What was your first confidence bait?

[MacBassin]

I thought this would be a pretty good conversation topic, and I'm also trying to find something I can try to find as my "go-to" as I'm really not feeling it with anything at the moment. I know I can tie on a ned rig during a crappy day and it'll usually turn it around so I have something to make the trip worthwhile. My grandfather almost exclusively threw rattle traps and double-bladed buzz baits. I'm leaning towards spending a couple months exclusively on flukes as they're pretty versatile, or TX/NC rigging all 5 of my rods to gain confidence in something. Right now I'm all over the place and constantly battling the "d**n I need to tie ____ on for this spot instead of this"

 

What was your first confidence bait, and what's your current?

[CroakHunter]

8 minutes ago, cam said:

I thought this would be a pretty good conversation topic, and I'm also trying to find something I can try to find as my "go-to" as I'm really not feeling it with anything at the moment. I know I can tie on a ned rig during a crappy day and it'll usually turn it around so I have something to make the trip worthwhile. My grandfather almost exclusively threw rattle traps and double-bladed buzz baits. I'm leaning towards spending a couple months exclusively on flukes as they're pretty versatile, or TX/NC rigging all 5 of my rods to gain confidence in something. Right now I'm all over the place and constantly battling the "d**n I need to tie ____ on for this spot instead of this"

 

What was your first confidence bait, and what's your current?

First confidence bait was a Texas rigged senko with an 1/8 oz bullet weight unpegged. Current confidence bait is probably a finesse jig if around cover, wacky rig senko if not. 

[Raul]

In-line spinner, that was my first confidence bait, I've caught literally thousands of fish with it, interesting, I still get "the look" from "more experienced" fishermen when I pull out an in-line spinner from my tackle box .... s*t, maybe they know something I don't ....

[MacBassin]

1 minute ago, Raul said:

In-line spinner, that was my first confidence bait, I've caught literally thousands of fish with it, interesting, I still get "the look" from "more experienced" fishermen when I pull out an in-line spinner from my tackle box .... s*t, maybe they know something I don't ....

 

I like it! Don't hear about them much. I think the closest I've gotten to using one is a rooster tail!

[CroakHunter]

17 minutes ago, Raul said:

In-line spinner, that was my first confidence bait, I've caught literally thousands of fish with it, interesting, I still get "the look" from "more experienced" fishermen when I pull out an in-line spinner from my tackle box .... s*t, maybe they know something I don't ....

Guy at work tears up pond bass with a mepps. I haven't ever fished one but Wil soon.

[Raul]

12 minutes ago, cam said:

 

I like it! Don't hear about them much. I think the closest I've gotten to using one is a rooster tail!

 

That's not a bad choice, another confidence bait for me is ..... a marabou jig, man I've caught tons of bass while fishing for bluegills with those, even if there aren't any bluegills I know I will catch some bass if I tie one..... of course "more experienced" fishermen look at me like if I were insane when I tie a panfish lure where there are no panfish to be caught but what the hell do I know, I've only been doing this for a little bit more than 4 decades.

[Dorado]

My first confidence bait was a fire tiger spinnerbait. Nowadays, finesse worms on a sliderhead for soft plastics and crankbaits and chatterbaits for search baits. 

[Bluebasser86]

1/8oz Roadrunner or rigged Creme Scoundrel, caught everything with those baits. 

[WRB]

My 1st confidence lure was my 1st lure a Hawiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon.

Tom

[EvanT123]

Beatle spin or zoom fluke. Still always have a fluke tied on. Beatle spin not so much. 

[Catt]

[Outdoor Zack]

In general: 1/8 oz. roostertail

 

For bass: 5'' yum dinger. watermelon red

[Jelvas]

 Zoom Fat Albert Grub, watermelon red, on a 3/8oz jig head! For years this was my money in the bank lure that allways produced when everything else would´nt...  even today i allways have one tied on in one of my rods for when things are going bad...

[scaleface]

Texas rigged worm . Before I learned to fish it , I rotated through everything I owned trying to catch fish , mostly unsuccessfully . 

[crypt]

For me my first bait was a zara spook.now a Manns Baby 1-

[scaleface]

8 hours ago, Raul said:

 

That's not a bad choice, another confidence bait for me is ..... a marabou jig, man I've caught tons of bass while fishing for bluegills with those, even if there aren't any bluegills I know I will catch some bass if I tie one..... of course "more experienced" fishermen look at me like if I were insane when I tie a panfish lure where there are no panfish to be caught but what the hell do I know, I've only been doing this for a little bit more than 4 decades.

 

I could have said a marabou jig too .When I was  a kid it was the only lures I owned and I use to walk along the rip  rap banks on the Mississippi not casting just jigging up and down . I caught  several different species  that way .

[roadwarrior]

Around 1958 it was the Creme Purple Worm. A few years later the Floating Rapala was introduced. In 

1997 I discovered the Senko. Today the Rage Tail Structure Bug.

 

[Dtrombly]

4" tube. Has my been confidence bait for 15 years, even on the worst days I seem to always be able to catch a few fish dragging a tube 

[A-Jay]

I had two - both thrown on spin cast gear, a seriously noodle fiberglass rod (that weighted 6 lbs - easy) & bad mono.

I was like 7 years old.  

A Rigged Crème Scoundrel (had to be nightcrawler)  and the Original Eppinger Dardevle Imp.

First several years I didn't use a swivel - the line twist was Epic.

 

 

 

Now, my confidence lure is just that; Confidence. 

A-Jay

[Alan Reed]

It was a Texas rigged Yum Dinger Green Pumpkin with a Chartruese tip.

[MassYak85]

A wacky worm. Really my whole interest for bass fishing started when I hooked an 18" bass on a plastic worm at summer camp. I had never used worms until then and it kind of made a lightbulb go off. So I used a wacky worm almost exclusively for about 2 years. And I got some nice fish, but picture this setup....

 

4'6" UL Ugly stick, 15lb straight braid, and a 3/0 EWG worm hook as the wacky hook. It worked, I caught a lot, also lost a lot. It's still a confidence bait and seeing slack line start to swim off on the surface is still one of my favorite things in fishing. Aside from probably a topwater blowup. 

[Tyler21]

My first was a wacky rigged senko. Now a Texas rigged creature bait with a 1/8 ounce tungsten weight always does the trick

[chadmack282]

original repala-

1st silver black back

2nd gold black back

[A-Jay]

Several of these most excellent responses here bring back fond memories.

However, a little too many are just making me feel Old.

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I had two - both thrown on spinning gear, a seriously noodle fiberglass rod (that weighted 6 lbs - easy) & bad mono.

I was like 7 years old.

A Rigged Crème Scoundrel (had to be nightcrawler)  and the Original Eppinger Dardevle Imp.

First several years I didn't use a swivel - the line twist was Epic.

 

 

Now, my confidence lure is just that; Confidence. 

A-Jay

 

Try throwing them on this