primetime

Manufacturer websites are always worth checking....You can get lucky going on Pradco site, and others....

I always add a trailer, I have confidence in certain color combo's and certain baits. You can pretty much throw on any soft plastic and catch fish on a jig, the fun part if figuring out which ones work best for you.

I have used scents in the past like Megastrike and when I was using it I felt it helped....But I havent added scent in a couple years and do not really think about it. Most baits have scent cooked into them, salt etc....I have always felt that bass do hold onto powerbait longer, but that could be in my head.

The reason they sell a 1000 colors of soft baits with slight variations, is because they catch our money in the store or online....Buying different colors is part of the process of Fishing, part of the fun. I personally believe that favorite color is often related to confidence. If you believe a Blue worm will catch more fish than a watermelon worm, then it likely will in your mind. The only way to ever truly know what color was working best that day,is if you are fishing with someone who is fishing the same color, same depth, speed etc.... With that said....There are "Safe" colors that will always work. Then one day you may throw something outside your range, catch fish, and then it gives you confidence. Or watch someone else slay them on something that glows and it can quickly change your opinion. I agree with what Tom said above, it does seem that colors have staying power for a certain amount of time, certain lakes get a reputation for a color etc... I stick with the same Florida colors for the most part, then I have a few favorites like Houdini, Sprayed Grass, Watermelon/Orange laminate & red shad...Black with blue tail seems to be the new favorite.

In Stained water, Black and blue is typically my go to color for all jigs and softbaits. Or Junebug which is similar. I either match the trailer color with something similar in color, either a craw or swimbait, but sometimes a green pumpkin trailer on black and blue works really well.

I say buy a pack of each. Both are really good worms. I used to throw the original speed worm and caught fish, but last few years I tend to only throw the ultravibe version. Stained water, I throw the Junebug pretty much exclusively. The vibe creates plenty of vibration, if fishing weeds, fish it like a buzzbait and kill it in pockets, Fish often grab it when it is falling after following it. The original does make a good pitching worm, or swimming worm. Both will catch fish, just depends on what mood they are in.

Try throwing an old school Rapala floating Minnow or a split shot rig with a 4-6" curly tail worm.....Both seem to always catch fish when struggling.

bandit, Spro Lil John, Bomber 2a, Flat A since it basically suspends and looks like a bluegill, more subtle approach which works at times....The $4 Square A after changing trebles, Rapala DT, Speed traps, and of course KVD and Academy...I pick them more by color and size than anything else. I don't think I throw any $10 Plus crankbaits. I do love the older Xcalibur silent crankbaits. I have a few of the cheaper super shallow BPS crankbaits that have a rattle and they work well at times, perfect size crankbait. Storm Subwart is a great little crankbait as well....

I have watched guys do really well offshore on spoons in both cold and warm. I have used them ice fishing for Bass, and will use them from time to time if I have open water and schools of shad...There are good videos on You tube of guys catching big bass in the summer in Florida throwing big spoons offshore after its been cranked etc... I tend to use smaller spoons....Hopkins type for jigging, and I have a bunch of Johnson Sprite spoons which are pretty versatile. I used to use the Crippled Herring spoon and Lindy Rattle spoon through the ice for bass in NY, and we would do well...In Florida, I carry a few but rarely use them. I will throw a little kastmaster in ponds from time to time and they work well at times on light tackle.

I have the same issue...I store all sealed bags in large tuperware type containers to keep air out...I also have a ton of bulk baits from when I used to sell them online, and many are older, 2012 etc...I wrap them in freezer bags, and store them in closets, I seal the top with wrap, and they stay in perfect condition.....Open baits store well as long as air doesn't get inside, Freezer bags are the best, seperate by color, and they won't bleed or damage. I included a quick pic of one closet where I store both...I plan on listing them again, but shipping is annoying to sell them online. Impossible to get pics with all the different baits, even if you call them random, people want what was in the pictures....But hope this helps. If you buy the large clear containers at Walmart, make sure they are sealed, and they will last forever. I have bags I purchased over a decade ago, and they are still in perfect shape.

I haven't figured out the Neko Rig. I do put a nail weight in one end when wacky rigging, but only because all my strikes come on the drop, so if I want it to move under a dock, I will put a nail in one end. I have never hopped a Neko Rig on the bottom personally. I like a shaky head for the reasons mentioned, weedless, and can feel the bottom better.

I don't like taking soft plastics out of original bags, or out of any bag...I typically just fill a small tackle bag (3600 size) and it can fit 30 packs of baits or so.....Does the job, you can fit the terminal tackle/Jigs you need in the pockets....I use mostly soft baits, so I typically just put one box of lures on the bottom, then jam the bags on top, use the pockets for everything else like leader etc... I find if I take plastics out of bags they end up drying out faster, if box flips, they bleed etc....A plastics binder is nice because you can just clip it on to your belt.

Norman made a weedless rat l trap a few years ago, it had two double hooks on the back like the older weedless Jitterbugs... Sebile has a weedless model, it has a double hook in front instead of a treble that snugs tight to the body, Creme has a soft body mad minnow that is essentially the same design. I threw the Sebile a few times, and didn't really find it all that much weedless, plus the hook up rates suffer. Its kind of a bad idea, like the Weedless spinnerbait.

Duel makes a crankbait similar to what you are looking for. I found a few on clearance at Dicks for $7.99 & I think some were at walmart...They make one that is essentially a wake bait in a shad profile like the older Yo-zuri SS minnow crankbaits for saltwater. Looks like the River 2 sea movement shape someone mentioned. I don't know the name of the model, but Duel/Yo-zuri have some baits that match what you are looking for, I guess it depends how you define "Wide". As someone mentioned, you can fish the smaller Bomber #13 Long A and #14 long a like a crankbait, any jointed version will give you a wide rolling action on a slow retrieve. The Rebel Jointed Minnow and Jointed Rapala minnows make great shallow crankbaits with a thin profile. You can Fish them like a crankbait, floating minnow baits like the Yo-zuri Crystal minnow have wide actions with the arched back as well.

There is a website that actually has that information from each tournament going back into the 70's....Bass Acrhive I believe..I have not been on there in a while but it has articles from older tournaments and talks about the tackle being used, strategies being used back then etc.. I just did a quick search and this link popped up....Benefits of working from home.....https://www.fieldandstream.com/8-highest-earning-lures-in-competitive-fishing/

There is a website that actually has that information from each tournament going back into the 70's....Bass Acrhive I believe..I have not been on there in a while but it has articles from older tournaments and talks about the tackle being used, strategies being used back then etc.. I would guess Jigs, Worms & spinnerbaits likely still hold the lead overall.....

The Kalin's sizmic shad is probably the stiffest paddle tail swimbait I have used. Cabela's has a swimbait that BPS now carry's which has a different feel, durable, good colors and you get good value...I forget the name but they come in 3.5& 5", I think 3.99 a bag. Similar to the Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper which I would also consider a stiffer plastic...

The bait looks just like the zoom critter craw. Its a good bait, makes a good jig trailer, also good on a texas rig, light c-rig, or on a shaky head as suggested. It has a nice slow glide when it falls, I tend to use them in clear water and lighter line most of the time but they will catch fish. I love the fire claws in both orange like you have, and the blue....

I found a new Pond today...Its maybe 5 acres, soup bowl shape, clear water (3-4') visibility with the entire pond roughly 8-10' deep with a breakline that comes up pretty steep onto a 1-3' sandy flat on the shoreline. The shallow water is full of tiny 1-2" bluegills all schooled up, along with other 1/2" fry schools of likely tilapia and bass all jammed together. I only had about a half hour to fish it today, and in that time, I watched about a dozen good sized Bass come flying out of the deep water and ambush the baitfish. Not alot of shoreline structure, weeds are sparse and not much of an issue. I plan on going back over the next few days since I saw several 2-3lb solid bass, but in the time I fished, I only caught 1 on a zoom fluke in watermelon red, and focused on the dropoff. Any ideas would be welcome. I would imagine this pond has a few really good bass in it, so I am curious to hear some suggestions.

If not for the Slugg-0 we would not have the senko....First soft plastic jerkbait, and lunker City makes a ton of colors and a bunch of sizes which are all good. 3" up to 12". If you are looking for a good drop shot bait, the little fluke they make, Fin-s I think its called is a good bait, different profile. Lunker City baits are popular for Saltwater Surfcasters, I imagine more people still use them for bass, just do not get the press. You can often find them on clearance on the website. Lunker City has alot of good baits, swimbaits & Flukes & terminal tackle.....Texposer hooks are good. They are one of the few companies who truly offer unique designs different than everyone else.

I just add a split shot or bullet weight to my worm hook. I like to just crimp a split shot since its faster and easier. A pegged bullet weight on top of the hook does the same thing and i like my hook up ratio better with a bigger hook personally that many of the wacky hooks.

I would also vote for a Zoom ultravibe speed worm, or the paddle tail speed worm...You can fish either like a buzzbait or a crankbait etc.. A good way to fish it if not coming to the surface when buzzing it like a paddle tail keitech, is to add a light 1/16-1/8 oz sliding bullet weight. Cast it out and when the weight gets stuck in the grass (Not to deep, so the lightest weight possible), Rip it free & it often triggers strikes like when you rip a swim jig, rattle trap, jerkbait etc..... Swimming worms give them a different look/Profile. Many times you can just go weightless or peg a light weight and simpy buzz it on the surface or just bulge it and kill it in pockets. Flukes also make fanstastic topwater baits....If the caffiene shad is getting smaller fish, then upsise to the magnum size...Flukes catch big fish if you show them a bigger bait...Same with a stick worm, sluggo etc... Plastics are just easier to fish in weeds than most other baits when they are topped out. A swim jig is always a good idea as well if you can get the right weight to rip them out.

When I lived in NY, I would always do best in early spring with a 1/4 oz spinnerbait with a skirt that that has orange in it. For covering water, a Red or craw colored lipless crank is another great option, once you find fish, you can slow down and fish it with plastics.....Red Eye shad or a one knocker in red/orange is a safe bet. When in doubt...Throw a senko. You can always add a split shot in front or c-rig one if deeper, or rig your favorite plastic. If open water, you can't go wrong with casting a tube jig with open hook. Will catch fish any time of year.

small grubs and tubes, ned rig, small jerkbait like a rapala minnow etc. I would start out with a smaller plastic, tiny fluke size, 3-4" weightless senko, or split shot rigged small zoom finesse worm.... In creeks, spinners are never a bad idea....Mepps aglia will catch anything that swims. Same with a small road runner jig, maribou jig for crappie when its cold....

Whenever I fish ponds, and know I may lose a few lures, I only throw the Cordell super spots. They catch fish for me, I like the smaller model. When the Rat-l-trap first came out, the Cordell was the only other bait I remember being popular at the time. Its plenty good if they are hitting lipless cranks. I think the bait bonanza models are made for walmart, may have less expensive hooks, but since you are catching fish, keep throwing them.