What is unusable?

[Bankbeater]

I think I have caught one bass on a Beetle Spin. I stopped using them when I couldn't even get a sunfish to bite.

[N Florida Mike]

For me it's jigs.I hear so much good about them.I have never caught a fish on one,or even got a tap,swirl or anything.Not that I've fished them a lot though.

Another is wacky rigged senkos. I catch tons of fish T rigged with them,but nothing with wacky style.

Bubble gum flukes don't work well in my lake  (fairly  clear water ), but I caught one of my best fish ever on one in a fairly murky golf course lake.

[bigfruits]

deep cranks

[Cgolf]

For me it is Senkos, for a lot of reasons, too slow, not economical, don't like fishing lures on a slack line, etc even though I know they catch fish for others.

 

I did buy five bags at a DSG sale recently so maybe I am softening, but I have had 3 other bags for a few years that never got used.

 

Like farmer I have at least one company I won't buy from once I made the mistake of googling some stuff, but as he said they won't care a bit.

 

The only other baits that come to mind for me are any topwater, they hate me, but I still try and have had limited success. The other is the KVD square bills that everyone loves, they just plow water for me. 

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The DT series from Rapala and their Rattlin Rap. I've had too many of the DT's fall apart to ever pay what they want for them again, which sucks because they're a good bait. The Rattlin Raps on the other hand, I could throw one of them into a frenzied school of white bass and come back empty handed. They just don't get bit for me even though they obviously catch fish since they've been around for years. 

 

The cool part about the DTs is you can usually find deals, I bought a bunch of them a while back when Gander had them on a great sale and then to top it off you got 20% more off what you could fit in a cooler you were buying. Saying that though I have only broke one that I bounce off the console and 2 casts later I only had the bill left. I just never slap them on the surface to clean them off and they seem to hold up for me.

[the reel ess]

11 hours ago, Darren. said:

Heh. BIG swim baits, BIG cranks, BIG jigs, 

BIG baits in general.  

 

Oh, and bubble gum colored lures. They work

for everyone but me. Everyone else.

Funny. My kayaking buddy, who only fishes when he's with me and only has one combo because i gave it to him uses the trick Worm on bubble gum exclusively-and catches fish.

 

Bama rig, big swimbaits, huge crankbaits, monster worms. I'm sure these all work and have their place, but you can go days without a bite when you oversize. I fish where there are big bass and I find that they'll bite normal size baits.

 

But I'm a sucker for the expensive topwaters like rats.

[Catt]

Zoom's Brush Hog!

 

Kill em on Baby Brush Hog...not a single fish on Brush Hogs!

[Darren.]

Just now, the reel ess said:

Funny. My kayaking buddy, who only fishes when he's with me and only has one combo because i gave it to him uses the trick Worm on bubble gum exclusively-and catches fish.

 

Of course! He's "that guy"! I know a few of them, too.

Everything I say probably won't work, does for them.

Never ending saga, LOL.

[.ghoti.]

A-rig; because regulations in Illinois say so.

 

Rattletraps; all I can catch on a trap are dinks. Don't even carry them with me these days. In fact, I gave them all away.

 

C-rig; just because.

[the reel ess]

27 minutes ago, .ghoti. said:

A-rig; because regulations in Illinois say so.

 

Rattletraps; all I can catch on a trap are dinks. Don't even carry them with me these days. In fact, I gave them all away.

 

C-rig; just because.

I just packaged up some tackle that I won't use and dobated it to a local charity thrift shop, among other things. Among the lures were a few Traps that I've never gotten a bite on. They only want gold metallic/black or silver metallic around here. I had so many I couldn't fit any more cranks in that box.

[jr231]

Interesting about the bubblegum baits !! I'm not real big on them... But I had a day where I was catching crappie and bass on them in the same area. I switched to my lightest gear and had a blast.. this was the super fluke too. They were respectable crappie. 

 

The rapala DT... I've never had the breakage issues.. Ive broke one.. and own many. I hear it all the time so maybe I'm not fishing hard enough lol. 

 

 

 

[Jeff H]

12 hours ago, Mosster47 said:

I don't throw buzz baits. 

Ditto. Hate 'em!

[kbeeb374]

For me it's the traditional texas rig.. and its not so much that I refuse to use them I just find myself using other techniques to get the job done.

[EastCoastAngler]

13 hours ago, Mosster47 said:

I don't throw buzz baits. 

You're missing out on some of the most heart stopping bass fishing ever 

[Fishes in trees]

Unusable is a situational concept.  For instance, deeper diving cranks are unusable in shallow weedy areas.   For the most part, so are hard jerk baits.  Exposed hook soft plastics are unusable in some brushy situations.   For a better, refined answer, got to have the situation first, then decide which is or ain't unusable.

[RichF]

I'm not a fan of all the newer "rigs" that have come out recently.  I just can't get behind the ned rig and niko rig.  I can't stand to finesse fish in the first place so it would take a catastrophic event for me to turn to these.  Senkos too.  I'm trying not to be so stubborn with them because I know they flat out catch fish but man it's tough.  The waters in upstate NY are just so good, I almost never have an issue getting bit power fishing my big, aggressive baits.  Now that I'm south of the the Mason Dixon, I may have to change up my game a little.   

[Jaderose]

I tear it up on Bubblegum Senko's.  *shrugs*

[blckshirt98]

Creature/Beaver style baits(especially Texas rigged) and spinnerbaits.  For spinnerbaits I always opt for a chatterbait instead.  For the T-rigged creature/beaver bits, I not only hate tying/pegging things on a Texas rig, but I also can't get over how some of those beaver style baits have no action in the water (like RI Sweet Beavers).

[Bill Kowalski]

For me it's spoons.  I used to love the old Johnson silver minnow, but I remember getting mostly Northern pike with it.

[Airman4754]

5 hours ago, EastCoastAngler said:

You're missing out on some of the most heart stopping bass fishing ever 

 

I will take your word for it.

[N Florida Mike]

8 hours ago, Catt said:

Zoom's Brush Hog!

 

Kill em on Baby Brush Hog...not a single fish on Brush Hogs!

Same here Catt.Ive caught one 4 pounder on the brush hog and nothing else.Have caught lots on the babies.

[papajoe222]

The Ned rig. If it were the only bait I was limited to use, I'd take up golfing.

[clh121787]

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The DT series from Rapala and their Rattlin Rap. I've had too many of the DT's fall apart to ever pay what they want for them again, which sucks because they're a good bait. The Rattlin Raps on the other hand, I could throw one of them into a frenzied school of white bass and come back empty handed. They just don't get bit for me even though they obviously catch fish since they've been around for years. 

Plus 1 for the dT Rapala. And spinning equipment. Can't stand em

9 hours ago, kbeeb374 said:

For me it's the traditional texas rig.. and its not so much that I refuse to use them I just find myself using other techniques to get the job done.

Boooo!

[RoLo]

20 hours ago, Angry John said:

The ball and chain aka the Carolina rig.  I have tried but it sucks and has never worked so i pass on it.

 

 

I like your priorities John, you gave precedence to "ball-&-chain" over "Carolina rig"  

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, papajoe222 said:

The Ned rig. If it were the only bait I was limited to use, I'd take up golfing.

 

Ditto..

 

 

 

 

Mike 

[RMax]

22 hours ago, kbeeb374 said:

For me it's the traditional texas rig.. and its not so much that I refuse to use them I just find myself using other techniques to get the job done.

You gotta put more time in the Texas rig, it's caught me so many fish.