Technique vs the amount of lures you have for that technique.

[Munkin]

So over the past 10 years I have noticed a correlation between the techniques I am bad at and the amount of tackle I have for that technique. Deep diving crankbaits top this list as I have tons of them but have never caught a bass over 14' on a crank. Another is a chatterbait. I have all the different brands and have tried them over the years but I have had only 2 bites in like 3 years. So what is everyone else buying lures for that they can't get to work?

 

Allen

[Luke Barnes]

The only cranks I like are lipless and squarebill but I havent even thrown any of them thia past year. I have an entire crankbait box that I didnt use a single one in 2021 and I wonder why I'm terrible at them haha. Situational lures I guess and I didn't think the situation arose to use them. Another one is paddletails. I have maybe caught 2 or 3 fish on them alone and not used as a trailer. I have all the colors and styles and even different hooks and such to rig them on and still nothing. Put it on a chatterbait and I'm in busineas though. 

[EWREX]

crankbaits are up there for me. a lot of the lakes i fish are “grass” lakes so crankin usually isn’t the hot ticket. i own a ton of them for some reason though. maybe because they look pretty 

[MN Fisher]

Lipped cranks - 2x3700 boxes of them...rarely throw them. I'm more a lipless guy for cranks, and only have 1/2 a box.

 

What's wrong with this picture?

[Deleted account]

I'm watching football, I will opine in the AM.

[Cdn Angler]

I started out fishing nothing but crankbaits, so I own a ton of them. Last year I never threw one. The lakes here are weedy or super deep/clear, so theoretically they don't make the most sense. That said, when they were all I chucked I often caught fish and the fish I caught were bigger on average. 

 

I have about 12 buzzbaits and I'm hard pressed to think of a situation where I think they are my best choice and rarely use them. If open water I throw a plopper/popper/wakebait/walking bait, if weedy I use a texas rigged whatever. I fish out of a yak so it makes more sense to work an area thoroughly than just chuck and wind a buzzbait with a trolling motor that I don't have.  I can cast a whopper plopper or spook much further and pause them.

[scaleface]

Summer and fall I catch bass deep with cranks and own quite a few that will get me there . 22 foot is the deepest I have caught them with a diving bait , that being a Berkely Dredger 25.5 . Deeper than that I have caught them with a Red Eye Shad .  The answer to your question is zero .  If I own a lot of baits its because they produce .

[cyclops2]

I agree scaleface..........

I do not throw out ALL the not so great lures.  I have reduced to small green Rapalas and small spinners.

I have small freezer bags of line terminal parts weights hooks swivels etc.  They stack flat & do not tangle if the box tips over. bags for single and separate one for treble and double hooks.

 

All the new empty compartments have lots of Rapalas or spinner blades with a single hook.

 

Cleaning out & rearranging never stops. This year I any going to see if Fluorocarbon 4# is going to improve the not biters hook up ratio.       I am supposed to be smarter than a FISH ?      ?

[A-Jay]

Until recently, like the past two years or so, I had a decent collection. 

However that aspect of my arsenal sees numbers that are significantly less.  Relative term.  Sold them off and it felt good. 

Still have a 6 pound box of Jigging Raps that I'm holding onto.

Guess it's for the mother load of walleye I never seem to find. 

A-Jay

 

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Oh yes. I keep buying dropshot worms and tackle for the fish to ignore 

[J Francho]

I did a cleanout when I ran a garage sale last summer before I packed up for a move, so my collection is pretty well dialed in with what I use, what I know works, and what I'm testing.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I have a 2 deep cranks and a handful of jerkbaits, handful of spinner baits and handful of cranks,(squarebill etc.)  I own a ton of baits. But 99% of it is what i throw and what I’m good at. Like big swimbaits, topwaters, soft plastics and jigs. 

[Bluebasser86]

I have 4 crankbait rods and a big box of baits to fish on them, just to fish with them for about 2 or 3 months out of the year. The fish ignore them the rest of the year. 

[RDB]

15 hours ago, Munkin said:

I have noticed a correlation between the techniques I am bad at and the amount of tackle I have for that technique.

IMO, I don’t think you are bad at the technique but likely don’t have confidence in the lure.  You mentioned you are bad at chatterbaits but you don’t list spinnerbaits as a bad technique.  There really isn’t that much difference between the two from a technique standpoint.  There are some situations when you would throw one over the other but 80% of the time they are interchangeable. 

[T-Billy]

6 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Oh yes. I keep buying dropshot worms and tackle for the fish to ignore 

LOL. I gave up on that a few years ago. Apparently the fish think I'm terrible at it, which is fine with me. I hate throwing that rig.

 

6 hours ago, J Francho said:

I did a cleanout when I ran a garage sale last summer before I packed up for a move, so my collection is pretty well dialed in with what I use, what I know works, and what I'm testing.

Same scenario is about to go down at my house. No idea when I'll find a house in this crazy market, but I'm getting rid of a bunch of stuff in preparation. I had my best year fishing ever in 21. Anything that wasn't putting fish in the boat last year, ain't riding along this year.

[J Francho]

I literally moved up the street to a house twice as big with a pool, deck, and two car garage. My neighborhood is one of the top four areas in the country for real estate. I made so much from my tiny GI home, I figured it was safe to double down on this neighborhood. Been here almost 20 years and I love it here. I've got an ice cream shop, old fashioned service station that pumps gas for you, a legit pizza joint, decent bar and grill, even a bowling alley within walking distance. Keep your eyes peeled. My wife spotted our current house when walking the dog. 
 

sorry for the off topic divergence, OP.

[Skunkmaster-k]

4 hours ago, T-Billy said:

LOL. I gave up on that a few years ago. Apparently the fish think I'm terrible at it, which is fine with me. I hate throwing that rig.

 

Same scenario is about to go down at my house. No idea when I'll find a house in this crazy market, but I'm getting rid of a bunch of stuff in preparation. I had my best year fishing ever in 21. Anything that wasn't putting fish in the boat last year, ain't riding along this year.

I’m not smart enough to give up yet. I keep thinking it’ll click and I’ll have my eureka moment. Any day now ….

[Munkin]

11 hours ago, RDB said:

IMO, I don’t think you are bad at the technique but likely don’t have confidence in the lure.  You mentioned you are bad at chatterbaits but you don’t list spinnerbaits as a bad technique.  There really isn’t that much difference between the two from a technique standpoint.  There are some situations when you would throw one over the other but 80% of the time they are interchangeable. 

 

The area is just not good for deep cranks from what I can tell. I am catching fish in 10 FOW or less and 20+ FOW. As for the chatterbaits I catch tons of fish on a spinnerbait but can't buy a bite on a chatterbait for some reason.

 

Allen

[BassNJake]

Wake baits for me, although not a whole box full I've got plenty.

The problem is they are not amongst my fav topwater baits, so they don't get thrown

[Logan S]

When you're good at something, you know what works and what you like - So you refine and simplify it.  You don't need to experiment with new or different stuff so you don't end up with a ton of whatever it is.  

 

When you're not so good at something (IE, not catching a lot of fish on it), you probably don't do it as often...BUT, you probably keep buying new or different brands/models/whatever in an attempt to catch that lightning in a bottle moment when it finally clicks into place for you.  Which leads to big collections of stuff you don't use a ton.  

 

My theory anyway.  I've purged a lot of stuff over the past few years to resolve this problem for myself - But part of being a bass fisherman is hoarding tackle so at some point you just live with it .  

 

11 hours ago, Munkin said:

 

The area is just not good for deep cranks from what I can tell. I am catching fish in 10 FOW or less and 20+ FOW. As for the chatterbaits I catch tons of fish on a spinnerbait but can't buy a bite on a chatterbait for some reason.

 

Allen

Since we live in the same state...I can confirm that deep cranking is just not as applicable in this area, even expanded out to the region.  With so much tidal water we skew shallow.  Obviously it can be done and I'm some other local guys can come along and tell me they smash em on 6XDs all the time...But in over 20 years of fishing everywhere around here from the NC/VA border lakes, VA lakes, all the tidal rivers, the bay, and MD lakes/rivers - It just ain't a major player overall.  

 

Chatterbaits on the other hand...It might depend on how much time you spend on tidal water around here.  I catch probably 90% of my chatterbait fish in our tidal rivers, so if you spend more time on the lakes it probably makes sense .  

[Captain Phil]

Success builds confidence.  Confidence creates success.  Over the years, I am sure I have owned just about every bass lure made.  Two possibles exceptions may be a Whopper Plopper and a Roland Martin Helicopter lure.  If I carried every lure I own with me on a fishing trip, I would need a barge full of lures towed behind my boat.  I only use what works.  It works because I use it.  ?

[txchaser]

I almost always feel like I have a better situational choice than a lipless. I have a bunch of them. Probably more lipless cranks than fish caught on them. I should probably double down and fish them hard, or just leave them all at home. 

[papajoe222]

On 1/10/2022 at 8:59 PM, Munkin said:

I have noticed a correlation between the techniques I am bad at and the amount of tackle I have for that technique.

I subscribe to the opposite practice.  Techniques I'm good at, I have a TON of and those that I'm not, I don't waste money purchasing more; I'll use it to try something new, or spend it on more of what works.

[Bankbeater]

I like fishing with hard jerkbaits, but the only water where they seem to work consistently for me is in large lakes and reservoirs. 

[Dan N]

Lipless cranks, have about 50

Crank baits in general- a few hundred?

fun to collect I guess, many have never hit the water?