Favorite bait s / Techniques

I think my favorite is Texas rigging plastics. To me it is one of the most versatile techniques available. I have Texas rigged baits as small at 3” with a 1/64 oz weight to as big as 10-12” plastics on 1 ½ oz weights and just about every where in between. I have fished them in water depth from 4’ to 40 Ft deep. You can fish them in almost any type of cover. The work from spring thru winter. Probably a close 2nd for me is a drop-shot. You can keep the bait at a certain place in the water column and I think you get what are normally inactive fish to bite using them. Interested in hearing what all of your favorites are. Thanks in advance for all of your responses

X2. My fishing buddies always question why I bring anything with besides plastics, hooks, and bullet weights. My answer is that I consistently catch fish, they are relatively cheap, and I feel like I’m coaxing the fish to bite vs. just casting and cranking.

X3. I probably fish Texas Rigged worms 50% of the time and spinnerbaits 25% of the time. I am embarrassed to say I still have yet to try drop-shotting, but I love the concept. I don’t use crankbaits as much as I would like, because most of the lakes I fish are very weedy. I also don’t know why I don’t fish jigs and pigs/plastics much. I have a bunch, but I haven’t built any confidence using them and a lot of that has to do with not using them.

I fish plastic worms for much of the same reasons that you guys touched on. A lot of the time I am fishing in a boat with the brother’s who drop anchor. The main lake we fish will hold bass in the same areas as walleyes/pike/panfish, because it is a shallow lake. That means they can target walleye while I cast for bass. Plastic worms let me finesse the entire area and spinnerbaits let me target crabby and aggressive bass in other parts of the water column. And yes, I have caught plenty of walleye on a texas-rigged worm. Talk about disappointment.

Remember I am fishing mostly clear deep sterile Canadian Shield Lakes…little weeds, good wood sometimes

Top Three…

(1) Tubes

(2) Swim Jig/trailer (blue/black)

(3) Senkos/texas rigged worms

(4) top water

Rods…

St.Croix LTBC 70MF…12# Braid… Quantum Energy Ti

Dobyns 733… 12# Fluoro… Quantum Energy Ti

Dobyns 682… 12# Mono (Top Water)….Quantum Energy Ti

The hard part of fishing plastics is being in the back of a boat with someone who is “runnin and gunnin”.

Quote:

---

The hard part of fishing plastics is being in the back of a boat with someone who is “runnin and gunnin”.

---

Ugh. At the brother’s cabin I’ll see guys just working the shoreline tossing at every dock and anything in between. Every time I see that it makes me wonder if these guys are actually had a game plan and/or are trying to identify a pattern. Or are they just hoping that something gets on the line once in a while.

My favorite is when the top water bite turns on. Nothing gets my pumper rev’d more than an exploding surface.
My favorite baits are Horny Toads, Ribbits, Spro Frogs and the Spook. I removed the center treble on my Super Spooks last year and still have great action in the bait. Hooking up with fish has not been a problem either. I believe it makes for a healthier released fish.

Good point Bret. One of the few times I throw a “hard” bait is for topwater. I’m a spook/buzzbait guy. I’ll have to try removing the bottom treble.

X2 on that Bret….nothing better than having a 4 lber explode on a frog

Favorite Tech. is definately throwing a topwater frog altough I do love making a fish crosseyed with a flippin stik. Instead of doing the conventional chuck and wind with the froggy, Ill give the frog a very erratic action on top for a second or two, let it set for 2 seconds..and repeat. Theres something about it that they dont like!

Shallow diving and lipless crankbaits!!!

I like fly fishing with poppers. There is something about a popper laying on the surface with just an occasional twitch that drives bass crazy. Sure like to see that water explode.

Topwater
Buzzbaits and Froggin

Frog man

Quote:

---

Topwater
Buzzbaits and Froggin

---

X2 for fun Ron

buzz frog first and foremost…
jig/chunk
fluke