What is your "fish finder" bait? 2025

jb_adams reply :

If you see your choice of favorite "go to" bait listed for heavily fished lakes under pressure, what little secret do you keep for locating bass? ;D

cgs2004 reply :

I voted finesse jig but a got a few different "fish finder" baits. In shallow water with mostly wood I'd go with a 5" senko, in just about any depth water with mostly rock I'd go with the finesse jig. The spinnerbait is a classic fish finder but they don't do much for me.

ww2farmer reply :

Thats a tough one.........when I want to find active fish I usually don't start off with soft plastics, but In the past I have and it's worked well. In most situations, at least with the clear water here, I start with a shallow shad rap in either bluegill or baby bass color. If they hit it I keep using it, but a lot of times they just follow it around. I leave that area , come back a little later and fish the heck out of it with a Yum dinger or senko and get quite a few of those "followers" to take it. When ever I try tossing the senko right after the shad rap they seem to swim away faster than heck, thats why I leave and come back

guest reply :

A ratltrap is hard to beat as a fishfinder.

CJ reply :

Well I voted crankbait but it really depends on condition.I probally should have voted for a finesse jig because a jig is really my go to lure.My secret to locating bass really isn't a secret but a formula.It starts with a good topo and is mixed with a fishing trip.The main things I am looking for is:water depth the fish are holding,the structure and/or cover they are relating to,and the season I am fishing.I make a point to remember the fish I catch and every detail I can gather on how I caught it,where I caught it, the structure or cover it was relating to,and the water depth the fish was in and the water depth I was on.When I get home thats when I get out the topo(if I haven't already on the water)and try to put togather "WHY" those fish were there.

Another thing to consider is off shore structure and cover when it comes to fishing pressured lakes.

5bass reply :

I voted crankbait but could have went topwater also.That all depends on time of year.From post spawn on is when I throw topwater first thing,no matter what.Once the sun gets up I switch to a crank or if I've found good enough fish with the buzz,I'll fish that area or another area like it with a senko or some type of plastic.

RoLo reply :

I came very close to entering one of the traditional "search baits",

but I didn't feel comfortable with that answer.

In all honesty, my locator bait is a Contour Map,

and to test the validity of my trial sites, I use finesse lures.

Roger

basser89 reply :

For me, it has to be a spinnerbait! You can do so much with them and I have so much confidence in them!

jb_adams reply :

Thanks for the votes everyone! This is helping me make better informed decisions about bass fishing.

I am somewhat a novice to bass fishing even though I have fished since I was a kid. I have never seriously bass fished on lakes. I was always on privately stocked ponds where the pressure is limited and the catching is quite easy.

I fish on a heavily pressured lake where the current conditions include clear water, 12-13 foot below normal water levels, very little structure, weeks worth of stop and go rain, cold fronts, and the lake gets pressure constantly. Between all of the weekend anglers, the hardcore anglers, and the chartered stripper tours, the fish just won't bite anything. I went through my tackle box today and tried most of the basics listed above in the poll. Not even a bite.

With conditions such as these, I believe the advice of using a topo map is great advice. Thanks for the tip! Now if I can only find that local flavor that the local bass can't resist. People don't tend to let go of that secret around here because then it spreads like wildfire and everyone is using it.

Keep the votes coming!! ;D

guest reply :

Since it is pressured water I would go with a bait that can be fished slowly. I don't think pressured fish will go after something fast. Just my opinion. I picked Texas rig.

Rattlinrogue reply :

When a lake is pressured,my trick is to fish the lake when nobody(or very few) are there.I go at night or very,very early in the morning.I voted topwater,but I also like to downsize a spinnerbait.

Bankbeater reply :

I voted for crankbait. I will throw a rat-l-trap if I'm in deep enough water, but if I'm over shallow grassy flats then I will throw a minus 1 or a sub wart.

Upnorth reply :

My favorites are a Trap, a crankbait, or a spinnerbait.

K_Mac reply :

I picked a C-rig. On pressured lakes finding deep, off-shore structure is my favorite technique. A C-rig will allow you to thoroughly work your chosen spot. As RoLo said, a topo map is a good start.

At the other end of things is pitching/flipping to shallow cover. Catching shallow fish in clear water is a challenge, but a jig or plastic bait quietly placed in the nastiest cover you can find is sometimes the way to go. You have to be vehwee, vehwee quiet. I don't have the patience to be be very good at this but it does work.

George Welcome reply :

Just a thought - a contour map is great if you can get one, but doesn't apply to many ponds and lakes. That leaves you with experience to tell you the habits of the fish in your lake. Don't be afraid to ask others: you would be supprised at how helpful some can be.

Another thought - 200 fishermen fishing at the same time does not mean the lake or fish are being pressured. 199 of them could be trying to figure it out just like you are. Too many worry about "pressure". Think positive, those guys can't fish. The other thing to bear in mind is most will be water wasters: a person that places feet instead of inches between their casts.

Start with a slow bait. Senkos would be perfect. Once you catch a fish see if some of the reactive baits work. They are a lot cheaper to use. There is nothing like catching a bunch on rattle traps or spinner baits.

I never pay attention to someone who is fishing the area in front of me unless I see that person catch a fish. No matter the bait the fish is caught on, I will change instantly to see if it's a winner.

Matt Fly reply :

split shotting the same color or baits as everyone else, just changing the presentation.

If you titled this search baits, thats a different thread.

Minuteman reply :

Crankbait to find them, but I like to use a Carolina Rig on pressured lakes with vegatation once I know where they are. I rarely see anyone else using them and I always have one rigged up.

.ghoti. reply :

For pressured water, a smaller spinnerbait on a slower retrieve is hard to beat as a search bait

Laineisbosshog reply :

spinnerbaits and crankbaits

langs15 reply :

After about 2 weeks I still havn't even got a nibble on a spinnerbait, any sugestions on them?

Tom Bass reply :

I have always had good like with a Carolina rigged salamander with a Rapala floater coming in second.

paparock reply :

Rat-L-Traps are my favorite lures. They are yet to prove themselves on Bull Shoals though.

senile1 reply :

I chose spinnerbaits but there are others I use almost as often. Ratltraps have been good to me and when the fish are shallow in grass I have had alot of luck with floating rapalas.

In answer to not getting bites on your spinnerbait, how are you fishing it? There are so many ways to fish this bait that it is difficult to go wrong unless you just use one method. The problem could be your confidence in the lure. Often when you're not confident with a lure you may change to something else just when you were ready to break the ice. You can fish it with a steady retrieve at any depth you choose. You can fish it at the surface and create a wake. You can yo yo it or slow roll it near the bottom. You can fish it like a jig by letting it helicopter to the bottom, picking it up and letting it drop again. You can vary your rate of retrieve and bounce the bait off of structure. If you think you get a tug and you set the hook but nothing is there, add a trailer hook to your spinnerbait. You can also add a trailer such as a worm, pork frog, etc. I would suggest that you go out one day and choose to fish only that lure. Experiment with it and you will eventually catch fish with it. This is what I had to do to break the ice with a spinnerbait many years ago.

Also, make sure you have spinnerbaits with different blades. In muddy water or highly-stained water the bigger rounder blades (colorado blades) create the most vibration so that a bass can find the lure. In clearer or lightly stained water, use a spinnerbait with a couple of willow leaf blades or at least a willow leaf and an Indiana blade. Lastly, look through the articles on this website. There are some good articles on fishing spinnerbaits on this site.

langs15 reply :

I would have to say a wacky rigged GY senko. Either in pumpkin w/ black fleck or Grn pumpkin/ LG green, purple with either 4-5'', usually 4''. But late summer in 5''.

Bassbum80 reply :

spinnerbait & ratl' trap

jb_adams reply :

Thanks again to everyone for responding! There is a lot of great information here.

It appears that rat-l-traps, spinner baits. and crank baits are the prefered favorites for the fish locating baits or what some call "scout baits".

I am still somewhat new to the bass fishing scene and I already have that glazed over look in my eyes wanting to catch more bass. I have read various mags. on various techniques, baits, strategies, and ways to try things different. I could spend days trying them all but I may or maynot have much success on a pressured lake.

All of the suggestions here so far may work on average lakes but when fishing on a pressured lake, many here are using jigs, tubes, flukes, crank baits, and carolina rigs from what I have heard.

Has anyone ever tried fishing with a bobber, split shot, and a minnow hooked through the nose? The bass here are gorging themselves on minnows. I have fished in salt water with this tactic and it worked great for redfish and snook. The minnow just swims around and then panics when it sees a larger fish. Does anyone think this is a good idea once you locate the bass?

Thanks again!

papa smurf reply :

On a pressured lake I like a carolina rig for fishing deep and a super fluke for fishing shallow. These baits allow you to cover water and are a lot more subtle than crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

Once you locate the bass live bait can be an excellent technique, especially for bigger bass.

jb_adams reply :

Quote
On a pressured lake I like a carolina rig for fishing deep and a super fluke for fishing shallow. These baits allow you to cover water and are a lot more subtle than crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Once you locate the bass live bait can be an excellent technique, especially for bigger bass.

So what live bait do you use? I have often thought of using shiners. Obviously night crawlers would work on lots of different typ of fish but I am affraid I would catch carp or catfish instead of bass. Or even worse, the Brim would pick off the bait.

Also according to the poll, spinnerbait and crankbaits are the preferred choice. I fished both in several spots yesterday and didn't get a bite. The fish were there and the bite was on a little. I caught more on my Beetle Spins than any other baits including worms, flukes, c-rigs, etc. Post spawn must be a hard time to fish. What could I be doing wrong??

papa smurf reply :

When I live bait fish I buy shiners at the local bait shop. Postspawn is a tough time fish, especially with the conditions you described earlier.

BD reply :

Out of the options. none of the above.

jerkbaits, or jigs for me (especially around cover)

jb_adams reply :

Quote
Out of the options. none of the above.
jerkbaits, or jigs for me (especially around cover)

I'm diggin' the "Danger Mouse" Penfold avatar! I haven't seen that since I was a kid!

I tend to agree on the jigs. I have caught all of my bass lately on it.

Whopper-Stopper reply :

I just found my new favorite "fish finder"; A swim bait. I know I should have tried one before yesterday, but wow!!! those things are the ticket for locating bedding bass. I have been fishing this lake since february of this year. I know every nook and cranny in it; but I was finding beds that I have been fishing over for a week and I didn't even know they were there. I was just casting and burning it under the surface, a bass would hit or charge at it and I would throw back with a slower retrieve and get the fish every time. I don't think these bass have ever seen a swim bait so to them it's the real thing. I had been trying to catch a 3 # of her bed all week and I brought a swim bait past her, hooked her and lost her at the bank; I casted again and got her.

I am going to fill my tackle box with these.

Alpster reply :

I voted for a Texas rig plastic worm. Can fish em in all kinds of cover and depths. JMHO

Ronnie

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