nearly any lure will work if you fish with it long enough and especially around active fish. I saw a guy on YouTube catching them with a lego Chewbacca.
JoePhish reply :
Savage Gear 3D Suicide Duck.
Thinking about taking the hooks off of it and giving it to my granddaughter to play with in the tub.
Mbirdsley reply :
Curly tail worms and Senko style worms wacky rigged. I’ve gotten swamp crawlers to work wacky rigged and senko style worms to worked t-rigged. Can’t buy a bite with them.
Russ E reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:25 AM, MIbassyaker said:Anything by LiveTarget.
(Actually, that's not completely fair -- I've gotten the hollow-body frog and the crappie crankbaits to work. But they're all overpriced)
^^ this. I have a couple live target crankbaits. they looked awesome in the store.
they are great at catching fishermen. they suck at catching fish.
928JLH reply :
Whopper Plopper. Have quite a few. Only caught a couple dinks..
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 11:00 AM, 928JLH said:Whopper Plopper. Have quite a few. Only caught a couple dinks..
Same. Buzzbaits produce better that the plop flop
papajoe222 reply :
I have two, medium diving cranks with coffin bills that have an awesome, tight wiggle (IMO). Yea, look good to me, but fish don’t seem to like a tight wiggle I guess.
PigFarmer reply :
I have yet to catch a fish on a whopper plopper. They look and sound really cool though....
Ogandrews reply :
Smithwick jerkbaits, I know they work because other people have success with them and I catch a huge number of fish each year on other jerkbaits, but something about smithwicks are impossible for me to buy a bite on
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
Oh man, I love my Smithwick Rogues! They get bit like crazy around here!! Sorrry for your loss ????
BoatSquirrel reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 8:50 AM, Hammer 4 said:
For y all that don't want those glide baits, ect...you can send them to me @...
Give me till the end of the year Hammer. If there are still no teeth marks on any of them by Christmas, you've got a deal.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:49 AM, Tizi said:I think nearly any lure will work if you fish with it long enough and especially around active fish. I saw a guy on YouTube catching them with a lego Chewbacca.
I saw that too! Hilarious video, especially how he dubbed the chewy voice in when the bass would jump
Hook2Jaw reply :
Squarebills and other crankbaits.
I want to be a crankbait fisherman so bad, I really do. I try my best to have good days on them and I have, but that has been around active fish. So active they didn't even need to deflect. Just wind and whop.
Sure, there are also times when I can smack vertical timber and get a reaction bite, and this past weekend I got hung in cypress roots and managed to get it free and as soon as I did I had a two pounder on.
Beyond that, I'm always dredging bottom and bringing back loads of leaves, pine straw, and algae. My local ponds just aren't crankbait compatible. The one lake I frequent is very clear and I've read crankbaits aren't the best presentation for clear waters.
I'm planning on hitting Clark's Hill this summer and learning to deep crank, though.
billmac reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:05 AM, keagbassr said:Man is this a trick question?, the answer is NO! If it doesnt catch fish I don't like it.
Well, what I mean is a lure that you thought looked killer and didn't turn out to work for you.
Choporoz reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:25 AM, MIbassyaker said:Anything by LiveTarget.
(Actually, that's not completely fair -- I've gotten the hollow-body frog and the crappie crankbaits to work. But they're all overpriced)
On 2/18/2020 at 10:55 AM, Russ E said:^^ this. I have a couple live target crankbaits. they looked awesome in the store.
they are great at catching fishermen. they suck at catching fish.
I thought so too...back when I equated everything LiveTarget with the baitball stuff. I've since had great luck with Smelt Jerkbait and with the big bluegill lipless traps
JediAmoeba reply :
I am going to get flak for this, but jigs. Swimjigs, football jigs, flipping jigs, etc. I have caught some fish on them but overall they just get hung up on rocks all the time or bring back a lot of vegetation. I have lost far more jigs than I have caught fish...
But i keep buying them and have quite an assortment - 2, 3700 boxes full of them.
I don't get it. A spinnerbait catches so many more fish than a swim jig. And every other plastic outperforms other jigs...
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 10:32 PM, JediAmoeba said:I am going to get flak for this, but jigs. Swimjigs, football jigs, flipping jigs, etc. I have caught some fish on them but overall they just get hung up on rocks all the time or bring back a lot of vegetation. I have lost far more jigs than I have caught fish...
But i keep buying them and have quite an assortment - 2, 3700 boxes full of them.
I don't get it. A spinnerbait catches so many more fish than a swim jig. And every other plastic outperforms other jigs...
Here’s some flack!!! Jigs are the only thing you can fish in the late summer/early fall vegetation around here. That or a frog, everything else gets gobbed up in it
JediAmoeba reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 11:00 PM, TnRiver46 said:Here’s some flack!!! Jigs are the only thing you can fish in the late summer/early fall vegetation around here.
LIES!!! They don't work!
Dens228 reply :
I will add the Whopper Plopper too. I tried and tried and tried with no success. Then last summer I had a one week period where I slayed them in shallow water before the sun crested the trees. Then it stopped. Even under the same conditions.
gilkeybr reply :
6th Sense Flat 75X. I know this is just a me-problem and not a lure problem. But I just can't get bit on these things. Conditions haven't been just right yet....YET
Preytorien reply :
I bit hard into the Teckle Sprinker. Not even a strike. To make matters worse every one I’ve used has issues with getting the tail to actually function properly. Last time I used one I got nowhere with it, switched to my Booyah Baby Pad Crasher and within five casts had two blowups on it (probably the same fish twice) but given I had just fished the Sprinker in the same place...well....
On 2/18/2020 at 10:32 PM, JediAmoeba said:I am going to get flak for this, but jigs. Swimjigs, football jigs, flipping jigs, etc. I have caught some fish on them but overall they just get hung up on rocks all the time or bring back a lot of vegetation. I have lost far more jigs than I have caught fish...
But i keep buying them and have quite an assortment - 2, 3700 boxes full of them.
I don't get it. A spinnerbait catches so many more fish than a swim jig. And every other plastic outperforms other jigs...
I agree with this. If it weren’t for the fact I’ve bought Mike’s jigs as simply a person who admires his artwork, is never buy another one. I can’t get em’ to work for me. I gave them 4 seasons’ worth of a good shot and ended up with fewer than 5 in 4 years on them. Now they’re not even in my boxes. Oddly enough though, chatterbaits are a great early spring producer for me, and they look very much like a jig.
Michigander reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:25 AM, MIbassyaker said:Anything by LiveTarget.
(Actually, that's not completely fair -- I've gotten the hollow-body frog and the crappie crankbaits to work. But they're all overpriced)
You and my tournament partner are the same. Though he has caught a few but no matter what lake we're on, the bass that bite Live Target lures are always diseased, like covered in sores and gross looking.
On 2/19/2020 at 5:36 AM, Preytorien said:I bit hard into the Teckle Sprinker. Not even a strike. To make matters worse every one I’ve used has issues with getting the tail to actually function properly. Last time I used one I got nowhere with it, switched to my Booyah Baby Pad Crasher and within five casts had two blowups on it (probably the same fish twice) but given I had just fished the Sprinker in the same place...well....
I also did not get any fish on the Sprinker. However, I was killing it all summer with a Toadrunner, which is basically an upgraded Sprinker.
Smells like fish reply :
I bought a couple walk the dog style lures by Fred Arbogast called " Phreds Phydeax" (Fred's Fido) and I am a sucker for walk the dog lures but as much as I enjoy working that lure and watching its beautiful glides it has never been attacked by old fish face! Has anyone else here got any of those lures?
HenryPF reply :
Sadly - the Johnson Silver Minnow .
I even have the real Uncle Josh's black eel pork rind trailers for it too.
billmac reply :
On 2/19/2020 at 2:08 PM, HenryPF said:Sadly - the Johnson Silver Minnow
I have to echo this one. Love the look of it, don't think I ever caught a fish on it. I grew up with the mindset that spoons were for pike, not bass. Dardevle was the king in those days.
N Florida Mike reply :
My wife taught me what an “ oxy- moron “ was- because someone had called me that and I thought it meant ultra- moron and thought they were insulting me !!????
This is what you are asking. A lure you love but hate. I dont love any lure that doesn’t work, however,there are some I love the APPEARANCE of, but not the nature of ( that it doesn’t catch fish.) Its like the good- looking girl in high school all the guys are drooling over. But once you get past the outward appearance, you find that there isn’t much to desire in her head or heart!
Lures like that are the live target sunfish ( it may be called bluegill).Its a good likeness of the fish, but floats on it’s side. I have never had a fish sniff at it. I also have some pretty crankbaits that I have never caught a fish on. Another is the “ Christy critter” It looks like the bass would love it, but I have never had a bite with one. Also , a zoom magnum finesse worm- nothing.
The list goes on...
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
@N Florida Mike - I forgot about the live target sunfish. I have 2 and they have never even produced a strike. Not even a sniff.
the reel ess reply :
Another vote for the Glide. In fact, any hard swimbait. I know I just haven't used it at the right time/place. The action just doesn't look very natural to me.
Big creature baits like the Brush Hog.
To the guys with no luck on the Whopper Plopper, use the 110 in late prespawn/early spawn when there are big bass shallow. They won't tolerate it. I got my PB on it and I can say my average is better than 3 lbs. on this bait. You will have to make many casts without a bite, but the bite will likely be good.
On 2/19/2020 at 2:08 PM, HenryPF said:Sadly - the Johnson Silver Minnow .
I even have the real Uncle Josh's black eel pork rind trailers for it too.
I've only caught a flounder on it. I was in a bait shop at the beach and the owner walked over and asked me what I was fishing for. I said reds-trout-flounder. He handed me a gold Johnson Minnow, some jigheads and Gulp mullets. He said you can spend as much as you want, but this will get it done.
On 2/18/2020 at 12:54 PM, Ogandrews said:Smithwick jerkbaits, I know they work because other people have success with them and I catch a huge number of fish each year on other jerkbaits, but something about smithwicks are impossible for me to buy a bite on
I have several, but the only jerkbaits that I have confidence in are Rapalas.
Hook2Jaw reply :
For you guys having trouble with glides, slow it down. Slow. Slower than it takes you to bring near about anything back in. They don't get bit often, but they do get bit, and when they do it's often a quality fish.
My glidebait retrieves probably take near a minute after I've chucked them 40 yards.
WI_Angler1989 reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 9:49 AM, Tizi said:I think nearly any lure will work if you fish with it long enough and especially around active fish. I saw a guy on YouTube catching them with a lego Chewbacca.
NdYakAngler. Love that guy.
Choporoz reply :
https://img.tacklewarehouse.com/cache/150/JACGRN-CSV-1.jpg
Team9nine reply :
LC LV in Mad Craw...not a single fish - ever.
J Francho reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 1:42 AM, Team9nine said:LC LV in Mad Craw...not a single fish - ever.
Come to Oneida in late April/early May, and you'll have your limit of smallies before breakfast on that bait.
Primus reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 4:44 AM, GrumpyOlPhartte said:Most of ‘em. But spinnerbaits are my nemesis. Never had luck with them. Then, the summer before last on a cloudy, breezy summer day I nailed six bass in the one-to-three-pound range in less than an hour. Since then ... nothing. Man, I hate spinnerbaits!!! As for white and chartreuse - I don’t believe you can catch a cold with those things. Ok, I can’t. Gotta give me credit for trying though.????
Try a Bluegill color spinnerbait, throw it when it's cloudy & windy. Fish it threw the weeds and around laydowns. Definitely throw it when it's raining, when it's on which won't be everytime you can load the boat and often times catch some of your biggest Bass of the year.
r3825 reply :
Another vote for the chatterbait, and I keep buying them.
FishTank reply :
I hate to say it but the Meagabass Cyclone> I bought several of them years ago and I think I have only caught a couple of fish with them. Great looking bait though.
Hook2Jaw reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 7:09 AM, FishTank said:I hate to say it but the Meagabass Cyclone> I bought several of them years ago and I think I have only caught a couple of fish with them. Great looking bait though.
Looks like that new Okuma reels matching bait.
A-Jay reply :
While I get the premise ~
If it doesn't get bites,
Hard to call it my favorite.
I will admit to having a few deals that I'm 'still working on'.
(Cough ~ glidebait)
Fished an A-Rig for just about two full seasons before I got a sniff - Now I'm addicted.
Wish every thing "I Try" worked as fasts & as well as a vibrating jig did.
Bait's pretty incredible & I'm still just getting started with it.
btw - the Buzz Jet pretty much wangs . . .
A-Jay
GrumpyOlPhartte reply :
@Primus: Forgot to mention I was using a “natural” pattern on my one successful spinnerbait outing; too bad it never worked again. Oh, and I tried fishing a spinnerbait in the rain ... but my wife got ticked off because I broke two living room windows when I forgot to open them before I started casting. To make matters worse, my house is several miles from the nearest lake. But I did stay dry!! ????
Seriously, I believe you are absolutely correct about the bluegill pattern. (I also want to find something that emulates golden shiners - and it ain’t gonna be chartreuse.)
Joe S reply :
For me it's a Berkley Ripple shad. These are great looking swimbaits (color and action) but i have yet to catch a single fish on them (not even a pike). I can change it up for another brand of swim bait (same color and all) and will get a hit on the next cast. It's crazy.
Not sure if there is a smell or something that turns off the fish. It's a shame since they look great in the water. After a couple of years of nothing they go in and out of my tackle bag throughout the season. Fingers crossed something will hit one day or i might just give them to someone to purge....!
Koz reply :
On 2/18/2020 at 6:35 AM, Finessegenics said:I've never caught a single fish on a chatterbait. I've thrown them for hours with nothing to show for it.
Are you putting a trailer on them? Black and blue Chatterbait Elite with a blue Zoom Vibe Speed Craw in stained water has been killer for me year in and year out.
J._Bricker reply :
ALL the plastics that I got for/with my Color-C-Lector ????. I keep all that stuff around to remind me some things are just to catch fishermen, not fish. And I’m glad I didn’t go hook, line, and sinker for the helicopter lure lol...
Koz reply :
Hard to believe because they are probably THE most productive bass baits in the world, but the bane of my existence is lipped crankbaits. I catch more bass on a chatterbait in one week than I have caught on lipped crankbaits in my entire life!
It's not like I don't throw them, either. Last weekend I was determined to catch something on a lipped crank and I tossed them for just over an hour straight without a single strike. The issue may be that I bank fish. I think the way crankbaits are designed they are best served by tossing them from a boat and swimming them away from the bank or using a deep dive crank out in the middle of the lake.
Finessegenics reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 11:02 AM, Koz said:Are you putting a trailer on them? Black and blue Chatterbait Elite with a blue Zoom Vibe Speed Craw in stained water has been killer for me year in and year out.
I’ve been mostly using the original chatterbait in white with a pearl keitech. Also tried the original chatterbait in Carolina craw with a green pumpkin chigger craw trailer. I think I’ve been unsuccessful because I’m targeting smallmouth 95% of the time and if I’m not mistaken they’re not really into chatterbaits.
A-Jay reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 11:32 AM, Finessegenics said:I’ve been mostly using the original chatterbait in white with a pearl keitech. Also tried the original chatterbait in Carolina craw with a green pumpkin chigger craw trailer. I think I’ve been unsuccessful because I’m targeting smallmouth 95% of the time and if I’m not mistaken they’re not really into chatterbaits.
I have found that to be wildly inaccurate.
A-Jay
Finessegenics reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 12:25 PM, A-Jay said:I have found that to be wildly inaccurate.
A-Jay
Well I trust your opinion more than my own because of your experience! Those are some beautiful fish! Just haven’t been able to figure it out for my watersheds and every time people mention “top smallmouth lures” the chatterbait doesn’t seem to get a lot of love... Is it a bait you’d consider a “go-to” or is it better for more specific situations?
A-Jay reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 12:33 PM, Finessegenics said:Well I trust your opinion more than my own because of your experience! Those are some beautiful fish! Just haven’t been able to figure it out for my watersheds and every time people mention “top smallmouth lures” the chatterbait doesn’t seem to get a lot of love... Is it a bait you’d consider a “go-to” or is it better for more specific situations?
There is no such thing as a go-to lures.
Lures are tools and there's no go-to tools.
It would be like saying whenever something needs repair and I can't figure it out - I always use a hammer.
Both tool & lures work & produce best when applied in the right situation.
However, a Vibrating jig is a fairly versatile bait - But does seem to excel for me
when bass are in or around some type of mid to shallow depth vegetation / grass.
This may help ~
A-Jay
Michigander reply :
Sounds to me like we need to have a lure swap since it seems to vary so much person to person. ????
Choporoz reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 8:13 AM, A-Jay said:btw - the Buzz Jet pretty much wangs . . .
A-Jay
Agreed! But it sure looks good not catching fish. Never so much as a follow or a roll on it...by anything....even while in prime snakehead bays....and they'll eat anything.
Sweet Tater Pie reply :
Any crank bait. Squarebills, lipless, anything. Maybe one fish ever.
billmac reply :
On 2/20/2020 at 9:46 PM, Sweet Tater Pie said:Any crank bait. Squarebills, lipless, anything. Maybe one fish ever.
I'm kind of in this category, but I know it's all in my head. They (fat squarebills) just don't look good to me, so I don't throw them. I kind of like the looks of rattletrap type baits, but I haven't had huge success with them.
kykayak reply :
Scrounger. Looks great in the water. But, it has only produced 1 fish for me.
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