How Do You Fish This?

[logan9209]

I bought a pack of Zoom Baby Brush Hogs tequila sunrise about 5 months back. I have yet to get a bite off of them. I've tried them on a football jig with a spring lock, on a weightless t-rig, on a weighted t-rig, and on a c-rig.

Lately, it seems like I am horrible at picking colors. Everyone at my lake said to get bubblegum colored worms. I bought a pack of bubblegum Zoom trick worm...no bites (that was 6 months ago). A couple of people said that purple (and it's variations) soft plastics are good, so I got the Zoom red shad trick worm, Yum red shad ribbon tail (more lavender than Zoom's), and the tequila sunrise in the Brush Hog. Yum's ribbon tail are the only one to produce. The other 2 get no strikes whatsoever.

So the question/s is/are am I picking the wrong colors or am I fishing it the wrong way? Just to clarify a little here's the pic of the tequila sunrise brush hog (which is really the one I am asking about):

Sorry about it being a little blurry. I have a hard time holding the camera still. Thanks for any responses and I sincerely apologize if it's already been answered in the forums. I didn't see it, but maybe I missed it some how.

[rockchalk06]

I have the same in Watermelon seed with green flake. I have tried them on a jig with no luck. I even tried them in the brush and weeds Texas rigged with a 1/2oz weight with no luck.

I did get a few fish, nothing major, by fishing it weightless Texas rigged off the top.

[Fontana Finesse Man]

Try dyeing the tips of the tails chartreuse and flipping it near wood, grass, rocks around bluegill bedding areas. Would use a small weight, texas rigged and dangle it over tree limbs so the tails have a chance to work. As for the bubble gum trick worms, one of the finest floating worms ever for me personally. Don't give up on them, great bait around spawn time.

[logan9209]

Yeah, I'm not one of those guys who throws/gives a pack of soft plastics away if he can't get anything off of them. I either keep trying them or I put them on the back burner for a bit (metaphorically). Then, I will bring them back out once in a while. Thanks to Glenn, I have 2 lures that have never produced for me and when I tried something he did a vid on, I'd finally get strikes on them. One was the Zoom Speed Craw on a 3/4 ounce c-rig. The other (just last night) was a bright neon orange colored Zoom trick worm on a mojo rig.

[MCS]

I will throw my comments in on the trick worm statements made.....Those things get bit all the time, now that it is hotter I will admit it is slower. I weightless T-rig them for the most part or Carolina(or u could mojo rig them if you just watched the vid) I go slow with them like really slow, and it works really well. close to weed lines or culverts and over grass beds. maybe you are going too fast? I use red shad and bait fish colors personally.

[logan9209]

Honest to goodness the bubblegum color is the only color of trick worm that I have that doesn't get bit at some point or another. I shouldn't really have brought up the trick worms. I merely did it as a reference to whether I suck at picking colors or not. I mostly was asking about the brush hogs.

Today it has been mostly in the mid 70's so I thought the bass would be active for sure. But the barometric pressure has been yo-yo-ing today, so that could be an issue. Another issue is that I've been having some severe lower abdominal pain and it's kept me from doing much moving around. I probably should go to the hospital and my wife has been bugging me about it. Yet every time I go, they pretty much just get me in and out. Anyways, sorry for the rambling.

[bassh8er]

I'm more of the mindset that color is down the list on variables when choosing a bait. I use many different plastics, and can't tell you the last time I threw a color other than black or green pumpkin. I'm not a fan of bubblegum and prefer natural colors, and might go to a baitfish color for a fluke or other jerk bait, but other than that, it's black or green pumpkin. I've got a lot of confidence in trick worms and brush hogs, and think the depth and speed you're fishing them is waaaaaaaay more important than the color, but that's only my opinion.

[Bluebasser86]

Try some colors other than what everyone else is fishing that the fish see all the time like green pumpkin, watermelon, or black. Sounds like you're fishing them right otherwise.

[logan9209]

Up until last week it's been relatively clear. This week, however, it's been stained to dirty. What little bit of rain we're getting is stirring the bottom up some. I know that dark colors or really bright colors are for dirty and natural for clear. But where does bubblegum and tequila sunrise fit in?

[logan9209]

Try some colors other than what everyone else is fishing that the fish see all the time like green pumpkin, watermelon, or black. Sounds like you're fishing them right otherwise.

I can't tell you how many times I wish that I had just stuck with 4 or 5 colors: black, black/blue flake, green pumpkin, chartreuse green pumpkin, and maybe watermelon/red flake.

[RyneB]

the thing i have found with plastics is sometime a bait will work at one body of water, but wont get touched on another. The baby brush hig is that bait for me. It gets hammered on a local lake, hammered on a lake i fish up north. The strip mine i fish the majority of the time, it has yet to land me a fish. Baits that work on the strip mine, sometimes dont work on the other spots. Confidence in a bait is the most important feature a bait can have. If you have confidence in a brush hog, you are going to throw it a lot more than say a rage craw. Therefor, you will have a better chance of catching fish on a brush hog. Often times ill throw on a plastic, throw it for about 5 minutes, then switch back to a rage craw. Ill fish that rage craw for hours even if i dont get a bite.

[logan9209]

The smaller version of the brush hog without the twirl tails are some what of a go-to bait. There's one bush i can throw it up under once or twice a month and get a bass, but I'm wanting to build my confidence up in others.

[logan9209]

The problem I really am having, and should be for another post, is that I don't have one single lure that I can say is a producer. For example, the other day I threw one black/blue flake stick worm and a neon orange trick worm. 3 bass total in a day. But I can't say that I have any that get's hammered a bunch in one day.

[logan9209]

Ah, so right now technically speaking the hog should be alright to use. I just need to figure out which presentation they want. Thanks!

[out_doors_guy]

I'm more of the mindset that color is down the list on variables when choosing a bait. I use many different plastics, and can't tell you the last time I threw a color other than black or green pumpkin. I'm not a fan of bubblegum and prefer natural colors, and might go to a baitfish color for a fluke or other jerk bait, but other than that, it's black or green pumpkin. I've got a lot of confidence in trick worms and brush hogs, and think the depth and speed you're fishing them is waaaaaaaay more important than the color, but that's only my opinion.

X10

Color is important, to be sure, but it is the least important factor in my opinion. Confidence has a lot to do with it. 90% of the fish I catch on soft plastics are caught on only 4 colors: pumpkin seed, watermelon/red flake, black/blue tail and alabama craw. Pick a few natural colors and pay more attention to size and profile along with location. Remember, the deeper you are fishing and the more stained the water the less color is even a factor at all. As light penetration drops, the ability of fish to see color drops as well.

[Busy]

50% is presentation 50% is throwing the thing at bass. If you catch them on other colors your presentation is working. Throw them at bass!

[logan9209]

X10

Color is important, to be sure, but it is the least important factor in my opinion. Confidence has a lot to do with it. 90% of the fish I catch on soft plastics are caught on only 4 colors: pumpkin seed, watermelon/red flake, black/blue tail and alabama craw. Pick a few natural colors and pay more attention to size and profile along with location. Remember, the deeper you are fishing and the more stained the water the less color is even a factor at all. As light penetration drops, the ability of fish to see color drops as well.

What's really bad is that people like you and Gene have told me this (or other people) numerous times and I forget. I guess I'm looking for a reason why on some lures I catch bass and others I can't. Even same style lures (trick worms) by the same company but different colors, there seems to be a major difference in producing.

What really blows my mind is trying to pattern bass when I've caught 3 bass on 3 different lures in 3 different colors in just a couple of hours. I feel like saying something like House, "Give them a broad spectrum antibiotic", which for me would be throwing everything in and just roll with it.

[logan9209]

The fishing itch got the best of me. I went out across the street and fished for about 30 minutes (sitting down). Right now the water is stained to dirty. I was using a Zoom Speed Craw Alabama Craw with a 1/8 ounce weight on my 8# spooled ML spinning rod.

First, I now see why color isn't as major issue as presentation and size. I'm not sure how the bass even saw the lure because it seems that the lure would blend too well with the water. For my presentation I just slowly raised my rod to about 10 o'clock like I would a c-rig. A nice 2-2.5# nailed it. The joker took one of the claws off in the process.

Which leads me to the second point. Don't ever think that a bass won't hit a craw lure that's missing one claw. 30 minutes of fishing done me in, but I was just curious whether they would hit it, so I threw it out one more time.

This next part is 100% the truth. The lure got back to me and I just had lifted it about an inch or two out of the water when WHAM! This half pound bass jumped out of the water grabbed the lure and set the hook himself. I just lifted him right on up.

The reason I posted this here instead of a new post is that I want to thank everyone for their responses and I gained some personal knowledge today because of all of you.

[11justin22]

Brush hog is my number 1 producer period. I can ALWAYS catch fish on them though not the biggest. While tequila sunrise is a good color I haven't had the best of luck with that color at least during daytime. Night is a different story. Before u give up on the lure get a pack of watermelon or green pumpkin. Fish it exactly as u would a jig. Texas rig it and Drag it, hop it and throw it in trash( logs, grass brush piles....) I actually just caught a new personal best on a brush hog two weeks ago.. 7 1/2lb

[logan9209]

Brush hog is my number 1 producer period. I can ALWAYS catch fish on them though not the biggest. While tequila sunrise is a good color I haven't had the best of luck with that color at least during daytime. Night is a different story. Before u give up on the lure get a pack of watermelon or green pumpkin. Fish it exactly as u would a jig. Texas rig it and Drag it, hop it and throw it in trash( logs, grass brush piles....) I actually just caught a new personal best on a brush hog two weeks ago.. 7 1/2lb

Dragging a t-rig is something I did for the first time this afternoon. With t-rigs I usually short hop twice and pause. So, I'm hoping this "new to me" presentation will open up new producing windows for me.

[11justin22]

Dragging a t-rig is something I did for the first time this afternoon. With t-rigs I usually short hop twice and pause. So, I'm hoping this "new to me" presentation will open up new producing windows for me.

Dragging it is how I fish 75 percent of the time. It's how I normally catch fish on it. Just drag it along until u hit something stop for just a second then pop it over whatever is there and hold on. Fish will nail it.