Depends on the fish. As I live in the central part of the country, I am a freshwater fisherman. I love to fly fish for trout, mostly Rainbow, although I have one Brown Trout to my credit. What a beautiful fish! I tie my own flies, which adds a special quality to the catch. Beyond that, I have thrown spinnerbaits for largemouth bass and northern pike, with a few muskie thrown in for good measure; jigs for crappie; soft plastics made like crawdads for smallmouth bass; trolled deep diving crankbaits for walleye; and perch jerked with my children in local ponds. All techniques are fun, but the best is the one you love the most. That technique will catch the most fish, because you have confidence in it. I have two favorites: on lakes, it is a 3/8 oz black spinnerbait with a # 6 or #7 willow leaf blade. Doesn't matter the season, water depth or temperature. I know I will catch fish with this lure, and I almost always do. Even caught bass in January on a local lake while fishing with a professional bass fisherman. This person has won many tournaments on the B.A.S.S. circuit. We were jigging for bass and I was bored; we weren't doing too well. I left him and motored over to the bank, pulled out my spinnerbait and commenced casting. He yelled at me that there would be nothing near the bank that time of year. I smiled at him, and set the hook on a four pounder. I ended up catching around five or six keepers to his one. The second is a small soft plastic worm, usually 4 to 5 inches long, in bubble gum pink on small waters. I cannot tell you the number of bass I have caught on this one! Literally thousands, I should guess. When all else fails on a pond or creek, I pull this one out and get a few. Remember: what you have faith in you fish better than any other lure.
