If You Only Had One Bait!! 2025

Oregon Native reply :

I know this is a tough one as I too am a bass fishin junkie but it's snowing here in knoxville and I can't get out today so was just spending some time on the pueter.

I personnally if I was only allowed one way to fish for a day would have to take a dropshot on 8 or 10 # braid with a 8# fluro leader and a three inch YUM Dinger Texas rigged. Color can be huge I know...but candy would probably be first choice of colors.

Tight Lines

Darren. reply :

GYCB Senko, 4", watermelon gold flake, wacky rigged.

flyfisher reply :

Tough one but I am going with a 3 or 4" stick bait nose hooked in chartreuse pepper.

Dwight Hottle reply :

Pointer 100 in shell white. My favorite st croix caster with 10lb braid & maxima leader.

00 mod reply :

10 lb braid on a baitcaster? Please do tell....

Jeff

plumworm reply :

Crawfish colored tube.

tubeman reply :

A 3" Gitzit Tournament Tube in brown crawl using 10lb. Power Pro Braid.

A-Jay reply :

On 2/3/2013 at 11:56 PM, Dwight Hottle said:
Pointer 100 in shell white. My favorite st croix caster with 10lb braid & maxima leader.

I'm with ya there -

But "Misty Shad" is not too far behind . . . .

A-Jay

upnorthbassin reply :

I gotta say.....5" senko weightless texas rig. It's not expensive or exclusive....it doesn't require tons of skill to fish effectively. You can pretty much fish it anywhere in just about any condition. It might not be ideal all the time but it probably won't be the worst thing you could throw out there either. Since you can make a texas rig weedless it's more versatile than most wacky rig setups or anything that isn't weedless for that matter...especially when you're throwing it into cover. It just plain gets bit period. And my resolution for 2013 is to fish it way less than I did in 2012.

Dwight Hottle reply :

On 2/3/2013 at 11:59 PM, 00 mod said:

10 lb braid on a baitcaster? Please do tell....

Jeff

That is the norm on my boat. I had a few fellows who brought up 20 lb braid & were so disappointed after one day of fishing they wanted to change out their 20 lb braid for 10 lb just to be competitive . The baits do track deeper on 10 compared to 20. it's a confidence thing. Most 10 lb braid breaks at 15 to 20 so its plenty strong as long as your not back lashing & snapping it.

A-Jay reply :

On 2/4/2013 at 12:07 PM, Dwight Hottle said:
That is the norm on my boat. I had a few fellows who brought up 20 lb braid & were so disappointed after one day of fishing they wanted to change out their 20 lb braid for 10 lb just to be competitive . The baits do track deeper on 10 compared to 20. it's a confidence thing. Most 10 lb braid breaks at 15 to 20 so its plenty strong as long as your not back lashing & snapping it.

Hey ~ I resemble that remark . . .

A-Jay

Dwight Hottle reply :

On 2/4/2013 at 5:29 AM, A-Jay said:

I'm with ya there -

But "Misty Shad" is not too far behind . . . .

A-Jay

Well we have shared at least two favorites regarding lake erie colors. Dare we share any more?

Bluebasser86 reply :

Time of year would greatly influence my decision but for a majority of the year it would be either a trick worm or stick O in watermelon purple flake on a 1/8oz shakyhead. Spring time I'd take a 78 pointer in Chartruese shad.

A-Jay reply :

On 2/4/2013 at 12:11 PM, Dwight Hottle said:
Well we have shared at least two favorites regarding lake erie colors. Dare we share any more?

We all know color plays a role -

But It Is a About - Location - Location - Location -

and they won't get that from me . . . . .

A-Jay

tomustang reply :

Dynamite or a trick worm

wademaster1 reply :

For smallies i'd have to say a grub on a jighead. 2-3 inch

basscrusher reply :

If I'm going for numbers...4" Senko, wacky rigged, color isn't that important but I'll go with smoke/purple.

If I want the big bite...Coffee Tube, 1/4 oz insert head, exposed hook. Black and blue has been my best color, even in clear water.

J Francho reply :

Time of year, and location would dictate things. Could be anything in my box.

CPBassFishing reply :

Well, one bait is not even going to cover half the conditIons you will run into.....but if I had to pick one bait it would be a 5" watermelon senko weightless T-rigged on a 3/0 EWG. Fish will bite it as well as a wacky rig, but it sinks faster, you can fish it faster, you can skip it under docks, and it casts further than a wacky rigged senko.

OkobojiEagle reply :

Smallmouth... one bait... hmmm. I wouldn't always be successful with it, but give me a dark colored 4" curly tail grub and I'd catch my share throughout the season. I'd like to expand the selection to include a lighter colored 4" boot tail grub, assortment of jig heads, a ghost minnow Pointer 75, a sunfish colored Gunfish 95 and a 1/2 oz light colored spinner bait.

flippin and pitchin reply :

4.5 inch Robo worm in AM on a drop shot. I have got bit on this combo everywhere I have fished for smallmouth.

jm37817 reply :

5" Gulp sinking minnow, green pumpkin, wacky rigged on a 1/16 oz. flickin shimmy head. 7' spinning rod medium action, 10# invisibbraid.

retiredbosn reply :

If I could only use one bait for Smallies, it would be a 4" curly tail grub on a 1/8 oz ball jig head, in smoke with black flakes. I've caught more smallies with that combo than any other. This is assuming a river or creek situation.

WCCT reply :

1 bait for me would be 5" Hula grub in color #176 on a 1/2 oz football head. I feel I can catch them in any body of water with this bait.

VtGr0wn reply :

Gary Yamamato 5 inch baby bass colored senko texas rigged

MSWV reply :

I feel confident that I could catch smallies in fast or calm water on a 3.5" Brown tube year round.. Other baits may be better during different times of the year but I can drag a tube during winter, texas rig it during spring, jig it during summer, then double rig it during fall and catch 2 at a time out of a wolf pack!!

Jessico09 reply :

4 inch Trigger X Swimming Grub in chartreuse or Rapala X-Rap size 8 in Pink

roadwarrior reply :

Two years ago on the 2011 RoadTrip Big O and our two soldiers caught 144 during the flood,

including at least 2 PBs and maybe a third if Big O fessed up! Some of these brown fish were

caught on Red Eye Shad, but the majority were fooled by the Rage Tail Baby Craw. This intel

was shared with everyone on the trip and needless to say, it was the Baby Craw that ruled the

outing.

RoushBasser reply :

On 2/7/2013 at 1:08 AM, flippin and pitchin said:
4.5 inch Robo worm in AM on a drop shot. I have got bit on this combo everywhere I have fished for smallmouth.

+1 to that! I love that combo up here in WA.

RODNEY reply :

Tube, tube or tube, watermelon, watermelon/black flake, green pumpkin, smoke/ black flake, pumpkinchartrusetail.

Rodney

Stingray23 reply :

weightless fluke

lazeebum reply :

I like smoke curl tail grubs.

BrentQ reply :

Gitzit Tube in a dark color.

CHS bass fisherman reply :

I would probably have to go with a C&S lures stand up footbal jig with a netbait paca chunk sr. in summer craw on the back.

jkroosz reply :

Keitech shad impact in Ayu rigged weightless, weighted hook or DS.

xbacksideslider reply :

Ika, green w/ purple flake

coryn h. fishowl reply :

only one crank... either kvd square bill or rapala shallow rap shad. Only 1 soft plastic=GULP! smelt. only 1 popper.. oh what a horrendous reality. In the end a hula popper or skitterpop beats em all for spring, summer, and fall in favorite holes here in IL. I'm just glad I don't have to choose.

Felix77 reply :

Finesse worm on a drop shot

Brick reply :

For size, Any walk the dog type top water for me. For numbers, rooster tail.

ww2farmer reply :

If I wasn't limited to rigging options, a 4" senko. You can dropshot it, drag it on a jig head, wacky rig it, and on and on and on.........

Teal reply :

Jig.

smbrule! reply :

A 4-5" soft bodied tube. Can use it with an inside tube weight, a bullet weight or no weight as a substitute for floating frogs when fishing over pads or around reeds

mod479 reply :

tube

JellyMan reply :

If I only had one bait and one way to rig it?

6" Watermelon Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm texas rigged weightless on 12lb moss green P-Line Floroclear.

keith71 reply :

3/16th shakey head,Zoom green pumpkin trickworm.Close second 3/8 oz jig brown-green pumpkin blend.

A-Rob reply :

Man, this would be a real problem

I'd be forced to downsize my rods, reels, tackle bag, tackle boxes, fishing lines, my boat, trailer, car, house....

Only usuing one lure would be life changing

bullett 21 reply :

Anything finesse is good with me .

SissySticks reply :

4" BPS XPS grub (smoke or green pumpkin), 7' ML spinning rod, 10lb. Sufix 832 w/ 8-10lb. fluoro leader.

Close second would be a Zman Finesse ShadZ (green pumpkin) on either a shakey head or a drop shot.

Hogsticker reply :

If I were stuck with one bait I'd choose something I could cover some water with, fish slow or fast, and vary my retrieve. A jerk bait no doubt. Well, several jerk baits that is, sizes, colors, depth, etc.

cdav111 reply :

vision 110

29JMP29 reply :

3/8 oz jig with craw trailer. can swim it around docks or punch it through lighter cover

MiBass reply :

My one bait? It'll have to be a 3.5 inch Super Salty Tube from Zoom in Green Pumpkin on a 1/2 oz tube jig head.

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If You Only Had One Bait!! 2025

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