Stuck on one type of bait?

[Fendercaster]

Anybody else out there get stuck fishing just one kind of bait? My fishing buddy and I have been fishing some local ponds and small lakes and we both love throwing plastics, usually to the exclusion of any other baits. We had a good day Sunday, we caught 21 largemouth between the two of us, all on plastics. All of the fish were small, I wonder if we might have caught some larger fish if we'd switched tactics and baits. Almost all of the fish were caught close to shore around docks and brush, a couple were caught on a submerged roadbed. We both know that we should try throwing crankbaits in deeper water around dropoffs and points, but we love using plastics so much that it's hard to make ourselves switch. Any of you stubborn like us?

[basspro48]

I'm like that with the jig, however it is a VERRRRY rare occasion when the bass won't hit a jig, no matter the conditions

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

I force myself to fish a variety of lures, but usuallly just one at a time. If I'm pond jumping, I only take one lure and it's already rigged! I fish nearly every class of lure in low light and will sometimes fish a crankbait, spinnerbait or a jig in the "right" spot or in certain situations at any time of day. However, if I'm fishing artificials, I probably fish soft plastics 80% of the time.

[Shad_Master]

I sometimes think back on my fishing trips and discover that I have been too stubborn about what I was throwing.  This usually has to do with "what worked last time", but I keep trying to change things up.  The only problem is it's hard to fix what ain't broken.

[Raul]

Got a friend that fishes exclusively with soft plastic baits regardless of the conditions, not only he catches a lot of fish but also good size fish, this guy 's secret is not only what he selects but how he fishes it, he knows more rigging methods and more soft plastic bait fishing techniques than anybody I 've seen. His sinker/hook box contains a huge collection of sinker types, sizes, swivels, small blades, hooks & things you never imagined that may be used for rigging soft plastics and he 's lethal with them.

He has never outfished me with my monster collection of stuff, he has came very close in quality & quantity but if I were to fish "mano a mano" only with soft plastics against him he would whup my rear end easily.

[PondBoss]

I'm right there with you on this.  Except my go to bait and mainstay is the spinner bait.  Crazy story here, once I went fishing at a pond that I frequent and left all of my spinner baits at home just so I would have to use other baits.  Wasn't really catching anything and just happened upon a snagged bait in a bush that was out of the water during the drought.  Tied it on and started catching fish.  I figure that means I'm supposed to be a spinner bait fisherman.   ;D  I fish other baits but almost 90% of my fishing is done with a spinner bait.  But at the same time I'll throw many different types from 1/8oz - 1oz in probably 15 different colors and blade styles.  Though usually most of my fish come off the same bait.  When all is said and done I think you fish one bait more because it's just "your bait" you'll fish that bait with more confidence than any other there by catching more fish what that particular bait.  If you wanna learn other techniques go out one day and leave the plastics at home.

Good Luck and Good Fishing

[roadwarrior]

NewMatt,

Great post.

If you want to learn how to fish and/or gain confidence in other lure classes, leave your soft plastics at home.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I'm like that with the jig, however it is a VERRRRY rare occasion when the bass won't hit a jig, no matter the conditions

YEA TELL THAT TO THE BASS WHERE I FISH!!! I tired for the whole month Of May and not one fish on a jig :-/

[Guest avid]

YEA TELL THAT TO THE BASS WHERE I FISH!!!  I tired for the whole month Of May and not one fish on a jig

You mean nobody told you that bass NEVER hit a jig in May?

Oh man, sorry dude, my mistake  

[Raul]

I'm like that with the jig, however it is a VERRRRY rare occasion when the bass won't hit a jig, no matter the conditions

YEA TELL THAT TO THE BASS WHERE I FISH!!! I tired for the whole month Of May and not one fish on a jig :-/

Muddy, the year has 12 months   ........... sorry I meant, for you guys up north it has 2 months  , my mistake twice.  

[flyphisher #]

When I pond fish, I feel like the fish are a little dumber than the fish in the lakes I fish tournaments on. So I try alot of new techniques,different baits, or something i am not quite comfortable with yet,when i am fun fishing if possible. That way  I have the hang of whatever it is i am doing before I go and start prefishing the big lakes I fish. I feel like doing this shortens my learning curve alot of times and maximizes my time on the water when it money is on the line.

[Banor]

I'm a soft plastics guy.  I fish lead and plastics in some form or another probably 85% of the time.  When I practice I'll try to find the predominant pattern and will work other presentations but for me I nearly always end right back at the soft plastics.  I've never met Raul but I'll be darned if I dont have that sinker box he's talking about.  I've got a couple 3700's devoted to just lead.

B

[Guest avid]

It's hard NOT to be a soft plastics guy.

Bass love em.  They can be made to imitate anything, and do it more naturally than other baits.

There is no doubt in my mind that going out with nothing but  some hooks, some sinkers and some senko's,  flukes, and toads would result in a good day of fishing 90% of the time.

But there are those of us who love to fish all kinds of baits.  

I often catch a bass, and then change off the lure.  My reasoning is "OK, I fooled one on that lure, now let's see if I can fool one on this"

One of the exceptions is the jig.  I'm not a great jig fisherman, and Florida is famous for pegged soft plastics (The Florida rig) but I LOVE jig fishing.  If I can get a jig bite going, I'll stay with it, but even then I will always have hard plastics rigged up and will always use them.  

[Guest avid]

Something just occured to me.

Could the jig be considered a soft plastics bait?

I mean I don't know anyone who fishes a bass jig without a soft plastic trailer, but it is common to see soft plastic craws or beavers etc, fished without a jig?

So what is it about the jig?

I think it's more about the trailer than the skirt.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

WELL AVID I  KNOW ABOUT THIS SINCE I SENT MOST OF MY EARLIER DAYS TRAILING SKIRTS

[Catt]

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got

[Wildbillb]

I would say I throw soft plastics and jigs 90% of the time.  

[Guest the_muddy_man]

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got

Catt PERFECT HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD I have a few ways I am really proficient in and i always think its gonna be different doing something else. In truth I am gonna get the Jig Thing,b/c so many old timers I know swear by them. But when I went to the Fork i acted like I didnt know anything thefirst two days, I was trying to learn everybody's elses way of fishing result: I got frustrated and no fish.Day three, I g got rid of the Braid , went back to mono, use 5 inch slaty tricks and a 7 in ribbon REUSULT  I CAUGHT FISH  The idea here is I have been fishing a long while and have developed ways to find them and catch them, I need to stick to waht I know

 It is fun to learn something new, but theres a time and place for that. I have spent a day or two throwing plastices, with a guy throwing cranks and we both caught comparable fish, both in size and numbers

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

So what is it about the jig?

I think it's more about the trailer than the skirt.

I think it is more about how it is fished most often.  slowly and on the bottom.

I personally go through phases.  yrs ago it was hard jerkbaits, then worms, then jigs, now senkos.  What's in the mix for next year???  

[Raul]

So what is it about the jig?

I think it's more about the trailer than the skirt.

I think it is more about how it is fished most often. slowly and on the bottom.

I personally go through phases. yrs ago it was hard jerkbaits, then worms, then jigs, now senkos. What's in the mix for next year???

Creatures.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

creatures and beavers were included in last years mix, I need something new and revolutionary,......like when the helicopter lure first came out,...Maybe I'll try Chuck Woolery's hollywood lures,lmao

[ValleyBoy]

In line spinners for me. I throw them all the time lately.

[Vorlin]

So what is it about the jig?

I think it's more about the trailer than the skirt.

I think it is more about how it is fished most often. slowly and on the bottom.

Huh?!?!

Bottom???? Uh-uh... not me.

I put together my own technique quite by accident. I was fishing a Crappie Magnet one day when the conditions changed and chartreuse stopped working. So, I grabbed a color that had been recommended to me called "Cotton Candy"... It's a little 1" paddle tail from Treetop Lures. They call it a 1.5" Tubby Grub and it has nothing at all to do with crappie magnets. I put it on the little 1/32 oz shad dart that came with the crappie magnet and never looked back.

I throw it anywhere it won't get hung up, especially the shallows parallel to the bank. I swim it with little 3" jerks at a faily brisk retrieve and the fish just try to kill it!

In my last 3 outings alone:

10 LMB, 1 White Perch, 3 Ring Perch, 1 Breem PLUS:

I lost count of the SMB, Sunny's, Bluegill and Crappie by the truck load!

All off of the same little jig! (EDIT: I just learned that "Treetop Lures" is one of the brands under "Spike It" Outdoors... turns out that it's not some little one man shop after all...)

Other than that, I use 3" Senkos in Pumpkin with Blk & Grn flake rigged wacky (on a #2 Gamagatsu bait holder hook, NOT a worm hook) and I swim it back slowly with 3" pulses to make the ends "flap". For slow fishing I use a finesse worm, one of Shaw Grigsby's line rigged texas style on a Gama worm hook, again the color is pumpkin.

I'm trying to expand my repetoire.... I just invested $30 in Fat Ika's and am currently browsing the forums to see how they're best fished. However, it's HARD to make myself use someting else when I'm too busy reeling in fish to have time to change the lure!

Vorlin

[berkley]

well i throw all kinds of baits but i throw soft plastics the most because i am confidence with them but i dont catch qualty fish with them but i catch lots

[Guest hibachi]

I'm guilty.  I almost always start with spinner bait, if it doesn't work I change colors, and experiment with different depths before I change lures.  This is especially bad if I'm fishing with another person.  I'll fish with the spinner, and let them experiment, and until they show me that they can catch more fish with what they are using than I can catch with the spinner bait, I don't change.