Using lures the way they were not intended

[Bankbeater]

I've caught bass while fishing plastic worms and senkos fast so they stays up on the surface during the retrieve.

[Chris Catignani]

Every once in awhile...when the Slider bite is slow...I will bite about a half inch off the tail and rig it backwards.

There were days when this was the ticket. Its uncanny how much this looks like the Ned reg...except it was weedless.

[TnRiver46]

On 10/8/2021 at 12:35 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Making long cast and burning a jigging spoon ?

Jigging a casting spoon…….

[schplurg]

I've done some downright offensive things with lures (get a few beers in me), but the most successful is using a stick worm as top water, like others have mentioned. I used one on a mat one day like others would use a frog and caught a bunch.

 

I'm like "Why is there a mat suddenly here today? Hmm I have a worm tied on..." I'd let it sink, then if no strike I'd start bringing it in and it would quickly end up on top. There's no way they could even see what it was from beneath.

[Derek1]

I’ve caught a few using a weightless rage craw as a top water. 

[Allaroundfishing]

On 10/7/2021 at 8:03 PM, OldManLure said:

When we were about 11 or 12, my cousin and I got in a ton of trouble when we were caught using fly rods and poppers trying to catch bats around the barn’s security light. 

hands down the best one ive read so far, thanks for the laughs?

[thediscochef]

My first ever trip I caught a 5lb channel cat on a rebel popr with a heavy worm weight on it to drag the bottom. I then went three weeks skunk ?? 

[Hammer 4]

1/2 oz spinner bait with willow blades, retrieved fast enough to keep it on the surface, just like a buzz bait. Caught a few 5's and 6lb'r doin that.

[scaleface]

7 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

1/2 oz spinner bait with willow blades, retrieved fast enough to keep it on the surface, just like a buzz bait. Caught a few 5's and 6lb'r doin that.

I have never been able to do that with a tandem spinnerbait . I use to bubble the  Bass Buster Scorpion with  limited success .

[Mobasser]

One of the biggest crappie- 141/2", I caught on a chrome 1/2 oz rattletrap. Not considered a crappie lure...

[HaydenS]

Using a zman TRD rigged on a light wire ewg as a top lure.  Catches fish in pressured water.

[WVU-SCPA]

8 hours ago, HaydenS said:

Using a zman TRD rigged on a light wire ewg as a top lure.  Catches fish in pressured water.

Add just a bit more bulk to the hook and fish it like a fluke or jerk bait.

 

Had a school of striped and large mouths one evening where they wouldn't sniff the hard jerk, but the same cadence with the trd was lights out.  Went through many baits and only picked up the trd in frustration. 

[Bankbeater]

I've caught bass on shallow running crankbaits while fishing them on the surface like a popper.  I'll usually do this along a stretch of water willows that is close to a deep drop off. 

[scaleface]

I won a club tourney by reeling a Bomber Long A Minnow in as fast as I could next to stumps . It was getting late and I had no keepers . It was a Hail Mary pass . Caught two lunkers for 13 lbs and beat a guy who weighed 10 12 inchers .

[Mr. Aquarium]

Ripping a lanciotti psycho gill,  it’s a swimbait but acts like a crank bait. Big and bulky, can wake it or crank it. But one day early spring when I first got it. The loved it when I ripped it then pause, but it was a long hard pull with the rod. 

[newapti5]

Ned rid TRD is normally considered as a do-nothing bait, but I found out that during Fall when SM are chasing baitfish, a couple rounds of quick winding with a full stop could trigger more fish, just as the creator Ned Kehde narrated in this video: 

 

 

[Munkin]

Had a new guy in the club as a coangler one day create a new rig. I was catching fish on a Sammy and he was throwing a split shot rig. He decided to switch to a  SK walking bait but did not remove any of the split shot weights.  Now we are fishing really clear water so I can see everything.  I notice his lure is not on top of the water and start to tell him to take off the sinkers. Before I could finish my sentence about a 4lb SM comes up and crashes his bait. He ended up catching 3 more walking a topwater bait about 18" under the surface. That first SM was lunker for the day and a lb heavier than anything I caught.

 

Allen 

[MickD]

I was fishing Saginaw Bay, a rocky drop, crystal clear water, and my Zebco buddy tied a yellow 1/4 ounce Jitterbug onto the end of his metal leader, with about 3 split shots up the line, and cast it out.  I confidently said, "Tom, I don't think that's going to work very well."  It sank into about 8 feet of water, and bang!  He took a nice 2 pound smallie.

 

 

[kdubracing]

On 10/13/2021 at 9:07 AM, Mobasser said:

One of the biggest crappie- 141/2", I caught on a chrome 1/2 oz rattletrap. Not considered a crappie lure...

Not using it any different way, but my wife slayed crappie this year on a DT10. She caught several on several different trips. And I caught at least 6 catfish this year, one a 7 lbs, on Crush 50x and one on a jerkbait.