I hear and read a lot about having confidence in a bait, and how this is supposed to help you get bit on that bait. I have complete confidence in everything I tie on, or I wouldn't use it, but that doesn't equate to getting bit on everything I tie on. I also hear and read about how when "the bite gets tough" to use this particular bait or technique. Well, why not just start out with the bait or technique? Just curious on everyone's opinions.

This should go about 40 pages

I am a HUGE jig fisherman so I have multiple sizes and colors tied in year round, those are my confidence baits but if they aren’t getting bit I will change….. I also fish drop shot alot and chatterbaits

“Let the fish tell ya what they want!” The “confidence bait” comments you hear are just about as stupid as the fish telling what they want.

If you fish a lot, the “confidence bait” should be YOU!

Leave that dock talk to the wannabes.

It really depends on the time of year then the time of day what I feel confident in. Many variables for me to determine what I will be using on those certain times.
An example, I have complete confidence in throwing a red crawdad Rat-L-Trap in February through April but I do not throw it from May to October.
I do have my select lures that I feel catches fish but the reason they got in that lineup was I first used it and did not have confidence in it but thought it might be a good lure. If it helps me catch bass, I keep it, if it bombs out, it goes in my many, many Plano boxes of lures.
I guess I could cull my tackle boxes down from 60+ to maybe 6 if I really noted just what I do fish with. But I am a lure addict.....I need 60+ boxes to make me feel like I might have the right lure...of course not!, but perception is what drives me to do it..over and over again.

"Confidence bait" to me is simply a bait I've caught a bunch of fish on, even if I'm throwing it during an odd time of year or in a location that isn't typical, I'll feel confident in catching something on it because I've caught so many fish on it before. Namely, DD22 or a big worm for example.

To me, it's a 2-fold equation, confidence in a specific type of bait and color and simplifying. Pretty easy to have 43 colors of baby brush hogs, every walking bait made in every color, 35 frogs, 40 colors and shapes of squarebills. Of that group, I have 3 colors of baby brush hogs, two walking baits, 1 frog, and 2 squarebills that I have confidence in, meaning I KNOW I can catch fish on them consistently in most conditions. After 50 plus years of fishing, I sold and gave away 90% of my tackle in the last year. I stopped buying cool colors that I just knew the fish would love and only throw my confidence baits, period, end of story. I am catching more fish than before and maybe more importantly, I am not spending but 10% of the time I used to spend tying on baits. I am fishing!

I do have boxes with 25 of the same baits in them, but my choices are easy!

I have always liked trying the new stuff but I find that going back to the tried and true works and I have thrown away a lot of $ on the new stuff but I will keep trying the new stuff because every once in a while you find a needle in a haystack.

You and I think a lot alike. From Dec-April everything I throw has red. And red rattletrap is always with me.

I have confidence in my ability to catch fish, so all I have to do is experiment with different baits, techniques, and colors to see what I get bit on best that day, then I stick with that.