Winningest Bait in B.A.S.S. History?? 2025

Anyone know what bait has accounted for the most money being won in B.A.S.S. Tournaments since its ***?

Other than the money factor,which bait has been used to typically win the most tournaments?

Ive heard its a toss up between a Jig and Pig and a Spinnerbait

Anyone know which bait rules in this category?

My memory says the plastic worm. If I really wanted to know I'd go to B.A.S.S. and ask there.

I don't tournament fish and I don't really follow tournament fishing, so please pardon my questions.  

What determines the bait that "wins" a tournament.  Do these anglers only use one type of lure all weekend?  If they use more than one type, do they know exactly which fish was caught on which lure?  If they do use more than one lure, which one gets credit for the win (most fish caught on said lure, biggest fish on a lure, last fish caught)?

Thanks

that is a fine question, and its now bothering me that i dont know it. im gonna guess and say jig n pig. thats just a guess though.

most money jig ....most tournaments toss up between crankbait and spinnerbait. early tournaments worm now also understand most tournament guys are not very forthcoming on what they use in most cases

Seems to me that I read somewhere that it is the plastic worm.

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I don't tournament fish and I don't really follow tournament fishing, so please pardon my questions.

What determines the bait that "wins" a tournament. Do these anglers only use one type of lure all weekend? If they use more than one type, do they know exactly which fish was caught on which lure? If they do use more than one lure, which one gets credit for the win (most fish caught on said lure, biggest fish on a lure, last fish caught)?

Thanks

Good question, I dont really know myself.  Hadn't really thought of it before  :-?.  I'm curious to hear the answer

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Seems to me that I read somewhere that it is the plastic worm.

The legendary Bill Dance has the distinction of catching the first bass in the modern tournament era. Dance had borrowed a 60 hp motor and was decidedly faster than the other rigs in the competition. After motoring a short way from the launch, he stopped and cast a 7 1/2-inch blue Fliptail plastic worm toward the shore. A 2-pound bass engulfed it as soon as it hit the water. ESPN

#1 top producing bait for tournament wins, number, and size is the plastic worm by an almost 3 to 1 margin.

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I don't tournament fish and I don't really follow tournament fishing, so please pardon my questions.

What determines the bait that "wins" a tournament. Do these anglers only use one type of lure all weekend? If they use more than one type, do they know exactly which fish was caught on which lure? If they do use more than one lure, which one gets credit for the win (most fish caught on said lure, biggest fish on a lure, last fish caught)?

Thanks

No, they dont only use one, but they usually have a pretty good idea what is gonna get bit and where. Absolutley they know what fish was caught on which lure. Do you remeber what you caught on your outings. Id say whichever puts the most weight in the boat gets the most credit. But like others have said, take what they said they caught them on with a grain of salt. This is just my personal opinion and im an idiot, so take what i say with a grain of salt as well

The "winning bait/lure" might be influenced by a guy's sponsorship.

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The "winning bait/lure" might be influenced by a guy's sponsorship.

That is kind of what I thought.  Thanks.

The bait that has won the most in the B.A.S.S would be the worm, the ways to fish it are endless, T-rig, Split shot, drop shot , top water, C-rig, shaky head,and that's just the tip of the ice berg.

I've researched all B.A.S.S tournaments (Pro & Amateur), all amateur tournaments held on Toledo Bend (2001-2009), and the Texas Share-A-Lunker program. What I would have to mention is under the category of plastics would be T-rigs, C-rigs, Wacky, Drop Shot, ECT which are techniques. This list includes all worms, craw worms, lizards, creatures, tubes, Fluke type, & Senko type baits; which is why it's listed as plastic lures.

After looking at my data I was slightly conservative with the data actually showing a staggering 5 to 1 ratio  

IMO soft plastics would win by far.  Why,  see Catts post.   SP is too broad of a statement.  

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The "winning bait/lure" might be influenced by a guy's sponsorship.

Nowdays even more 40 yrs ago ,they had to use what caught fish regardless of who gave them what .you give me half a mill im gonna say a hot dog outfishes anything  ;D.Its all about money nowdays

Also understand that if you fish in texas or the south in general most guys down there use plastics. You have a lot of water down south that has a bunch of shallow and deep grass and for most people a soft plastic texas rig(notice why they call it Texas rig or Carolina rig it was created in that state or region)worm works best. Spinnerbaits also are used in grass areas or rattletrap. When you shift to areas that have hard bottom, standing timber or rock jigs take over. It is best for that kind of fishing and some states have more than others like Florida has no rocks. Crankbaits in all shapes or forms are used in all states by anglers. Also understand guys that in the early years all of the BASS tournaments where in the south. Up until recently they never fished as many states as they do now. The stocking of Florida bass has grown tournaments in every state that stocks them. BASS is still wanting a big show and the larger bass brings BASS tournaments to other states. Also understand that as the sport has grown it has draws people from all over the world and in each area brings a new home town technique. This expands the sport and fishing knowledge as we learn these new home town methods of catching fish. Winning-est bait in BASS history is unknown because you have a new influx of fishermen from around the world. If you just gage by past events you also need to take into account where the tournaments where held, who fished them, and where they where from. Also figure in what lures where around in those years outside of the whole sponsor issue. just a thought

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Also understand that if you fish in texas or the south in general most guys down there use plastics. You have a lot of water down south that has a bunch of shallow and deep grass and for most people a soft plastic texas rig(notice why they call it Texas rig or Carolina rig it was created in that state or region)worm works best. Spinnerbaits also are used in grass areas or rattletrap. When you shift to areas that have hard bottom, standing timber or rock jigs take over. It is best for that kind of fishing and some states have more than others like Florida has no rocks. Crankbaits in all shapes or forms are used in all states by anglers. Also understand guys that in the early years all of the BASS tournaments where in the south. Up until recently they never fished as many states as they do now. The stocking of Florida bass has grown tournaments in every state that stocks them. BASS is still wanting a big show and the larger bass brings BASS tournaments to other states. Also understand that as the sport has grown it has draws people from all over the world and in each area brings a new home town technique. This expands the sport and fishing knowledge as we learn these new home town methods of catching fish. Winning-est bait in BASS history is unknown because you have a new influx of fishermen from around the world. If you just gage by past events you also need to take into account where the tournaments where held, who fished them, and where they where from. Also figure in what lures where around in those years outside of the whole sponsor issue. just a thought

WOW!

With the invention of the plastic worm Nick Crème forever changed bass fishing; the wide array of shapes, colors, and techniques available to the plastics angler can not be matched by spinner baits, crank baits, jigs, spoons or top water lures.

Plastics can be fished at any depth, during any season, under any weather condition and still produce bass no other lure holds that distinction.

Studies have proven that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That's why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

Studies have proven that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

It depends on who is behind the lure honestly. Fish change moods all the time and they also change food sources, react to fishing pressure, boating pressure, you name it. Fish feed and react to their environment through instinct. Fish might remember that this vibration sounded great last week but ouch it bit me then I got boat flipped and smacked the bottom of some harsh carpet then some alien wanted to kiss me before i got back into the water. lol Bass identify mechanical action or vibration patterns and can associate that with danger. They may not be able to see the boat but they can hear it coming and either hide deep in cover or some place they feel safe and become inactive or leave the area in deeper water to wait for the threat to leave. They do the same thing with your lures. Bass learn from mistakes but its memory is short term and their instinct can be used against them. I fished a tournament one time with a big named crankbait fishermen who marked fish in 12 ft of water around a group of stumps. The fish where not holding tight to the cover and where suspended over it. This guy ran his boat in circles around and around the stumps making all kinds of racket then moved off to let the place chill out. He then went back and fished it about 10 minutes later and knocked the fire out of them. He changed the fishes mood and pushed them into the stumps where it was easier to reach them with a crankbait. (his name is Rick Clunn) I have pre fished other places and caught them flipping a jig then come tournament time the fish wouldn't hit a jig. I ran the boat up and down the shore a few times and went back and caught them on the same jig swimming it. The boat wake made the baitfish move and the bass took up ambush positions. KVD still catches fish on spinnerbaits the difference is that he shakes the bait and snaps it and changes what that bait does all the time. The bait flares out the blades smack together the speed changes he then changes directions. Point being if you fish a bait like everyone else and do what everyone thinks a lure should do then you have the same results everyone has and the fish remember the black eye the last guy that caught it gave him when he smacked that same vibration signature and mechanical action. Fishermen who recognize fishing pressure and what everyone else is doing and how it effects fish and adapts excel others blame it on other things. Fish still eat the same minnows and the same crawfish no matter how many hooks they have caught by live bait fishermen. When you force that fish to react to your bait or use their instinct against them by using lures that are fished in a manner that looks real they don't have the cues that caused them to identify it with a bad response or don't have time to think they just react. You can use the same class of lures just approach it differently it makes all the difference in the world it really does. Plastics are silent and have fluid motion or can have random motion both look alive. Make your other baits do the same. KVD is fishing his spinnerbait and making it do some wild things to trigger a strike and break up that vibration pattern most just cast it and maybe bump something they don't fish the lure. When you fish the lure you make it look and act alive and things that act alive fish remember and respond to it by hitting it. I just don't agree with the idea that a worm is the only lure that fish can not remember i understand why they said it but to me it is an untrue statement. There are to many different lures out there that have all kinds of different signatures that the bass would need a filing cabinet to remember them all.

Chris I'm going to need a filing cabinet just to remember everything you said in two posts, WOW!!!!!

Spinnerbait?

I always hear it being used and winning tournaments, but I am not so sure. Even the classic was won on a Lucky Craft spinnerbait. So I would go with the spinnerbait then Jig and Pig.

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understand why they said it but to me it is an untrue statement.

Could be, but it probably holds closer to true than for any other bait.  I know that I have caught the same fish within an hour or 2 on worms before.  I have had this happen several times that I can recall, BUT....these were only 2 lb fish, not big pigs.  I have to wonder if it holds true for smaller fish rather than bigger fish.  We all know big fish don't get big by being dumb. so......

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Chris I'm going to need a filing cabinet just to remember everything you said in two posts, WOW!!!!!

No kidding.  Chris, you need to write a book.

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Chris I'm going to need a filing cabinet just to remember everything you said in two posts, WOW!!!!!

No kidding.  Chris, you need to write a book.

X2 please write a book about fishing crankbaits and I will definitely get a copy!

That's a lot of interesting information but the fact is plastic baits account for more bass annually than almost all other lures combined.

Plastic Worm (Texas rigged) It's a long, thin shape resembles the profile of a wide variety of forage in the world of the bass, including earthworms, snakes, eels, and baitfish. Its action is almost entirely dependent on the contours of the bottom; and the rod movements of the fisherman, making it very random. It moves with little noise; the noise that it does make comes mostly from the random clicking of the sinker as it hits bottom. Bright colors and larger size can be used to increase its attracting qualities. Because of its basic resemblance to a wide array of living forage, this lure presents very few negative cues, and is hard for big bass to learn not to hit. Doug Hannon

Catt when yous say plastic baits your talking about the worm right???

In the beginning it would have been strictly the worm but today it would have to include a wide variety of plastic baits.

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