Cheap Soft Plastics

I agree with you Tom about tossing the bass something new.

Quite often I am like everyone else and will toss your typical green pumpkin or something but I do from time to time use custom colors. Most I pour myself. I have been pouring worms for about 20 years now.. I dont do it as much as I use to due to time restrictions but... I do have a few favorite colors that I pour for certain lakes and certain times of the year that I will always make time to pour. I've done quite well in tournaments with them and they have been dubbed "yankee baits" by the people they have beaten lol The colors arent radically different than what most people use on Santee Cooper but they are different enough to make a difference and stand out while still looking quite natural. I think thats the key right there.

Most lakes you go to you will find that there are certain colors that the locals will always fish. I believe if you can find a custom color that is similiar to that color but with a difference or two... that could be enough to make the difference between doing so-so and tearing em up.

Now as far as roboworm, I saw some interesting colors there and to be honest.. 4 bucks for a pack of 10, thats not bad at all when you consider how much a pack of senko can cost you.

Tom, I am a little perplexed at your post. You make it sound like it is a bad thing to use cheap baits. Well, I use cheap baits and do not buy expensive baits just because they are expensive. Some folks have budgets to live on and can't justify spending $6 for 10 worms when the "EXACT SAME THING" can be purchased for $3 per 10. This is not rocket science here. Plastic is plastic. I actually own some Robo Worms but you are certainly a California man. Not everywhere can the same tactics and techniques be applied with the same results. I thought you knew that already?

Also, I use black and blue allot because well, I catch lots of fish on them. In Florida there is not a more productive color combo around. I have tried watermelon with success, Junebug with lots of success and many other colors but black and blue just gets it done. So why change? Do I need to change just for the sake of change?

I also do not buy $400 reels or $400 rods. While some may truly believe these products are worth it, to me they are not. The product isn't to blame most of the time it is the user.

I am in marketing so I know a thing or two about marketing products and how companies use the "It costs more so it must be better" philosophy. In some cases this is true but in many this is not. For example, I catch just as many fish on Alluring baits as I ever did on Senkos. So why should I buy Senkos for $6 a bag when I can buy Alluring for $2.50 per 10?

Perception is key in any industry and remember what perceptions some have about certain products doesn't mean they are "superior" maybe to that person they are. So maybe for you Aarons Magic is the best color when to me it isn't. Sort of like some people think Picasso was a great artist and I happen to think he wasn't. Who is wrong? Do we need to be wrong or just different? Think about it.

The point is this; 90% of the fisherman on the lake you fish use the same exact bait at the same time. Why do you believe that the bass are going to bite the one you presented? Are you that much better. I fish Yamamoto's Hula grubs, Kreatures and Zoom flukes and G tail worms (night), Berkley's power worms (night). Every western pro fishing this years Classic will have Roboworms as a go to soft plastic, Aaron Martens, Ish Monroe, John Murray and Skeet Reese and that should tell you something. I fish all over the country and Canada, when traveling and time allows. Everyone I get a chance to fish with, a local, will have their pet colors (guess what color) and can't believe the bass in their lake would eat a purple worm, for example. The reason is they never try it. A 10 package of Roboworms cost #3.50 + tax, thats not out of line for high quality product. I only used Roboworm for an example. You have made my point and only fish watermelon green pumpkin with red flake like everyone else does...it just amazes me.
Tom

There is one thing that can be said about popular colors and that is that many of the popular colors tend to imitate something natural in the bass's habitat. Regardless of how many people do use that color, the bass will still hit it just like they constantly hit the same color live shad, multing crawdad, bottom darter or amphibian. If it's natural looking and natural moving, it has a very good chance of being eaten if properly presented. This is why I feel that green pumpkin, watermelon seed, black etc... work so well. They are natural colors and fit very well in the bass's world. Now I am not contradicting what I said about sometimes liking to use custom colors by any means as my custom colors that I have used also are very natural looking. But I am a very strong believer in confidence and presentation. I think if a confident angler, does the right thing, in the right area, it wont matter much if he is using purple, black, brown, green , oxblood or whatever, he will catch fish. He could even catch enough to win any tournament there is.

I personally dont think there is any magic bait that if you have it you will catch more fish than everyone. (though we all know that certain crankbaits will outperform others) But if an angler feels that a certain color mixture or a certain flake will give him an edge, and believes it with confidence, I believe he will do well. Yet that same angler could tell someone else to use that same confidence color and the other person may strike out, simply because he didnt have the confidence his buddy had.

And in defense of cheap mass produced worms: 1994 Bassmaster Classic, North Carolina - Bryan Kerchal was pre-fishing and near a dock found a red shad Culprit worm. He started fishing that same worm and bought more for the tournament. That worm is what he won the Classic on. As a matter of fact, not only was that worm the winning bait, but it was also responsible for making Bryan the only angler who had a limit all 3 days of competition.