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Great question and people get carried away with having too many colors and styles of baits....I find that the most expensive baits are not always the best and as many have said....Zoom and Havoc are very well priced and offer a great selection. Also, Big Bite Baits are great here in Florida and very cheap as well as Charlies worms which make floaters which you need at times.... Here is what I feel is necessary to carry. 1- some grubs in 3-4" and a large 6" swimmming grub in Black/Blue...For colors I try to use translucents for clearwater-SMoke, Motor Oil, Watermelons....Nothing beats a 4" Lunker grub in a color with silver or gold flake for flash for covering water 1- Some 5" senkos in Black, black w/blue, Smoke with silver and pearl laminate-Smokey shad it is usually called, and then Green Pumpkin with Red and Blue flake..Junebug of course and that is really all you need. I would also pick colors that match the forrage on your lakes. Orange and reds if crawfish are the pattern. Silver flake is good for flash, but Black, Junebug, and Green Pumpkin should make up the base of your colors. Pearl as well..... 2. Tubes, Tubes and tubes.....They are my go to bait all times of the year..One color for shad, one color for craws, and then one in Green Pumpkin....I also love to dip ends of baits in chartruese Spike it....Smoke with Blue or red works great as well..... 3- Zoom Trick worms and finesse worms are cheap, and I love a Motor Oil Red Flake Trick worm dipped in chart, or baby bass color, and Junebug....... 4- Berkley Powerbait chigger craws and havoc flipping baits....Black/Blue, Watermelon seed, Green Pumpkin 5- Last, grab some flukes from zoom in whatever color matches the forrage, some swimbaits that are on sale, the Skinny Dipper style is great and Hollow belly are too expensive and hook sets are tough......Big Bite baits makes cheap beavers and the squirel tail worm is all you need for shakey head fishing....I use that worm as my Go To worm now in all situations..... Look for sales on Ebay and closeouts at retailers......Do Not pay Top dollar for soft baits... You can find deals on all your baits if you look....Most importantly.....If you do not think these are good tips, then do not use them..use what you truly feel willl work...Confidence is key...If you don't believe me, the next time you take a kid fishing, tell him he can have any bait he wants, except for the Bubblegum worms as they are too good and you are running low. Explain that fish can't resist them and it is almost unfair.....Heck, Pick a bait that has never worked for you.....Do a good job on the sell, they will beg you to try just one....Guaranteed they tee up a nice fish fairly quickly as they will be fishing that bait with 100% focus. Yamamoto is just a brand that markets really well.....Way over priced in my opinion...Zoom, Big Bite and Yum as well as Bass Pro soft baits are all great and the Bass Pro Sicko worm is every bit as good as a Senko.

I like to "Mtatch the Hatch" as they say, and I have found that in clear water, spinnerbaits work well for the "Flash" effect which in turn causes reaction strikes as well as strikes from Active fish. I like to downsize my selection to a spinnerbait that is 1/8 or 3/16 and I prefer either a single colorodo blade or willow blade (Not hammered) in Silver/nickel. I use Black at night, but often the same set up that works in the daylight will work at night. Studies have shown that 90% of fish actually strike the Skirt as opposed to the Blades (Knowing Bass by Keith A Jones.) If bluegills are the Main Forrage I like to use a Skirt that has black and blue with a chartrueuse pepper translucent single tail twister grub. 3" trailers usually work fine and I like a trailer hook since clear water fish love to just bump faster moving baits. Keep in mind that "Clear water" is never really clear....Bass feed by sight first, so in clear water, I have had success avoiding rattles and sound, and also vibrations with colorodo hammered blades and Indiana deep cupped blades. Keep it simple. You can never go wrong with a Baby bass or green colored skirt and trailer, or silver flake if Shad or Shiners are the main Forrage. Good rule of thumb that works for me....In Winter and Pre Spawn...I fish crawfish pattern spinnnerbaits with orange blades and craw pattern trailers with a white trailer. In the spring, after the bluegills spawn, I go firetiger, black and blue, and chartruese heavy...Then, whenever in doubt...I go with a white trailer and translucent watermelon, motor oil, smoke, or white trailer/grub. Experiment with colors for blades as well....I have done great with black and white colored blades in clear water and I use this rule....If water is stained red, then I will use a trailer that is translucent with Red Flake and also go to a Red/Silver blade combo and if water is brown or green, I go with darker colors like green and Blue/Purple. It is important to have skirts to change out while fishing and also some extra blades that you can downsize...spinnerbaits with single blades and double willow work best for me, or willow and small colorodo....I don't like alot of thump in clear water..... One last suggestion...get a 3.5-4" skinny dipper style swimbait or Gambler Ez swimmber and rig it with a 3/0 hook and 1/8 oz bullet weight pegged, and then add a small willow blade attached to a swivel and split ring to the hook so it hangs off. Completely weedless, plenty of flash and fish a swimbait no bigger than 4.5" and no smaller than 3". If water is completely clear, Motoroil dipped with chartruese is killer, as well as smoke and silver flake, watermelon translucent, and black blue flake of course. Do not be afraid to throw a johnson silver minnow or any spoon for that matter in clear water and always use the lightest line possible. If not alot of structure, 6lb test is preffered in my opinion and if fish are over 10lbs, then 8-10lb fluorocarbon or mono in clear colors work best. Rig the spoon with whatever soft bait gives you the most confidence as long as it is black, white, or in a translucent color.

Also...Prado- which makes Booyah, Rebel, Smithwick and about another dozen tackle companies...Storma and Rapala....CHINA....Rapala is no longer tank tested..Start looking at your lures more carefully and you will be suprpised....My Lucky Craft Pointer is made in China just like all my Sebile Lures as Ilure makes them.....I met the nice Chinese Factory reps at Icast.....THey make new soft baits and companies like Berlkley just add them to the Havoc, Powerbait and Gulp Lines and so does Reaction Strike, Northland etc...I met the reps for each company and went through the Chinese catalogs 2 years ago and thought to myself....Who would ever want to make this terrbible soft bait part of their product line.....Now it is called the Sick Fish and in the havoc line. I grabbed samples of the beat Shad 2 years ago from the chinese. Skinny bear and Roboworm etc....Easy to get in China and MOQ is only 1000 pieces...Strike king is now Costa Rica. I could go on forever as I have had a blast buying spro Lures for $4.00 and getting the Jackall Giron for $6.

Almost every fishing reel you can buy now is made overseas.. Keep in mind that Paatents do not apply overseas as in America..I used to only use Daiwa and Shimano reels growing up and then started buying Revo's and Pflueger and recently Okuma....Long story short...Even a Japanese lure is most likely manufactured in either China, Honk Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, or Costa Rica, Mexico....I recently purchased a Pflueger Supreme for $90 a year ago and was at a Gander Mountain and could not help but notice that their 9bb Plus one reel looked exactly the same as the Plueger and then the Shakespeare for $30 felt the same and had writing in all the same places. I did research and they are all made in Korea, but that is also not true. All Bass Pro Reels are made in China and they don't lie because all the cheap and best stuff is made in China. We do not even make Ardent anymore. It may say Made in USA, but that is because they are allowed to say it is as long as one piece like a washer is made in the USA...Even Yo-zuri lures say...Assembled In Phillipines..BUt are made in China.....You can buy Yo-zuri lures from China direct but they are expensive and will not save you money unless you buy 1,000 or 10,000. Long story short....My Okuma Serrano, Helios, Pflueger Supreme, Bass Pro Reels, and Revo's have all been ok but have had alot of issues compared to the reels I used to get from SHimano, Daiwa, and Bass Pro growing up....I purchased identical Chinese reels of the Pflueger supreme, and another reel that had same coloriing and carbon body like the Helios for $45. I also matched up the best reel Cabelas Sells and found that in China for $21. Alll 3 reels are the exact same reels and now everyone in my fishing circle just buy them from China. Reverse Engineering anyone? Maybe...But no plastic gears and all the scare tactics people use. My "Fake Pfueger is the exact same and handles as well and so are all the rest...If it is made in China, than if it weighs the same, looks the same, has same gear ratio, line capacity, magnetic drag etc...IT is not a knockoff..The term Chinese Knock off does not make sense unless you are looking to buy a Ford Car in China.Every OEM or Company in China is sold on a stock exchange like in the USA if they are public, and every company has to disclose where it's products are made. I found all Bass Pro lures/reels/Rods were made by an OEM in China and that Same Oem also makes 75% of the lures you and I buy for alot of money....They save you about 40% to buy direct, and they are the same....You can get cheap lures in china just like you can in the USA. You get what you pay for but if you realize that a Gander Mountain reel and a Shakespeare and a Bass Pro reel are all the same reel with different "Brands on them"....Why not buy the same one that has chinise writing as it is the same reel.... Long story short..You will love your new reel....Japan Barely makes anything in the fishing industry...Maybe they assemble it after China makes 99%. I now have 3 baitcasters that cost me under $100 that would retail for roughly $600 in the USA or $400 if I just went to bass pro, Cabela's or Gander. My Serrano and Helios are the same and actually my "Fake" Pflueger Supreme seems to be better. All the Abu Garcia reels are garbage in my opinion especially the Revo. and one more....I used to have a $320 Japanese Megaforce Daiwa reel that I loved..I sold it on Ebay for $200...Good thing...I now have the same reel for $66 bucks. Been 9 months, have landed 30lb snook no problem...Drag is great...reel is great....Enjoy...It is the new world....Capitalism baby!!!!! Why would any company build in the USA when they can go overseas? Wallmart is perfect example. Without China we would not have any jobs at all, forget about Manufacturing.... I am a rep for a large American Company who makes top end Electronics and Everything we make is made in China.....our TV at Best buy for $1500 is not really any different than the one at wallmart for $900...Except the model number ends with a 35 instead of 00.....We all get caught up in China makes junk...Ever been to Icast? Does Berkley Powerbait and Gulp even have American Writing on the packages? If you are looking for only American Made Lures and line and reels, have fun fishing with just a limited selection of inferior products that cost alot more money....I think it is terrible, but in the 80's supply side economics or as George Bush called it against Reagon- Voodo Economics until he got into office and supported the same policies has changed our country forever and China, Indonesia, Malaysia create our jobs....We can't even build road and bridges anymore

Stanley makes a wom called the Sidewinder that has a Rattle Chamber and has lots of ridges for vibrations. I have always though of Stanley as a JIg company, but I am in love with the Ribbit, Double take hooks for their frogs and flippin baits, and I like this SIdwinder worm. I grabbed a few packs at Bass Pro on clearence last year, never though much about them, and one day I decided to throw one on a tough bite in mid summer. I had a silver fleck & Smoke shade, and I added a subtle worm rattle to the tail and decided to split shot it in about 8 feet of water near Hydilla & underwater structure. Ended up catching 3 fish on first 5 casts and now I use that worm with and without sound, love to add cotton with Megabait scent inside, and I have had days it outproduces senkos, trickworms, etc... I always like clear soft colors since I want fish to hear and feel my bait near them....I dont want a bright bait in front of an inactive fish. A soft clear Green pumking, smoke, brown, silver, melon etc.. seems to trigger their curiousity and predatory insticnt when they are not hitting my senkos, sluggo's, Trick worms, or Power worms. I never tried the worms you mentioned above. Going to order some now. I love trying new ideas and tricks. I love reading success stories, so when I try the same rig on the water, I expect a fish on each cast.....I am convinced that confidence is more important than color, and type of bait most of the time, if you are educated and at least in the ballpark with lures and size.

If you live near a Gander Mountain, they always have crazy sales in February to make room for new lures and baits. I just spent $600 on lures and baits the other day at the store in Orlando Florida, or near Orlando... My buddy told me about it, so I drove from Tampa.. I only prepared to spend $150 but here is what I walked away with......I got excited, can't lie. 1. DT 20 Metal- Green shad, grey shiner, sivler/blk- 2.97 ea 2. All Lucky Craft Pointers- 1/2 off of 12.99 so 6.50 ea 3. Strike King Sexy Swimmers lipless swimbaits. 5 bucks from 12 4. Rapala suspended Minnow raps and xraps in size 9,11- 3.00-6.00 Now here is where I got carried away Spro Frogs- 5.99 Scum Frogs- The big size-1.99 Clackin raps 6-8 sizes 3.99 in top colors-Perch,ghost,clown, and a few other top colors. rippin raps were 2.25 in all colors and husky jerks were 3.00 in rare colors, meaning the better ones. Then I grabbed a bunch of lures I would never purchase due to money....but now I see why Sebile Flatt Shads, squad Minnows, and Norman cranks are so popular. I grabbed sebile splasher topwater lures with the glitter inside for 5.00 as well as all flatt shads..They are $16.99 at Dicks.... To top this off, Sports Authority decided to shut down their Fishing department and I ended up walking into 75% all fishing items...Grabbed every spool of Nanofil, Power Pro, Sufix 832, and lots of leader and Hooks. Also grabbed all sorts of Yozuris, zoom baits, and Johnson silver minnows with Mister twister grubs as well.....Now I have to figure out how to pay my rent and bills... I may have to ask one of my firiend to give me a black eye and a few scratched and pretend I was mugged or something. My girl is going to kill me... Dropped close to 1500 on tackle, but man was it fun!!!!

2.5-3" Tubes- Gitzit or other low profile....If the lake is fished heavy, use light line, no leader, keep the rig simple. Use lots of scent and fish it with ice jig or slider jig. they hit it on the fall. Or go weightless or add cork inside to float it. add eyes and swim it. Fish see the same baits all the time.Try a 6" Kriet squirel worm on a shakey jig. Its thin profile is key. Learn to drop shot/Split shot and fish slow and easy.Did I mention a tube...oh yea... and spike the tentacles with spike it marker. Hot pink or chart.

Way to many people forget about tubes. I have used tubes to catch fish in shallow water,Heavy cover, very deep 40-50 ft. and all times of year. gitzit,zoom,canyon plastics,Berkley havoc smash toob-slim body for crankin it in open water.add some eyes.Reaction strike charges to much. If you want to fish in heavy cover, go with the Strike King Coffee tubes, and the Bass Pro tubes. The fatter tubes fall slow and fish them on Slider and ice jigs for sinking gliding effect. Get some tubes, go weightless, split shot it,stuff cotton/styrofoam/cork inside to float it and add scent. Add some nice eyes and its a swimbait. Try to find the MR. Twister Mino tubes. big swimbait tubes for Pigs.