What's your confidence bait?

[one100grand]

Mine is a straight tail plastic worm like a trickworm and a hard swimbait. I am really torn between the hard and soft swimbait as number two though.

Do you fish bigger or smaller swimbaits? I've never had much luck with the bigger swimbaits, but with the smaller, I've done very well fishing for perch or smallies.

 

[Goosegas]

Here in Central Florida, heavy vegetation is the game. With this in mind, it is probably easy to understand why I like soft plastic worms, rigged weedless Texas Style.

Being that the visibility is so poor, you can also understand why a dark colored plastic would work, therefore being my favorite.

The thing that I really do not understand is why the Bass love one particular brand and color so much more than any other. This has happened numerous times, in numerous locations, under different weather conditions, and at different times of the year.

I have caught no less than 4 times the number of Bass on the following, than any other lure, and any other company.

My weapon is a 8 1/2" or 10" Charlie's Ribbon Tail Worm in the Tequila Sunrise color.

I recently fished a small lake in Central Florida for 7 hours. I used top water, crank baits, frogs, lizards and even 4 different colored plastic worms. With my 2 buddies, we caught 18 Bass, and only 2 were with something other than a Charlie's Worm... and we only used the Charlie's Worms for about 90 minutes, until we unfortunately ran out.

I can't explain it, but I have to say that this worm is my current and all-time favorite at this point in time.

 

[Boatguy]

Live bait works for me. Crawlers and minnows always catch fish.

Testify! last night We were slamming gills and such with cane poles red worms and crawlers.

 

[centralillski]

My #1 all time confidence bait is a Bill Lewis Original Rat-L Trap in the Chrome/Black color.
My current is the Kinami Flash Worm in the Chartreuse/Pumpkin color fished as a wacky worm. I've caught more bass in the past year on this than anything else.

I couldn't agree more. I've caught more fish on Rat-l traps than anything else.

 

[breachless]

My confidence bait has always been the trusty Texas Rigged Plastic worms... But for some reason, I have had very little luck with them this year.

I have used Chatterbaits in the past to varying degrees of success, but this year, I have just KILLED the bass (both large and smallmouth) with these everywhere I go when all else fails... It's to the point now where I have gone out a few times and not even bothered with anything BUT the chatterbait. And they SLAM the things too: at least half the fish I have caught on these manage to almost swallow the things, which is impressive considering I am usually ripping them over submerged weeds as fast as I can to avoid snags... It has done really great in the rivers too for smallies.

And of course, on any given lake in MN, there will be split-pea soup or a patch of lily pads somewhere where you are pretty much guaranteed a bass or two with a SPRO frog or other topwater frog regardless of the weather or time of year.

 

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I know that I am bringing up an old post but, I just had to comment on this topic. BUZZBAIT! I can't get away from them. Be it the Spring, summer or fall, I get a bunch of bass on them. I throw other lures but it is the buzzbait that gets me the most fish. I cast to the structure or within a foot of the shoreline and make sure the lure is coming back towards me when it hits the water. Plain old white skirted buzzbait. I use Mann's "RAT" for floating moss or vegetation. That is a fun lure to use.

 

[Cartman]

This time of year I rarely get away from corkys, specially a corky devil tail. Other than that, just about anything TTF the paddle tails are even better.

 

[cole.manns]

Golden shiners all the way in the south! 8)

 

[Galveston340]

....the old stand by for me is for trout a silver spoon and for Redfish I use the same in gold. I have never been one to listen to all the hype about the "color of the day" when it comes to plastics! Of course I have a ton of what has worked in the past but it all depends on water clarity/color and what mode the fish are in.
And down here on the coast I have found that something that the fish haven't ever seen such as a Model A Bomber shallow diving crankbait will have the redfish going nuts trying to kill it as they haven't seen it before.

 

[Proyotehunter]

For bass I would have to say salt injected Gamakatsu purple plastic jerk baits.

 

[Frogman Ladue]

1. Inline Spinners
2. Spoons

Neither of which is on the poll. No wonder why you'z guys can't catch nuttin. :mrgreen:

 

[user 7806]

I guess I just don't know how to fish with plastics or spinner bait or ??? I have my best luck with worms and minnows or maybe a cricket now and then.

Take this evening for instance. I went to a local pond (the city calls it a lake) I had 4 minnows that were a week old and with the weather report didn't sound like there would be much fishing going on this weekend. So I took the remaining 4 minnows and caught 3 fish nothing to brag about but I was catching fish. Minnows are gone so I switched to plugs/spinners nothing not even a hit. Was wishing that I had taken some worms with me probably could have caught a few more.

 

[bassin4fun]

Worked for me when I was 13 yrs old. Works for me now at 39. All black weedless K&E bass stopper. Won't have less than 5-6 of 'em in my box. My #2 is the old school, floating "Perch" Rapala. I have one from 'back in the day' that is just hammered with teeth marks......Love it!

 

[Nobody]

Rooster tail spinners for smallmouth any many other species. My kids don't like fishing with them though. The trebile hooks catch them to many weeds.

 

[HANGEYE]

What gives? Am I the only one that uses Dynamite? Just kidding, if it rains and the matches get wet you would be done fishing. [-X

I'm with the live bait guys on this one. Critters and minners all the way for me. =D>

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

Jig head worm and a kvd 2.5 or all white spinner