Buying tackle that turned out to be a failure for you…

[JoePhish]

SK Deep Squarebill

Suicide Duck

Double Ploppers

Livingston Lures

I have more Whopper Ploppers than fish caught on Whopper Plopper. I still pack them on trips though but don’t tie one on too often. 
 

[Hammer 4]

By the way, any one who doesn't want their glide baits, to include S Waver 168's, send em my way..?

[Bandersnatch]

Great thread. I think one common theme looking through here is that lures with sound certainly fade out. Maybe we aren’t giving the bass really enough credit. I’ve read some articles that continue to embrace the theory that sound is so critically important. There’s a reason soft plastics get it done and maybe the fact that they are silent is that reason. 
 

for me.

 

Glide baits

dark sleepers on all but one day 

 

[ironbjorn]

2 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

Great thread. I think one things common looking through here and that is lures with sound certainly fade out. Maybe we aren’t giving the bass really enough credit. I’ve read some articles that continue to embrace the theory that sound is so critically important. There’s a reason soft plastics get it done and maybe the fact that they are silent is that reason. 
 

for me.

 

Glide baits

dark sleepers on all but one day 

 

Oh I 10000000% believe in the conditioning of fish. We seriously underestimate them.

[wdp]

[ironbjorn]

58 minutes ago, wdp said:

Hahaha, my therapist's dad used to own a tackle shop back in the day. She told me she still has a ton of dancing eels in storage from the shop. I was thinking, "oh I bet."

[Captain Phil]

 

Speaking of strange lures, anyone ever fished with this?  Sponsor of the FLW Tour!  Seriously?

 

 

[SproDD79]

The jika rig and spybaits, I loaded up on both never caught a fish on a jika rig and got one big sunny on the Duo Realis 80.I have not totally given up on the spybait, when the fishing is tough I still throw the spybait but have yet to catch a bass on them.  I see a few guys not having any love for the dark sleeper, I have had very positive experiences with the dark sleeper, it often surprises me how well it shines when the bite is tough.

[MickD]

20 hours ago, king fisher said:

but I also caught a couple of bass on my Jitterbug with an egg sinker slid on the line ahead of the lure to make it run under the surface. 

I was fishing Sag Bay just off Charity Island, very clear water, on a drop to about 8 feet.  My buddy had a metal leader, a yellow jitterbug, and a couple split shots to take it down.  I said something like "that's not going to work," and he promptly took about a 15 inch smallie.  

[OG Crankster]

Everything with the word Sleeper

Dark Sleeper

Sleeper Gill

Sleeper Craw

All duds for me

[Pogues2300]

On 5/28/2023 at 2:09 PM, Bird said:

Chatterbait for sure.

I can follow that up with casting a Spinnerbait and bass are waiting in line to hit it...... nothing on a chatterbait.

Funny I have the exact opposite experience for some strange reason lol

[detroit1]

Capt. Phil that must be the smaller fishcake. I have a silver scale fishcake that the body is 3"long.(never used)  You wouldn't think a 3" bait is big but it's as big in dia. as a quarter.  I did like the dancin' eel, and liked the dancin' craw better. I have a "class" of lures that i can't get bit on. Spoons. Casting, trolling,flutter, you name it, i ain't using them. I did catch alot of bass and pike on the old Strike King Timber Buzz, but i consider that a buzzbait, and a pike stole it anyway...

[scaleface]

Owner Jungle Flipping hook . That hook is to thick for my style of fishing . I have lost my last bass with them . I left the pack at the ramp for some other poor fella to use. 

[Woody B]

I plopped down $40+ on a Shimano Armajoint.  It's 7 1/2" inches long.  I've caught one 10 inch spotted bass on it.  I don't throw in much but try to a few times each trip.  I haven't given up on it.  If I finally give up on it I'm going to send it to @AlabamaSpothunter  He has good results with huge baits.  

 

I laughed every time I cast an Alabama Rig for a while.  I actually caught quite a few decent bass with one last Winter.  

 

I couldn't catch anything on a Chatterbait or a Jackhammer.  Bass line up to get in my boat for a Seibert Bladed Jig.  I don't know what difference the bass see.   

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, Woody B said:

I plopped down $40+ on a Shimano Armajoint.  It's 7 1/2" inches long.  I've caught one 10 inch spotted bass on it.  I don't throw in much but try to a few times each trip.  I haven't given up on it.  If I finally give up on it I'm going to send it to @AlabamaSpothunter  He has good results with huge baits.  

 

I laughed every time I cast an Alabama Rig for a while.  I actually caught quite a few decent bass with one last Winter.  

 

I couldn't catch anything on a Chatterbait or a Jackhammer.  Bass line up to get in my boat for a Seibert Bladed Jig.  I don't know what difference the bass see.   

Don't give up on it brother, it's been easily the best big I've thrown.

 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

Some DEPs. Bluegill glide bait.  $50 and it’s fishless.  I just carry it now. 
 

And  anything with Bellows in the name.  
 

oh the tiny(est) whopper plopper sucks!

[Cbump]

Add s-waver 120 to my list. 

[wdp]

16 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

Hahaha, my therapist's dad used to own a tackle shop back in the day. She told me she still has a ton of dancing eels in storage from the shop. I was thinking, "oh I bet."

Never caught a dang thing on that monstrosity. ? And believe me I tried like crazy all thru high school before giving up. Thing had decent action, it just never caught squat. ?

[VTFan]

Whopper Plopper just to name one.  I fell for the hype and bought one and found another.  I have  managed 3 bass on the one I found.  Also a 'Clickbait'....similar to a Chatterbait. Zilch.  At the right times I can slay them with a Chatterbait, not so with the 'Clickbait'. I'm beginning to believe the old saying....'Fishing lures are made to catch fishermen, not fish' is true.

[Troy85]

Whopper Plopper

 

A-Rig-I know they catch fish.  I think I threw mine 3 casts, got snagged in 20' and broke off.  Never tied one on again.

 

[Pat Brown]

15 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Don't give up on it brother, it's been easily the best big I've thrown.

 

 

@Woody B I think the Siebert Fogy works so well because it's silent.  Just vibration and visual action.  The blade isn't actually rattling up against the head near as much and I think fish that are over chattered go for it.  The hunting action is very real also.

 

 

....And if you do give up on the Shimano glide, send it to your fellow local NC bass brother because I haven't tried that one yet *drool*??

[Cbump]

Honestly, I love the build quality of the Fogy, but It won’t catch fish for me either. However the other one, I think it’s the tremor without the football head, works much better for. Jackhammer then tremor. 

[ScottW]

A-rig (so far), most creature baits (I know, weird, right?!). I got bags of different types but worms will work where a creature won’t. For example, I have a 3/8oz jig head with a blue/black coontail worm (Big Bite Baits, 5”) that I can drag along the bottom of the pond that catches fish than the same jig with a creature on it. Yet I get suckered into buying more thinking a different type will work. 

[Darth-Baiter]

ahhh.. too soon for me to trash talk the A-rig.  i only have one fruitless season on it.  

[Happybeerbuzz]

Another A-rig failure here.  I am sure I will risk back injury again when next spring rolls around in 2024, but it has been 2 Feb/March/Aprils with zero catches.