Are There Some Baits You Just Won't Use?

[A-Jay]

A Carolina Rig ~ the old ball & chain just does nothing for me.

 

A-Jay

[Jig Meister]

Buzz baits and spinnerbaits!! Buzz baits because they just don't work and spinnerbaits because every yahoo throws them. Not a huge fan of senkos anymore either because of the newb connotations. Used to have football jigs and jerkbaits on this list too but I kicked butt with them last fall so they've moved up.

As far as a technique, I absolutely despise fishing docks or other shallow shoreline cover. I live for offshore or weed line fishing. Less bites but bigger fish.

This is fishing, not video games

Use what you can to catch those fish, no one here is going to judge you, at least not me

[Teal]

Buzz baits and spinnerbaits!! Buzz baits because they just don't work and spinnerbaits because every yahoo throws them. Not a huge fan of senkos anymore either because of the newb connotations. Used to have football jigs and jerkbaits on this list too but I kicked butt with them last fall so they've moved up.

As far as a technique, ****I absolutely despise fishing docks or other shallow shoreline cover. I live for offshore or weed line fishing. Less bites but bigger fish****.

First off, You dont know what your missing. Second, the part about less bite bites bigger fish is NOT TRUE. Either yyou are "finding the fish",finding the right docks, or not finding the right areas, or fishing big enough baits.

Let me break a myth for ya, big bass do live in shallow water. Big bass do hide under docks. You might hate to do it, i hated it at first, but so long as you have big shady docks, dock poles, boats, and possibly some vegetation under there, you have a recipe to catch some big fish. I would say, 2/3 of all my 5-8lb fish came from super shore line or boat docks. I caught more than 30 fish last year over 5lbs.

You dont throw spinner baits because every body uses them? Duh that because they WORK!

And buzz baits work just fine.

And you dont like senkos because of NEWB CONNOTATIONS. Thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard. Senko style worms flat out produce, and ill use them and i dont care what people think.

FISHING IS YOUR TIME, NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST.

Im not trying to be mean or critical. I just do not agree with you, its very important to keep an open mind. Closed minds do not grow.

[roadwarrior]

Buzz baits and spinnerbaits!! Buzz baits because they just don't work and spinnerbaits because every yahoo throws them. Not a huge fan of senkos anymore either because of the newb connotations. Used to have football jigs and jerkbaits on this list too but I kicked butt with them last fall so they've moved up.

As far as a technique, I absolutely despise fishing docks or other shallow shoreline cover. I live for offshore or weed line fishing. Less bites but bigger fish.

 

Well, it's only February so there is a lot of time left, but I'm betting this will stand as the silliest post of the year!

 

 

[ChrisAW]

A few thing people mentioned already. I don't own anything Storm, because they are junk baits. I will not buy anything Mann's ever again because of the SUE SUE SUE mentality they had going, and their baits didn't produce for me.

 

Next is ZOOM. Not only do they have poor quality plastics that constantly come out with divots in them and air bubbles, I just can't buy a bite on anything I use from them. They are also a sue happy company. Right now even they are trying to sue a man who uses a pretty big name mold companies stuff, because they have a copyright on their Super Chunk, and the bait they are going after that man for looks NOTHING like it! A big middle finger to those jerks. I've melted down anything I had of ZOOM baits to pour my own.

 

 

As far as techniques, I'll try it all and see where it goes from there. I do find some things boring but if its working, I can't complain.

[A-Jay]

Buzz baits and spinnerbaits!! Buzz baits because they just don't work and spinnerbaits because every yahoo throws them. Not a huge fan of senkos anymore either because of the newb connotations. Used to have football jigs and jerkbaits on this list too but I kicked butt with them last fall so they've moved up.

As far as a technique, I absolutely despise fishing docks or other shallow shoreline cover. I live for offshore or weed line fishing. Less bites but bigger fish.

 

OK - but you'll never win any of the Major League fishing events with that attitude.

 

A-Jay

[Bluebasser86]

If you have any, mail them to me. NC fish eat them like candy!! Seriously tho, i love em!

I find dozens of Rattlin' Raps every year hanging in trees. Trap style baits are really popular in our lakes because of the high populations of white bass in most of them. I usually clean them up and give them away. I love trap style baits but I just can't buy a bait with the Rapalas.

[SENKOSAM]

 

Own a bunch buying clearance items, but never had luck with them.

Anyone use them or have good rigging ideas?

[lmbfisherman]

For some reason I have avoided swim baits, I'm not sure why I have.  I never had a desire to buy one.  I also agree on the Alabama Rig - it does seem like cheating to me imo. 

[CPBassFishing]

anything from storm... total junk.

Call me a hater but i dont like strike king baits at all. the durability of the rage tail baits is just as bad as yamamoto, and i just dont like them. that being said, the caffiene shad is the best fluke on the market IMHO. the perfect plastic lineup is decently durable.

i'll never buy from tylures..

i would buy rapala baits on sale...definitely not at full price

[BrettD]

Alabama rig to much work and not very effective in this part of the country. C-rig just boring in slow I like to fish for fun and C-rig is not fun. I dont even own a senko not sure but they dont do anything for me I stick with regular worms when I rarely do worm fish.

 

My favorite bait is a soft swimbait rigged weedless.

[roadwarrior]

Call me a hater but i dont like strike king baits at all. the durability of the rage tail baits is just as bad as yamamoto, and i just dont like them. 

 

Okay. I guess you can say "I'm in the tank" with Rage Tail Baits. The action is better than any soft plastic 

I fish, including GYCB. In fact, I have personally suggested to Big O that he add another option to some

of his baits that use a softer formula. I don't care a thing about durability, all I care about is more and bigger

fish. I think fish tend to hold better with a softer, fuller bait. The Fat Ika is THE perfect example and the Rage

Tail Menace is darn close!

 

"From a human perspective, they're like Twinkies".

 

 

[PABASS]

10-12" inch plastics..

[Darren.]

Baits I just won't use? The really expensive ones, LOL.

 

I've tried plenty of baits, stuff that hasn't produced for me: buzz baits, frogs, cranks & spinnerbaits (which rarely produce). I keep trying though.

 

Stuff I don't bother with: A-rigs/Umbrella, Carolina (anymore), and there are others.

 

I've said it before, I don't fish tourneys, when I hit the water I want to catch fish. What catches me the most fish and brings the most enjoyment: soft plastics, namely Senkos, Zoom Finesse, various creatures, minnows, etc.

[Teal]

WOW, u just stripped me of every technique and lure that i use yr round to land huge fish on up to 11lbs! Not to mention that heavy slow rolled spinnerbaits and C rigged Senkos are deadly on that off shore structure you like so much. I have even had them schooling and hitting a Cavitron buzzbait in 20+ ft of water! Anyways, my least used or favorite are deep diving cranks. I hate them with a passion and have never done that great on them.

Dude, i was thinking the exact same thing!! Ill fish deep open water and deep structure too but shallow water is what I like and where ive had most success. Ill crank deep and i have been successful at it, but id rather rip a lipess or something..i just dont like it, however i do anyway because at times it is very effective.

But the frogs, big spinners, buzz baits, senkos ect,....they are in my starting line up...lol

[DINK WHISPERER]

WOW, u just stripped me of every technique and lure that i use yr round to land huge fish on up to 11lbs! Not to mention that heavy slow rolled spinnerbaits and C rigged Senkos are deadly on that off shore structure you like so much. I have even had them schooling and hitting a Cavitron buzzbait in 20+ ft of water! Anyways, my least used or favorite are deep diving cranks. I hate them with a passion and have never done that great on them.

Buzz baits and spinnerbaits!! Buzz baits because they just don't work and spinnerbaits because every yahoo throws them. Not a huge fan of senkos anymore either because of the newb connotations. Used to have football jigs and jerkbaits on this list too but I kicked butt with them last fall so they've moved up.

As far as a technique, I absolutely despise fishing docks or other shallow shoreline cover. I live for offshore or weed line fishing. Less bites but bigger fish.

I forgot my least favorite technique though: FROGS! I know; I'm a weirdo. A lot of my friends hate fishing with me. They just like to chuck ad wind.

 

.

[Jig Meister]

A Carolina Rig ~ the old ball & chain just does nothing for me.

 

A-Jay

 

I can agree with this, I will fish a T-rig instead.

 

The only thing I can say that I will not use is GYCB senkos and that is because they are too much $ for me, when other things work just fine.

[Christian M]

Are there any specific baits that you won't use? Either certain brands of a particular type of bait, or the brand in general, or just any specific type of bait for whatever reason? That last one is the main reason I was asking this question but I thought it might be interesting to see how brand effects this too.

For me, I'd have to say it's soft plastic creature baits that I don't use. Don't own any. They just don't look like anything to me. Certain ways they can be trimmed might make a crawdad out of them but I'd just use a craw instead if I want that.

Also, the notorious Alabama rig. Never tried it, probably never will. Also giant swim baits. Besides being expensive and requiring a whole new setup to throw just that one bait on, they just don't look appealing to me. Looks like a few casts of one would wear a person out. I know I'm just guessing with no experience, but I just don't feel the desire to try one. Even the small ones.

EDIT......one of the members here posted a certain technique they wouldn't use either. I hadn't thought of that when I posted this, so I'm adding it now. Any specific techniques that anyone won't use? I can't think of any certain ones myself that I won't use.

I never used to use creature baits, until last season that is, when me, my partner and a whole gang of anglers got our butts handed to us by a guy using a baby brush hog. He won the tourney by about 4lbs. Since then I've caught a ton of quality fish using lizards & brush hogs.

[thehooligan]

I dont use buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, c-rig, jigs, creature baits, tubes, and probally a few others.

 

I have other techniques that i prefer. Instead of buzzbaits, ill use hornytoads. Ill use underspins instead of spinnerbaits. Instead of jigs ill use texas rigged worms or shakeyheads.

 

I think we all have preferences and goto baits.

 

Im perfectly content fishing sammys, lipless cranks, and dropshots all day 

[Gangley]

Wacky rigged Senkos or senko-type baits.  I hate them with a passion.  Dont get me wrong, I love letting my kids use them and I encourage their use of them since its an easy way to get them into fishing.  However, when I fish with friends or solo, I fish for different reasons and the senko doesnt jive with those reasons.

 

I cant explain it well so I'm sure I'll sound like a complete a$$ when you read this.  Fishing a senko to me is like putting a chair on top of a deer feeder and shooting a pet deer that is tied to the leg of the feeder.  I cant help but dwell on the thought that It requires no effort, very little skill, and very little technique.  In reality I know that isnt true and that there are many variances and differing techniques that require intricately detailed presentations that you must be very skilled with to work it properly.  For some reason though, I cant get over my initial thoughts on them and because of that, in MY MIND its a horrid way to fish and I absolutely abhor it,

[PABASS]

I dont use buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, c-rig, jigs, creature baits, tubes, and probally a few others.

 

I have other techniques that i prefer. Instead of buzzbaits, ill use hornytoads. Ill use underspins instead of spinnerbaits. Instead of jigs ill use texas rigged worms or shakeyheads.

 

I think we all have preferences and goto baits.

 

Im perfectly content fishing sammys, lipless cranks, and dropshots all day 

Really your missing out on fish if you don't try a Buzzbait, no bait that I know of can imitate its squeak and bubbles and bass key in on this.  To each there own but a Buzzbait bite is something you need to experience as a angler, the first fish I every caught on a Buzzbait smashed the bait like a train it was and still is an awesome sight to see..  I have had times where the fish wanted the profile of a Jig, and nothing else worked, jigs were my weak point not that long ago and I tell you what they put fish in the boat and I don't recall a fish I missed with a jig of recent.  Spinnerbaits what can I say it was the bait I grew up on defiantly a confidence bait for me.

[Fishes in trees]

I am not a "bait bigot"  The only baits that I won't fish are ones that I don't own.  I don't fish any $25+ JDM crank baits, because I don't own any.  I haven't talked myself into buying any Vision 110s yet or any Hud trout baits for that matter.   Maybe this year, I have spent money on stupid stuff in the past.

 

I really don't have any favorites either though, my favorites tend to be whatever is working lately for me.

 

I got tennis elbow pretty bad last year, and that limited my crank bait and spinnerbait fishing some, just because it hurt when I was casting.

 

I haven't pitched tubes very much in the past few years.   I wasn't getting bit very often and when I did get bit my strike to hook up ratio was less then 50%.   A beaver bait or Zoom Super Hog or Brush Hog, thrown into similar areas seems to get more hook ups for me.

[chromedog]

In reality, there are few things I guess I wouldn't throw.  More so things I wouldn't do. 

 

I don't throw big swimbaits, kind of overkill in my neck of the woods (Upstate NY).

I don't want to throw a-rigs.  Dont want to buy another setup just for them and seems like my shoulder would hate me after a while.

I am not a deep cranker. 

 

I have brands I like.  I have brands I don't care for.  But what is good to some, is not for others.

 

I more so look at what techniques I need to learn or get better at.

 

I have caught fish on jigs, but need more confidence and practice with them.

I am learning the carolina rig.

You guys can be senko snobs all you want, I will use them, catch fish and be happy buying more.

I have used Rage Tail baits without a lot of success, but I will try them from time to time and I love the new twin tail menace, cant wait to try it.

I have a little of this and that, I have no brand loyaltly.  If I like it, I will use it.  Whatever catches fish.  Those are the lures I like!

 

NO MATTER WHAT LURE YOU USE, WHATEVER THE PERCEPTION BY OTHER IS, IT IS STILL CALLED FISHING AND NOT CATCHING.

[thehooligan]

Really your missing out on fish if you don't try a Buzzbait, no bait that I know of can imitate its squeak and bubbles and bass key in on this.  To each there own but a Buzzbait bite is something you need to experience as a angler, the first fish I every caught on a Buzzbait smashed the bait like a train it was and still is an awesome sight to see..  I have had times where the fish wanted the profile of a Jig, and nothing else worked, jigs were my weak point not that long ago and I tell you what they put fish in the boat and I don't recall a fish I missed with a jig of recent.  Spinnerbaits what can I say it was the bait I grew up on defiantly a confidence bait for me.

 

I know buzzbaits are great baits, ive thrown them in the past and i know they work. Id just rather throw other style propbaits like a buzzjet or hornytoad, its all good  

[UWBass]

Hey now I can like what I like. I prefer smallmouth fishing so sue me. I like fishing deeper, fishing slow...dragging a jig, Dropshot, a Carolina rig. Methodical fishing. i dont prefer to just bomb away. i like to pick apart structure and I just don't like shallow weed fishing, it's as simple as that. I never implied that shallow fishing doesn't produce big fish, or lots of fish or that buzzbaits, spinnerbaits or senkos dont catch fish. I just prefer different techniques. That's it. Frankly I'm astounded at the response of some of your replies. I never catch anything on buzzbaits, every boat you see is chucking a white spinnerbaits, and literally the only lure you see most fisherman use is a senko. Maybe just a WI thing but it is what it is.

For what it's worth, I LOVE crank bait fishing. Square bills, moderate depth, deep divers, any and all.