Anybody try anything NEW this year?

[MCTFisher9120]

I would just like to know if anybody has tried, bought or made any NEW lures or soft plastics this year that they like to share about. All that I used that was new this year would be my Fishing Snakes, Watermelonseed 5" Yum dingers, and some Rapala X-Rap Slashbaits, these three items worked good for me this year and helped me catch some great fish, what didn't work for me would be the 3" and 5" Berkly Gulp Alive leeches

Edited October 3, 2008 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[Radnine]

For me, Dingers and Tubes are new (so I'm a little slow) and they have worked very well. What have suffered a bit are classics like Rapalas and Flatfish.

I have also fished new water this year (Erie being one, Cameron another). I have loved Erie, Cameron not so much.

I am dying over the fact that the season is coming to an end.

Jim

[Cudz]

I would just like to know if anybody has tried, bought or made any NEW lures or soft plastics this year that they like to share about. All that I used that was new this year would be my Fishing Snakes, Watermelonseed 5" Yum dingers, and some Rapala X-Rap Slashbaits, these three items worked good for me this year and helped me catch some great fish, what didn't work for me would be the 3" and 5" Berkly Gulp Alive leeches

That is funny because I got into drop shotting 3" and 5" gulp alive leaches and they produced quite well. I also drop shotted la bunch of other baits this year and they too worked well.

Believe it or not, small shallow running square billed crankbaits in crayfish colours were my go to bait for smallies (replacing the ever-popular tube jig).

I also found that wake baits (storm sub wart and manns 1 minus) were very effective over weed patches for pike. Slow retrieved just under the surface.

[tdotfisherman]

Man, oh man.. I tried so many new baits and lures this year.. the best producing lures of the year were X-Rap's & Husky Jerks for Northern Pike.. caught lots, Berkley Gulp 4" minnows for Walleye and Smallmouth Bass up north..

 

Baits that didn't work too well this year were cleo casting spoons for countless hours at the pier for samon.. didn't catch a bloody thing.. but then again that could have been because of the poor run in the trib mouths I was fishing, because I knew some good results were had by people out in the east end..

[young_one]

Gulp leech worked pretty good for me. I caught smallmouth, huge silver bass, catfish and decent size walleye with it.

tdotfisherman, hahaha i feel your pain, I bought every size casting spoon, 3 all nighter trips and maybe I got one hit. In the end, I gave up and went back to bottom bouncing! (best day, 5 fish a night)

[singingdog]

Wakebaits. LC, Excalibur and Storm. All my best fish have come on wakebaits this year, including 2 smallies over 20" on one small river in about an hours time. They fill a niche that no other bait in my box does.

 

Lots of traditional stuff did not work as well this year, especially spinnerbaits and senkos - my 2 "go to" baits most of the time. I don't know why, but I just never got a really good bite going on either one this year.

[Rich]

No, didn't try anything new.. but I did experience my first topwater musky. Been throwing the Awaker for 3 seasons now and it finally got bit. Twice! Hard to beat that experience.

[kemper]

Tried a bunch of new things under the float for trout this year, some more effective than others...

 

synopsis:

skien chunk under a float is KILLER when they are hungry

jigs will consistantly outfish most other bait on the river

pink worms still suck! (for me anyways, I see people slam fish all day on the though)

white worms are cool.

 

 

I tried building my own rod, was very successful and will be doing it again soon. This is probably a bad thing as I already have 4 float rods...

[JohnF]

Baitcasting - many thanks to Garry2rs & HometownHandyman for the tutelage

 

Wacky rigging - with advice from Garry (again). Actually, Garry taught me a lot of fishing lore that's been useful since. He's kind of like a living Bassin' For Dummies, and a nice guy to boot.

 

Fishing from a bassboat - Garry's, of course. That was fun. I've always had a penchant for going fast on the water.

 

Finally tried those AC Shiners that have been collecting dust in my tackle box. They work - great, especially the yellow ones.

 

A few posts here steered me to the Torpedo lures. Picked up a baby sized one and had great results.

 

I got out flyfishing once with young Bill Parker and though we had no luck, he showed me a lot of good stuff on flyrod technique. Now if the wind would only go away I'd get out and try Singingdog's nifty bass lures that he sent. I've been lugging the rod/reel around all summer but there always seems to be a gale blowing on the river, or when there's a calm patch I'm hundreds of yards away from the car up to my hips in the creek, and too durned lazy to trek all the way back to change gear.

 

Got out on Lake Manitou once and nailed a couple of smallish (but very tasty) Lakers. It was interesting but I gotta say I prefer the action of casting, whether from a boat or from the water.

 

Considering the meager pickin's on the creek this year I had a pretty good summer of fishing. Had grand plans for trying more new stuff, and some generous offers from a number of folks (Brian, Steve, Albert, Rick, Bill, Gerritt to name only a few) here, but time, weather and life's little responsibilities conspired to rain on my parade. Hopefully some of those invitations will still be standing next year cuz I'm rarin' to go.

 

Thanks for the fun, all.

 

JF

[BillM]

Started using tubes for SMB (Yeah, don't ask me why it took sooo long, lol) along with dropshot rigs. Wacky rigged for LMB a few times, really enjoyed that... Definitely a fun way of fishing, although I still like tossing topwater.

Edited October 3, 2008 by BillM

[bigugli]

Finally gave Senko's a serious try and "O" worms with mixed results.

[jedimaster]

DIngers for me worked good this year, and GUlp Alive leeches didn't catch a thing, but they did make my boat smell kinda funny.

[lunkerbasshunter]

i tried dead sticking plastics his year when the bite was slow and it produced way more then i thought it ever would!

 

cheers!

[Leecher]

The only new thing I used this year was Gulp Alive 3" grub on a jig and was successful at catching eyes, bass and channel cats. One lure that I had in my tacklebox and never gotten used in the past was the spinnerbait.

 

Used them a lot this year and produce good results with bass and pike.

 

Leechman

[ecmilley]

X-rap shads worked well for wallys most of the summer.

also got into drop-shotting and with the much appriciated help of Mark Kulik on tactics and tackle I have been having a blast catching just about everything that has fins

[Reef Runner]

AbuGarcia C36501--awsome reel

paired with Fenwick Eagle GT--awsome rod

 

Changed over my spinning rod to a Fenwick with great results. Love my Fenwick rods for the sensitivity and the metal alloy guides.

 

perfected my technique with yum diggers texaposed weedless.

 

Also tried drifting for fall run salmon with success.

[moemoe]

I used a Depth Raider speed and temp probe for the first time on lake O, definetly changed how and where to fish, can't imagine going out without it now, best $400 I spent imo

Edited October 3, 2008 by moemoe

[ctdd2006]

I always trolled big spoons behind a downrigger ball for my lakers but this year tried a regularly producing spot using tub jigs for suspended fish on lighter gear and had a blast doing it!

[forrest]

one thing I tried this year was bait casters.....so far I think they great!

[SHAD]

McClays, what a find. A great scottish ale brewed in ontario to boot! Can's are way better then the bottles though! Go figure, guess the tin makes a difference in taste!

[JoshS]

Something new I tried this year were swimbaits. They look awesome in the water and I noticed the pike love 'em, smallmouth like to follow them, and people like to talk about how they hook big largemouth.... I will give them an honest effort next season.

[singingdog]

I always trolled big spoons behind a downrigger ball for my lakers but this year tried a regularly producing spot using tub jigs for suspended fish on lighter gear and had a blast doing it!

 

One of the least-used and most productive laker tactics out there. You should see the looks I get when I pull out tube-jigs for trout...until they start hitting them.

[Handlebarz]

Well this year I tried to use the slow death hooks from mustad I rigged them up just like they said and used gulp turtle back worms WOW I was amazed at the fish I caught with this stuff. Time after time when taking people out for pickerel before the day was out but ususally after a hour or less they would switch from there worms or minnows to the turtle back and slow death. I also used the gulp for drop shot and on a worm harness it works better then the real stuff hands down I dont even bring out live bait not even when the kids are with me its all fake stuff for us.

 

One thing I did find with the slow death rig and gulp is that I caught no small fish on them I could feel the little guys trying to take the bait but with the action and size of the gulp they would not get hooked which was a great thing for not waisting time with the little buggers.

 

The best I found was usuing bottom bouncers but anyone who has talked with me about bait fishing this year knows that already.