Blade Bait Love/Hate Relationship

[papajoe222]

Without a doubt, blade baits are my go to after ice-out and will produce until the spawn as long as I change my presentation.  I love 'em, right? Well............they're also the bait I loose most often.  I'll sometimes go through four or five if fishing from shore and one or two if I'm out in the boat. I really don't fret over a lost lure here and there, but on those occasions when that lure is killing it and I loose the last one I have, I sometimes want to jump in that ice cold water to get it back. 

So what lure type do you have a love/hate relationship and why?

[CroakHunter]

Hollow body frogs. They catch giant bass, you get to use powerful equipment, and they catch big fish...but I despise Fishing topwater. Idk what it is that I don't like about it butbi just don't enjoy it as much as the next guy

[MIbassyaker]

Lipless crankbaits. I have never gotten the hang of the whole "rip them out of the grass" thing...all I get is the hang.

[Bluebasser86]

I love how much water I can cover with them, hate fishing them, lipped crankbaits. Only exception is a wiggle wart because they're fished so slowly it feels almost like dragging a jig to me. 

[Dorado]

For me,  buzzbaits and whopper ploppers. They are entertaining to fish with because they are visually appealing, but I’ve never had a single hit. Yet, I still buy more and will keep trying until I finally get connected. 

 

It’s just disheartening when I hear so many anglers rave about em. Maybe it’s because I fish ponds that are so heavily pressured?

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

So what lure type do you have a love/hate relationship and why?

Chatterbaits. I hate fishing them, but I love they catch fish sometimes.

 

ps: Use lighter gauge hooks and switch the snap out for a strong split ring, and you'll get most of your blades back from snags with 12-15 lb line.  

[A-Jay]

For me it's the full size soft body swimbaits; such an effective bait.

I know & understand there's a definable drop off in bites but the quality can really be up there, still tossing Hudds, Mattlures, Osprey line through's and Trash Fish -  I love all of that.

Where the hate comes in revolves around All the Northern Pike (and some Muskie) here.

First off, I must fish these baits with wire or they will virtually vanish.

Then there's the shredding and the tail bite offs - 

It makes me crazy.  Obviously doesn't happen every cast or even all the time (yes it does) but often enough that after several years of full on cursing at the lake - I've all but given up on the presentation here.

Unless of course, I'm actually looking to target gator Pike & Muskie - then it's game on.

Just have to accept the fact that I'll be donating whatever I tie on to a different type of tooth fairy.

So there's always that.

A-Jay

 

 

[MickD]

Drop shot.  I find it hard to not work it too much.  My son will be catching with drop shot, I change to the same thing, and still don't do very well.  

[38 Super Fan]

I love a hard jerkbait, but I sure hate it when you catch a good sized fish on one and get him and that bait all tangled up in the net.

[Dens228]

Hollow body frogs.

I love the topwater hit

I hate that I miss about 1/2 of them.....or the bass miss the bait since it can't be my fault! LOL

[craww]

Suspending jerkbaits...Tis the season, and they catch fish- but I hate pausing them.

[Scott F]

I love in-line spinners for river smallmouth. BUT, as it happens, this past summer, the big smallmouth would throw it every time they jumped. I changed the hook on the #4 Mepps but it made no difference. I hated putting it back in the box because it was getting more hits on it than anything else. If they stayed down, I'd get them to the boat but if they jumped, it was game over. 

[Fishin' Fool]

19 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

Lipless crankbaits. I have never gotten the hang of the whole "rip them out of the grass" thing...all I get is the hang.

 

Come out and fish Lk St Clair in the spring. Plenty of open water and very few weeds at that point. Lots of chance to chuck and wind.

[TnRiver46]

19 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

Lipless crankbaits. I have never gotten the hang of the whole "rip them out of the grass" thing...all I get is the hang.

It helps to have a fishing pole with the action of a broom handle for that application 

[JustJames]

I love dropshot, caught a lot of fish with this technique every time I see or shop I would look for my drop shot rig first. I even got two rods baitcaster and spinning specialized for dropshot.

Hate them since it fish so slow and quite often the tag end wrap around plastic and damage it.