11-08-2009, 03:24 PM
My favorite is whatever works that day. It all works I suppose, and guys swear by whatever. But some "standbys" don't work for me. Until this past summer I could count the number of bass off a spinnerbait on one hand. Try, try, try again, but spinnerbaits just didn't work for me. Now, they're a main weapon, with one tied onto the four rods I use when out. That leaves the senko as the lone favorite that's unproductive for me. Well, come to think of it, I've caught only one off a drop shot. Go figure.
My go-to presentation is a T-rig double-tail hula grub that resembles a crawdad. Works all year, at least once every time out. My fishfinder isn't very detailed so I use the lure to explore the bottom for fish-holding features. And while learning, I get a couple of extra bites.
My all-time favorite, though, is a suspending crank. I'll try one every time out just for the fun of it. Don't catch much until fall, though.
For pure excitement I love poppers at sunup. This past spring and summer I went to school (so to speak) on some lunkers beside a weed bed that were hooked on surface lures, especially an ugly triple-jointed shallow-diver out of Hong Kong. Worked wonders. I didn't really like the lure, and it was hard to work properly, but I won't argue with the results.
Oh, and I refuse to use live bait except on the bank with my wife. As a old wader, I used to get Redfish off a double-drop bottom rig of a mullet and a shrinp. And I love to free-line live shrimp just to feel it freak before getting chomped. The only time I consider using live bait for bass is to free-line a perch, using a slip sinker to hold the bait near the bottom but letting it have some line to move around. Like the shrimp, the perch will let you know when something about to bite so you can get ready. But that presentation takes time, forcing you to sit there and do nothing. I'd rather be thinking, moving and casting.
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My go-to presentation is a T-rig double-tail hula grub that resembles a crawdad. Works all year, at least once every time out. My fishfinder isn't very detailed so I use the lure to explore the bottom for fish-holding features. And while learning, I get a couple of extra bites.
My all-time favorite, though, is a suspending crank. I'll try one every time out just for the fun of it. Don't catch much until fall, though.
For pure excitement I love poppers at sunup. This past spring and summer I went to school (so to speak) on some lunkers beside a weed bed that were hooked on surface lures, especially an ugly triple-jointed shallow-diver out of Hong Kong. Worked wonders. I didn't really like the lure, and it was hard to work properly, but I won't argue with the results.
Oh, and I refuse to use live bait except on the bank with my wife. As a old wader, I used to get Redfish off a double-drop bottom rig of a mullet and a shrinp. And I love to free-line live shrimp just to feel it freak before getting chomped. The only time I consider using live bait for bass is to free-line a perch, using a slip sinker to hold the bait near the bottom but letting it have some line to move around. Like the shrimp, the perch will let you know when something about to bite so you can get ready. But that presentation takes time, forcing you to sit there and do nothing. I'd rather be thinking, moving and casting.
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