If you could only fish 1 bait at a lake/pond.

[skekoam]

I'm curious for those experienced guys out there.  If you visited a local lake/pond and could only fish 1 bait then what would it be?  I only have 1 baitcaster and a spitting reel.  Often times, I only have a few hrs to fish so I keep the same thing tied on all day (weightless senko).  I rarely change baits and thats probably a big reason, I get skunked a lot lol.  Just curious what you would keep tied on all day if you had to.

[A-Jay]

Perhaps consider learn to fish a jig or Texas rigged plastic.

Solid producer.

A-Jay

[Bird]

I keep 6-8 baits tied on all day.

[senile1]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Perhaps consider learn to fish a jig or Texas rigged plastic.

Solid producer.

A-Jay

 

I wouldn't want to be limited to one bait, but if I were, my choice would be a jig.  

[Shockwave]

I typically start out the day with 2 or 3 baits tied on to figure out if they're in the mood to chase or not.  Once I figure that out, I'll tie on 5 or so baits that are different presentations but still matching their mood.  If I have to choose one, I can fish a jig all day long and be happy!

[jbsoonerfan]

That is a difficult question for me to answer. I would have to ask myself a few things before I could come up with an answer. Do I want to catch a bunch of fish? Target big fish? Fish open water? Fish structure? Fish fast? Fish slow? What is the weather like? What color is the water? How deep is it? All that being said, if you told me I could only fish one bait on any given day under any given circumstance, then I am throwing a Green Pumpkin Baby Brush hog on a 3/16 oz weight. That is just my confidence bait.

[primetime]

I would go with something weedless that can hit all water columns at any speed like a fluke, or a swimming worm like the Rage Cut'R or speed worm.....I would probably just grab a pack of zoom flukes and feel pretty good.

[Bird]

3 minutes ago, primetime said:

I would go with something weedless that can hit all water columns at any speed like a fluke, or a swimming worm like the Rage Cut'R or speed worm.....I would probably just grab a pack of zoom flukes and feel pretty good.

Yeah, I'd lean towards the Fluke or Assassin myself, very versatile. 

Nose hooked on a little wide gap or with a big 5.0

Run them high or low with a nail, fast or slow,endless. 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

Yeah, I'd lean towards the Fluke or Assassin myself, very versatile. 

Nose hooked on a little wide gap or with a big 5.0

Run them high or low with a nail, fast or slow,endless. 

 

1 hour ago, primetime said:

I would go with something weedless that can hit all water columns at any speed like a fluke, or a swimming worm like the Rage Cut'R or speed worm.....I would probably just grab a pack of zoom flukes and feel pretty good.

I want to share a boat with the two of yall and learn about fluke fishing. I am decent with them, but the flukes i have are handpoured by an old timer that has sold them to lots of pros over the years. Im fairly certain they have some of the best action of any bait out there and i would enjoy seeing them fished by a couple of fluke aficionados 

[jimmyjoe]

   What .... no spinnerbait? Jimmy Houston would be ashamed of you!     jj

[JediAmoeba]

None of the above - Probably a spinnerbait since it is so versatile.

[Team9nine]

None of the above. I only ever keep one bait tied on during all my bank/pond trips. It will either be a Slider, a Ned, or a jighead wacky worm. Easy to pack all the above in one little baggie and stuff in your pocket. Same setup for all of them. Have probably landed over 1000 bass the past few years alone just with that little selection.

[skekoam]

36 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

None of the above. I only ever keep one bait tied on during all my bank/pond trips. It will either be a Slider, a Ned, or a jighead wacky worm. Easy to pack all the above in one little baggie and stuff in your pocket. Same setup for all of them. Have probably landed over 1000 bass the past few years alone just with that little selection.

What is a slider?  Is it just a hood with a weight at the head?

 

Also, seems like with almost all the applications, a spinning reel is ideal due to the lack of weight correct?

[Team9nine]

8 minutes ago, skekoam said:

What is a slider?  Is it just a hood with a weight at the head?

 

Also, seems like with almost all the applications, a spinning reel is ideal due to the lack of weight correct?

Charlie Brewer Slider head and worm. Most days I just use the Zman wormZ for all applications...and yes, one spinning outfit handles it all. Nothing over 1/8 oz. Only time I bring casting gear anymore is when I either want to, or need to, fish something specific for whatever reason.

 

Now, when I take the boat out, I'm bringing a bit more gear ?

[Black Hawk Basser]

If I was forced to use just one, I'd go for a jig.  I almost always try a spinnerbait, but it seems that they're either really on them or not at all.

 

Why do you never change?  It only takes a minute or two to switch it up.

[skekoam]

4 minutes ago, Pickle_Power said:

If I was forced to use just one, I'd go for a jig.  I almost always try a spinnerbait, but it seems that they're either really on them or not at all.

 

Why do you never change?  It only takes a minute or two to switch it up.

Good question.  I normally don't switch for a few reasons.  First, I don't like packing multiple rods because I'm really scared of accidentally leaving them.  I'm from Southern California and the ponds that I frequent don't have anywhere to safely leave another pole.  Many have cement sidewalks around them.  Also, I don't know how to fish a variety of baits.  I recently suscribed to MTB so I really need to start experimenting soon.  The last shipment had a frog, toad, and a few other lures.  Lastly, I'm on a time constraint most of the time.

 

Curious, how long do you guys fish a certain bait before you switch to something else? 

 

 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

1 lure.....have to be a 2 inch curly tail jig firetiger.......not the funniest or fanciest but it will catch anything salt and fresh 

[JustJames]

You can carry a small back pack with some tackle box. You should try at least a couple lures each trip and try to get confident with whatever work. Try at least one moving lure and one bottom contact. Spinnerbait, small lipless or chatterbait for fast moving lures. Weightless 4” senko, weightless wacky rig senko, light Texas rig or light dropshot rig with 4-6” worm. If you want topwater try small popper or jitterbugs. All this can be fish with Medium Fast 8-10lb copolymer line. 

Subscription box is good but you will end up more than half of what you cannot use. 

Most of the OC ponds are muddy bottom with some weed but no other structure. A lot of time you will have to finesse (downsize and slow) to buy some bites. 

 

I can fish Wednesday and Thursday morning if you wanna come this way. I’ll let you try some of my stuffs, including your son that I can hook him up with bluegill rig.

[crypt]

14 hours ago, Team9nine said:

None of the above. I only ever keep one bait tied on during all my bank/pond trips. It will either be a Slider, a Ned, or a jighead wacky worm. Easy to pack all the above in one little baggie and stuff in your pocket. Same setup for all of them. Have probably landed over 1000 bass the past few years alone just with that little selection.

slider rig for me also......

[Mike L]

For me it has always been and always will be a plastic worm of some sort. 

 

Starting with one that has it own action..a speed worm, ribbon tail or cut r. 

If they're not chasing then a do nothing stick worm. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Black Hawk Basser]

15 hours ago, skekoam said:

Curious, how long do you guys fish a certain bait before you switch to something else? 

It is different every time.  If I start with a high-confidence bait, I may stick with it for an hour, or least long enough to cover some key structural elements.  If I'm second guessing myself right off the bat, I may change within 30 minutes.  The main thing is that you are fishing where the fish are.  No lure will work if you're not putting it in front of the fish. 

 

The first things I think of before even considering what to throw is to try to make an educated guess on where the fish may be, and what section of the water column they may be in(top, middle, bottom).  Once you consider those factors, it can help narrow down what you should choose.

[Fishes in trees]

I wouldn't do it.   There are times when I do fish the same bait most of the day, but not because someone told me I could only use one.   Something about sticking with the same bait when you KNOW you have options, I guess.

[BigAngus752]

T-rigged worm.  Could be a t-rig with a light weight and a buoyant worm like a Zinker-Z that stands straight up on the bottom like an oversized Ned rig.  Could be weightless with a Zoom ribbon tail (best thing ever for spawn).  Could be a heavier weight with a Berkley Maxscent Kingtail (giant worm) in the heat of summer.  

[Craig P]

Spinner, and not the traditional bass spinner, the old CP or Swiss Style you would use for trout.  I've been making them myself for many years when I was a trout fanatic, I've just upsized them a bit for bass.  When I get blanked at a pond or lake, I goto that spinner.  Without fail, it gets me bass.  Not sure if it's a confidence thing or simply that 20 years of spinfishing for trout with them has me so in tune with that method.  While I love that method on streams, in lakes and ponds, it creates a lot of line twist so I do try to use it sparingly so I'm not stripping / replacing line every trip.

[Bankbeater]

I said a crankbait because it’s been my best bait this year. All other things being equal I would choose a jig.