By Tyler Uteg

Over the course of every season, there are a handful of baits that come out as the front-runners.  These baits are typically the ones that anglers rely on to catch bass in harder times.  They are also defined as confidence baits.  The 2013 season was no different, and I’ve outlined my 5 top producers below in no particular order.

Jackall Lures Flick Shake – This often overlooked bait is a huge producer for numbers, and I’ve also managed a few pigs on it over the course of the season.  While many anglers tend to favor the normal stickbaits, I’ve had a ton of success throwing this little gem on pressured lakes.  I prefer the 5.8” flickshake, but if they won’t take that, I’ll occasionally downsize to the 4.8”.  I like to throw it on either a Gamakatsu weighted weedless wacky jighead, or a circle hook with a round weight pinched about 6” above the hook.  The latter allows for the weight to hit the bottom first giving the worm a kind of stop and slow fall to the bottom for the last little bit, while the former is much better in heavy weeds.  Both are extremely deadly, especially early in the year and during the dog days of summer.

Luck-E-Strike RC XTS Jerkbait – This was the first year that I really focused on learning the jerkbait, and it paid off.  It ultimately caught me the winning fish in a club tournament circuit, securing the AOY title.  My preferred jerkbait is the RC STX in the pro blue color.  It’s essentially a knockoff Megabass for a quarter of the price, and it has a weight transfer system that allows you cast it a mile.  I had a lot of success throwing it over submerged weeds and using a “jerk, jerk, pause, jerk, jerk, jerk, pause” cadence.  Most of the time they hit on the pause as expected, and if they have the front hook in their mouths, you know you’ve chosen the right color.

Real Deal Custom Tackle Football Jig – The football jig was by far my #1 producer on the year.  I caught fish swimming it, hopping it, dragging it and stroking it.  Everything seemed to work, but the true test was figuring out the approach that worked best on any given day.  I favor a 1/2oz. green pumpkin/orange color in clear water, and black and blue or orange and brown in stained water.  I also started exclusively using jigs created by an indy tackle company called Real Deal Custom Tackle, mainly because I can get the jigs with the Owner Deep Throat hook.  Utilizing those particular jigs greatly increased my hook-up and landing percentage.

Snag-Proof Ish’s Poppin Phatty Frog – This was a strange year for weather in and around Illinois, but nevertheless the frog bite prevailed on numerous occasions.  This year I became a big fan of Ish’s Poppin Phatty frog because it gives the angler the ability to make moderate to seriously loud noise/splashing on demand.  I really liked giving it two decent pops, followed by a loud splash and a long pause.  Most of the time, the fish hit it on the pause just like a jerkbait.  Look for the holes in weed mats, and throw the frog directly into those to get the best action and a shot at a giant.  The fish can’t resist this sound when they have a clear bead on it.

Missile Baits D Bomb – I used a lot of plastics this season – on texas rigs and as jig trailers.  The top producer was the Missile Baits D Bomb.  I like to rig it on a texas rig with a 4/0 offset work hook, and a bullet weight.  This works well for sparse cover, docks or weedlines.  I also used it on a 1/2oz. football head with great success early in the Spring dragging it on the bottom.  Some big fish followed it back to the boat or choked it on retrieves to make another cast as well.  My favorite colors are green pumpkin watermelon and super bug.

About Tyler Uteg

Tyler Uteg, 29, a media producer from Chicago Illinois, has been fishing for about 25 years and loves everything about bass fishing, and being out on the water. A member of CAST CREW, his favorite waters are centered in the northern portions of Illinois where he chases largemouth and smallmouth bass. Tyler is a bass tackle aficionado and enjoys supporting and endorsing small, independent tackle manufacturers that specialize in hand-crafted and customized products.