# What's your confidence bait?



## one100grand

I'm just curious as to what exactly is your confidence bait. Mine tends to change depending on what's catching fish - so I'm letting everyone pick 2; one that's your current and one that's your all time. I've tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but if I left out a bait, please let me know so I can add it.


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## Ictalurus

Live bait works for me. Crawlers and minnows always catch fish.


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## one100grand

My #1 all time confidence bait is a Bill Lewis Original Rat-L Trap in the Chrome/Black color.
My current is the Kinami Flash Worm in the Chartreuse/Pumpkin color fished as a wacky worm. I've caught more bass in the past year on this than anything else.


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## one100grand

Ictalurus said:


> Live bait works for me. Crawlers and minnows always catch fish.


Heh, I kind of forgot to add live bait  - fixed


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## poolie

99% of the time I only fish with three things so picking two was easy. I chose worms and jigs. I can always catch something one of those two. My third would be a spinnerbait. Caught my PB on one so they have a special place.


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## bassfishinh123

My number one pick for my favorite bait would be a weedless riged senko. Anywhere I fish a senko will always catch fish.


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## Industry

Mine used to be a zara pup, but last year I started using a black/blue fleck senko weedless weightless. Hammered the bass on a tiny pond I fish here.


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## FishyItch

Not traditionally a bass lure, but my confidence bait is any Mepps inline spinner. A #5 seems to be deadly in the lakes near me for any big fish.


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## bearsphan3.14

It depends on the time of year, but I can always tie on a crank bait (lipless or shallow diving) and pull something out of the water. I have been lovin on jigs for the past 2 years and usually have one tied on. You can fish a jig so many ways, fish just can't resist them.
Now spinner baits I have trouble with. I have not caught too many fish with them. I think I am secretly happy I lost my last one a few weeks ago. They remain a mystery to me.


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## jkbirocz

This is a great poll, it varies depending on time of year, but soft plastics will always be one of them. My confidence baits change with conditions too, but with that said I went with soft plastics and frogs. Jigs would be next on my list, they will catch fish no matter what time of the year it is. 

I assume you are talking bass right?


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## fish devil

:twisted: I picked jigs and lipless cranks. They usually get me fish under most conditions. Summertime, I would go with soft plastics though.


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## Truckmechanic

Soft plastics preferably a lizard and Crankbaits I have to go with the KVD 1.5 or a Bandit.


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## begs

I would have to go with a fire tiger black back, chaur belly and orange diving crankbait, always brought them in for me when nothing else seems to work


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## Jim

A stick bait is my go to bait.


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## one100grand

jkbirocz said:


> This is a great poll, it varies depending on time of year, but soft plastics will always be one of them. My confidence baits change with conditions too, but with that said I went with soft plastics and frogs. Jigs would be next on my list, they will catch fish no matter what time of the year it is.
> 
> I assume you are talking bass right?



When I was originally writing it, that's what I originally had in mind-but I don't exclusively fish for bass, so I tried to include every bait I could think of that included baits targeting other species.


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## russ010

90% of the time I'm tossing a jig... the rest is really split between a crankbait (probably 7%) or some type of big 8-10" worm (the rest of the 3%)....


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## angry Bob

Smallmouth senko and grub
Largemouth senko and jig


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## sbm2240

#1 Texas Rigged Senko
#2 Jig

Interesting how much higher the plastic worms rated over everything else! Not surprisng...


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## bearsphan3.14

fish devil said:


> Summertime, I would go with soft plastics though.


Zoom Super Fluke is deadly in the summer


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## BaitCaster

Texas rigged weightless green 5" or 7" Senko. Gets 'em every time!

Second choice has got to be the lipless crankbait.


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## one100grand

sbm2240 said:


> Interesting how much higher the plastic worms rated over everything else! Not surprisng...



The thing that I think is interesting and surprising is that diving crankbaits are #3. 
I'd never expect so many people to pick topwater as their confidence bait too - everyone loves to catch fish on topwater, but I know if I had to catch one fish, it wouldn't be my first choice. I was really hoping to get a diversified response on this - I'd love to hear more from people about why they these are their confidence baits.


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## devilmutt

1. Jig and Pig
2. Spinnerbait


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## Pappy

Was on the lake around 7 this morning and caught around 10 or so. Lost another 4 or 5 fish. Most were caught on a pink or red worm with around 3 or 4 on topwater. Gin clear water on a 52 acre lake.


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## LonLB

Snack Daddy Lures salty stik, or Alluring baits stick bait, wacky style. If you can't catch fish on a wacky worm, at least around here, you should stop fishing.  

Second is a Swim jig. I tie my own skirts, and use 80lb super braid. Jigs are bare poor boys jig heads. Just doesn't pay to pour them for what I can buy them for.
Trailers are usually Paca Chunks, or Chigger Chunks (chiggers when I'm dropping into pockets and what not-no point using the expensive heavily scented trailers when just swimming them)

On a J/M Elite 7'6 MH rod with re-coil guides and a balancing weight on the end of the handle. Reel is a custom built Revo "mono block" with 7.1 Australian market gears, and a set of Boca bearings, and carbon handle.
:lol: It's my go to.


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## one100grand

bearsphan3.14 said:


> Zoom Super Fluke is deadly in the summer



What color do you like? I've only started fishing the Super Flukes and have decent success with white. I've been fishing them on a pseudo-carolina rig w/a 1/8 oz bullet weight and 30" leader so I can fish it on a jerk-drop retrieve and it doesn't ride up too high in the water on me.


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## bearsphan3.14

one100grand said:


> bearsphan3.14 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Zoom Super Fluke is deadly in the summer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What color do you like? I've only started fishing the Super Flukes and have decent success with white. I've been fishing them on a pseudo-carolina rig w/a 1/8 oz bullet weight and 30" leader so I can fish it on a jerk-drop retrieve and it doesn't ride up too high in the water on me.
Click to expand...

I am partial to the pearl white. I fish them like a jerk bait and weightless.


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## bcbouy

we have so many spiecies to target up here,its hard to pick just 2.if im not flyfishing,id say black and silver kwikfish and red wedding band for trout. but thats just the tip of the iceberg.


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## dixie_boysles

Zoom Baby Brush Hog


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## BaitCaster

bcbouy said:


> we have so many spiecies to target up here,its hard to pick just 2.if im not flyfishing,id say black and silver kwikfish and red wedding band for trout. but thats just the tip of the iceberg.



Kwikfish is definitely my no. 1 confidence bait for salmon.


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## one100grand

I miss trout fishing - every time I visit BPS, I see all of the inline spinners & spoons and a certain nostalgia overcomes me. Unfortunately, there just aren't trout nearby that aren't stocked.... stocked trout =/= fishing


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## Queencitybassman

My top two would be a lipless or senko fished every way possible but during the dead heat of summer slow rolling a crawfish imitation carolina rigged is the ticket for me!


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## one100grand

Queencitybassman said:


> My top two would be a lipless or senko fished every way possible but during the dead heat of summer slow rolling a crawfish imitation carolina rigged is the ticket for me!



do you mean a creature bait crawfish or something else?


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## RPjet

If I am on the local rivers I am always throwing a jerkbait, either an X-rap on the hard side of things or a Zoom super fluke on the soft side. Backup lure is always a tube. If I go to a lake my rod always has a senko rigged wacky style on it.


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## clumzy_31

drop shot rig with senko is the go to bait for me but currently im doing great with a 1/2oz booyah black/blue jig!


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## one100grand

I'm kind of surprised that soft bodied swimbaits have 0 responses


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## Truckmechanic

I think a swimbait is a make it or break it type bait. Either you are going to catch them with it or you are just going to practice casting.


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## D-Man

Square bill crank bait works for me. 8)


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## one100grand

That's a pretty fish! Hoping to catch some of those this summer myself!


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## huntinfool

I gotta say that my two go to baits are a Zoom lizard in watermelon chart. and a Zoom super fluke, in just about any color, but baby bass is my all time fav.


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## randall

Mine is a straight tail plastic worm like a trickworm and a hard swimbait. I am really torn between the hard and soft swimbait as number two though.


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## one100grand

randall said:


> Mine is a straight tail plastic worm like a trickworm and a hard swimbait. I am really torn between the hard and soft swimbait as number two though.



Do you fish bigger or smaller swimbaits? I've never had much luck with the bigger swimbaits, but with the smaller, I've done very well fishing for perch or smallies.


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## Goosegas

Here in Central Florida, heavy vegetation is the game. With this in mind, it is probably easy to understand why I like soft plastic worms, rigged weedless Texas Style.

Being that the visibility is so poor, you can also understand why a dark colored plastic would work, therefore being my favorite.

The thing that I really do not understand is why the Bass love one particular brand and color so much more than any other. This has happened numerous times, in numerous locations, under different weather conditions, and at different times of the year.

I have caught no less than 4 times the number of Bass on the following, than any other lure, and any other company.

My weapon is a 8 1/2" or 10" Charlie's Ribbon Tail Worm in the Tequila Sunrise color.

I recently fished a small lake in Central Florida for 7 hours. I used top water, crank baits, frogs, lizards and even 4 different colored plastic worms. With my 2 buddies, we caught 18 Bass, and only 2 were with something other than a Charlie's Worm... and we only used the Charlie's Worms for about 90 minutes, until we unfortunately ran out.

I can't explain it, but I have to say that this worm is my current and all-time favorite at this point in time.


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## Boatguy

Ictalurus said:


> Live bait works for me. Crawlers and minnows always catch fish.


Testify! last night We were slamming gills and such with cane poles red worms and crawlers.


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## centralillski

one100grand said:


> My #1 all time confidence bait is a Bill Lewis Original Rat-L Trap in the Chrome/Black color.
> My current is the Kinami Flash Worm in the Chartreuse/Pumpkin color fished as a wacky worm. I've caught more bass in the past year on this than anything else.



I couldn't agree more. I've caught more fish on Rat-l traps than anything else.


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## breachless

My confidence bait has always been the trusty Texas Rigged Plastic worms... But for some reason, I have had very little luck with them this year.

I have used Chatterbaits in the past to varying degrees of success, but this year, I have just KILLED the bass (both large and smallmouth) with these everywhere I go when all else fails... It's to the point now where I have gone out a few times and not even bothered with anything BUT the chatterbait. And they SLAM the things too: at least half the fish I have caught on these manage to almost swallow the things, which is impressive considering I am usually ripping them over submerged weeds as fast as I can to avoid snags... It has done really great in the rivers too for smallies.

And of course, on any given lake in MN, there will be split-pea soup or a patch of lily pads somewhere where you are pretty much guaranteed a bass or two with a SPRO frog or other topwater frog regardless of the weather or time of year.


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## Charlie Two Tracks

I know that I am bringing up an old post but, I just had to comment on this topic. BUZZBAIT! I can't get away from them. Be it the Spring, summer or fall, I get a bunch of bass on them. I throw other lures but it is the buzzbait that gets me the most fish. I cast to the structure or within a foot of the shoreline and make sure the lure is coming back towards me when it hits the water. Plain old white skirted buzzbait. I use Mann's "RAT" for floating moss or vegetation. That is a fun lure to use.


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## Cartman

This time of year I rarely get away from corkys, specially a corky devil tail. Other than that, just about anything TTF the paddle tails are even better.


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## cole.manns

Golden shiners all the way in the south! 8)


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## Galveston340

*....the old stand by for me is for trout a silver spoon and for Redfish I use the same in gold. I have never been one to listen to all the hype about the "color of the day" when it comes to plastics! Of course I have a ton of what has worked in the past but it all depends on water clarity/color and what mode the fish are in. 
And down here on the coast I have found that something that the fish haven't ever seen such as a Model A Bomber shallow diving crankbait will have the redfish going nuts trying to kill it as they haven't seen it before.*


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## Proyotehunter

For bass I would have to say salt injected Gamakatsu purple plastic jerk baits.


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## Frogman Ladue

1. Inline Spinners
2. Spoons

Neither of which is on the poll. No wonder why you'z guys can't catch nuttin. :mrgreen:


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## Gramps50

I guess I just don't know how to fish with plastics or spinner bait or ??? I have my best luck with worms and minnows or maybe a cricket now and then.

Take this evening for instance. I went to a local pond (the city calls it a lake) I had 4 minnows that were a week old and with the weather report didn't sound like there would be much fishing going on this weekend. So I took the remaining 4 minnows and caught 3 fish nothing to brag about but I was catching fish. Minnows are gone so I switched to plugs/spinners nothing not even a hit. Was wishing that I had taken some worms with me probably could have caught a few more.


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## bassin4fun

Worked for me when I was 13 yrs old. Works for me now at 39. All black weedless K&E bass stopper. Won't have less than 5-6 of 'em in my box. My #2 is the old school, floating "Perch" Rapala. I have one from 'back in the day' that is just hammered with teeth marks......Love it!


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## Nobody

Rooster tail spinners for smallmouth any many other species. My kids don't like fishing with them though. The trebile hooks catch them to many weeds.


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## HANGEYE

What gives? Am I the only one that uses Dynamite? Just kidding, if it rains and the matches get wet you would be done fishing. [-X 

I'm with the live bait guys on this one. Critters and minners all the way for me. =D>


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## Loggerhead Mike

Jig head worm and a kvd 2.5 or all white spinner


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