Alright let's say you're going out fishing for your favorite fish this weekend. It could be bass, catfish, bluegills, crappie, ect. If you had to build a kit for a weekend adventure with between 10-15 lures what would you choose?
You already have swivels, weights and hooks (although you can narrow down weight and hook size if you want).
I'll start off with a bass kit kit. All of these lures I've either owned and lost or currently own so I'm speaking from personal experience:
1) Tiny Torpedo/Baby Torpedo.
When it's time for top water this is my first choice... if there isn't a lot of vegetation of course. I love the sound the prop makes and if you choose to burn it it makes one heck of a show. I use the Tiny and baby torpedoes vs. the Teeny and Magnum Torpedoes. I guess I've just had the most luck on those two.
2) Zara Spook.
Even though you're looking at a big lure here you'll be surprised at how many of the smaller bass will go after these. The one I have in my box is made to mock a rainbow trout and I haven't had much luck with it. The green/black/white ones are the bees knees and I've had the best luck with them. For a smaller version use the Zara Puppy.
3) Surface Popper
Can't ever go wrong with a good popper. I love the different actions you can get by snapping your rod in different directions. This is one of the most well known bass lures and has worked for generations. If you're going out for bass this is a must have. I've had the best luck early to mid season when the water has just finished warming up. 'Use this lure early in the morning before the sun gets too hot.
4) Daredevle spoon
Get the black and white ones if you can still find them! I haven't seen these colors on the shelves in years, just the red and white spoons. If you can find them buy a few! They're killer for pickerel and not too bad on bass either. The black and white color is rare from what I've seen and they work wonders. If you can't find the black and white ones order 2 or 3 online. They get hung up on fallen trees and branches very easily so I like to burn these lures. Warmer water in mid season is the time to use these suckers. I've had luck in the morning, afternoon, and night time. I've used them mostly in muddy/dirty colored water. This is the one lure I would like to hear feedback about. Let me know what you guys find a difference in the colors like I did. I usually burn the lure and I've had great luck with it. If you fish it differently let me know and I'll try it out.
5) Jointed Diver
The diving depth depends on where you're fishing at. The action that you get from the hinge in the middle is great. Drives bass crazy.
6) Spinnerbait
I would choose a spinnerbait 9 times out of 10 over a buzzbait because of the variety of ways you can fish it. You can fish fast and shallow, deep and slow, you can burn it or even do a slow roll or "wake the bait". Hell I've even use them to jig and had luck with it. I like using these on a medium heavy rod with 6-8 lb test. The heavy rod lets you get the most out of the spinner action and you can wake the bait with just a light twitch of the rod.
7) Rooster Tails
When all else fails use a rooster tail! I've caught more bass on these little suckers than almost anything in my box. The only down side to these is the light weight and treble hook. Although they will hook fish with the certainty that a single hook can't you will pick up every bit of grass and debris on the way in if you don't use it at the right time. That is a lesson learned only by trial and error. My favorite and "go-to" lure.
8) Crawdad bomber
Another great lure to use on a medium heavy rod. Get the bombers with the extra long spoon on the front and use it to hit the rocky bottom. I've looked at some underwater footage of these lures and when bumped along a rocky bottom it imitates a crawdad looking for food under rocks. The hard plastic makes a nice clicking sound when it hits a rock which can draw a lot of attention from a hungry predator.
9) Hula Popper
The ultimate bass assassin. I use the frog imitation in either green or tan. A lot like the X-Rap Popper or the Rebel Pop-R. The difference is the tail end and how fat the lure is. The traditional popper is narrow with a small mouth and has a feather-like tail. The hula popper has a fat body, the mouth is 3x the size of the traditional popper, and has a hula skirt made of plastic. The skirt moves around in the water quite well for being plastic and does not clump together. The skirt does have to be replaced over time, I replace mine every season, but they are cheap and easy to find.
10) Bass Assassin Rubber worms
I'll throw these bad boys on a California style rig with a bullet weight or put a split shot 2-3 inches above the eye of the hook. Using the California style rig makes it weedless and wont catch on any trees or branches that you will find while crawling on the bottom of a lake or river. I use the bullet weight or split shot over a weighted jig head because it allows the worm to move more freely from the weight. This comes in handy when crawling over an old underwater tree. The bullet weight will climb up the tree while staying on the worm and then fall down once you reach the top of the tree. This leaves you some time to give the worm some extra action and take advantage of the spiral tail.
11) Diver
A diver is a must have in any bass kit. You can pick whatever diver you want depending on water conditions. Depth, water temperature, water color, and vegetation all play a role in which diver you want to choose.
That's my kit for bass. Let me know what you guys think and give me any suggestions you might have. I'm always game to learn new techniques and I like hearing constructive criticism. Let's hear what you guys/girls use!
You already have swivels, weights and hooks (although you can narrow down weight and hook size if you want).
I'll start off with a bass kit kit. All of these lures I've either owned and lost or currently own so I'm speaking from personal experience:
1) Tiny Torpedo/Baby Torpedo.
When it's time for top water this is my first choice... if there isn't a lot of vegetation of course. I love the sound the prop makes and if you choose to burn it it makes one heck of a show. I use the Tiny and baby torpedoes vs. the Teeny and Magnum Torpedoes. I guess I've just had the most luck on those two.
2) Zara Spook.
Even though you're looking at a big lure here you'll be surprised at how many of the smaller bass will go after these. The one I have in my box is made to mock a rainbow trout and I haven't had much luck with it. The green/black/white ones are the bees knees and I've had the best luck with them. For a smaller version use the Zara Puppy.
3) Surface Popper
Can't ever go wrong with a good popper. I love the different actions you can get by snapping your rod in different directions. This is one of the most well known bass lures and has worked for generations. If you're going out for bass this is a must have. I've had the best luck early to mid season when the water has just finished warming up. 'Use this lure early in the morning before the sun gets too hot.
4) Daredevle spoon
Get the black and white ones if you can still find them! I haven't seen these colors on the shelves in years, just the red and white spoons. If you can find them buy a few! They're killer for pickerel and not too bad on bass either. The black and white color is rare from what I've seen and they work wonders. If you can't find the black and white ones order 2 or 3 online. They get hung up on fallen trees and branches very easily so I like to burn these lures. Warmer water in mid season is the time to use these suckers. I've had luck in the morning, afternoon, and night time. I've used them mostly in muddy/dirty colored water. This is the one lure I would like to hear feedback about. Let me know what you guys find a difference in the colors like I did. I usually burn the lure and I've had great luck with it. If you fish it differently let me know and I'll try it out.
5) Jointed Diver
The diving depth depends on where you're fishing at. The action that you get from the hinge in the middle is great. Drives bass crazy.
6) Spinnerbait
I would choose a spinnerbait 9 times out of 10 over a buzzbait because of the variety of ways you can fish it. You can fish fast and shallow, deep and slow, you can burn it or even do a slow roll or "wake the bait". Hell I've even use them to jig and had luck with it. I like using these on a medium heavy rod with 6-8 lb test. The heavy rod lets you get the most out of the spinner action and you can wake the bait with just a light twitch of the rod.
7) Rooster Tails
When all else fails use a rooster tail! I've caught more bass on these little suckers than almost anything in my box. The only down side to these is the light weight and treble hook. Although they will hook fish with the certainty that a single hook can't you will pick up every bit of grass and debris on the way in if you don't use it at the right time. That is a lesson learned only by trial and error. My favorite and "go-to" lure.
8) Crawdad bomber
Another great lure to use on a medium heavy rod. Get the bombers with the extra long spoon on the front and use it to hit the rocky bottom. I've looked at some underwater footage of these lures and when bumped along a rocky bottom it imitates a crawdad looking for food under rocks. The hard plastic makes a nice clicking sound when it hits a rock which can draw a lot of attention from a hungry predator.
9) Hula Popper
The ultimate bass assassin. I use the frog imitation in either green or tan. A lot like the X-Rap Popper or the Rebel Pop-R. The difference is the tail end and how fat the lure is. The traditional popper is narrow with a small mouth and has a feather-like tail. The hula popper has a fat body, the mouth is 3x the size of the traditional popper, and has a hula skirt made of plastic. The skirt moves around in the water quite well for being plastic and does not clump together. The skirt does have to be replaced over time, I replace mine every season, but they are cheap and easy to find.
10) Bass Assassin Rubber worms
I'll throw these bad boys on a California style rig with a bullet weight or put a split shot 2-3 inches above the eye of the hook. Using the California style rig makes it weedless and wont catch on any trees or branches that you will find while crawling on the bottom of a lake or river. I use the bullet weight or split shot over a weighted jig head because it allows the worm to move more freely from the weight. This comes in handy when crawling over an old underwater tree. The bullet weight will climb up the tree while staying on the worm and then fall down once you reach the top of the tree. This leaves you some time to give the worm some extra action and take advantage of the spiral tail.
11) Diver
A diver is a must have in any bass kit. You can pick whatever diver you want depending on water conditions. Depth, water temperature, water color, and vegetation all play a role in which diver you want to choose.
That's my kit for bass. Let me know what you guys think and give me any suggestions you might have. I'm always game to learn new techniques and I like hearing constructive criticism. Let's hear what you guys/girls use!
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