Making A List - Out With The Non Productive!

[hoosierbass07]

 I decided to make a list of the lures that worked for me this season and those that did not and those in between.  I had two big disappointments,  one surprise, two bewilderment's, and one continuation of a great lure.  

 

 My two biggest disappointments:  Yum Ribbontail 7.5" Watermelon seed and  Reaction Innovations The Flirt. 4.95" in bloody bug color.  Oh man, I thought I was going to kill it with that Yum Ribbon tail worm.  After I discovered how good their Yum-Dingers were in 2013 I found a pack of those Ribbon-tail worms over the winter.  I figured they were the right size, nice tail, and made by Yum!  How could I go wrong?  It turns out this worm was a big bust and produced nothing for me.  I mostly split shot those worms in the spring and summer, from the bank and kayak.  No bass.  

 

 Next is the Reaction Innovations Flirt 4.95" lure.   Like the Yum Ribbon tail, I thought I was going to catch tons of bass with this little lure.  I mostly used it with a split-shot.  Again, it was a bust.   A total bust.  I might have caught one or two small bass but nothing memorable.  I had high hopes for both these lures and it's disappointing they did not work out for me.  So, out they go!  I have too many other soft plastics to use.

 

 Now my surprise - Zoom trick worms.  Wow!  Those things work.  And you get a bunch in a bag too.  I bought watermelon and they worked, junebug and it worked, and black and it worked, all on a split-shot rig.  I didn't catch any large bass with them but they got a lot of bites and I caught a lot of fish with them.  

 

 This leads me to my discovery for this year - straight tailed worms.  I'm starting to think straight tailed worms are more effective than ribbon tailed worms for the waters I fish at.  Those Zoom trick worms and Roboworms are very good!  

 

 Also, I discovered Fluke soft swim baits from Zoom.  I split shot them one evening while kayak fishing and caught three or four small bass.  No big ones but still, the Zoom Flukes caught me some bass.   

 

Now the two bewilderment's - crankbaits and spinnerbaits.  I cast those lures a lot this season (after soft plastics).  My payoff was low.  I only had two great days with these lures, both in the spring.  My biggest bass so far came on that crankbait.  And I caught five nice sized bass in under an hour while bank fishing on a spinnerbait.  They were hitting a little spinnerbait hard.

 

So, soft stick baits are still number one to me (Yum, Stick-O's, and Senko's).  Next are the trick worms and Roboworms, lizards and berkley power bait worms then Zoom Flukes.  

 

If I experiment with any new lures it will be the Gene Larew Tattetail worm (I plan to split shot it) and small Gopher Mushroom Jigs (Ned Rig and other rigs).  

 

Cabin fever has already set in with me.  I've made this list and now reorganizing my tackle box! lol.   

[Choporoz]

I like the recap and I think there's a lot of value in reviewing the season. I just caution against making such grand generalities, even though it's natural and we all do it.  Each of those successes (and probably most of the failures) were dependent on much more than just that body of water and that lure.   I had days when it was lights-out with a squarebill, but a week later nothing would touch them.  If one misses the lights-out day, he might just toss all his squarebill cranks in the basement for the next couple years.

[Fishes in trees]

You will never get an impressive collection of old lures unless you do this several times per year for the next decade or so.  Don't ever let retiring old gear restrain you from purchasing new gear.  Just because you don't need the particular piece of gear right now doesn't mean that some time in the future you won't.

The same goes for older soft plastic baits.  Just because they didn't work as well as you had hoped over the past year doesn't mean that they won't ever work.  Put the old baits in storage - they won't ever wear out.

 

How do you do this - it is very simple.  Several times per year, Walmart  puts the plastic shoe boxes with the attached lids on sale for around a buck each.  Every time you see this sale, drop a 10 spot on plastic shoe boxes.  In several years, you will accumulate over a hundred of these plastic boxes and your old soft plastic collection will be VERY organized.

[Raul]

Just a question: how do you know they aren´t productive ?

 

Let´s talk about that 7.5 inch ribbontail worm taht ain´t working for you, I´ve been bas fishing since 1980 and the 7.5" ribbontail worm catches fish anywhere I have been. You chose right, but you went wrong when you chose them to fish under certainconditions.

 

Have you considered that you chose the wrong split shot size, the wrong distance between the split shot and the bait ( we can go on splitting hairs ), etc, add the location and overall presentation ? It´s not the wand but the magician, lures are productive but their productivity depends not on the lure itself but in the application, we are not infalible, we make the choice on when, where and how, and we may not be choosing the right when , where and how.

Sorry if I make you feel bad, but the only way you learn is by doing over and over again.

[primetime]

When I was in High school and college, I would go out fishing for an entire day and only bring a pack of gamakatsu hooks and some weighted keeper hooks, and a pack of Culprit 7.5" Ribbon tails in Tequila sunrise, and the Power worm 7" ribbon tail worm in black with chart tail....I never used any other worms for years other than ribbon tails, and 6" twister tails until the Sluggo came around. They will work anywhere anytime if fish are active and hitting a trick worm or senko in my opinion, I never would cast and reel the split shot ribbon, fished it like we do a senko today, let it sink, soak for 20 seconds, lift and drop 1 or 2x and then make another cast, 90% of fish hit on the first drop and right away, I always tried to avoid weight if possible, but I love Ribbon tails especially in Spring and when fish are active, or huge ribbons in summer or cold.

[hoosierbass07]

 I'm not saying all ribbon tails don't work.  But I used that Yum Ribbon Tail a lot this spring/summer and didn't get any action.  Also that Reaction Innovations "the Flirt."  Big disappointments.    Maybe the ribbon tail part was too long. I was comparing it to my Berkley Powerbait worms.  Those Yum worms have a longer tail.  The tail is a little longer than the actual body part.  With the Berkley Powerbait worms, the body is larger than the tail.  Also the Yum tail is more drawn out, the Powerbait tail is more spring/compact.  So I'm thinking that extra long tail scared some bass away.  Also, I predominately used the Yum Ribbon tail in clear strip pit water and occasionally used it at a state reservoir with regular green/brown water.  Perhaps it was just too long/big for the waters I fished on and really scared the bass in the clear water strip pit ponds/lakes I fished on.  From what I've been reading, you should use more straight tailed/short worms in clear water.  Maybe that's why those Zoom Trick worms and Roboworms always produced for me, along with soft stick baits.

 

 Now The Flirt.  I don't know why that failed.  Maybe too short.  I don't know.  But when I bought it I was pumped up about  it.   Maybe it was only intended to be on a drop shot.  I've not done any drop shot fishing yet. 

[5fishlimit]

Like it's been stated it'll work when the conditions call for it, and you're showing it to the bass in a way they want to see it.

[Bluebasser86]

I got this one on a YUM ribbontail

 

They're a little thinner than I like but they work well for me, they just don't last long. 

[Sam]

Hossier, I have already reorganized all of my Senkos and last night I attacked my "breakfront" with my reels, line and other things.

 

(The breakfront I am using was in the dining room until we got the antique stuff. So I moved it to my Man Cave and have been using it ever since.  My wife wants it back for her quilt room but too late. I am keeping it.)

 

Will be attacking my hard biats as soon as some good bowl games hit the airwaves.

 

I keep everthing, even the ones that don't work.

 

I take them to my Double Secret Pond or on lakes and rivers where I throw them into the dense cover and structure to give them another shot at success.  Losing them is no big deal.

 

And you are correct:  Zoom Trick Worms are excellent and you can fish them many ways.

 

Try the unweighted pink or white ones on 6 to 8 pound test as a "topwater" bait on your spinning rig. You may be surprised at the results.

[gulfcaptain]

IF this theory works for all, my biggest disappointment was those Senko's....caught one fish on them all year, and those dropshot baits I have. Only had a couple good days fishing either.  Then again, I fished mainly a flipping rod and punched thicker weedbeds so those baits weren't my baits of choice for what I was doing.  Learning new ways and not getting stuck into a certain type of fishing and putting yourself in a bubble will result in tough days.  I have gone out expecting to fish one way and ended up totally changing my game plan after seeing what the water conditions were.  Each year is different as conditions change.  If you are already giving up on the bait you're fishing because it didn't meet your expectation then you have already taken yourself out of the game since you have no confidence in the bait you have tied on.

[hoosierbass07]

  Each year is different as conditions change.  If you are already giving up on the bait you're fishing because it didn't meet your expectation then you have already taken yourself out of the game since you have no confidence in the bait you have tied on.

 

 

  I thought about that.  So is it common in bass fishing for one lure not to be effective one year but the next year or two or three years later that lure become very effective?  

[masterbass]

I have a couple of new baits that I really like:  gycb fat ika and berkley gulp jerk shad.  The jerk shad I used for flounder in south carolina.  I used to use live bait for flounder, but man the jerk shad just killed them.

[kikstand454]

Most lures. ... certainly the mainstream marketed ones.... will catch fish. If they didn't, they wouldn't sell. You know that one lure you got that one time and it has never even got a bite? Someone somewhere loves that lure and kills with it. Its all in your head.

Year to year?! How about hour to hour! !! I've dragged a c-rig all day, and caught them crazy on a trick worm- and then the bite died. Switched to a brushhog and bam. ...start catching again. If I had done the opposite- I would've caught no fish and then what? Think that the trick worm and brushhog don't catch fish? The real moral here is that I was fishing where I KNEW there were fish and I KNEW what technique I needed to use to catch them .... THEN I worried about the specific lure.

"Where" and "how" will always trump "what".

[primetime]

If the fish are not active or present, then you can be using any bait and not have luck. I love lipless cranks, and Jerkbaits, I have had days where it is almost to easy, then I go back to the same spot a few days later, and the same baits produce nothing, nor do any others, so it is impossible to ever say a certain lure or bait doesn't work. I have learned only 1 absolute in fishing, and that is, there are no absolutes, key is being willing to adapt on the water and try to understand why you are not catching fish......I use some baits and lures that get alot of odd looks form people, but I have confidence in them, and confidence matters, so if you don't like a certain worm, don't fish it, plenty to choose from, just because everyone loves a certain bait doesn't mean it will fit your fishing style or areas you fish..