My Most Productive Baits ~ 2021 Edition

[Junk Fisherman]

On 12/3/2021 at 4:41 PM, A-Jay said:

 My quest for the Plus Size brown bass that inhabit the water I fish here continues. 

And while I was super fortunate to introduce myself to a few, I also caught more small to mid – sized bass this season than in many years combined.  Can’t really explain it, but something changed.

 

I was on the water more early (and some late) season.

This list of ‘the most productive baits’ reflects that.

Meaning, much of this is happening in relatively cooler and even cold water. 

So definitely pre-spawn, perhaps some post spawn with a few summer and fall trips mixed in at the end of it.  

Bottom line and what might be the important factor here is, these are the baits that took the better fish for me this season.

 

https://youtu.be/xOItisrL3EM

 

 While I have quite a bit of this burned in to my memory, I do not remember every bait I fished in every situation all year.

Still, it’s hard to forget the deals that took the better fish. 

Just to be sure, going back through report videos was very helpful and somewhat enlightening actually.  

Not going to discuss all of the horizontal moving hard baits that to me, feel like a glaring omission. 

But I just never got a bigger bite with that stuff this season.

 

Either way this is what I came up with.

The baits listed are pictured in the most productive colors/patterns based on the conditions I fished them in.

 

 

Jerkbaits;

Megabass Vision 110 Silent,

Megabass Vision 110

Megabass Vision 110+1,

Megabass Vision 110+1 Jr

Strike King KVD 300 Deep. 

That Silent bait is really proving to be a shallow water killer.

 

Blade bait

 Dimiki Vault ½ oz.

 

Vibrating Jigs

 Z-Man Jackhammer Chatterbait 3/8 & ½ oz

 Z-Man Chatterbait Freedom 3/8 & ½ oz

 

  Vibrating Jig Trailers 

  GYBC Zako and a Paul Krews Custom Baits Hand Poured Goby

 

Evolution Baits HD Goby on a football Head 

(Totally new deal for me )

 

Outkast Tackle Feider Fly Marabou Jig 3/32 & 1/8 oz

 

Everegreen Shower Blows 105

 

Strike King Rage Tail Cut-R worm

 

A-Rig 

G Funk Baits Bama Rig with

Strike King Rage Tail Swimmer,

Keitech Swing Impact FAT and / or

Strike King KVD Swim N Shiner

Mounted on Dobyns Light Hook Swimbait Head or

Dirty Jigs Tactical Bassin' Finesse Swimbait Jig Heads or

VMC Boxer Jig Head  – usually all 1/8 oz.

Baits are usually less than 4.75 inches.

 

I also fish the above swim baits & heads as stand-alone presentations in ¼, 3/8 & ½ oz. sizes

 

Strike King Burner Spinner bait – I changed the blades on some baits 

I’ve fished painted blades in the past (white) so it’s something I went back to this season.

 

Megabass Dark Sleeper ½ & ¾ oz

 

***  Baits along the Right side of the picture are Presentations I fished some and intend to fish more next year. 

These are in the ‘High Expectations’ category.

Megabass Vision 110+2 - (really hope to discover the Magic in this bait – if it has any.

@Munkin Custom Perch Spinnerbait

Megabass Sonicside crankbait

Tackle HD Hi Def Craw - (as a standalone bait and a trailer)

Tubes

Hair Jigs (bottom contact deals)

 

Wish List-

Baits that to the best of my knowledge do not exist, but I believe there’s a real need for.

 

5/8 oz Jackhammer (Seems it could be a real sweet spot as far as weight goes)

A SILENT Megabass 110+1 and 110+1 Jr. that will still cast well. 

 

 As always, please feel free to add your own selections to this thread should the mood strike you.

We like pictures.

Stay Safe & Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

Hey A-Jay- love this thread.

 

Since we fish the same type of water could you share your most productive smallmouth jerkbait colors for sunny vs cloudy conditions?  10'+ visibility.  I was just taking inventory today and I have lots of clear water, sunny shad imitators and I know I need a couple loud-colored smallmouth colors especially for cloudy days.  Any help is appreciated.  

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

Hey A-Jay- love this thread.

 

Since we fish the same type of water could you share your most productive smallmouth jerkbait colors for sunny vs cloudy conditions?  10'+ visibility.  I was just taking inventory today and I have lots of clear water, sunny shad imitators and I know I need a couple loud-colored smallmouth colors especially for cloudy days.  Any help is appreciated.  

Thank and I sure can.

 

  Most of this is straight from Brown Bass Tools ~ 

"In my jerkbait fishing, I am presenting them to smb that are on or at least relating to the bottom. 

So for me, the idea of a suspending jerkbait is a bit of a misnomer. 

(Plus, I add weight to at least half my jerkbaits so they Cast further (and into the wind) & run DEEP.  Early season almost always includes wind and getting the bait away from the boat is a huge deal.   When the water's warmer - say above 52-55 degrees, brown bass are far more willing to come well up off the bottom to get a bait.  

But when it's colder, especially mid-40-ish, they are not going to do that very often, at least IME.

So what does that have to do with color ?

 Just Everything.  

There's two concepts that I follow when selecting bait color/pattern that's being presented on or near the bottom, and Jerkbaits in this case, fall directly into that category.    I either want the bait to be close to or MATCH the color / shade of whatever the bottom is I'm fishing; sand, some type of green weed, leaves, whatever.  Sometimes a splash of color contrast is good. 

OR  

 I’ll go with a color pattern that is WILDLY different - Like Clown.

So I want my bait to either appear like it’s trying to hide / blend in or standing out badly, and I do  not prefer much in the middle ground.  

 

  In the clear waters I fish, Perch ( Dark Green, yellow or brown) or a 'clear/glass’ perch works over darker bottoms, Ayu works in the sun over sand, and when the fish are truly suspending, I use a glass minnow, smelt type deal. 

So that kind of simplifies it a little at least.   At times a some flash is a good thing, like chrome or gold in slightly colored water, other times it may not be the best choice, like in super gin clear water.  I also believe that light level plays a significant role here as well.  Brilliant sunshine usually calls for something a little more subtle / toned down, whereas cloudy or overcast days, see me reaching for a darker patterned bait. 

 

Finally and I know you didn't ask about this, but I have been doing VERY Good with Silent Megabass Jerkbaits.  In clear water less that say 8 feet or so, places I would normally throw a bait with standard running rattling bait and still applying the color 'guidelines' I mentioned above, a Silent Bait has been just killer. 

Hope that helps.

A-Jay

[Koz]

This was quite possibly the worst fishing year I have ever experienced. It started off OK in February and March and I landed a 6+ pounder off the docks of my hotel fishing late one night. I thought things would take off once I received my pedal kayak and could explore the new lake I moved to (Oconee).

 

But it was downhill from there. What little I caught was under 2 pounds, and I caught more stripers than LMB. I was beating myself up, wondering why I could find tons of baitfish and no bass.

 

But talking to local fishing guides I found out I wasn't alone. They had trouble finding the LMB and stripers as well. Long story short, DNR surveyed the lake and found out GA Power screwed up much of the lake. This summer, even at 90 feet deep out at the dam the water temperature was 90 degrees and most of the lake where I fished was low on oxygenation. The good news is that GA Power is almost done installing 5 miles of aerators which should help return the vegetation and the bass population.

 

But not all was lost. I found out that I really love my kayak, and even with the poor fishing I enjoyed being on it out on the water. I'm really looking forward to the spring.

 

[Bluebasser86]

7 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Meanwhile up in the way far north, we got guys looking at completely or nearly completely frozen over lakes and then log on to BR and see the article about buzzbaits for cold water bass. 

If I'd have had a rod to fish them on, I absolutely could have caught fish on a frog Saturday, in 48-49 degree water. I tied on on my bladed jig rod, got bit, but the fish just laughed at me when I tried to set the hook. Didn't have any buzzbaits or other topwaters in my kayak, but they were all over a waked spinnerbait around the clumps of dead shoreline grass. Under the right conditions, topwater in cold water will absolutely do work. I've spooked bass out of dead shoreline weeds that had skim ice on them. 

[papajoe222]

My most reliable are basically the same as always; A jig/trailer, tube jig and a crankbait. This year that crank was a bomber FatFree Shad. Surprisingly, the one bait that didn't produce was a Spook. The topwater bite was off this year for some reason and I rarely threw one.

[T-Billy]

2021 MVP by a WIDE margin. Texas rigged and pitched into the nastiest cover I can find most of the time. Ultra Molds 3.5" Sweet Craw.

 

Welded to a hula skirt and threaded onto a jig head it's awesome for fishing structure shallow or deep.

Also makes a great chatterbait trailer. Whether burning it over weeds or crawling it around the rocks, this rig right here puts lots of fish in the boat after the sun goes down.

[GRiver]

My most productive this year was curly tailed worms, Texas rigged. June bug and green pumpkin, the old fateful colors. 

[BassinCNY]

These are my top 6 for this year in the most productive colors. 

[Bogeypro]

Jerk bait 

Medium size square bills 

Chatter baits

 

[PressuredFishing]

Anything molded with plastisol

[Big Hands]

2 minutes ago, PressuredFishing said:

Anything molded with plastisol

Same here.

 

Literally EVERY bass I caught this year was caught on soft plastic. Not for a lack of trying though. I try different things for at least a little while pretty much every trip.

 

My top baits were (the keys to my castle, LOL):

 

Winter . . . . Fall

Setup: Carolina Rig (3/4 oz to 1 oz weight with a 4 ft 8 lb fluoro leader and either Cover Shot or Rebarb hooks)

Baits:

Keitech

• 3.5" & 4" Swing Impact

Colors:

• Electric Shad
• Other similar colors. . . .

Keitech

• 2.8" and 3.8" Sexy Impact

Colors:

• Electric Shad

I tried many other various baits that were similar to the Keitech Swing Impact, and caught fish on most of them, but the Swing Impact attracted the most bites IMHO.

 

Spring/Summer

Setup: Dropshot (1/16th to 18th ounce dropshot sinker with Owner Wacky hook in Camo Green - weedless and non-weedless, 6" to 18" above weight, on M/F spinning rod with 10 lb braid to 8 lb fluoro leader) 

Baits:

Jackall

• 4.8" Flick Shake - wacky rig

Colors:

• Pumpkin Pepper
• Cola
• Green Pumpkin Pepper

Roboworm

• 4.5" (straight, curly, and fat, nose hooked with exposed barb)

Colors:

• MM-III
• Oxblood w/red flake
• Hologram Shad

Yamamoto

• 5" Senko - wacky rig with #10 O-ring

Colors:

• #297 Green Pumpkin w/black flake
• #953 Watermelon Copper Orange Red Laminate

 

Setup: Weightless Wacky (no weight, with Owner Wacky hook in Camo Green - weedless and non-weedless on 10 lb braid tied to 8 lb fluoro leader, mostly spinning gear, but also on semi-BFS casting rigs) = KILLER!!! . . . . . KILLER!!!

Baits: 

Yamamoto

• 5" Senko - wacky rig with #10 O-ring

Colors:

• #297 Green Pumpkin w/black flake
• #953 Watermelon Copper Orange Red Laminate

 

Setup: Texas rig (1/16th to 3/8 ounce tungsten worm weight on semi-BFS L/F and ML/F casting rig with 15 lb braid with 8 lb fluoro leader).

Baits:

Roboworm

• 4.5" (straight, curly, and fat, nose hooked with exposed barb) and 6" (straight)

Colors:

• MM-III
• Oxblood w/red flake
• Hologram Shad

 

Night Fishing (summer)

Setup: Texas rig (1/16th to 3/8 ounce tungsten worm weight on semi-BFS L/F and ML/F casting rig with 15 lb braid with 8 lb fluoro leader).

Baits:

Berkley

• 7" Ribbon Tail Power Worm - cutoff first three beads

Colors:

• Black

[TNGunslinger]

DT6 crankbaits

Jerkbaits

Chatterbaits

Ned Rigs

Spooks

[AverageJoeP]

Opinion on chatterbait vs spinnerbait? Chatterbait was a much better producer for me but I did not throw a spinnerbait much this year.

[PressuredFishing]

1 hour ago, Big Hands said:

Same here.

 

Literally EVERY bass I caught this year was caught on soft plastic. Not for a lack of trying though. I try different things for at least a little while pretty much every trip.

 

My top baits were (the keys to my castle, LOL):

 

Winter . . . . Fall

Setup: Carolina Rig (3/4 oz to 1 oz weight with a 4 ft 8 lb fluoro leader and either Cover Shot or Rebarb hooks)

Baits:

Keitech

• 3.5" & 4" Swing Impact

Colors:

• Electric Shad
• Other similar colors. . . .

Keitech

• 2.8" and 3.8" Sexy Impact

Colors:

• Electric Shad

I tried many other various baits that were similar to the Keitech Swing Impact, and caught fish on most of them, but the Swing Impact attracted the most bites IMHO.

 

Spring/Summer

Setup: Dropshot (1/16th to 18th ounce dropshot sinker with Owner Wacky hook in Camo Green - weedless and non-weedless, 6" to 18" above weight, on M/F spinning rod with 10 lb braid to 8 lb fluoro leader) 

Baits:

Jackall

• 4.8" Flick Shake - wacky rig

Colors:

• Pumpkin Pepper
• Cola
• Green Pumpkin Pepper

Roboworm

• 4.5" (straight, curly, and fat, nose hooked with exposed barb)

Colors:

• MM-III
• Oxblood w/red flake
• Hologram Shad

Yamamoto

• 5" Senko - wacky rig with #10 O-ring

Colors:

• #297 Green Pumpkin w/black flake
• #953 Watermelon Copper Orange Red Laminate

 

Setup: Weightless Wacky (no weight, with Owner Wacky hook in Camo Green - weedless and non-weedless on 10 lb braid tied to 8 lb fluoro leader, mostly spinning gear, but also on semi-BFS casting rigs) = KILLER!!! . . . . . KILLER!!!

Baits: 

Yamamoto

• 5" Senko - wacky rig with #10 O-ring

Colors:

• #297 Green Pumpkin w/black flake
• #953 Watermelon Copper Orange Red Laminate

 

Setup: Texas rig (1/16th to 3/8 ounce tungsten worm weight on semi-BFS L/F and ML/F casting rig with 15 lb braid with 8 lb fluoro leader).

Baits:

Roboworm

• 4.5" (straight, curly, and fat, nose hooked with exposed barb) and 6" (straight)

Colors:

• MM-III
• Oxblood w/red flake
• Hologram Shad

 

Night Fishing (summer)

Setup: Texas rig (1/16th to 3/8 ounce tungsten worm weight on semi-BFS L/F and ML/F casting rig with 15 lb braid with 8 lb fluoro leader).

Baits:

Berkley

• 7" Ribbon Tail Power Worm - cutoff first three beads

Colors:

• Black

^^^ this, not that fish don't hit reaction baits effectivley, just that the bite windows for reaction baits are tiny in comparison to the plastic bite.

[txchaser]

Bigger fish:

 

-Alabama rig, mostly open water with deep structure where fish are relating to the shad

-Z-man Giant TRD, both t-rigged and carolina rigged. It'll stand straight up off the bottom with a 6/0 grip-pin in it. Usually heavy weights, in 10-20" near depth changes like long points with a sharp dropoff

-1/2 oz and 3/4 oz Jackhammer and Crosseyes chatterbaits (weed guard) - in white. Anyone have any recommendation for a more threadfin-looking color, including trailer? White is a little bright in much of this water. Everywhere, but lots of bigs fishing it near the bottom.

-Flat-side squarebill - feeding flats near deep water

-Stanley Buzz-frog Jr responsible for a new pb, grassy flat near a deep creek mouth, actively feeding on shad. She was right out over the deep water. Haven't caught much else on it, but it was the deal for that fish for sure. I needed something small but attention-getting, and I had recently lost a monster about 100' away on an a-rig. Just seemed like they were keyed on a certain size, and that was the best thing I had in that size. I suppose I have a bias to think that buzzbaits are big-fish baits, and at the time I didn't have a little buzzbait.

 

-Jackall Digle - 4+ meter Hands down the winner for the year for big fish.

[CrankFate]

I don’t always like to post these things online, but since I tried the LS Pointer 95 based on an older @A-Jay post, I will say I never used these before and did very good with them this year. Including a few 5lb+ fish which are huge where I fish. There is a certain unorthodox way to fish these that other guys were telling me won’t work, basically while laughing, but it does. I know it works because I happened to do this out of frustration of no bites for several hours, when all of the sudden, I realized fish were coming from far away and getting all worked by it. I’ll leave it at that. Great bait in lots of conditions where you can’t or shouldn’t drag bottom.

[jdr99a]

I caught 730 bass in 2021. My top 5 baits for 2021 were as follows:

-ZMan Ticklerz (119 bass caught, 57 on junebug and 54 on black and blue)

-SK Rage Swimmer (55 caught on both the 3.75 and 3.25 sizes with 39 of those on the pearl flash color)

-Zoom UV Speed Worm (51 caught on a relatively even mix of black sapphire, junebug, and California 420)

-Zoom Superfluke (43 caught on a variety of colors, but pearl white and bluegill flash among the top producers)

-Bobby Garland Baby Shad (35 caught mainly on The pearl white color)

 

The Bobby garlands were kind of an accident. It was something I threw when using night crawlers for bluegill with my kids. 
 

All but a handful of the fish I caught were on neighborhood ponds where I live. I caught a total of 3 fish from a boat, the rest from shore. Nothing big by the standards in this site (biggest 4lb 13oz), but still a lot of fun.