A Little Help Guys.

[basser9494]

Im super passionate about fishing but i just spent a bunch of money on a bigger tackle box and more lures. But I have Rapalas and Mepps spinners and all sorts of lures. I have alot but I have probably 2 or 3 lures that actually have caught 1 or 2 fish out of probably 30 or 40 lures. I have mostly hard baits and i have 1 bag of berkley powerworms so as you can tell Im not much for the soft plastics but I can always change if something really catches fish. The main point of this message is to ask you guys what a couple of your "stand-by" lures are for bass fishing. I go out fishing pretty much every weekend and I dont catch anything! I know the body of water has fish in it but I cant catch any of them. I just cant seem to find a few GOOD lures.

[Jig Man]

Two things I always have tied on: tubes (they find fish for me) and jigs (they catch bigger fish).

[hatrix]

A drop shot and some patience. If its a ruff day I know I can always catch fish with a drop shot.

[clayton86]

Jig and weightless fluke are my 2 I find throwing 99%of the time I carry a huge hockey duffle bag busting t0at the seams but I never throw anyof it cuz the jig and fluke always pulls threw.

[Stasher1]

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to use the lures you already own instead of adding new ones to your collection.

[Grey Wolf]

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to use the lures you already own instead of adding new ones to your collection.

Excellant advice.

[K_Mac]

Rapalas, Mepps spinners, and all sorts of other hard baits is really a little too vague to offer much help with what you have.

Rapalas of all kinds and Mepps spinners are good lures. Crankbaits (from shallow to deep) are good lures. Spinnerbaits are good lures. Topwater baits are good lures. Jigs are good lures. Plastics baits are good lures. Swimbaits are good lures. There are many good lures out there. What a "GOOD" lure is for you very much depends on many things including as Stasher1 said, a good understanding of how and when to use them.

My goto baits are plastics and jigs. That covers a huge variety of baits, conditions, and techniques. Texas rigging those powerworms with or without a weight might surprise you.

My advice is spend a little time reading to understand the basics of bass fishing, or find someone to teach you these things. There really are no magic baits, and no substitute for knowledge and experience. There are many articles on this site that will answer some of your questions. There are many here who are happy to answer specific questions on different baits and techniques. Good luck.

Edit: Welcome to the Forum.

[Big Fish Rice]

I agree that you might want to really take the time to fish the gear you currently have. But, in this case, you want fish "right now".

1) Dropshot

Gear: 6lb or 8lb fluorocarbon, #1 Owner Mosquito Hook and a 4.5" Margarita Mutilator Roboworm. Put on a 1/4 oz dropshot weight.

Technique: Cast it out, preferably along rocks or shelves. Find the 15-25ft water during the summer. Don't spend too much time shaking your rod tip - if you don't get bit in 30 seconds, drag it back to the boat and cast again.

2) Jigs

Gear: 15lb fluorocarbon or greater. Football head jigs will catch big fish. Stick to your natural colors and throw them until you get tired. Most of the time, you will feel a "tap". This is your warning shot - get ready to set the hook.

3) Senkos

Grab a 4" or 5" Smoke Yamamoto Senko and start casting. You have to be a line watcher. Any movement, set the hook. Not the most exciting way to fish, but stickbaits work because they appear like an easy meal.

[SirSnookalot]

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to use the lures you already own instead of adding new ones to your collection.

Everything works some of the time and nothing works all the time.

[jasoncase]

watermelon red senkos and good ole' shakey heads

[Ratherbfishing]

Asking which lures to use (or buy) is like asking which tools to use without knowing what job you are working on. Can you describe the lake?

[Wisconsin Heat.]

i live in eauclaire, and there are alot of waters around here where if ur not fishing the right area on a lake, you will swear the lake is dead, or you may even be fishing some not so good bodies of water. in line spinners are dynamite for smallmouth in rivers, but i dont fish them much in still water. i also use a more power approach in rivers because there is more "dead water" you have to cover and i believe its harder for the fish to find a finesse bait in slightly stained, moving water. knowing when to use your lures is more important than buying more.

also, i catch more fish on softplastics than hardbaits, for your question: my two favorite baits have to be a senko or finnesse worm.

also, if you have a rapala original floater in the silver black back color. thats magic. idk why but it catches everything that swims.

[pitchin fool]

Start by using a shallow crankbait and throw it all day. Record where and when it caught fish to get an idea of what type of situation to throw them in. Do this with all your baits and you will learn valuable information.

[OkobojiEagle]

A wise sage once wrote: An ounce of biology is more valuable than a pound of tackle.

oe

[bassmaster200]

My two go 2 lures are spinner baits and wacky style plastic worms (basically a hook put right through the center of the thing and reeled in slow with quick jerks). I never fish without having these two lures on my poles.

[roadwarrior]

Here ya go: