When does it become too much?

Or should I ask how much is enough?

My question(s) are based on recent introduction of new baits with all kinds of Backwards legs, over-sized flippers, etc….

The Berkley Sabertail Bug

The Poor Boy’s Baits Darter Thang

Stanley Wedge Hog

Some of these baits would look awfully nice if a few of the appendages were to be clipped.

I try to keep things simple. I’ve always thought less is more.

When you look for a new bait, do you look for one that really grabs your attention with all extra legs and such or do you try to keep things simple?

It seems I’ve caught a lot more fish with plastics that are simpler, as opposed to plastics that have appendages hanging all over the place. When fishing Craws in the local rivers, I pinch off the claws and feelers to keep the dinks honest. Seem to land a lot more smallies that way.

The weight of my creature baits out-weigh my worms by probably 3-4 lbs. I love baits like these. The only one that I don’t really like in the above is the sabertail. Just looks funny. I hear good things about the yammamoto kreature, which reminds me of this, but I bought a pack of the yammamotos and didn’t like the feel of it in the water, plus I didn’t catch any fish. I guess I’m somewhat with you, but I really do like the new creature baits that they are comming out with. I can’t get enough of all the appendages. They really are a nice touch to the bait. But I think profile and contrast are what really matter. A brush hog in watermelon just isn’t going to catch more fish than say a lizard in watermelon imo. But take that brush hog and use a worm in comparison in the same color and results could be different because a worm has a completely different action/profile etc.. like I said, I think its all about profile..maybe a little bit weighs on water displacement too.

I’m kind of going ‘retro’ anymore…Zoom Trick worms (straight tail), Zoom finesse worms/french fries…Zoom brush hogs…
Strike King tubes and XPS skirted grubs…and of course, flukes…haven’t tossed a Berkely bait in a long long time…

Is it that the complex plastics catch more fishermen and the simple ones catch more fish?

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Is it that the complex plastics catch more fishermen and the simple ones catch more fish?

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Not sure on the catch rate but this is marketing, if it catches a fishermans eye and gets people talking, LIKE THIS, it’ll sell. Nothing to do with catching fish it’s catching fisherman…$$$$$ Same goes for all the RED hooks, line and lure’s out there now, anything NEW in this “simple” sport of fishing, if it’s new it’s got to work right? Because the fish have seen all the old stuff and have memory!

BIRDDOG

I would have to say that of all the different plastic baits out there, most of them catch fisherman. At any given time, any next bait will catch fish. To be a better fisherman, IMO, you have to be confident in what bait you are using. To many baits mean to much thinking and to much thinking means no confidence.

Get a bait that you feel confident in and stick with it. Two people in a boat can be throwing the same thing and one one person catching fish. It is all in presentaion over the bait IMO.

I do like the new looking baits though.

I think they are going overboard myself. The colors are nice, but there is just too much extra junk hanging all over. I would think if the bite is hot, they are going to work great. But, on a tough bite, the profile and action may very well turn the fish off. How many fish have been caught with a simple plastic worm over the years? They are still a great producer today. The new stuff will definitely catch quite a few fisherman though

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[Not sure on the catch rate but this is marketing

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AMEN to that… How many bait company’s don’t offer at least one creature? It’s no secret…it’s a huge fad in the fishing industry right now. If these company’s don’t offer some kind of creature they’re missing the boat! Sallys and craws have been around for as long as I can remember and I think we all know that they don’t catch fish any more!

Newest Fad: ball head jigs – I mean shakey head jigs

I’d add, the same for reels…

To me, this (Reel Link) is amazing… perhaps when my boys are my age, these will be commonplace… But $650?

For now, I just am unsure how to respond. Other thoughts?

I’m on the same page as Tim. I personally have cupboards full of plastics from years ago, unopened that I will never probably use. Plastics are plastics, its all the same few techniques using them. The fish don’t really care. They just see something plung down in there house and nail it. If they don’t, then you need a whole different technique anyways.

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I’m on the same page as Tim. I personally have cupboards full of plastics from years ago, unopened that I will never probably use. Plastics are plastics, its all the same few techniques using them. The fish don’t really care. They just see something plung down in there house and nail it. If they don’t, then you need a whole different technique anyways.

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I’ve begun to think more and more the same way, and my plastics load seems to be getting lighter. A few different types I have confidence in, in about 3 or 4 colors I have confidence in.

The plastics bag I have has been streamlined to 6-8 colors in tubes, 6-8 colors in creature baits and 4-6 colors in Power Worms. If you call that streamlined…..

Now I just need to work on the 600 crankbaits that I have….

Look at the great new plastics (Win wise) from the last 20 or so years.

Sluggo
Fluke
senko
Hula Grub
Bacon rind/Brush hog
craw/chunk baits
tubes
finesse worms
gobi’s

Most of them either have little hanging off them or they were designed to look like a skirted jig plus a trailer.

Most of the time I rip the small antena’s and stuff off before I use them because they either wrap around weeds or the gils grab them.

With the exception of hula grubs and lizards I don’t really fish anything with little stuff hanging off it.

It makes sense that they are making all of this new stuff. They have the Rapid proto typing capabilities to make just about everything and the injection equipment to produce it.

My quess is most of it will be in the sales bin about august.

there is alot of them, but my favorite is the gary yamanmotto kreature

they are all good. the best or my favorite is gary yammanmotto kreature bait that has two pairs of appendges

Seems the mentality/marketing ploy is that you have to have “new” stuff because the bass keep getting smarter and smarter and won’t bite the same lure twice…….right?????

Yet the “tube” has accounted for more fish than only God can count. It is stupid simple and mimics no other creature in the water, yet fish keep eating them over and over and over again.

So which one is it?
The $40 “Luckycraft” lure that has “real skin”……
or
The $0.10 tube?

Thinking about this a little harder brings me to all of the top lure of all time articles that are always being written. Most of the lures that are brought up are pretty simple and straight forward. They all have a food sort of profile and (I think) more importantly a random action.

I still use Salt craws, tubes, Sluggos and ring worms more than anything else soft plastic wise. A lot of the reason why is they are easy to put and keep on a hook and they don’t get hung up on everything.

hey guys I think it is a marketing ploy like others have said. As far as the in the stores, it will never be enough!! As long as we keep looking, talking and buying someone will keep making new baits. On an individual basis I like to stick with what works for me. Like Tim said too many baits might lead to less confidence. I know I will not use some of the plastics in my boat, but I keep them there just in case my fishing partner slays them on something I am not using. By the way have you guys found times when color and bait makes a big difference.

The plastics don’t work the fish, the fisherman does. The presentation is going to trigger the strike, not whether or not the plastic has a big claw waving hello to the fish. When jig fishing I almost use tube baits exclusively. I think if anything, having all these different “appendages” is a distraction from the presentation.

Almost forgot about that reel. Does that come with Vista or XP installed? I don’t see myself ever purchasing a reel with a computer chip braking system. My thumb does a pretty good job.