How Do You Know A Bait (Hard Or Soft) Can't Work And Is stored and Forgotten ?

[SenkoSam]

Granted, that's what keep tackle supply companies is business, but are you and I doing a disservice to all of the baits we bought years ago that sit buried in our basements or garages? I have a slew of old Bomber, Bagley, Rapala, Cotton Cordell, Smithwick, Matzuo, Storm and many others I gave up on along with hundreds of soft plastic baits.

I have a feeling that the biggest reason we don't stick with certain lures comes from assuming that since they didn't work on different outings and others did, that these lures have no place in our tackle boxes. The other predominate factors are not knowing when to use certain baits - under what conditions or even how to use them to their greatest potential. There aren't very many lures that are super versatile, each having limitations, most of which haven't been discovered by me due to a low premature confidence in them. That's what probably accounts for most of my ever increasing storage - and I don't even like collecting!

Certain characteristics I think every angler should know (which many don't or guess) are depth, speed range, best presentation(s), lure action as compared to others in the same group and their limitations regarding each of those. Granted, some lures are junk regardless who makes them and deserve to be melted down or stripped of their treble hooks and split rings. But others may fill a niche but only by knowing their true potential in specific situations.

Maybe it's time to get out the 30 or more Storm crankbaits I bought on clearance a few years ago....(or are they really just junk!?)
Frank

[jocko]

Well,  if you are not using them or planning on using them.......  what use are they?  I can see holding them for a collection if they will go up in value?

What I will occasionally do (winter time),  I will go through and decide whats a keeper and what is not.  The not's get put on ebay.  After I have sold all the not's and my paypal has a nice balance (usually right after ICAST),  I use the paypal to buy new baits and sometimes splurge for expensive stuff.  I will use all my baits at some point.  If I have something I don't plan on using - it has to go as it's taking up valuable space.

Weed thru that stuff and sell it.  You'd be surprized how much you can make on ebay.  It's an online yard sale!

I completely agree with your description of the cause " low premature confidence ". 

I usually won't give up on a new bait until I have proven to myself that it sucks.  When I know the bass are biting - I will lay down a productive bait and throw a new bait - one that I want to develope confidence in.  If it doesn't impress me,  it becomes a forgotten bait - to be sold at a later time.

What happens to me is:  I have confidence baits - then  I buy too much of them.  Then I find new confidence baits and the old confidence baits sit.  Then I have too much stuff and need to sell or give some away.

[SenkoSam]

What happens to me is:  I have confidence baits - then  I buy too much of them.  Then I find new confidence baits and the old confidence baits sit.  Then I have too much stuff and need to sell or give some away.

Me to a T! Never learn. 

[coldfront]

and then...sometimes you just never know...

[SenkoSam]

I wouldn't have that in my boat even if it was free! 

[Camden]

CF I think i still have one of those as well. along with some other oldies that i will pull out from time to time.

i will admit though, i do have lures that i have never really given a chance. but usually if I'm not catching a thing thats when i pull out the odd balls and play around.

[Creel Limit Zero]

i will admit though, i do have lures that i have never really given a chance. but usually if I'm not catching a thing thats when i pull out the odd balls and play around.

Same here, seems I never give a lot of baits a try until things aren't going well, and then guess what, they don't work.  More than likely I'm just not around fish, but I'll try a new bait for a while on those tough days, don't get bit, and never throw it again...

[coldfront]

CF I think i still have one of those as well. along with some other oldies that i will pull out from time to time.

i will admit though, i do have lures that i have never really given a chance. but usually if I'm not catching a thing thats when i pull out the odd balls and play around.

was up on the river...had already had a pretty good day...had always heard smallies liked pink...so the logic seemed sound...

both pike and smallies just pounded it...


so I guess the only way I know a bait has stopped working is when I stop using it...until then it works, just maybe more/less effectively.