I was thinking about this after some recent conversations and threads. I am one of those guys who tends to stick with certain lures, maybe sometimes too long, but I generally do okay. It got drilled in to me a long time ago by one of my salty old uncles who would tell me "there are no fish in the tackle box" when I got too antsy. Anyway, I thought I would list some of mine and encourage others who fish this way to do the same. I am only listing the most common targets that I have fished for successfully enough times to have a definite pattern.
As an aside, I do switch if something absolutely isn't working and I see other things working, but I give it a legitimate try first.
This is excluding bait, but list your favorite baits if that is your SOP...
Black Bass - As an adult, I would guess about 75% of the good sized bass I have caught were on T-rigged plastic worms in red to purple. As a child, over 80% were caught on a Abu in line spinner, white body with black dots.
Freshwater trout - When spin fishing, over half were caught on a small Panther Martin spinner, black body with yellow dots. When fly fishing, probably 90% or more were caught on a GRHE. I lived in CO for 8 years and that is mostly where I fished those, but I have caught trout in NC with the same stuff.
Crappie - Probably 80% on white twisty tail grubs behind a small black lead head. One note about this is that I am excluding "by catch" bass from my earlier bass count; I have caught a lot of peanut bass and a few large ones on the grub while fishing for panfish. Another note is that I consider a small white tube bait a generic substitution. Another note - I like the red reads with black eyes also and they are pretty interchangeable, IMO.
Saltwater trout (specks) - Nearly every single one on a glittery translucent plastic grub behind a read lead head.
Blues - About 90% on a Hopkins or similar spoon.
Flounder - Here's where I may be off the deep end. Several years ago I tied a bunch of streamers using strands from a rainbow colored poly duster (the kind you dust things around the house with) because I was going to the beach and wanted to try my fly gear. I caught some flounder on those. Since then, I have used them C-rigged on spin gear, sometimes with a strip of cut bait, also with success.
Loyalty to lures is a double edged sword; I have been out fished on many occasions. I am not so stubborn that I won't switch, but I think that finding favorites has been key for me. When I go fishing, I spend the vast majority of the time actually fishing and very little time digging through the box. Somewhere, Uncle Grier is smiling.
As an aside, I do switch if something absolutely isn't working and I see other things working, but I give it a legitimate try first.
This is excluding bait, but list your favorite baits if that is your SOP...
Black Bass - As an adult, I would guess about 75% of the good sized bass I have caught were on T-rigged plastic worms in red to purple. As a child, over 80% were caught on a Abu in line spinner, white body with black dots.
Freshwater trout - When spin fishing, over half were caught on a small Panther Martin spinner, black body with yellow dots. When fly fishing, probably 90% or more were caught on a GRHE. I lived in CO for 8 years and that is mostly where I fished those, but I have caught trout in NC with the same stuff.
Crappie - Probably 80% on white twisty tail grubs behind a small black lead head. One note about this is that I am excluding "by catch" bass from my earlier bass count; I have caught a lot of peanut bass and a few large ones on the grub while fishing for panfish. Another note is that I consider a small white tube bait a generic substitution. Another note - I like the red reads with black eyes also and they are pretty interchangeable, IMO.
Saltwater trout (specks) - Nearly every single one on a glittery translucent plastic grub behind a read lead head.
Blues - About 90% on a Hopkins or similar spoon.
Flounder - Here's where I may be off the deep end. Several years ago I tied a bunch of streamers using strands from a rainbow colored poly duster (the kind you dust things around the house with) because I was going to the beach and wanted to try my fly gear. I caught some flounder on those. Since then, I have used them C-rigged on spin gear, sometimes with a strip of cut bait, also with success.
Loyalty to lures is a double edged sword; I have been out fished on many occasions. I am not so stubborn that I won't switch, but I think that finding favorites has been key for me. When I go fishing, I spend the vast majority of the time actually fishing and very little time digging through the box. Somewhere, Uncle Grier is smiling.