The lures you use...

[jwo1124]

Do you find youself purchasing every type of bass fishing lure there is, or do you seem to have a few "favorite" or "confidence" baits that are used in most situtations? I find it very stressful thinking I have to own every type of lure there is for any given situation, and also find it virtually impossible to financially afford such things.

I love to fish for bass, and would never give it up, but I just don't have the means spend a small fortune on a hobby right now. Being in school makes it difficult to budget between mandatory bills such as a cell phone, gas, car insurance, as well as ever day expenses like buying a cup of coffee or a sub when I'm out of the hosue and on the run. Everyone here knows how expensive it is to be an angler.

I have found myself browsing tackle web sites over and over thinking about how many lures I "NEED", and I stress myself out. Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would like to purchase everything on the wall at Dick's, but that's not reality. The reality is, I want to make the most out of bass fishing that my wallet allows me to.

I'm kind of reaching out for advice to find out, being on a small budget, but wanting to get the best bang for my buck, literally, could you veteran guys name a handful of lures you would concentrate on to catch the most bass given limited equiptment.

I would like to be one of the guys who goes out and busy the new LC bait in 5 different colors in 2 or 3 different sizes, but I just can;t do that. In the past I have had a lot of luck on plastics, spinnerbaits, and topwaters. I figured with this small arsenal I can fish the surface all the way to the bottom. Plastics are pretty cheap, and work just about anywhere in a Bass's environment. Plus for the price of one hard bodied lure, you get anywhere from 6-20 lures. Match this with a pack of worm hooks and a few sinkers and you can catch bass all season. I am not looking to limit myself that much though, just trying to get the bait monkey back in it's cage while still having an enjoyable and productive fishing season.

[ww2farmer]

Welcome to the addiction.............I buy lots and lots of stuff I'll never use.

[roadwarrior]

I suggest only buying lures that are recommended by people you know or trust. Here are some ideas:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1143177139

Here are some other suggestions when you are starting out:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1182371999

One more:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1180501296

[Tin]

Best Bang for your buck imo...

Plastics:***

Spinnerbaits:Strike King

But stickbaits, beaver craws, and the finesse worms are all you need to catch fish.

[BassFishingMachine]

Hmm I'll list 10 baits worth getting that aren't too expensive.

1. GYCB Fat Ika (softbait)

2. Zoom Baby Brush Hog (softbait)

3. Yum Wooly Hawgtail (softbait)

4. Booyah Spinnerbaits

5. Booyah Baby Boo Jigs

6. Strikeking Bitsty Bug Jigs

7. Storm Chug Bug (Hardbait topwater)

8. Rapala Suspending Husky Jerk (Hard jerkbait)

9. Booyah Buzzbait

10. Stanley Ribbit (Soft plastic frog)

These are all fairly unexpensive and work great... atleast for me.

[farmpond1]

First, stay away from the bargain bin at Walmart.  The lures there might seem a bargain but most of them run like crap.

If you know the waters and conditions you are most likely to experience, you can save a considerable amount of money.  Ask the locals (the folks not wearing NASCAR jumpsuits and lure patches all over their bodies) what works for them on a regular basis.

If you want to be versatile in your color range without going overboard, select white or silver lures, dark hues such as black or navy, and bright orange or chartreuse baits.  These will cover (most) situations.  Of course you will likely expand on that some (don't we all) but it's a good start.

Ignore people who tell you you gotta have a specific brand in a specific color.  They are already afflicted by the bait monkey.

I could go on and on but I hope this helps some.

[jwo1124]

Thanks for those links RW, I checked a couple out already and they seem like they will be useful. I just thoughtof this and I think the best way to choose lures is not by random choice or confidence, but it is dependent on location and fish behavior.

A few things to think about when looking at location:

1.)What depth are you fishing

2.)Where are the fish holding in the specific area-i.e. suspending, hugging bottom, cruising around off the bottom, surface feeding

3.)Type of cover or structure-are you fishing deep open water, a open flat with sparce cover, or a flat with heavy cover, Are you banging the bank with a chuck and wind mentality...

I think these three things will most likely help me, and others how to choose the lures they should purchases, stock up on, and tie on or have tied on during or before a trip. I think this is where doing your homework comes into play. Think of the situations and locations you normally fish, and choose lures that fit the bill. Then think about likely situations and locations you may encounter and purchase a couple lures that fit that bill.

I think the best way to do this in my case, is to pick the lures that can be used in the most locations on any given day.

I guess in a graph, or illustrated it would look something like this:

Surface

l

l                                         I'm sure many anglers have heard that

Shallow Water 5'     the key to catching fish is location and presentation

l                            So, I guess a way to put it that applies to my

l                         problem would be that location dictates presentation.

Medium Deep 10'    Further, l should choose the most productive lures

l                          that can be fished in the most locations, thus

15'                     eliminating excess tackle, but still maintaining

l                     productivity while fishing. The only down fall is that

l               since there seems to be a correlation between lure and

Bottom       fishable location, limiting some lures may limit fishable

            locations. i.e. Crankbaits - very productive, but a specialized lure for fishing open water, and probing certain depths for fish. If I did not involve them in my arsenal, I could miss a whole lot of area that may hold fish during a specific time.

I'm sure this just looks liek a rant to some, but I hope everyone doesn;t think so. I think this theorizing and contemplation could help some more novice anglers understand why and when to pick lures, and also to understand the importance of undestanding the correlation between fishing location and lure choice, or better put; the "need" for a certain lure.

Surface and Shallow running lures-good for fishing close to or targeting the the bank/shoreline or shoreline structure like lay down, lily pads, docks, etc.

Medium running lures-good for fishing off the bank in more open water, or deeper water next to the bank like steep drop offs or ledges or points.

Deep Running Lures-good for fishing far off the shore targeting deep water structure like boulders, brush piles, deep channel beds, etc.

Now, some lures may be able to be used in various situations, and those are the best lures to have seeing how they can be utilized in more than one way. Always take into account that a weedless lure is more valuable than a non-weedless lure since it can be used in more places.

This idea really got my brain going...as you can tell. I hope I made a few good points there. I'm sure I rattled off a bunch of material a lot of guys already know and utilize while out fishing, but hopefully I brought some new thoughts to some more inexperienced anglers to think about.

[Shadcranker]

Much of the high end stuff, IMHO is intended to catch fishermen.

Make a list of what you really need, and stick with it.

Some value based manufacturers:

Crankbaits- Bandit, Norman, and Bill Lewis Rrattle Traps- you could crank every depth b/w these brands and do just as well as guys throwing the high end stuff. keep colors simple- chart, shad, and craw colors. They are all well made and catch tons of fish.

Plastics- buy Zoom and /or find deals in bulk. I.e. Prowler sells bags of 100 tubes for $26. Zoom makes every possible size and shape of plastics. Stick with basic colors- one blackish and one green shade and stick with pearl for flukes. Also, look for sale items on plastics. Gambler has incredible closeout deals on their site. Just pick the styles that you really need (i.e Lizard, tube, grub, 7" worm, 10" worm, senko type, finesse worm, fluke and trick worm). Don't buy every new creature bait shape that comes out (they are flippin baits, and you can flip a tube, craw, or lizard and do just as well).

Spinnerbaits- shop for deals. You won't lose many, so you should only need a few.

Buzzbaits- same here- you only three or four, as it's hard to lose a Buzzbait. I like cavitron, but you can get a quality one for less.

Topwater- Stay away from the high end stuff. Go with Smithwick Rattlin Rogues, Pop-R's, and Spittin Image or Spook.

Jigs- if you like finesse jigs, the SK Bitsy Bug is awesome ($1.79 each), and for regular jigs, shop around, and again just buy two primary colors- i.e Black and Blue, and Green.

Just make a list of what you really need to cover the water column effectively where you fish.

It can be done on a budget.

[jwo1124]

Thanks for the replies guys. To be more specific I was sort of talking about specific lures and not brands. I know three of the most important lures(tools) will be soft plastics and spinnerbaits since Proabbly more bass are caught on these than any other two baits combined. They are both versitle, meaning they work under a variety of conditions including season, weather, water clarity, depth, as well as in open water or in/around cover. I think next would probably be jigs, topwater frogs, and buzzbaits. I can get to most fish in shallow and medium depths with these selected lures. The versatily of these lures make them stand out to me, plus they are all very, or at least fairly weedless and are good around cover.

[jwo1124]

Thanks Shad Crank, that was a really informative post.  

When looking through catalogs or web sites at lures, I see that dozens of each type of bait in dozens of colors, and it's overwhelming think you need all that stuff. Now I don;t fish tournaments as of yet, although I have been in contanct with a local bass angling club, and I they are involved in Mass Bass which is a congregation of local clubs, and I'm sure a lot of the guys fish tournaments around the state, so I may end up doing the same as a ride a long or a "back of the boater".

But, for the most part, fishing is just a recreational activity, but as with anything, I would like have fun doing it, and when it coems to fishing, the fun comes from having a fish tug at the end of your line. And that is pretty much dependent on getting them to bite your lure. So, I want to have enough of the right stuff to go out and catch my fair share of bass, but I'm not out looking to catch every bass in the water, hence I feel foolish stocking up on hundreds and hundres of dollars worth or gear.

[Branuss04]

I suggest only buying lures that are recommended by people you know or trust.

+1.  I too am on a tight budget being out on my own, and can't afford all of the goodies.  I'm always asking 4-bizz before I get something new, becuase he has enough tackle to open a tackle shop.  At first I thought this would save me money, but if you've ever seen the baits 4bizz uses, you know that I am actually running into debt everytime.  So what I should tell you is don't ask someone who throws $250 baits.

K.I.S.S - Don't overthink things.  You don't need every color.  Find those bargain baits that are good and cheap.

As far as cranks go, I use norman's. Are they as good as LC's? No, but I can buy 4 Normans for the price of one LC.

For 95% of my plastics I go with ***.  Where else can you get 50 5in trick sticks for $10.

For jigs i've been using Eakins jigs.  I think it somewhere around 3 for $7-8.  Again, they are probably not the best jigs out there, but they are easy on the wallet.

But just remember, if you stick with the regular colors, you'll be fine.

[Alpster]

I am old, single and my kids are pretty much grown and I can (and do) afford to buy most anything I want. The bottom line is, if you get a handful of soft plastics and a few jigs you can fish with the best of them in most situations. 90% of the best fisherman out there are catching the vast majority of their fish on soft plastics and jigs. They are not expensive and THEY WORK! JMHO

Ronnie

[Thefishy1]

I agree with Alpster, there is a reason that money is still being won on plastic worms 30 years after they were invented. And as for color, you only need four Green Pumpkin, Watermelonseed, Red Shad, and Junebug. Those four will cover all water clarity issues also.

[Catt]

I probably own less tackle than anyone on this web site but will match my accomplishments with anyone under any conditions. While I have my personal favorite lures I firmly believe finding the bass is the key to catching them.

Here are a couple simple quotes to keep in mind

It takes a rare breed of fisherman using simple techniques to perfection to consistently catch big bass. Doug Hannon

You can't catch em if they aint there Elwood L. " Buck" Perry

The #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet. Catt

[ABC123]

Do you find youself purchasing every type of bass fishing lure there is, or do you seem to have a few "favorite" or "confidence" baits that are used in most situtations? I find it very stressful thinking I have to own every type of lure there is for any given situation, and also find it virtually impossible to financially afford such things.

I love to fish for bass, and would never give it up, but I just don't have the means spend a small fortune on a hobby right now. Being in school makes it difficult to budget between mandatory bills such as a cell phone, gas, car insurance, as well as ever day expenses like buying a cup of coffee or a sub when I'm out of the hosue and on the run. Everyone here knows how expensive it is to be an angler.

I have found myself browsing tackle web sites over and over thinking about how many lures I "NEED", and I stress myself out. Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would like to purchase everything on the wall at Dick's, but that's not reality. The reality is, I want to make the most out of bass fishing that my wallet allows me to.

I'm kind of reaching out for advice to find out, being on a small budget, but wanting to get the best bang for my buck, literally, could you veteran guys name a handful of lures you would concentrate on to catch the most bass given limited equiptment.

I would like to be one of the guys who goes out and busy the new LC bait in 5 different colors in 2 or 3 different sizes, but I just can;t do that. In the past I have had a lot of luck on plastics, spinnerbaits, and topwaters. I figured with this small arsenal I can fish the surface all the way to the bottom. Plastics are pretty cheap, and work just about anywhere in a Bass's environment. Plus for the price of one hard bodied lure, you get anywhere from 6-20 lures. Match this with a pack of worm hooks and a few sinkers and you can catch bass all season. I am not looking to limit myself that much though, just trying to get the bait monkey back in it's cage while still having an enjoyable and productive fishing season.

My Bass fishing tackle box consists of the baits I have as a staple from when I was a kid. Lures like BassOreno's, Hula poppers, Jitterbugs, a couple spinner I don't use much, ect...

Since my fishing "rebirth" a couple years ago, I have added some "new" staples. I have worm hooks, and a few different worms that have colors I feel Bass will bite. I have a small selection of cranks that will also double as 'Eye cranks, I have added a few new spook's, a new buzzbait, and a couple Bass specific cranks. I have also added to my 'Eye and panfish tackle too. All the "new" products are ones that have been discussed on this, or another furum as working. I don't buy the latest and greatest very often, and I alway's start out buying color's I think the FISH will take to. I stick to lure colors that match the waters I fish. I have a few lures for clearer water, but mostly lures for moderately stained water. 4-7 foot Secchi rating.

[skillet]

 I fish mostly from the bank. Quite often thru some awful underbrush.The less I carry (less chance of heart attack at my age ;D) the easier the going. PLUS not being able to break the bank on equipment. I have been using pretty much the same baits for an awfully long time. If I lose one, I replace it. I'll never match Catt in accomplishments (VERY few of us ever will) but I'll bet I own less tackle ;D!. Get a couple of top waters, couple of spinners, few types of plastics and jigs. Learn all of them really well and then decide how well you want to feed ol' banana breath ...

                                     As Ever,

                                      skillet

BTW of course all of this just like everyone else's posts is just opinion

[Guest muddy]

TOPWATER; Jitterbugs,Jittersticks,Jointed Rapala #11 Silver and Black,Spittin Image.

Stickbaits: Rapala #11 mostly silver/black back

Cranks: Bomber,Rapala,Bandit abd Norman dd22

Plastics( Stiks,Worms and brush bugs) ALL ***

Jigs; Cabelas and someothers all without skirts and brush protectors

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

I agree with Alpster, there is a reason that money is still being won on plastic worms 30 years after they were invented. And as for color, you only need four Green Pumpkin, Watermelonseed, Red Shad, and Junebug. Those four will cover all water clarity issues also.

x2 for sure,but may add black and blue to the list.

I pretty much buy only those colors in plastics but....the problem therein is that there are HUNDREDS of styles and sizes.I gotta have those colors in every cool looking plastic I see In order to cover the various water conditions.Errmmm,bait monkey wins again. :-[

[detroit1]

If i could start all over, i would have bought WAY less lures and spend the $$ for better rods & reels.