The Same Old Same Old

[Mobasser]

Most seasons, I don't try or buy many new bass baits that I havnt used before. I still fish plastic worms, spinnerbaits, some topwater, with the occasional lipless or shallow crankbait thrown in.                                                     I do look at the new baits and teqniques to fish them, but I'm reluctant to buy them right away.                                                             I'm sure this comes down to confidence in a handful of baits I've had success with over the years, and with limited fishing time, I want to tie on something that I've done well on in the past.                I'm wondering how many others do this also. Are you quick to buy new baits, and learn new teqniques, or do you stick with a handful of baits that have worked for you?

[GreenPig]

I'm always looking into new baits and techniques. I always have a new bait or 2,3,4, or 10 coming in the mail. You had to give your handful of baits a try before you developed confidence in them so feed the Bait Monkey. 

[Jigfishn10]

I went down the rabbit hole of trying different techniques but came full circle to what works for me. 
I don’t get a lot of time fishing these days, hoping to change that this year, but I’m out to relax and catch fish, not practicing casting. With what limited time I have I’d rather go tried and true and have fun doing it.

BTW: My tackle box(es) are lighter too! ?

[Dens228]

I tend to stick with the same brands within techniques but do try to learn or improve on a non confidence presentation.  I should have more patience when using methods I'm not good at or don't use often.    

This upcoming year I'm going to really put effort into offshore structure fishing. 

 

I will say that last summer I went out one day and decided after every bass I was going to change lures, just for fun.  I ended up catching quite a few on I think 12 different lures.  Nothing big but it was fun!

[Catt]

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

 

That can be taken as a negative or positive!

 

The joy of fishing to me is the hunt, making the right decisions on location & timing given the present conditions is very satisfying.

 

Catching em is the verification that I made the right decisions, I ain't leaving that to chance.

 

When looking at new techniques I ask myself, is taking the times necessary to learn this going to improve my catch ratio & by what precentage.

 

I look at new lures the same way, will they significantly increase my catch ratio over what I'm presently throwing.

 

I can firmly say I ain't to fast to change, I'm gonna evaluate real close.

[roadwarrior]

On 1/16/2021 at 6:06 AM, GreenPig said:

I'm always looking into new baits and techniques. I always have a new bait or 2,3,4, or 10 coming in the mail. You had to give your handful of baits a try before you developed confidence in them so feed the Bait Monkey. 

I fish local ponds almost everyday if the weather cooperates. I'm always up

for something new, then back to catching fish! For 2021 my goal to to make

spinnerbaits a go-to for me.  The only "new to me" recently is the Berkley

Maxscent Flat Worm rigged on a drop shot.

[Spankey]

I’m pretty much a creature of habit. I have my favorite brands and their types of lures and stick to them. I’m a sucker to try a different color pattern within these lure. I love fishing RoboWorms I got turned on to them while fishing in Cali years ago. They were not out East and had not know or heard of them. They are still not all that popular. I’ve went out of my comfort zone a couple of times and tried others. Some never really built up good confidence. Didn’t go way out on a limb or drop huge bucks on any of the stuff. I just give it away. Have always done well with Berkley and Zoom plastics. Rapala balsa hardbaits. Bomber and Bandit Crankbaits. But I do like to pick up something new now and again. If I’m not feeling it when it’s on the shelf I won’t buy it. If I see something and it feels like that’s gonna put a fish in the boat. I’ll try it and It generally does work. I don’t think I have a crankbait that I have not caught a fish on. I’d like to venture out to a few Magabass hardbaits. But I have all season to do some research and mix a few of them in. 

[roadwarrior]

2 minutes ago, Spankey said:

 I’d like to venture out to a few Magabass hardbaits. 

Two suggestions: PopMax and Vision 110

[scaleface]

I'll try a new technique or lure if it fits the puzzle but not just to be doing something different . Lets take Carolina rigs for example . I never fished one before but I was wanting a way to fish   deep flats quickly ; so I tried a C rig to do just that , not because it was something new to me . I'm thinking this year to try some long lipped suspending jerk baits and  I dont even own one yet.  Not to be fashionable but because there are pieces of the puzzle missing and I think this one fits here .

[jimmyjoe]

   I used to be a stick-in-the-mud. I had my tried-and-true, and wasn't interested in new stuff. But now that I'm fishing lakes a lot more, I try more new stuff.

   Of course, people here at the site have  ... kinda .... sorta .... helped me with that.  ???    ???          jj

  

[MGF]

I stuck to certain familiar methods for many years. I caught fish but I got thinking I could do better. 

 

These day I make a conscious effort to look at unfamiliar methods or rigs and possible applications for them in the water I fish.

 

I don't know for certain that I catch more fish but you can't help but learn something here and there and it it gives me options. If nothing else it maybe adds some versatility.   

[gim]

Several years ago I made the mistake of buying 4 of a new lure simply because of the hype. Huge mistake. Now with a new lure, I buy one and try it before I buy another. If it works, I’ll buy more. If not, then I’m only down the cost of one for trying it.

 

The lure in reference above was a whopper plopper. Don’t get sucked into the hype until you try it and prove it’s worth.

[NorthernBasser]

I think people stick with the handful of techniques they've had success with in the past.

 

Personally, while I do the same to some extent, there's nothing like catching a bass on a new technique/bait. Seeing a bass smash a size 50 SPRO BBZ-1 Rat, or getting one to hit a 7-8" swimbait slow-rolling it on the bottom is just fun.

[ironbjorn]

I tend to stick to about 10~ things I really know and that I have a lot of confidence in. From there I customize them to fit the water I fish. Just as an example, I know a lipless crankbait works very well where I fish. I've long figured out that the original Rat-L-Trap in a shad pattern works best. The RLT might be the best "burner" lipless you can buy. It doesn't shimmy on the fall, but that's not something I need out of it. I need something that runs true at high speeds. A shad/white pattern just gets bit in my water.

 

I never rush to try new things. I wait for verifiable evidence that something works, and then I may slowly dip my toes in the water to try it. The way I generally see it though is that I like to catch bass, I know what my bass eat, and there's not much of a point in blowing through cash to try things they may or may not eat when sitting right there next to me is a stockpile of things I know for a fact will work.

[the reel ess]

I try some new things every year. If a buddy tells me he's killing it with a new bait/technique, I just have to try it. This past year I tried the Johnson Silver Minnow in gold with a trailer with success. But I never get away from topwaters, spinnerbaits and jigs. I've caught my biggest fish in the last few years on these baits. I've hardly fished a conventional T rig in a few years. But I do what I enjoy. I really don't enjoy fishing slowly. I think I need to move further south.

[whitwolf]

For me I have to be intrigued by the look of the bait to consider trying it. I can count on one hand the "new" baits I have tried on the last several years.

 

I have fed the bait monkey many times in life and will again. 

 

These are the questions I ask myself when considering some new.

 

1. Will this work any better than what I'm doing? 

2. Will I give it an honest go?

3. Will it fish the way I want to fish?

4. Is there a real possibility that it will end up in the tackle room like many before. 

5. Will I enjoy fishing this?

 

If I do try something new and it works for me  then I will buy a metric ton.

 

 

[Fishin Dad]

I definitely have/do the same old same old and always have most of them on the deck. I do believe, however, that with all the pressure with COVID on these lakes, I want/ need to try new and different things to keep em biting.  

[Team9nine]

I usually try one or two new things (baits, etc.) each year, either because they catch my eye, or because one of a handful of people whose opinion I respect recommended it, but I'm no tackle fanboy. I'll only buy a couple to try of whatever until I see if I like them, or if they fit in with the rest of my stuff. Many times it's simply a new option of a bait I already have and throw. I'd guess 90% plus of my fishing is with limited proven stuff. Most days I restrict my options, only fishing how I want to catch them, and with a handful of tackle that I bring.

[WRB]

It’s in my nature to tinker with things including lures. I like to browse tackle shops for lures and tackle ask questions chatting to the other anglers,  that is a big part of bass fishing to me. 

If you just consider soft plastics there is nearly unlimited new colors and shapes to check out, nearly all will catch bass.

Hard lures are always changing some are worthless others priceless, you will never know until you try.

Tom

[heavyduty]

@Mobasser, I'm kinda like you. I have a half dozen or so techniques I use and I stick with them. I'll try new bait colors or sizes within those techniques if something catches my eye or buddies have done well on a particular one. 

[Sphynx]

I guess for me it just depends on the bait in question, I have a very extensive collection of tackle, so the first question I will ask is "does this bait fill a niche that I have personally bemoaned not having any bait available to fill." From there I move down the yes/no answer sheet, the vast majority of the time the answer is "not really, no." Most new baits are either a different take, or a refinement of a previously existing idea in order to specialize it in some way, the next big question I try to answer is "If this doesn't do something altogether new, does it give me any reason to believe that it will be able to replace (and outperform) its competition product that I already own?" This is a yes more often than the previous question (think the evolution of the chatterbait) but still not terribly often, if one of those two big questions (and the related questions they naturally lead to) don't give me a reason to seriously interest myself in the new bait, I will avoid whatever the latest evolution of the mousetrap may be.

[scaleface]

When a local lake became saturated with algae , I had no choice but to try something new . I jumped on the toad and frog band wagon because it was a necessity . Now with the introduction of grass carp in those waters the toads and frogs are not as productive while the  spinnerbaits made a comeback . Lures are tools , select the right tool for the job .New lures that I have used in the past few years because they filled a niche are

 

frogs and toads

The Red Eye Shad because on that shimmy on the drop

Suspending jerk baits . I have not been a big jerk bait user in the past but they are sneaking in there 

[Hammer 4]

I always stuck with what worked in the past. This year, I finally broke down and bought a 168 S Waver..

[Log Catcher]

I try to stay with what has worked in the past. I am very slow to try new things. I will never buy any Megabass products due to the cost of them. I won't be buying or using any A-rigs. That takes a specialized setup.

 

I have bought some 6th Sense and Spro crankbaits in the last couple of years and caught some fish with them.

 

There are so many choices out there it is hard to pick a starting point in trying new baits.

[Boomstick]

I usually find what I'm not throwing, and what seems to work well in places I fish regularly - often during the winter during downtime. Then I decide what I'm going to add to my arsenal, what rod and reels I have that may be appropriate to fish it on and how to fish it, places I am aware of where I would fish it and pick up what I need in preparation for the next season.

 

This year, I didn't add too many new baits but more so stocked up on baits that I do use regularly in preparation for 2021. Of course there is still time for that to change - and it probably will. My goal for 2021 is to continue to improve on things I know primarily.