How many lures?

[Dan N]

Crankbaits, a lot!

I guess I don’t know what that is.

some guys have hundreds, some guys a handful. 
I know I’ve got at least 75 lipless, and at least that many square bills. 
and many more- just started on my Rapala DT series , and OG series collection, and I’m in the off season. 
Ice here now, so not much to do but order more!

[Dan N]

Got some to open yet, many of these are going to my son, and nephew. I’m sure some guys can blow my collection of hundreds away!  Hey, never  can have too many!

[Bazoo]

I'm what most would call a minimalist. Not truly because a real minimalist wouldn't have as much as I do.

 

I primarily use:

Spinnerbaits

Spit'n Image (Hedden, need to get me a vintage Bill Dance one)

Texas Rigged Zoom Lizard, Fat Albert Grub, Senko/Yum Dinger

 

Medium use is:

Popper

Squarebill or small/medium cranks

Buzzbait

Beetle Spin

Frog

whopper plopper

 

I do use, but more sparingly:

Swim bait

lipless crank

ned rig

various plastic worms/paddle tails/creatures

jig

jitterbug

jerkbait

fluke

deep diving crank

curly tail grub on a jighead

tiny cranks

Rooster Tail

chatterbait

shaky head

Carolina rig

 

I have a tackle bag that holds 2 3600 sized boxes, with a pocket for soft baits. Most everything I have will fit in that. I do have a larger tackle box for overflow. So I have extra packs of worms, extra spinnerbaits, some extra hooks and sinkers, along with anything I find that I don't use. 

 

For me, I most always try something I'm not so confident with to build technique and confidence. Either first, or if the confidence baits fail, last. I also try new areas of the lake that I'm not familiar with, or not good at, either every trip or every other.

 

I enjoy learning new techniques and lures. I read here a lot, and I also read a short stack of old fishing magazines I have.

[Mobasser]

When I first started, I used to think you needed to carry a huge amount of lures each trip. I was impressed by guys that carried around a lot of stuff. I started doing this also.                                             But, I kept using the same three or four baits each trip, and realized that most bass lures are more versatile than I thought.                                       Some folks do better by carrying a ton of stuff. I do best by carrying less.          When you get the bite dialed in, you really don't need too many lures.

[Susky River Rat]

The bait monkey just got me this morning.  I always have two different ned rig heads drop shot and T rig on and usually a crank.. I will swap out spinners top waters and other different jig trailers. 

[scaleface]

12 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

I own thousands, bring hundreds, and throw maybe a dozen.

This. 

[Pat Brown]

@Mobasser there are certain times of years I just need one rod and a couple lures to retie if I break off.  Those are usually my favorite times to bank fish.

 

Right now during the transition from early winter to dead of winter, I tend to bring a slow bottom bait, a suspending mid column bait, a fast horizontal bait and a topwater because I can't seem to predict what they're going to bite!  Transitional weather is often the time you can catch the biggest fish but the bite tends to be all over the place.

 

During March, when we have settled into spring and most fish are bedding or protecting fry, I may only bring a t rigged lizard or worm and a couple hooks and weights for retying.

 

I definitely prefer when I get a bite dialed in to junk fishing.

[Swamp Girl]

13 hours ago, king fisher said:

Catching the size and numbers of bass you do in Maine is a much greater accomplishment, than catching DD bass on remote waters of Mexico.

 

^This^ is generous of you to say, but I'm not competing with commercial fishermen and reeling bass through barbed wire and old nets, which make my weedy bogs seem like open water.

[Choporoz]

I blame BR and BM for the fact that I have probably 2 or 3 dozen different types of lures in the boat today.  I typically have 7 to 9 rods on deck with different things and use that many every time out.  However.... I don't have a ton a patience with most anything that isn't a Rage Bug, so somewhat ironically, I will try to force that Rage Bug long after the bass have emphatically said 'not today' ... sometimes same with spinnerbait or jig ...  So I guess I can be at both ends of the spectrum... I carry and throw a ton of stuff, but I can absolutely overuse a few.

[gim]

I did some downsizing a couple years ago when the pandemic wiped out tackle stocks.

 

I probably use about a dozen lures in various colors throughout the season on a regular basis.  I ditched the ones that were in there not getting used.  #lightentheload

 

I'm also one of the very few on here that seemingly has the will power to fend off the bait monkey.  Nowadays I really only buy tackle when I need to replace something that has been worn out or lost.  Rarely do I just buy new lures anymore.

[thediscochef]

This is the list of every style of bait I caught bass on this year that I can remember. I don't carry alllll of these, but I do carry most of them. A lot of the riggings use the same weights and beads which helps. But I don't really travel with less than six combos. I carry about four when I get out of the car, don't like having more than that unless I'm gonna be parked and picking a place apart for a while. I did just get the KastKing carryall 81L, that holds six rods and six 3700s. I want that to be like my golf bag but for fishing the pier all day. I only really buy new lures or styles of lures if I wear something out, or if the season dictates 😂

 

1. red eye shad/lipless
2. t rig
3. c rig
4. buzzbait
5. crawler
6. popr
7. walker
8. chatterbait
9. shakey head
10. jerkbaits
11. wacky rig
12. lipped crankbait
13. whopper plopper
14. skirted jig
15. A-Frame
16. swimbaits

[MIbassyaker]

I don't know, but it seems like the more lures I buy, the fewer I use.

[Catt]

@Mobasser & @Pat Brown

 

One of the best sticks I know on Toledo Bend carries one rod, a paper sack with a couple bags of Mr Twister 6" Phenom worms in plum, 1/2 dozen 3/0 Mustad Straight Shank Round Bend hooks, 1/2 dozen 3/16 & 1/4 oz weights. 

[Bird]

When I first start out is when the front deck can get crowded with rods and reels.

Once I figure out a pattern I can arrange a cleaner work space.

More often than not I always end up back to my confidence baits which vary depending on water temps.

3/8 swim jigs

Spinnerbaits 

Jackall flickShake 1/16 wacky head

Square bills

Weightless Senko

Devils horse

Drop shot

Shakyhead

This covers 95 % of what I throw year around.

Flukes and jerkbaits are tied on somewhere down in the rod locker as well.

 

[Functional]

Like quite a few, my boat is packed and I still only bring out a few tried and true. Typically I'll start the day with a variety until I start catching them or until nothing works and I re-rig.

 

-1/4 to 3/8 oz jig w/ rage craw

-1/4 to 1/2oz Trig creature bait of the days flavor

-5/16oz Trig ribbon tail in purple or GP w. red flake

-Minimax chatterbait

-3/8oz swimjig

 

last rod on deck is either a crank, popper or frog depending on the conditions and where I plan to start my day. 

 

A bunch of other situational stuff but nothing deserving of being tied on all the time. I still havent learned the jig...but it stays on because I'm convinced if I throw it enough I'll learn. Really need to just tie on a few different size/profile jigs and just use them all day and force it. 

[Swamp Girl]

1 minute ago, Functional said:

I still havent learned the jig...but it stays on because I'm convinced if I throw it enough I'll learn. Really need to just tie on a few different size/profile jigs and just use them all day and force it.

 

You and me, brother. I've caught a few bass with a jig, but nowhere near enough to feel confident slinging it.

[Functional]

27 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

You and me, brother. I've caught a few bass with a jig, but nowhere near enough to feel confident slinging it.

You and me Crickety...2024 will be the year of the Jig for us!

[Pat Brown]

Honestly if y'all can fish a t rig, you can fish a jig. 

 

I like a jig more casting at specific targets or into sparser cover where I'm trying to get a reaction bite and I think there's a few fish, especially if water clarity is less than ideal.  Harder cover seems to be where jigs are most efficient.

 

I like a t rig pretty much the rest of the time.  Vegetation, super dense cover, muckier bottom, clearer water, covering water more horizontally and less vertically.

 

But this isn't hard fast rules.

[Cgolf]

16 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

I own thousands, bring hundreds, and throw maybe a dozen.

 

That holds true for me as well, but it seems that the dozen lures I may throw each outing changes. So maybe over 20 years everything will get used once.

[roadwarrior]

"Be the ball" or in this case, "Be the bug".

 

I like to visualize a crawdad crawling over a rock. Slow and smooth, not quick or jerky. 

Move the jig a few inches and let it sit, an extended pause. If you think you feel anything,

it's a fish!

[RipzLipz]

@Functional & @ol'crickety I sound like a broken record but a jig is about all I throw in late winter/early spring. I hesitate to use the phrase from ice out because I’m not familiar with Carolina weather tendencies but that’s when I start. It’s not what I’d consider a "fun" bait because it is boring/meticulous, however I am a firm believer it puts higher quality fish in the boat at certain times.

 

I try to cure the boredom by guessing what different things feel like as the jig falls through cover & while dragging through/over things. Rock, brush and timber being my favorite but for me grass is a downer unless it’s being swimmed (swum?). It’s a lure that gives the angler constant feedback, IMO.

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Harder cover seems to be where jigs are most efficient.

 

Again, Pat ponies up clear, succinct advice. Thanks, Pat. And telling us that if we can fish T-rigs, we can fish jigs is encouraging. So, thanks again, Pat.

 

 

9 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

"Be the ball" or in this case, "Be the bug".

 

I like to visualize a crawdad crawling over a rock. Slow and smooth, not quick or jerky. 

 

More good advice, plus it sounds like it came from a sensei. 

[RipzLipz]

26 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Honestly if y'all can fish a t rig, you can fish a jig. 

Had to check the poster’s name twice because it sounded/read like something I could imagine @Catt saying.

 

Well put, @Pat Brown & @roadwarrior 👍

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Functional said:

I still havent learned the jig...but it stays on because I'm convinced if I throw it enough I'll learn

 

Keep throwing one it'll happen. 

[Mobasser]

Jigs took me longer than anything to learn. I thought I'd never get it down, but eventually I caught my first base on one.                                                And, I agree about " visualizing"  your bait under water. Once your bait hits the surface, turn on that under water TV screen.