Your Favorite 'Search Bait' is...?

[RandyFish]

I was wondering what each of you use as a "search bait," meaning the lure you pick when fishing a new area or trying to guage sturcture or fish on weed edges or points.

I know that many guys like crankbaits for this role, but I am always trying to match the proper crank to the depth and color to conditions. Plus, I wind up fouling a lot -- despite the snap technique.

To simplyify, I began using heavier spinner baits late last summer because I can manipulate them in the water column better: I can start with a slow roll, and then simply work them with a higher rod and a faster retrieve, or give them a strong pump.

Plus, they do not weed up -- and I can cover a lot of area with them.

Is this an effective approach as a search tool. My other thinking -- to reduce the variables as much as I can -- is to use a common style that I know catches fish: aka, a white or purple spinner bait or one with a twister style grub.

Anyone have any thouights about the best lure as a search tool.

How about swimming jigs?

Your thoughts all.

RandyFish

[delmuts]

randy. depends on the lake type and conditions with me. yes i do love a spinnerbaits for a search bait, but if overcast or low light i will go to a buzzbait or a popper for a search tool. i also will have a jig rigged up . one can work areas with this bait rather quickly to.

[sami0115]

i am also a spinnerbaitaholic. it is so versitile. i also love the buzzbait, nothing [PoorWordUsage]es off the bass like a noisy buzzbait.

[Wayne Ek]

In the spring I like jerk baits (rouges/husky's)As the season move along I go to rattle baits shallow and fat cranks out deeper. I toss alot of buzzers in the morning and cloudy days. When I'm looking for a deeper bite I toss c-rigs alot... possibly to much, if you look at my tournament earnings this past season. And for the past 2 years I have used a camera more and more.

[Deitz Dittrich]

For me it really depends on what cover I am fishing and what time of the year.. as stated earlier a jerkbait is an awesome search bait in the spring of the year.. probably not my first pick in the mid summer. Rat-l-traps in the fall are a great search bait as well... Spinnerbaits are a great serach bait year round!

[Ray Esboldt]

If I'm probing weedlines, I use a jigworm as a search bait. Seems like an odd choice as this is classified as a finesse bait by most, but it works well for me. If the wind is down, an 1/8 oz. mushroom head with a four inch ringworm is my choice. I'll bump up to 3/16 oz. if the wind is strong.

What I'm looking for is fish that will meet the bait before it hits bottom. This tips me off that agrresive fish are present on the weedline, and more times than not the first one there beat a couple others to the bait. Drop a marker because you've probably found a school of fish. If the bait makes it to the bottom, I'll give it a couple hops and crank it back in. I could probably cover a little more water with a crank, but I honestly don't classify a crank as weedline search bait. I like cranks when I know the fish are there, and I'm looking to pick off the biggest and hungriest ones right away.

Up on the flats, I'll pick up a rattling bait before anything else. Spring, summer, and fall those baits will find you a bass. Again, spinner baits, buzzers, and topwaters are baits I'll use when I know fish are present. Texas rigs are another bait I'll turn to when searching for fish on flats. A 1/2oz. sinker and a 7 inch lizard can cover a surprising amount of water.

This all sounds a little backwards. But, I'm not looking to eliminate water. I'm really looking for higher percentage areas. Places where bass should and do live. There's times where I'll just run the trolling motor through low percentage stuff and not even bother making a cast. It's not about elimination, it's about extraction. Expermintion is good, but if you're short on time, bypass the stuff that doesn't look good from your experience and fish the stuff that holds fish.

[bassman186]

RandyFish;

This is a good question.

In spring I like to use some type of jerkbait, rattle trap, shallow running crankbait.

In late spring-early summer I switch over to a spinnerbait. I'll usually stick with this until mid to late summer.

Then in late summer and throughout fall I will switch to a buzzbait, or jitterbug.

~Matt Jung

[LEECH21]

I'd for sure reach for a spinnerbait!

[st.crioxfishin]

I like the spinnerbait too. I also like to fish a plasitc worm quickly on the weeds eges, this works great if there isn't to much wind. Last year in the later summer I tried swimming a jig, it worked great and helped me locate bass just like a spinner bait would, I had never tried that before and was very pleased.

[RandyFish]

I am glad someone was trying a swimming jig...

I did forget one suggestion: anyone use a weedless spoon. I had never considered it, but you can cover water with and they can really be manipulated through the depths.

I had buddy that would really "burn" his spoon across the top of weeds -- kind of like a jerk bait.

I had to smile at Rapalas "new" invention, which is basically a spoon like jib with a minnow style trailer.

With all the lures I try I forget, it was a small Johnson weedless minnow tipped with a while grub that got me into this whole bass addiction.

[Bobb-o]

isnt it berkeley that makes the "new" spoon thingy with the minnow trailer or is it storm?

[delmuts]

hey randy ! i do ! i had forgotten to mention it. if we are working a broken weed line alot of times one of us will have one on. sooooo many great lures/tools to try. this is bad !! spinnerbait,swimming a jig,buzzbait, crankbaits, spoons; man my hands are shaking just thinking about it!!! come on open water!