Confidence Bait....why?

[Shane Procell]

I was on Lake O last week with a Linda and Tony who have been fishing with me for years. I had introduced Linda to a Senko years ago while on a trip in the everglades. She fell in love with the senko and said she has fished it from Conneticut to Florida ever since. She shows up in a pink hat and purse and has a bag a pink senkos. I never fish pink unless I'am sight fishing to bedding bass so I suggest another color, but she said pink senkos always work for her and called it her "GoTo" bait and color. A few cast later I feel the boat rock and turn to see her rod bent and line pulling away with this 8.20 pounder.So I pondered what happened and why for the rest of the day.

I know several anglers who fish with me who use particuliar baits that I rarely use and we are generally equally successful. I think we have have a confidence bait because it is successful to us.....but why? Is it because we cast it more often which equals more hookup opportunities. What do you think?

 

[Brian6428]

I think it is because we unconsciously work the bait slower, which results in more lure-in-strike-zone time. If I have confidence in a bait and think i will get a bite, I work it very slow. However, If i am using something i have little confidence in (for me, T-rig), I usually work it too fast and don't fish it effectively and for a short time so i can get back to throwing crank baits. Im a long shot from an expert but thats just my opinion.

[Darren.]

Cap, that's something that we need to figure out and bottle it!

Someone needs to do a scientific, peer-reviewed study of "fishing confidence"

It is so subjective. I think BoatlessBrian is right to a point that people may subconsciously work the bait differently, buuuuut.....

[joetomlee]

I agree, I think we are subconsciously working confidence baits differently than other lures we are not as confident about. I can't think of another reason why different people have different producers.

 

I am also more inclined to switch out lures much faster when I am not as confident in their ability to catch fish.

[joetomlee]

By the way, that's an awesome fish!!!

[OkeechobeeAngler]

Sounds like me. Mine is a Red Shad worm. Have caught fish from S. FL up to Tn. and now the Carolinas.

[Felix77]

If you believe what Rick Clunn has to say he will say that a bass can sense negative energy that you are projecting. With that being said when you fish a lure you are confident in you are more patient, and thus more positive in your efforts.

Sweet bass!

[georgeyew]

I think that Rick Clunn said something about positive energy transfering down the rod....but I am not sure I am sold on that theory.

[georgeyew]

Dang it Felix, you beat me to it!

[Teal]

I wonder how many guys reading this will go out and buy a bag of pink senkos.

[mnbassman23]

I wonder how many guys reading this will go out and buy a bag of pink senkos.

I already have a few.. good to know i'm up to date with the latest and greatest lol.

 

In all honesty I agree with a lot of people, i tend to fish my confidence baits slower. Also your throwing them more, more time in the water equals more bites, more bites equals more confidence. 

[Felix77]

I wonder how many guys reading this will go out and buy a bag of pink senkos.

Ironically I just bought 2 packs of bubble gum senkos. Glad I know what's in. Lol

[aharris]

Sounds like me. Mine is a Red Shad worm. Have caught fish from S. FL up to Tn. and now the Carolinas.

whats up man...wheres bouts in SC are you from?

[Felix77]

Something else I thought of has to do with building confidence.

 

Has this happened to you ...

 

1)  You go out with the intentions on trying a new technique.  Drop Shot, Alabama Rig ... whatever.

2)  You do your homework ... how to present it, map study etc.

3)  You get to your spot.  It's perfect.  Textbook even.

4)  You begin using that lure.  You are thinking about everything you are doing.  The cast, how fast you are reeling, how deep it is etc.

5)  no luck.  You are questioning yourself the whole time, what am I doing wrong?, what am I missing? etc.

 

This can go on for hours.

 

Then your brain begins to shut off.  I call it surrendering to "Just fishing" and WHAM you get bit.

 

Your confidence gets a jolt and you are able to repeat it a few more times before you are out of the water.

 

All of a sudden you know how to work that bait to get bit.  You begin using it more and more and magically you have a new confidence bait/presentation.

 

Don't you just love fishing ... LOL

[TNBassin']

Something else I thought of has to do with building confidence.

 

Has this happened to you ...

 

1)  You go out with the intentions on trying a new technique.  Drop Shot, Alabama Rig ... whatever.

2)  You do your homework ... how to present it, map study etc.

3)  You get to your spot.  It's perfect.  Textbook even.

4)  You begin using that lure.  You are thinking about everything you are doing.  The cast, how fast you are reeling, how deep it is etc.

5)  no luck.  You are questioning yourself the whole time, what am I doing wrong?, what am I missing? etc.

 

This can go on for hours.

 

Then your brain begins to shut off.  I call it surrendering to "Just fishing" and WHAM you get bit.

 

Your confidence gets a jolt and you are able to repeat it a few more times before you are out of the water.

 

All of a sudden you know how to work that bait to get bit.  You begin using it more and more and magically you have a new confidence bait/presentation.

 

Don't you just love fishing ... LOL

This!

[BrettD]

My go to bait consistenly produces and has since I started using it. So its hard to switch baits. What is odd that my dad and I like the same bait but different colors we both fish the same water and both catch fish on our colors but he wont use the color I use because he has no confidence in it  even though I catch just as many fish if not more then he does with my color. He even tried to use the color I use and after like 20 mins he was switching back to his.

[Darren.]

I already have a few.. good to know i'm up to date with the latest and greatest lol.

 

In all honesty I agree with a lot of people, i tend to fish my confidence baits slower. Also your throwing them more, more time in the water equals more bites, more bites equals more confidence. 

So it's really a numbers game! Dang. I stunk at math, LOL.

[Felix77]

I have people on my league who fish one rod, one lure for the entire event.  Sometimes it works, other times they die by it.  It boggles my mind. What if something different can produce results.  Sometimes a confidence baits can be more of a stubborn bait.  

[CPBassFishing]

you can't really excel at fishing a senko IMHO. she caught that bass because it had never seen a pink senko before, and it was curious. It just takes something a little different that what other people throw to get a bite.

I read an article written by Homer Circle about how bass are conditioned to lures. He had a bass in a large tank with natural surroundings. it bit a green pumpkin senko 20 times before it stopped biting it. he switched to a black senko and nailed it.

I don't feel that having a confidence bait matters. for example: if your confidence bait is a green pumpkin sweet beaver- you could throw it at a finicky bass hundreds of times and it might not eat it. if you switched to a white bait, the fish would think it was a completely different bait, and it might bite it. your confidence in the green pumpkin beaver would be gone.

I never have a single bait that I start with. I check the weather and the water conditions, temp, visibility, structure, etc. I research and i ask what works on a certain body of water. I check tournament records, winning baits and techniques, etc. Then I will start out throwing baits based on the conditions and what I know has worked before, whether it is for me or other people. ex.- if the water is muddy, i throw black&blue. if it's stained, green pumpkin. if it's clear, i throw watermelon or smoke.

I don't have a confidence bait. I take all factors into account and throw certain baits or colors based on those factors, and I catch fish.

[mrmacwvu1]

For me I think it has to do with concentration. It is almost like a visualize the bite before it happens with confidence lures. Besides there are just some baits that you enjoy throwing whether you are gitting bit or not. I love fishing a jerkbait just because I like watching the action.

[Felix77]

For me I think it has to do with concentration. It is almost like a visualize the bite before it happens with confidence lures. Besides there are just some baits that you enjoy throwing whether you are gitting bit or not. I love fishing a jerkbait just because I like watching the action.

 

Concentration is easier to do when you can just fish the moment.  With baits you have confidence in it's easier to visualize that bite IMO.

[K_Mac]

CPBA you can believe that excelling at fishing a Senko or any other bait is not possible if you want. You are entitled to your opinion. The Senko (esp pink ones) is one of those baits that some think is for those who don't really have much in the way of skill or understanding of bass. My experience is that most any bait in the hands of someone who knows that it works, is confident in its ability to catch fish, and knows how and where to use it, will almost always find some fish. While I think fish become conditioned to seeing the same baits, they are not capable of higher order thinking. Catch one 20 times on the same bait and it might not bite on the 21st. Come back 3 hours later and it likely will bite that same bait again if presented in the right spot with the proper technique. 

 

Captain I think the answer to your question is yes. We have confidence baits that we know work in some conditions. When we find those conditions (or sometimes even remotely similar ones) we confidently throw them. We pay more attention and keep them in the water longer. We are more meticulous in every part of the presentation, and as a result we catch more fish-giving us more confidence...

[roadwarrior]

I wonder how many guys reading this will go out and buy a bag of pink senkos.

 

Not me.  I don't like daiquiri drinks either.

[CountBassula]

Easy test! take 0.5mg of Xanax 1 hour before trying out a new bait. report results promptly!

[DINK WHISPERER]

I have often wondered about this myself but come out empty each time! I have even heard from some that it's simply how a bait looks, colors, shape, flash etc. They find it cool or pretty looking and figure the fish will agree. For me it is the Texas rigged plastic worm. I would have no problem taking just that and various weight sizes to control depth to any lake and be 100% confident that i will catch fish.