Which Creature Bait do you fish?

[anyfish]

As we have about a foot of snow or so outside, I have been making more baits looking forward to warmer temperatures.   This got me thinking, I wonder what everyone's favorite creature bait is, colors you throw, etc.  For me, this year I fished the Newt a lot and did well on Green Pumpkin and Smoke.

How about everyone else? 

[ctom]

I played around a bit with the 4.5" Lake Fork Lizard last summer while trying to tease bass and managed to catch three or four. I used watermelon/purple flake.

[anyfish]

Nice.  I haven't ever tried the 4.5 lizard.  I also had some success with the Berry Bug in black.  I didn't fish it a lot but I did catch my biggest bass of the year on it. 

As kind of a micro creature, we fished the mayday mayfly in Junebug with good success on Gills, Perch, and the like.

[ctom]

I fish that Mayfly grub, done in chameleon, around sunken wood and the crappies like to smack it.

[anyfish]

Have you ever tried the Hellgy mold?  I have looked at it a few times, but purchased the mayfly instead.

[ctom]

I have the helgie and fish it in the same color and same type of structure. Another under-sung bait in my opinion.

[anyfish]

Have you tried both sizes of the helgie?  If so, do you have a preference?

[ctom]

The smaller helgie. 2-3/4" is really pushing the upper limit on length I use for Crappies but the fish do hit them well. Actually I use a 1/16 Wacky Head with the wide gap #6 hook. I mount the head end of the Helgie then turn the bait to run the hook up and thru the body then pull the barb back so the tip of the hook is just barely imbedded in the plastic. Its weedless rigging but works great fishing submerged wood. I can crawl the bait over the limbs without hanging up. When fish hits a quick snap sets the hook.

[anyfish]

That's a great idea.  I'll have to give it a try.

[Lamar]

  It all depends on the time of year. I'd rather catch bass on a frog or a buzz bait than anything. But when it comes to creature baits I make a lot of the ES Beavers. It's just a nice little bait that holds up well and works well in and out of thick cover. My number one bait that I rarely post about but when I need a big bite is the Birch Bug. For some reason big fish love that bait. Small fish will eat it too and it's a one fish bait. Plus bait fish peck at it all the time so it's a pain to fish. So you'll go through 15 or 20 a day but if you get it in front of a big one she'll eat it.

[Les Young]

bBaby brush hog, super hog, tube & 10" worm are about all i fish ither than the ned rig baits made from the midwwest finesse mold. Of course i make all of the baits mentioned like most of us on here do.

[anyfish]

I haven't ever looked at the birch bug and I have never fished anything bigger than a 7" ribbontail.  I obviously need to expand my horizons.

Lamar are you rigging the birch bug on a jig or just solo?

Les how do you fish that big worm? 

[Lamar]

Lamar are you rigging the birch bug on a jig or just solo?

 Normally Texas rig it with a 1/4 oz lead and a 4/0 hook. For me it makes the jig too long. I like a bulky compact jig so that when they bite it then they got hook and all.

[efishnc]

My creature bait of choice would have to be the Flippin' Gorilla (for both catching big fish and general numbers), but when the bite is tough I'll downsize to the mud bug on a shaky head.  Colors will always be some sort of earthtone, but a long standing fave is motor oil with red and green flakes (aka camo).

[anyfish]

The Flippin Gorilla looks interesting.  Do you use the standard spline or one of the other ones?  This last year I fished more weightless plastics than I ever have before.  I found it helped me slow down and focus on the bait.  Did it catch any more fish?  Not sure.