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If you don't have weeds you can cast and swim a football jig, Just pay attention to how stiff the weedguards are as I find if swimming a jig I like a thinner weed guard. If not a football jig, an Arkie Jig is a good change of pace for what it sounds like you fish. Siebert Jigs are worth the money if on a budget like myself. You get what you pay for in terms of Jig quality. You can load up for for $50, Overall Value will save you money due to the quality. The hooks are money, Plus I trust they are balanced right, as I am not a jig expert so I like to buy them from someone who is. I also like my weedguards the way I like them and he sends them long for you to adjust. If in a pinch, and need a good all around jig that is decent quality and can be fished in any way...The Terminator Jigs at Dicks for $4...They are actually decent for casting, swimming, etc...VMC hooks are decent. Not trying to Sell Siebert, I am sure other guys make good jigs as well, but I would rather have half dozen quality jigs, then a dozen decent jigs. I have ordered swim jigs online from known brands that are really just flipping jigs with a swim jig line tie and name...

I tried the bigger swimbait thing for a bit here in Florida and it wasn't for me as I guess I lack the patience and never noticed catches of much bigger fish personally, just less strikes and less confidence especially with heavy line and it just seemed like other baits would get the job done for me better. For me, 6" is as big as I go and that is for Soft swimbaits, 6" Hollow belly I consider big...I consider the Gambler Big EZ a big swimbait, I tried the new 8" Gambler swimbaits and just felt they were too big and heavy and hard go set the hook etc. I do use the Spro BBZ in mid size, I think they are 4-5". I use it as a wake bait and like it, The savage gear and River 2 Sea S wavers that I have used are not all that big, but I simply prefer a 4-5" bait and kind of keeps the action going and big fish will hit it. Hope that makes sense. I do use 7" Senkos and 12" worms without an issue so I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder. The regular Zara Spook and Cordell Red Fin are big baits so I guess it just depends on results. 8" Swimbait I consider big for some reason even though I know it really isnt in reality. 6" feels more natural to me.

The Mister Twister Sluggo's are old at least the ones I have, I think they only made them for a few years a long time ago unless you mean the saltwater ones by Exude which are soft from the ones I have used. The Mister Twister are more rigid than others but that also gives them more of a darting action, its a different look than a fluke, kind of a copy of the sluggo which is kind of stiff. Most flukes are good, Zoom really good, then the Strike King Caffiene Shad is my favorite but really soft and kind of like a GYB senko in terms of durability. Although mine are mostly seconds so I think they may have extra salt, but they work really good and cast a mile cause of all the weight...I think the ones in bags are the same though. Mr. Twister Slugs will work....I throw the 4" Tri Alive ones in Firetiger every once in a while, I still have a bunch I picked up years ago when they were prototypes.

It says something when you can find Culprit ribbon tail worms at every Walmart, Kmart, Dicks, small tackle shop.....Yet they barely do any marketing, can't think of a pro that is paid by them but I am sure they have a few guys.... Even Sports authority back in the day always had culprit worms...Only other bait you will always find on a shelf in every tackle shop is a GYB senko for most part in soft baits and then it is kind of geographic....Walmart is not stocking Z-Man, Gambler etc. which are the "Hot"Brands These days...Yet they always have a good selection of 5" and 7.5" culprit worms....For good reason....They work as well as any soft plastic today imo....always have, I switched to Power worms when they first came out for a few years, but not never pick up the power worm. I am surprised Culprit doesn't advertise more, sponser better guys...The Incredicraw/Incredislim is a fantastic pitching bait as a change up to what everyone else throws....Then the trailers they make are actually really good as well but nobody uses them...

One of my best days this year was fishing behind 2 guys who were throwing either a burner worm from Gambler or Zoom Speed worm, other guy looked to be throwing a Gambler 5" EZ swimmer on top..That's usually a great way to cover water in Florida over weeds etc... I started swimming a 6" BPS curly tail black blue tail worm that was on my light spinning rod, ended up getting bit what felt like every cast. The curly tail worm gives off a subtle swimming action on top compared to all the buzz style plastics and paddle tails, also falls differently which gets alot of strikes. I find that when creating commotion on top, if you kill a plastic once or twice, you often get bit for fish that follow or thinking about striking. Was anyone swimming curly tail worms back in the day before Speed worms? I used to swim Culprits over lily pad fields just for fun since we didn't have braid and could never land them...Is that a new technique as in last 10 years?

Fish the 3 baits you have the most confidence in.....Then adjust depth as needed with any of them. I often make the mistake of trying too many options, but have gotten better at just sticking with what I have confidence in and know have always caught fish for me in most conditions. Plastics Jigs Lipless cranks & jerkbaits

I believe the Old Gator Tailed worms are now the Zoom G-Tails....I still use the 8" Producto High Floating straight flipping worms in solid purple or grape....They still sell them in Florida since the OEM is in Sanford Florida near Orlando They make baits for other companies, but they have a good line up of baits...The Buzz Tail shad is a good alternative to the speed worm, bigger subwoofer type bait....I think they Make Venom and a few other companies soft baits. Producto Tournament 8" worms are basically a Magnum Trick worm with a flat tail.... Culprit still makes the best Ribbon tail worms, Fat Max probably best flipping style swimming worm, and a 4-6" culry tail worm catches fish anywhere anytime.... The Old is still really the new..Riverside is now Yum...on and on....Just new colors, new twists, but at the end of the day, The Chatterbait is really the only huge breakthrough since the Senko, and before then the SLuggo was pretty good. Just don't use them now, they won't work...Only Flukes work.... Anyone remember the Bass Pro Gator Tails with the rattle pocket in the tail....I remember ordering them as a kid and still remember the one bass I caught on them while buzzing it on top to make another cast..I wish I knew about Speed wormin back then... If a Mann's Jelly Worm and 6" Tomato core culprit were good enough to win a classic in the past 2 decades..Then they will work just as good. Its not always the bait, but who is throwing it and where. Pretty much all plastic worms will work if you think about it.

The swivel is a good way to hold plastics, I think I learned that from Roland Martins book years ago....I think he uses 2 for some reason, I am sure there are articles about it and videos. One good option to avoid that issue cause it will happen from time to time regardless of what you do from my experiences....Twist lock hooks help make rigging easier and also hold the bait on well. Owner sells a good one, or you can just buy hitchikers and make your own, but Berkley has some they sell at Dicks and local shops that are cheaper and maybe $4 for 5 hooks. I like the Fusion hooks. They are strong and sharp but owner Centering pins are probably the best hooks overall...Also makes changing baits easier, you can fit just about everything on a 4/0 hook. Crazy glue is also not a bad option. I find the barbs on hooks sometimes tear the plastic up too much. Just my take. Never tried parasite clips but it looks like a good idea.

In my opinion, the most important part of clear water fishing is lighter line, as light as possible, 6lb test fluorocarbon as a leader or main line, or light mono would make any lure you choose likely get bit more. I would personally throw a light C-rig, split shot rig, texas rig with a bait to cover water. If not alot of weeds and snags, try throwing a 3" shad body like the Keitech Shiner, Sassy shad style baits or small Skinny dipper on an open jighead so you can probe different depths and find fish quick. All suggestions should work if you find the fish. Craw style baits would likely still work, 3-4" grub, ned rig, fluke...any soft bait should work. If bottom is sand, a football jig is another good option with any trailer you like. A wacky rig worm is actually a good choice that works and I am not sure why. As a jig trailer...Especially on a swing jig. Just started doing this on jigs, on smaller jigs I use a 4" stick worm and I am starting to notice I do better on a stiffer worm for some reason, maybe cause how it snaps back after each pull or hop.

I have a bunch of Siebert Swim Jigs, bullet jigs, and the swim jig I purchased a few years ago...They are as good as they get, awesome Hook, wire tied trailers and he can do colors to match any forage you want. I had the owner make me a mix of colors and put together a batch for stained water, and he killed it....Prices are great and I only like Jigs that have top quality hooks. Pound for pound hard to beat his prices for custom jigs.

Whenever I want to add bulk to a jig without adding a huge 5" craw etc....I break out the Spider grub and trim the upper part of the skirt for added flare. If you trim the top portion of the skirt, it will look bigger when its sitting or when you hop it etc...There are a ton of good options, but a 4" Spider grub gives you bulk, extra flare with the plastic skirt, and you can simply bite a piece off if you need it shorter...... Spider Grubs give you bulk plus twin tails to mimic either a craw or baitfish....You can rig it sideways etc.. One of my favorite color combinations is black blue with a green pumpkin red or black red spider grub..Not sure why it works so well, but it just does. https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=641&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=mG6FXNKQKZKs_QbEmbTwAw&q=spider+grub+trailer+&oq=spider+grub+trailer+&gs_l=img.3...36622.36622..36911...0.0..0.71.71.1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.okj09ndN1Ok#imgrc=fRaFyQnWGSnpIM:

I tie everything direct and use an improved clinch knot most of the time. Its quick, reliable and I agree, less hardware is just more natural..I will use speed clips or Fast Tach clips for changing out Cranks and Hardbaits that do not have a split ring, or on Deeper cranks, I actually will tie a clip to the ring for extra noise since they can barely see the bait in stained water anyway.....I used to hate clips and never used them until I watched guys catch plenty of bass on hardbaits and it eliminates any issues with split rings and line getting frayed...In clear water I would still tie direct, but I rarely see more than a few feet of visibility at most. Small swivels are not a bad thing, Actually like them cause I trust the knot better than line to line if just throwing a weightless fluke etc..Plus eliminates line twist. You can use them, especially if you don't trust your braid to leader knot etc...I tend to have that knot fail at times for not checking it often enough and if it frays it sucks to lose a fish and see the leader broke, so I am not anti swivel...I think they help at times, adds a bit of flash.

I fish alot of places like that when I have time to kill some days, and one of the techniques I have been using and having success with is simply throwing a green pumpkin 4" grub on a 3/16 head, 6-8lb test especially if the water is clear. I would imagine that the bass are lacking in forage, but this time of year, their should be alot of small baitfish in the pond, if bluegill from last year they are a few inches.....I always figure everyone who is bass fishing is throwing the most popular baits, and bass do get conditioned to the same look. If bass will not hit a small grub on a jighead, either hopped on bottom, swim it at various depths, but I usually find if you just parallel the break lines of the first drop off, try to get away from the crowds, you can often catch fish. I believe lighter line is actually the key, same with smaller baits that are less intrusive. Very few people in lakes with Largemouth will break out a curly tail grub in 3-4 inches...You can rig it on a Mushroom head, darter head, ballhead, light texas rig....It will match all forage that could potentially be in the pond.. Another option is to break out the light action spinning rod, and downsize to the tiny trap size, 2" rapala, bitsy tubes, crappie baits. If you can't get bit in half hour, move to a different pond. Or go at night. I prefer night fishing on most lakes that get pressure. I get bigger fish at night and can often catch them on topwater which makes it that much better. Hope that helps. I pond hop often and have become much more finesse, lighter line since Pond Bass seem to be in tune with forage, so big baits often get passed up. 4-6 feet is crystal clear water to me, so I would downsize and trust your drag.....

I love a Brown one....Its a jig that you can pitch, flip, swim, hop....Just like any jig, just adjust the weedguard to how you like it and make sure it has a good hook. Brown Arkie Jig 1/2 oz is one of my go to jigs.

Could be one of the most versatile baits...I love it flat with a light weight and fish it like a frog, pitch it, swim it, can't fish it wrong. Great grub, Swimbait, Trailer, Pitching bait, topwater.....Flat or sideways...Great little bait when Bass are feeding on bluegills all year, especially post Spawn when bluegills are all grouped together. I like to just put it on a light bullet weight or jig head and cast it out and let the fish tell me what they want. Truly one of the best baits I have found in all my years of fishing. It produces fantastic vibration in stained water and smaller profile is fantastic...It really does make a good alternative to a Toad as a topwater as well...You will hook more fish as well..Plus when you kill it, it has better action then the toads...Just my take but the Menace is arguably the best strike king soft bait....Although the Cut'r worm is pretty good as well.

Sign me up. Been thinking about a bigger Menace for a long time...I love that bait, ITs a killer grub, trailer, flipping bait, topwater.....Top 5 softbait imo and one I never leave home without.

I would say from shore terminal tackle is the most important box, keep it organized, and in reality, you can bring some Jigs and softbaits, spinnerbaits, few topwaters and lipless cranks and be good. I feel I can pretty much always get bit on some type of softbait If I have the right weights, leader, and hooks. You can bring a Senko, Fluke, swimbait, grub, finesse worm and be good all day in reality....Add in some buzzing or swimming plastics for topwater and you are good. Usually weeds are an issue from shore, but hard to beat lipless cranks for covering water and locating active fish. Also don't discount the dreaded carolina Rig which gets a bad rap...Its boring when you are not catching fish like throwing anything else and not catching, but I find that a lighter 1/8-1/4 c-rig, mojo rig, split shot rig in shallow water kills fish in any scenario....You can actually fish it fast or steady, just tie a fluke behind a light weight and sweep it or reel it and it darts all over the place, feel any structure or rocks etc...Kill it and you get bit.... I feel like in new water, hitting ponds for a day, I do best swimming a speed worm on top along shoreline, or throwing a split shot soft bait on first breakline.....My point is plastics and terminal tackle are key.

I would say a plastic worm or a grub will catch fish anywhere and can be fished in any condition. Really any softbait can be all purpose...I guess maybe the Senko could be perfect for just about anywhere? I would never go fishing without a stick worm....

I love the Sebile SU 77 and it has caught me some good fish when the condition are right. I purchased about 5 lots on ebay back when they were discontinued and won a bunch of auctions, so I have a bunch and glad I do.... You can pitch them into tight spots and they suspend perfectly most of the time. The one issue I have had is I had to change hooks on a bunch of them, and now they do not suspend the same way, even taking off a split ring causes them to swim different or float slowly which is not bad. I like to throw a suspending Lipless around the spawn or flats and will just let them soak in areas where I think fish are, or fish them above grass and not have to worry about snags etc.... Cotton Cordell has the Suspending Spot which is actually a good bait at times as well. The one lipless crankbait I have never had luck with is the floating traps which I still think have potential...Just hard to cast and I never tie them on, but I like the idea...

My girlfriend actually made me a couple of Tackle binders after I almost spent $20 on the Berkley one at Dicks a few years ago...I now have 2 size freezer bags with the quality zip lock, and I have 10 bags with a grommet in the corner and then a carabena? Clip that attaches to my belt. When fishing on a Kayak, shore or anywhere, I keep my top soft baits seperated only by color or shade since I only throw a few. I will usually mix Black/Blue with Junebug, Watermelon with Green pumpkin, and just seperate by Grubs/Trailers, Flukes/Stick worms, big worms, finesse, flipping baits etc... I use Black, Purple, Green Pumpkin and watermelons 99% of the time, then white for swimbaits or flukes. Usually I rarely need to grag anything else, If I have a green pumpkin Purple flake, I just dump it in with watermelon Red etc..They may bleed in a day or two, but often the "Swirls" look really good. Junebug and Black and blue mix really well imo, Throw in some green pumpkin and you get good natural looking swirls which are uneven which I actually prefer. It actually works really well as a way to have quick access without carrying too many baits.

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to make an effort to throw them in a few ponds that I know have a healthy population of bass during the week when I have a few hours to kill during work. Maybe I will actually gain some confidence in them....Pretty much all the water in my area, especially the ponds that are usually good are really stained. It's strange, I use Electric chicken and Pink for saltwater all the time, Up north for stripers, a Pink Sluggo or Fluke is the first bait I throw. Nothing Pink is swimming in saltwater either, so I think I need to start throwing them and see how it goes. I actually used to put a Pink Stripe on the sides of cranks and rattle traps with the Spike it pen a few years ago after noticing that the bluegills had a pink/Purple tone to them in most of the lakes, and I stopped doing that for some reason. I guess a white Trick worm is just as bright for what the fish sees in stained water? Not alot of Junebug baitfish in lakes yet that is my go to color most of the time..... I guess I need to carry MORE colors now. Minimizing soft baits is really hard to do, but as long as I don't need pink craws and creature baits I should be able to manage.

I am always trying to minimize the amount of tackle I carry, and my biggest struggle is with soft baits. I have been able to consolidate all the plastics I need for a day into one 3600 tackle bag, and even though that is still more than needed, I realized last night that I have been carrying the same bag of Pink Trick worms, and Pink Sluggos for a good 5 years without once throwing them. I know pink will catch fish, but I would have to be in a really tough spot to reach for a pink worm with all the other choices. I know guys use them and catch fish because when I used to sell Plastics in Bulk, I would always get tons of pink swirls Senkos, Leeches and other baits that were overstocks. I would sell the Pink swirls and finesse worms at a pretty good clip, same person would often buy a few hundred in a year. Should I keep them in the bag? I always do the "What If" and that game can take you down all sorts of scenarios which never happen. I would like to know if anyone relies on Pink as a color, or Orange etc.... When do you grab a pink or super bright bait and truly throw it with confidence for more than say 10 minutes without a strike? Thanks. Interested in responses.

Both are really good lines, I like Stren because I have used it for years and if you like to watch your line for strikes, the original blue color is a line I have used for decades. I find that Stren, Big Game, Trilene XL are all quality and priced right. All are easy to handle but I have found that for me, Trilene XL and Stren handle the best on both casting gear and spinning gear and rarely get twists etc...I use XL around cover and do not break off more fish than I would using a stiffer more abrasion resistant line. I actually think I break off more fish on FLuorocarbon that costs 4x the money at times. Stren just doesn't adverstise much, but it is still pound for pound as good as any other mono imo. Just get whichever you like best in terms of color etc...

I texas rig tubes just like any other plastic, Put them on pegged weights, sliding bullet weights, weighted hooks, weightless etc...One of my favorite ways to fish a tube is on a Slider Jig head or Darter style head which is a trick I was shown for Salmon Fishing in deeper water.... For weeds and texas rigging, Trokar had a Tube hook they marketed a few years ago and was basically just a kahle style hook with the plastic barbs to keep the tube in place. I just like using a regular Wide EWG hook.. I have never noticed a brand working better, although I used to use the Gitzit tubes in smaller sizes up north when Tubes first became popular and I would imagine that is never a bad one to start with. I have tubes from BPS, Venom, Zoom....BPS has the best selection in sizes and colors, styles of tubes imo. You can get them cheap right now and they are as good as any. I feel like a tube is starting to get popular again especially for punching pressured lakes. Never a bad idea to try new baits to give fish a new look, tubes can be fished like a fluke or dragged..Can't fish em wrong, kind of like a senko or trick worm.... I need to start using them more as well. Too many baits to choose, not enough time.

Some brands make a 3/4 or 7/8 oz trap that is a smaller profile than the standard 1/2 ounce. I think the Rapala Rippin Rap has one that is 7/8 and casts a mile, not much bigger than a 1/2 so you can fish it in alot of same places. Just sinks quicker. They are certainly not too big, the Red Eye shad in 3/4 is a good size lure but small bass kill it. I like a heavier lure when fishing more "open" Water so I can cover areas quicker. I think the Spro is 5/8 and not all that big. I use the bigger spro all the time and it can fish like a 1/2 oz.