What's The Most Underrated Productive Bait? 2024
bigbill reply :
I think the most overlooked bait is the inline spinner. It can be still very productive.
What do you think?
roadwarrior reply :
GYCB Fat IKa & Kreature, Rage Tail Eliminator & Shad and MegaStrike MegaBug & MegaTube Craw.
NJSalt reply :
a grub.
the reel ess reply :
Weightless Trick Worm for me. I have a buddy that kayaks with me and only fishes when he's with me. It's the only lure he uses and he catches them regularly on it.
The ol' T-rigged worm. I even usually overlook it in favor of a craw. At one time I'd caught more fish on the plastic worm than all other baits combined.
ABW reply :
Dynamite....
or a tube of some sort.
Todd2 reply :
Senko....lol
Catt reply :
Craw Worms; Texas Rigged, Rage Rigged, or Carolina Rigged!
Mike L reply :
Chatterbait
Pork trailer
Scronger head
Mike
OkobojiEagle reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:39 AM, NJSalt said:a grub.
x2
Big C reply :
Deer Hair Popper, Bass Bug (fly fishing for bass). Fly fishing is my go to finnesse technique for bass.
Silas reply :
Good old SNAGLESS SALLY!
Young un's down here haven't even heard of it.
Pork Chunk trimmed on back.
KDW96 reply :
1.Good Ole jig,with uncle Josh on it.
2.Black lizard /chartreuse tail.
3.Single spin spinnerbait/ brown&orange skirt.
Just to name a few 
lo n slo reply :
T Rigged Worm
nicksmurf111 reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:26 AM, bigbill said:I think the most overlooked bait is the inline spinner. It can be still very productive.
I agree that it's the most underrated, but I think the grub is more productive.
bigbill reply :
With the grub I remember seeing the older experienced guys using them.
Remember a decade +++ ago when the culprit worms with there colored tails where the hot ticket?
blckshirt98 reply :
The pros killed it this year and last using big spoons (flutter spoon, magnum spoon, etc) but I never see anyone locally or on forums talk about using them to catch any bass.
ww2farmer reply :
Grubs, tubes, and ribbon tailed worms are as good as they ever were, yet have seen a sharp decline in use (around here). I myself am guilty of not using tubes much any more, but over the last two years the grub and ribbon tailed worm have returned to my arsenal with gusto.
Montanaro reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 7:44 AM, blckshirt98 said:The pros killed it this year and last using big spoons (flutter spoon, magnum spoon, etc) but I never see anyone locally or on forums talk about using them to catch any bass.
I don't have the structure to fish spoons. Most of my lakes are very snaggy with timber. There are a couple spots I want to try though
bassin is addicting reply :
Other than what's already been mentioned.
I'd say a good ole black Jitterbug for me
scaleface reply :
The Rogers Big Jim . Its so underrated they went out of business . I've had tremendous success with it the past four years in both quantity and quality .
MFBAB reply :
Spoonplugs
I'd say anything that the pros aren't currently using tends to be underused.
BassWhole! reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:39 AM, NJSalt said:a grub.
x 3.
papajoe222 reply :
I'm with you on the in-line spinners as being underrated. Those and beetle spins. Not what I'd consider a big fish baits, but when it comes to numbers those are the two 'hard' baits that come to mind.
jitterbug127 reply :
Tube has served me well
Bluebasser86 reply :
Tubes or regular ribbon tail worms. Neither gets talked about a whole bunch but both will catch fish in nearly every condition.
Bankbeater reply :
A t-rigged 6" plastic worm.
whitwolf reply :
A tx rigged Zoom 4" dead ringer.
Senko lover reply :
'm going with inline spinners, can't beat them when the bass are keyed in on fry and baitfish.
smalljaw67 reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:39 AM, NJSalt said:a grub.
X5 !!!!!! Nothing less talked about but it catches fish everywhere.
Preytorien reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:26 AM, bigbill said:I think the most overlooked bait is the inline spinner. It can be still very productive.
What do you think?
I agree with this. It's been my most consistent river smallmouth lure this year. Last year it was a black 1/8oz buzzbait....this year is the year of the 1/4oz gold blade Rooster Tail
.ghoti. reply :
Tubes. I have sizes from 1" up to about 5". They will catch almost anything that swims.
Scarborough817 reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 4:26 AM, bigbill said:I think the most overlooked bait is the inline spinner. It can be still very productive.
What do you think?
really never liked inline spinners or spinners in general always only caught small stuff on them
Sea Salt reply :
Flies or Grubs.
bigbill reply :
I use a strike king #3 inline spinner that's silver blade dressed with a black Bucktail. Don't see it all the time for sale but it's larger than the blackgnat inline.
The cheap producer hard baits. I purchased a orange spook.
One morning five casts five good sized bass. Orange?
the reel ess reply :
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/163648-whats-the-most-underrated-productive-bait/#entry1852919
FWIW, Here's Ike's Panic Box. He says he uses these 4 lures to continue catching fish after they quit the standard presentations. Of course, they're down-sized for numbers of bites. But they'll work even better when fish are turned on. They'll just attract bites from more small fish.
Split Shot rig with finesse worm
Grub
In-line spinner
Hair jig-real pork frog trailer
These are highly underrated by the bass fishing crowd nowadays. I overlook them because at this point I'm not fishing for numbers. If you go really small, you're usually targeting small fish. I mean when the bass wouldn't bite the standard offerings last time I was out with a buddy, we started trolling for crappie. We caught a bunch of tiny bass on 1/64 oz tube jigs. Maybe we would have caught bigger ones with a bigger jig but at that point we were after crappie, of which we caught 20 and kept.
punch reply :
The lakes I fish I never see anyone ever throwing poppers anymore. I catch all my biggest fish late in the day on the popper (and early AM). It's always productive and it doesn't matter part of the season it is. The plus side is that it's nice to be the only one doing it. I've been a popper tosser since I was 16 and I've never lost confidence in it.
tholmes reply :
Blade baits like the Silver Buddy, Gay Blade, etc. There's no wrong way to fish them, they'll catch most any fish and they're cheap and easy to make.
Tom
roadwarrior reply :
Well, here is a tip for grub fans. There is a better mouse trap: Rage Tail Menace.
WRB reply :
The most over looked lure for bass is the original F11S Rapala floating minnow, silver with black back.
This lure will catch bass anywhere any time. You probably have one and forgotten how good it is.
Tom
Jrob78 reply :
I'm speaking for myself here but I would have to say a regular, t rigged, 7" curly tail worm. I've caught literally tons of bass on 7" Power Worms but never fish them anymore. I always end up t-rigging a creature bait or a pitch bait or a straight tail worm, I need to bring the Power Worm back into the rotation.
riverat reply :
Larew Salt Craw, Snagless Sally, and last but not least a Johnson Silver MInnow with a trailer.
Stingray23 reply :
People tend to use what the pro's are using to win tournaments. You see it every year or so. A new bait makes its way to the market and everyone runs out to buy them. They seem to forget what got hem there or even what got them catching fish in the first place. What I mean is baits like spinnerbaits, grubs, tubes, ribbon tail worms, inline spinners, etc.....have fallen out of popularity because they are no longer considered special baits. Most would like to say they caught a fish on a Wagasaki colored Megabass vision 110 or some other $20+ bait. Thats fine with me and I have some baits in that price range too, but I will NEVER not throw a spinnerbait, a grub, a tube, a worm or an inline spinner. They have worked for me for close to 30 years and will continue to work for me.
the reel ess reply :
On 10/1/2015 at 7:36 AM, WRB said:The most over looked lure for bass is the original F11S Rapala floating minnow, silver with black back.
This lure will catch bass anywhere any time. You probably have one and forgotten how good it is.
Tom
I think a lot of people forgot it because it's difficult to cast with a BC reel. I have an 11 and a 13 that I still use.
scaleface reply :
On 10/1/2015 at 1:27 AM, tholmes said:Blade baits like the Silver Buddy, Gay Blade, etc. There's no wrong way to fish them, they'll catch most any fish and they're cheap and easy to make.
Tom
I want to change mine to blade baits .
PourMyOwn reply :
On 10/2/2015 at 8:26 PM, scaleface said:I want to change mine to blade baits .
http://www.fishusa.com/product/Reef-Runner-Cicada-Lures?utm_source=google_ps&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_ps&gclid=CjwKEAjw1riwBRD61db6xtWTvTESJACoQ04Q_ZDrhzpWav7Y-ItL5D9Jsdxkj92lCgkPBLD8FjTSNxoCOQvw_wcB
These Cicadas on a spinning rod have saved many a trip for me. I catch perch through the ice jigging them too.
Bass newb reply :
WinnerOn 9/30/2015 at 4:39 AM, NJSalt said:a grub.
Bassguytom reply :
I've been killing on a tube this year. I'm going to go with a tube.
Ozark_Basser reply :
Floating jerkbaits.
bigbill reply :
Mann's once offered plastic dragun flies. I took the 3" purple shad colored one and split shot rigged dropped it in the weed open pockets then brought it up like it just hatched the bass loved it. Mann's discontinued it.
bowhunter63 reply :
In line spinners still produce alot of Smallmouth.
tgat77 reply :
cant be i use t every trip and so do most of my buddys if your not your missing out big timeOn 9/30/2015 at 4:59 AM, Todd2 said:Senko....lol
MFBAB reply :
Live Bait - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it for bass, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them if used corrrectly. BTW, it doesn't guarrantee anything and the idea that it is cheating is laughable.
Trolling - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it for bass, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them if used corrrectly. BTW, it doesn't guarrantee anything and the idea that it is cheating is laughable.
Even the great Buck Perry really used trolling to locate the schools, then he would drop an anchor and pound on them by casting. Today we have SI units and GPS mapping to do what he did by trolling his Spoonplugs.
Jiggerpole Fishing - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them. In tourneys, they limit the rod length you can use so a Jiggerpole is illegal. For those who don't know, this is taking a long pole, somewhere in the 15'+ range and tying a short /heavy leader to it, say 2-3', and then you just drag a bait like a topwater or shallow crank around in circles over cover (either from a boat or from the bank), or you troll along a bank and run it along the bank covering water. There's just no way to make a presentation like that with a shorter rod length, it is truly unique.
T-Rigged Plastic Worm - You almost never hear of a tournament win on a basic T-Rigged worm these days. They say it doesn't cover enough water. Almost everyone I know learned to bass fish with that rig, and a lot of them never bothered to learn any other ways because it works so well.
I don't tourney fish, but I have nothing against tourney fishing or people who do it.
I understand that tourney fishing does a lot to grow the sport and drives the needle in terms of new bait/product development. I am in no way trying to minimize the positive impacts that tourney fishing has.....
But, having said that, it looks like almost all of what is used and promoted in tourney fishing is what will make the sponsors the most money. After all, they do foot most of the bill for the competitors and the tours themselves. They don't do that because they are nice guys, they do it to promote their products.
Big shiny bass boats
Expensive rods and reels
Expensive electronics
A seemingly endless stream of new "must have" baits
The list goes on and on, and the formula works, that is why Bass Pro Shops is a huge business now, it started as a few shelves in a gas station/ liquor store or something They were literally selling/promoting the baits that the pros were winning the tourneys with in the fledgling years of pro bass fishing.
We all have a choice, we can do this as cheaply or as expensively as we want to, it can be as simple as chucking a T-Rigged worm or as complex as we choose to make it.
I love how the lowly Grub is considered a 'sleeper" bait, when it is the number one vote-getter in almost every one of these 'sleeper" bait polls I've ever seen.
One of the outdoor magazines even named it the best fishing lure of all time a few years ago, I have the article somewhere
Here it is - Field and Stream:
http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/2006/04/50-greatest-lures-all-time?photo=26
I don't think there is a right or wrong way to do this in terms of what we use or how we use it, as long as it is legal and makes you feel good, I say go for it!!
In other words, don't let the marketing hype dictate what you are fishing with, or what type of boat you're doing it from, or anything else.
Again, we all get to choose how we like to fish. Do what you enjoy, this is a recreational pursuit after all unless you are a pro.
The best advice I can give is to learn about the bass first, then worry about the tackle.
What was the question again??
JeziHogg reply :
A hair jig. Whether it be, bucktail, marabou or synthetic.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 10/4/2015 at 11:23 AM, MFBAB said:Live Bait - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it for bass, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them if used corrrectly. BTW, it doesn't guarrantee anything and the idea that it is cheating is laughable.
Trolling - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it for bass, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them if used corrrectly. BTW, it doesn't guarrantee anything and the idea that it is cheating is laughable.
Even the great Buck Perry really used trolling to locate the schools, then he would drop an anchor and pound on them by casting. Today we have SI units and GPS mapping to do what he did by trolling his Spoonplugs.
Jiggerpole Fishing - Not Allowed in Tourneys so most people never try it, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great way to catch them. In tourneys, they limit the rod length you can use so a Jiggerpole is illegal. For those who don't know, this is taking a long pole, somewhere in the 15'+ range and tying a short /heavy leader to it, say 2-3', and then you just drag a bait like a topwater or shallow crank around in circles over cover (either from a boat or from the bank), or you troll along a bank and run it along the bank covering water. There's just no way to make a presentation like that with a shorter rod length, it is truly unique.
T-Rigged Plastic Worm - You almost never hear of a tournament win on a basic T-Rigged worm these days. They say it doesn't cover enough water. Almost everyone I know learned to bass fish with that rig, and a lot of them never bothered to learn any other ways because it works so well.
I don't tourney fish, but I have nothing against tourney fishing or people who do it.
I understand that tourney fishing does a lot to grow the sport and drives the needle in terms of new bait/product development. I am in no way trying to minimize the positive impacts that tourney fishing has.....
But, having said that, it looks like almost all of what is used and promoted in tourney fishing is what will make the sponsors the most money. After all, they do foot most of the bill for the competitors and the tours themselves. They don't do that because they are nice guys, they do it to promote their products.
Big shiny bass boats
Expensive rods and reels
Expensive electronics
A seemingly endless stream of new "must have" baits
The list goes on and on, and the formula works, that is why Bass Pro Shops is a huge business now, it started as a few shelves in a gas station/ liquor store or something
They were literally selling/promoting the baits that the pros were winning the tourneys with in the fledgling years of pro bass fishing.
We all have a choice, we can do this as cheaply or as expensively as we want to, it can be as simple as chucking a T-Rigged worm or as complex as we choose to make it.
I love how the lowly Grub is considered a 'sleeper" bait, when it is the number one vote-getter in almost every one of these 'sleeper" bait polls I've ever seen.
One of the outdoor magazines even named it the best fishing lure of all time a few years ago, I have the article somewhere
Here it is - Field and Stream:
http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/2006/04/50-greatest-lures-all-time?photo=26
I don't think there is a right or wrong way to do this in terms of what we use or how we use it, as long as it is legal and makes you feel good, I say go for it!!
In other words, don't let the marketing hype dictate what you are fishing with, or what type of boat you're doing it from, or anything else.
Again, we all get to choose how we like to fish. Do what you enjoy, this is a recreational pursuit after all unless you are a pro.
The best advice I can give is to learn about the bass first, then worry about the tackle.
What was the question again??
Outstanding post. Cuts right to the heart of it.
WRB reply :
Mlbassyaker reply sums up with his last sentence "what was the question again"? Simple question "what is the most underrated productive bait"?
Tom
Weld's Largemouth reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 6:21 AM, Silas said:Good old SNAGLESS SALLY!
Young un's down here haven't even heard of it.
Pork Chunk trimmed on back.
I've heard of it and I am 17
MFBAB reply :
On 10/5/2015 at 4:22 AM, WRB said:Mlbassyaker reply sums up with his last sentence "what was the question again"? Simple question "what is the most underrated productive bait"?
Tom
Tom,
The point of my long post was basically that a lot of these "underrated" yet productive baits are just not being hyped by the pros because they are not new or fresh, or big money-makers for the sponsors.
Not because they don't work well at catching fish.
The sponsors know that the guys who are fishing grubs now will continue to fish them and buy them no matter what, because they have learned that they work, so why waste time re-marketing a bait that is already established.
It's pretty simple:
If I'm trying to make money selling baits or products, do I try to hype something like a grub, which 98% of the fishermen already have in their tacklebox, which is like trying to sell ice to eskimoes.... or do I try to come up with something new, which means I've got a marketplace full of potential buyers who don't already have that item in their tacklebox?
True, every once in a while, one of those new baits shakes things up a little and improves the mouse trap (Senko, swimbaits, bladed jigs, etc...), but by and large, if there had never been another bait invented after about 1950, we would all still be able to do fine at catching fish just like our grandads did with worms, grubs, inlines, topwater plugs, etc:)
I think the question is really "what is the most underrated undermarketed productive bait"? And the answer is, there are dozens of them
Case in point: The grub has probably gotten more votes in this poll and in most others I've seen, so how is it underrated? But undermarketed? You'd better believe it, I don't remember the last time I saw an ad for a bass grub in a magazine!
The other most undermarketed bait going is fishing knowledge. If I'm in the bait business, I want to sell people a treatrment (new magic bait), not a cure (fishing knowledge). If you taught people to fish you'd put yourself right out of the magic bait business
WRB reply :
You are preaching to the choir, I am the grandfather who still fishes 1950's era lures on a regular basis; hair jigs with pork rind, but they aren't the most underrated productive bait. Soft plastics are a class of lures that include a wide variety of worms, grubs, and creatures, not one particular grub like Kalin's 5" single ribbon tail was mentioned.
The reason I picked the original Rapala floating minnow is no other lure dates back into the 30's, is still in production and has sold more or caught more fish, nearly every angler has one, yet few bass anglers today use it.
The question is simple, the challenge is to name one!
Tom
MFBAB reply :
I guess if pressed, I'd say the grub.
As good as the floating minnow is, you can't fish from top to bottom with it, unless you like feeding them to snags on a C-rig
I caught my first bass on a floating rapala, at least the first one where I was by myself and fishing for bass- I still have the plug too!
I started out panfishing w my grandfather, so I probably caught a few bass as a bycatch that I'm forgetting prior to that day And yes, you guessed it, we were fishing a lot of Mister Twister grubs!
NJSalt reply :
Fine.
Banjo Minnow.
the reel ess reply :
Rebel Wee Craw
This thread should have been a poll
WPCfishing reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 11:45 AM, jitterbug127 said:Tube has served me well
I use magnum tubes behind a skirted punch jig... awesome!
Old School: I sometimes trow a 6" black Mann worm. I bought a boat load of them 25 years ago. I use them Texas rigged with a 3.0 tru Turn. My inventory is getting very low now.
PourMyOwn reply :
On 10/5/2015 at 11:10 PM, WPCfishing said:I use magnum tubes behind a skirted punch jig... awesome!
Old School: I sometimes trow a 6" black Mann worm. I bought a boat load of them 25 years ago. I use them Texas rigged with a 3.0 tru Turn. My inventory is getting very low now.
I love the Mann's Auger tail. Those thinner worms come through the grass really well, plus-who else really throws them?
WPCfishing reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 12:17 AM, PourMyOwn said:I love the Mann's Auger tail. Those thinner worms come through the grass really well, plus-who else really throws them?
Bass never see them....
*Hootie reply :
Tubes and beavers, beavers and tubes.
Tubes and beavers, beavers and tubes.
Hootie
PourMyOwn reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 1:56 AM, WPCfishing said:Bass never see them....
They're amazing on a shaky head for smallies, too. I snagged a bunch of 100 count bags in the 1990s, I'll never run out!
WPCfishing reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 2:31 AM, PourMyOwn said:They're amazing on a shaky head for smallies, too. I snagged a bunch of 100 count bags in the 1990s, I'll never run out!
I'm down to about 50... I'll be throwing them this week. Do you use Tru Turn Hooks?
PourMyOwn reply :
On 10/6/2015 at 2:43 AM, WPCfishing said:I'm down to about 50... I'll be throwing them this week. Do you use Tru Turn Hooks?
It's funny, I have a few kicking around my "surplus" equipment. PM me your address and I'll ship them out to you. I'm up here in NH, probably won't take long to get to southern NE.
Comfortably Numb reply :
Rage rigged craw
Zach P reply :
I feel as though a lot of guys tend to overlook the effectiveness of a jerkbait. Most guys stop throwing them when the water warms, but they flat out catch fish all year long.
Joe H. reply :
Strike King XD series...
Further North reply :
On 9/30/2015 at 6:00 AM, Big C said:Deer Hair Popper, Bass Bug (fly fishing for bass). Fly fishing is my go to finnesse technique for bass.
Take that a step further: Woolly bugger. They don't get no respect, but....man....do they catch fish.
Yumf2 reply :
anything typically thrown on a spinning reel not named a wacky rig or drop shot. I think most people (including me) like to use the broom stick with the winch on it.
ZachSnod reply :
I would probably say the Buzzbait. That thing sat in my tackle box for years before I knew how well it worked.
cgolf reply :
Yum Crawbug, all it has going for it is it's realistic look, not much action to it, but man this things catch bass. Since I have kept a log, this has been far and away my most consistent producer for the last 7 years on the river. Not sure why I haven't tried it on a lake yet.
Maxximus Redneckus reply :
Rapalas in the j series..which is ok for me cause by the time February gets here they are on deep discounts like 1.50$
Jaw1 reply :
I am guilty of never throwing a Texas rigged worm anymore just doesn't fit my fishing style anymore. I also never throw a spinnerbait of any kind anymore, just not productive for me. The most productive never talked about bait for me is the zoom big critter craw my most productive bait
RyneB reply :
A guy in my club won the state tournament on a single tail grub. Now I have to dig them out of the dust and use them more often.
hatrix reply :
It's kinda funny all the stuff people are mentioning. They are only seem underrated and hardly used to "us" and by that I mean people on here and people who fish multiple times a week.
If you take a random guy who fishes 5x a year he is probably throwing a worm or spinner ect. We are the ones who always seem to be looking for the next thing and those are old news. Even though old they are not forgotten and still used a ton by the people who don't fish like you do.
Also I fish tubes a ton myself and it is a staple for me during spawning times. But in fairness I haven't thrown a ribbon tail worm in a long time and I probably should.
garvin reply :
The T-Rig is an underrated bait? Umm ok.
Here are a couple:
Topwater mouse
Mepps or Roostertail spinners
smr_hga reply :
Bucktail Jig
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