These Fishing Lures Were Unexpected Successes!

[@oxyfee6486]

At this point in my fishing experience my baits have become more of a collection than items I actually use. I have thousands of dollars in baits that I haven’t even tried, I bought them with the intention to use, but I always seem to go back to my favourites. 😂

[@MattStefanFishing]

i have he same problem

[@kevinerbs2778]

Then therrs days where you just throw some thing on at random it works like crazy. After trying other times wheb its recommened & getting nothing with it.

[@Bluejspey]

Me too!

[@tonyb-50]

Same here 😂 Senko, chatter/spinner bait, frog

[@joebauer7132]

So many lures- so little time

[@japesfishing]

Pompadour Jr is a killer! ...subtle and the smallies love it up north.

[@MattStefanFishing]

You know it!

[@jasonromo4416]

The Yamatanuki! The city pond I fish occasionally has some floating grass. Unfortunately I don't have a frog rod and 65lb braid, but I did have a pack of Yamatanukis. So, I started slinging them over, dragged them across the top of the grass and got some awesome blow ups! The poor man's frog!

[@itllkeal]

I picked up a bag of the Diawa concept versions that Yamamoto made of those a few years back and I like them better. They're tougher whenever it comes to the quality of plastic and have a bit more of a streamline body. Strange looking bait but I've caught smallmouth on them.

[@MattStefanFishing]

That’s a good one for this topic haha

[@Stanley-p4k]

The Crazy Crawler and Jitterbug has been a staple of mine for years. Admittedly mostly used for night fishing where it was advised to sneak a few of granddads nitro glycerin pills for the near heart attacks from big fish smashing those two lures. I would use them early mornings or late evenings before dark, but mostly when I fished at night. The Pompadour does intrigue me though so I may need to place an order soon.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Those are great baits!

[@shadybanks8625]

Great vid Matt, I like your choices When I first saw the Magnum spoons about 15 years ago I couldn’t believe a bass would try to eat that thang. Boy was I wrong, those were some greatest times of bass fishing I have ever had…huge limits on Ky and all the TVA lakes! Good Times!

[@MattStefanFishing]

agreed with that one too!

[@paulenglish1741]

That Jackall Pompadour is a special bait, it always works for me!

[@MattStefanFishing]

its a good one

[@mattramsey5080]

I love 1/8oz buzz baits fished without the skirt with a floating toad on the back. You can fish them so slow and when you pause, it will dive slowly and the toad legs will kick on the fall. It’s deadly.

[@banjohappy]

I will have to try that. I put trailers on my spinnerbaits, but have never tried it on a buzzer for some reason. And I've never had any luck with a buzzer.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for sharing

[@bradremus1748]

The pompadour Jr is my #1 top water. Absolutely love that thing! Very effective lure.

[@MattStefanFishing]

yep!

[@brianwilson4184]

I grew up in a time when Heddon ruled much of the market. And fished the Crazy Crawler a lot and did caught many Bass with them . I picked up the Jackal crawler full size and it does cast well and really dig the action. I can honestly say with a straight face . My frist cast with it I caught a decent large mouth with it. Thanks for posting this video today.

[@MattStefanFishing]

That lure is a good one.

[@kevinbeaudean704]

Thanx Matt. Everyone has to say the Senko. First time I thought it was the wrong bait that everyone was talking about. The Sluggo at least kinda looked like a fish but that stupid stick bait may be the best soft plastic of all time.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Yeah that’s a good call haha…probably the #1 selling bait all time haha

[@filthyanglerfrank3268]

That Raid 2 Way looks like a zooplankton under a microscope... a bass fry's first meal. Comfort food.

[@MattStefanFishing]

yes it does

[@swamp_rat_fla1126]

I bought a Jackal Grinch when they came out years ago but never tied it on for whatever reason. This past summer I discovered here in Florida that it was the easiest bait to run across in Lilly pads and the bass crushed it. I bought a few more to have in reserve in case they stop making it.

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll check it out

[@garyplowman5838]

Have to give those a shot thanks Matt a little sun turtle 🐢 bait caught me a nice Bass that I used to have

[@MattStefanFishing]

haha yep

[@ryanvarner6520]

Thanks for the tips!

[@MattStefanFishing]

No problem!

[@repairdrive]

Wheww. Thought I was doing something wrong. Got that Heddon crawler and was struggling with it too.

[@MattStefanFishing]

yeah its not a great bait mechanically

[@itllkeal]

Nice one, Matt. Thanks

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching!

[@oldschoolfishing4194]

The Panfish Helicopter Lure. I found these in a K-mart that was closing 25 years ago. I don't think they were ever advertised. Made a mold so I could make good colors and have caught hundreds of fish on them, especially in the spring. (not a joke).

[@MattStefanFishing]

ill have to see if i can find some

[@oldschoolfishing4194]

I'm pretty certain I'm the only one on this planet that has these.

[@stevedunkerton9491]

@@oldschoolfishing4194 No, I also have a stash of these, but I haven't caught anything with them yet.

[@oldschoolfishing4194]

You have the panfish ones? 1.5" in length.

[@itllkeal]

I was catching largemouth on the flying lures last summer. Sometimes you got to go old school

[@juleswinnfield826]

In terms of 1/8oz. Buzzbaits. Try this one. By Strike King, Tri-Wing Buzz King 1/8 oz. I've found that the third balde allows for a slower retrieve.

[@michaelsheppard4227]

I used to use the tri-wing and it flat worked

[@MattStefanFishing]

ill check it out

[@mattfleming86]

Does a 3 prop buzzbait "pull" harder to the side? If so that could be handy for running tighter to the bank.

[@kevinerbs2778]

​@@mattfleming86 the side skew tracking people see is usually water refraction. Luckstrike also makes somw light 1/8th buzz baits. Usually i can find them in a 4 pack in wal-mart for $20. The blades are big as the normal ones around 3/8 or 1/2 once size.

[@mattfleming86]

@@kevinerbs2778 No buzzbaits literally run a little sideways. Ima even makes a "right handed" buzz bait with a blade that has a prop that spins the opposite way from industry standards for that reason, if you need to fish a bank from another direction or just like fishing off the other side of the boat. That ability to "slide" sideways over the course of a cast can help it stay closer to cover or to the bank. Cast one straight out, point the rod directly at it, and you'll observe it first hand. It's substantial. My question was if the extra blade increases or decreases that precession.

[@nickkoschmeder3288]

I've used that little Raid on the Zappu wacky shot hook with good luck, the Arsenal silicone bands can stretch over and work in the middle of them for wacky rigging

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for sharing

[@ReelAZMatt]

Those crawlers are magic for nightime golf course pond sniper fishing! So I've heard.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome!

[@jjh31]

Bought some 18” rubber snakes on a whim about 5 yrs ago. They sat stagnant in a lure box until last summer. I couldn’t get bit on ANYTHING, being in a top water mood I said “why not” I rigged a snake up and paralleled docks. Wound up catching several to my surprise. Like they say “ you’ll never get a hit if you don’t swing the bat”😂

[@MattStefanFishing]

I love it when that happens

[@itllkeal]

I had an old timer tell me to add a frog to the head of a big worm, so I tried it, and it works. I've had Bluegill hit it. I'm not sure why something that small would attack it, but I understand why a big bass would. It almost like the bass try to drown it .

[@jjh31]

@@itllkeal That’s friggin awesome, I’ll need to try that!

[@jjh31]

@@itllkeal how did you rig it?

[@itllkeal]

@jjh31 I just put a split ring on one of my hollow body frogs and an ewg hook on it. I'm not sure what size, but it will tuck in on the bottom of the frog around the double hooks to stay out my way if I fish the frog solo. I haven't caught many on it, but I've only used it in 2 ponds. Make some noise and kill it for a while .

[@mikejohnston1448]

I have had a great time throwing the pompadour in highly pressured urban ponds. It draws the fish from a long distance and gets violent strikes.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Sounds like fun!

[@alanrasmussen4097]

Love the Pompadour. I throw the Deps NZ Crawler Jr. a lot also , but is a bulkier bait for sure. Also have you tried the Deps Basirisky frog? It is basically a hollow bodied crawler bait, only has a single hook though. Whopper plopper and Sprinker frog I thought was hype. Until I made a dyi sprinker frog and crushed them. That made me try the plopper and preceded to crush'em also.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Yep i have had lots of bites but the hookups have not been great for Me

[@patrickcotter945]

Do you put a trailer in that buzz bait ?

[@MattStefanFishing]

Sometimes

[@mikeeller557]

Thanks Matt

[@MattStefanFishing]

You bet

[@jasonjordan1548]

My dad loves them little buzzbaits and my sons caught there first top water fish with them

[@MattStefanFishing]

They're fun to throw, that's for sure.

[@wdtaut5650]

Many old-time lures still work very well. When I first saw a Spence Scout, I thought, "What a gimmick". Now, I buy them whenever I find one. I mean the original wood body, not the plastic ones Strike King sold.

[@MattStefanFishing]

They’re still good lures for sure.

[@nickrobertson8406]

I love that mini buzz. Do you use a trailer? I discovered this bait late fall of last year. I used a 2” chartreuse sparkle curl tail grub as a trailer because it was what I had and it worked so well. It was so successful that I never played with other trailers. I think I’ll be throwing it a lot this year. If you have a buzz trailer you like, I’m all ears.

[@MattStefanFishing]

sometimes

[@joshlanham4885]

Spro makes a creeper/crawler style bait that works pretty well for me!!!They are around 14$ I believe which is about half the price of most others on the market.

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll check it out

[@brianprice7645]

I've caught fish on the Jackell also

[@MattStefanFishing]

awesome

[@jonzimmerman798]

Just curious, what trailer if any on those little buzz baits? Or trailer hook?

[@craigstevens9734]

Small piece of worm

[@MattStefanFishing]

A small keitech swing impact fat

[@Kaboom-fc9rr]

Have you done a power switch video like you did with the finisher and krej? I've bought all 3 and the switch is the 1 I can't figure out at all

[@MattStefanFishing]

I haven’t but i can

[@Kaboom-fc9rr]

@MattStefanFishing I would certainly love to see it. Hopefully some others would as well. Thanks for all the info!!

[@erichoffman2014]

I bought 2 Jackall Pompadores when you had to buy them fromJapan. I paid $50 and waited 2 months. That was many years ago and I have still not caught a fish on either. One is green like your video, the other black with silver. They look killer, my buddy swears he catches every time he throws his but they must hate me.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Give it another shot

[@FishHuntFreedom]

Would you be into making a monthly or seasonal video for baits to use during current month for tournaments when targeting smallies or largies or spots?

[@MattStefanFishing]

sounds like a good idea

[@RudeBrew3]

Thuderhawk Rat Benny. Amazingly consistent. I don’t have a ton of confidence with other topwater baits.

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ll check it out

[@bryanventura157]

Matt why on a rod dos the line go under the rod and guides? In the ben of the rod top 4 guides. Grate baits, thank you.

[@MattStefanFishing]

im not following your question

[@oxyfee6486]

@@MattStefanFishing maybe he’s asking the difference between a baitcaster rod and spinning.

[@adrianalvarado7407]

Maybe before storing rods one warps line around rod before hooking the hook keeper

[@bryanventura157]

On a baitcaster line through the guides pull the line, put a ben in the rod, the line go s under the rod blank and guides, not enough guides or space, on the rod.

[@douglasspickler4925]

A 1/8 oz buzzbait is a tidal Potomac River secret of mine. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. 😂

[@MattStefanFishing]

I won’t haha

[@normanwiggins1320]

For me the Dark sleeper was a surprise catches me lots of fish

[@MattStefanFishing]

lots of people love it

[@mattfleming86]

I finally bought my first one a few days ago. Usually i'm either throwing big swimbaits or little ez shiners/fat impacts. We don't even have gobies here but that back fin still gives off a nice baby bluegill vibe.

[@ChristopherEstrada-n3p]

I looked at a buzzbait and thought no way . I found out, unlike other topwater baits you reel right when it hits the water . I gave it a honest try and I couldn't believe the blowups . The biggest one's wouldn't even blowup . They would just suck it down uullp you knew you had a big one . That showed me never doubt a bait give it a fair chance

[@MattStefanFishing]

It can be great!

[@thebear74]

I remeber you throwing a boo yah mini pong magic. Do you think a buzz bait without a skirt is better or not?

[@MattStefanFishing]

I like the skirt on 1/8 oz buzzbaits

[@davidkent1339]

Jitterbug works great in Jersey my go to topwater

[@MattStefanFishing]

Awesome

[@andybales7318]

Anyone else have a Mann's Goliath Frog? It's a big hollow body frog..very unique hook style...not made anymore, but i have several & they're pretty cool frogs!

[@MattStefanFishing]

I do not

[@Minnecoldah1]

More so than a specific bait I had unexpected success with the Morning Dawn color (or colors similar to that) - a friend gave me a Keitech FAT Impact in that color and it sat in the box until one day I tried it and did well - so I gradually bought other baits/trailers in that color and they have all done well for me - Unexpected ! ----- a potential topic for you -- I recently broke the tip section (about the top 3 inches) off a rod and am looking in to ways of mending it, I see that you make/build your own rods from blanks and didn't know if you have ever repaired any broken rods ? Or have any tips in doing a repair like this ? - thank you

[@MattStefanFishing]

I’ve done a bunch of rod repair videos. Check out my build to catch playlist

[@Minnecoldah1]

@@MattStefanFishing Excellent - thank you - I will watch and learn !

[@vancegordon9140]

SPRO Flapping frog-It is the best frog for fishing loose cover weeds etc . Doesn't work good in heavy cover like rice or pads but over milfoil or eel grass I was really surprised. It is made out of elastic plastic so it has a ton of stretch. One work of caution don't store them with your other frogs they do not like each other there is some kind of a chemical reaction like you get with Zman elastic stored with reg plastic. Good video today as always really some wierd replies?

[@MattStefanFishing]

its a good one

[@travisla1217]

I caught soooo many fish in 2024 on the mini pro buzz. It was my best producing buzz bait by a mile

[@MattStefanFishing]

thats awesome!

[@JoseMartinez-dq4km]

I like that jackal

[@MattStefanFishing]

Me too

[@FishHuntFreedom]

I picked up the Whopper Plopper 60, which is designed for pan fish I believe. This little subtle topwater bait generates some of the my aggressive bites. Sure, you’ll catch a hundred micro bass but I did catch a 5 pounder in my neighborhood pond and it was awesome

[@jeredsandry3836]

🤫🤫🤫

[@FishHuntFreedom]

@ 🤣🤷‍♂️

[@MattStefanFishing]

thanks for sharing!

[@mistertwister1816]

Do you guys have a Dick Hiley benefit link like Miles Burghoff?

[@MattStefanFishing]

I do not at the moment but i will soon

[@mistertwister1816]

Oh nice. Cool beans 🙂

[@matthewhallman4358]

Lol no guff I love it

[@MattStefanFishing]

haha

[@justcallmedyno8938]

Are we gunna get a musky fishing video this year? I'm old enough to remember when the senko was released. No way did I believe that would catch a fish...

[@MattStefanFishing]

yes in 2025

[@wolverinex4243]

A lot of lures don't work. A lot of lures work, but I don't think we'll have enough time to run them enough to know.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching

[@williamknight5142]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for watching

[@banjohappy]

I never had a problem with the crazy crawler. They cast just fine with 6lb fireline. Pompadour looks interesting but no way am I gonna pay $20-30 for a fishing lure. That's just nuts. I ain't made of money. How can lure retailers get away with that nonsense? It's gotten way out of hand for us average Joe's.

[@MattStefanFishing]

If you like the crazy crawler you would love the pompadour

[@brianlangford7278]

Bro' the 1/4 pond magic spinner,single Colorado, money

[@MattStefanFishing]

Thanks for sharing

[@brianlangford7278]

@MattStefanFishing meant little 1/8

[@jimcarter4754]

These baits are like our 55 year marriage, low expectations!

[@MattStefanFishing]

Haha

[@wolverinex4243]

Off the top of my head, some of the biggest bass were caught on trout and crappie lures. The ocean tubes are excellent in pressured water. That means tubes don't need skirting. A greater surprise to me is that cheap store brands can catch fish like crazy from the BPS brand to Walmart to Academy. This is where me and Tacticool Bassin differ. Tacticool Bassin caters to mainstream, namely rich people, even though they do have budget segments. My point is that Tacticool Bassin said they've never found a cheap jerkbait that works. My point is that they are amaters and they've proven it at the same time. I hate Megaass lovers like Lake Pro Tackle Asian guy. That shows me they're actually noobs and not legends onto themselves. If you talk to them, they will play the shame card and that's utterly sad. We need to stop doing this if we want to grow. Just bc you don't understand someone, doesn't give you the right to degrade them. A large part of me not wanting to do YT is bc of this. They're either not ready or they choose not to understand. It is easier to mock something you don't understand.

[@MattStefanFishing]

There’s always someone wanting to tell you your wrong

[@fisherman7275]

Don't be putting the dope out on the Pampadour.....😂 sleeper Bair people don't think about. Don't be giving people ideas.

[@MattStefanFishing]

Sorry

[@marksanko6138]

These comments are weird?

[@matthewhallman4358]

I guess any press is good press

[@MattStefanFishing]

i delete them daily

[@oxyfee6486]

@@marksanko6138 Bots are always first to comment.