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Build the best bass bait ever with 3 simple items
(this childhood creation is still my go-to lure)
Keith Lusher
July 02, 2025
Hey, Keith here.
Are you fishing behind other anglers and wondering why the bass seem uninterested?
On a recent catfish story assignment with Carl Schmidt in Franklinton, Louisiana, I rediscovered why thinking outside the tackle box is crucial for consistent bass success.
Most anglers stick to popular lures that every bass in small ponds and lakes has seen dozens of times, especially when fishing behind other anglers who've worked the same water.
That day with Carl, I grabbed a makeshift custom rig from my truck's floorboard and proceeded to catch nine bass in three hours, including two over 2.5 pounds, while he struggled with conventional presentations.
Many anglers rely solely on store-bought lures without considering that bass in heavily pressured waters have seen these same presentations countless times from previous anglers.
Today, I'm going to explain why custom lure combinations give you a massive advantage and teach you how to create presentations that bass have literally never encountered before.
BEST LINKS
What I looked at this week
Tackle tweak: Add a screw-lock spinner to your stick worms (Wired2fish)
Senko with spinner (BassResource)
I was out-FISHED 2 to 1 with this . . . (BassFishingHQ)
If you think this won’t work . . . Watch this bass fishing trick you’ve never seen (Fishing with NOEoutdoors)
JUNE Lures Big BASS Can’t Resist (Bass Fishing HQ)
Deals of the week
DEEP DIVE
The childhood creation that still works
Everything clicked during an unexpected fishing opportunity while working on a catfish story with Carl Schmidt near Franklinton, Louisiana.
Carl had set his catfish lines, and we had time to kill while they soaked, so we decided to try for some bass.
Carl was prepared with his standard Texas-rigged TRD setup, but I wasn't really equipped for bass fishing that day.
Scrambling through scattered tackle on my truck's floorboard, I spotted something that took me back to my childhood fishing days at City Park in New Orleans.
A gold #4 elbow blade spinner and a weedless worm hook.
I knew I had a plastic worm somewhere in my back seat, so I grabbed it and quickly rigged up a combination I hadn't used in years.
A simple clip-on spinner is all you need to go from bottom fishing to surface level fishing.
Carl started coaching me on the pond's structure and suggested I use a Texas-rigged plastic like him.
"You may be surprised at how my spinner-worm works," I told him.
On my second cast, working the lure over a grass line, I saw a boil on the surface. With this setup, I can actually see the spinner blade flashing underwater, so when that flash disappeared right as the boil appeared, I set the hook immediately.
The bass wasn't huge, but it was proof that my old spinner-worm combination still had magic.
My confidence came flooding back, and I could hardly contain my excitement, explaining to Carl how this lure had always produced for me.
"It's probably working because these bass have never seen that lure before . . . EVER," Carl joked.
By the time we checked the catfish lines two hours later, I had caught nine bass, including two over 2.5 pounds. As we loaded up to head home, Carl looked at me with genuine curiosity: "So a weedless hook, an elbow blade, and a worm, right?"
This simple lure has caught thousands of bass during my lifetime.
The science behind custom success
There's solid reasoning why custom lure combinations outperform standard presentations in pressured waters.
Bass in small ponds and lakes see the same popular lures repeatedly from multiple anglers fishing the same spots.
When you're fishing behind someone who threw spinnerbaits all morning, throwing another spinnerbait an hour later is essentially showing bass something they've already rejected.
Custom combinations break this pattern completely.
The spinner-worm hybrid offers unique advantages: the blade creates flash and vibration like a spinnerbait, but the soft plastic body provides a completely different profile and action that bass haven't encountered.
This concept applies beyond just spinner-worms. Any time you can combine elements from different lure categories, you create presentations that bass literally have no previous reference for.
Creating your own custom combinations
Based on my experience and research into lure modifications, here are proven strategies for building custom presentations:
Combine hard and soft elements. Mix metal components like spinner blades, propellers, or rattles with soft plastics. The contrast between hard flash/vibration and soft, lifelike movement triggers strikes from pressured bass.
Modify retrieve speeds strategically. Custom combinations often allow different retrieve options. My large Colorado blade spinner-worm setup let me fish slower than traditional spinnerbaits because the larger blade moved more water at slower speeds.
Think about profile changes. Standard lures have predictable silhouettes. By combining elements, you create profiles bass haven't seen, even if they're familiar with individual components.
Consider unconventional rigging methods. Safety pin spinners aren't just for beetle spins. They work with creature baits, swimbaits, and even soft jerkbaits to create unique hybrid presentations.
Test different blade configurations. Colorado blades provide maximum thump and slower presentations, while willow leaf blades offer flash and allow faster retrieves. Match blade style to your fishing conditions.
BONUS TIP: Start with childhood favorites. Often, our most effective custom combinations come from experimenting as kids before we learned "proper" techniques. Don't be afraid to revisit those creative solutions. How about a plastic worm on a ChatterBait blade?
That’s a wrap
Carl Schmidt's observation about bass never seeing my spinner-worm combination captures the essence of why custom lures work so effectively. In our heavily pressured fishing world, showing bass something completely new often makes the difference between success and frustration.
Custom lure combinations aren't just creative experiments, they're strategic advantages that give you access to bass that have become educated to standard presentations from previous anglers.
I'd love to hear about your custom lure creations! Hit reply and let me know what unique combinations have worked for you or if you're inspired to start experimenting with your own hybrid presentations.
Until next Wednesday . . . tight lines and creative combinations, friend!
P.S. Still thinking about being our next Fellow Fishing Fanatic?
Last week, I opened the door for your fishing stories, and it’s not too late to join in!
Send me a photo from your fishing trip: epic catch, peaceful sunrise, muddy gear—I’m here for all of it. Just hit reply to this email.
Don’t forget to include your name, your city, and, if you like, a little story about your outing.
I’ll be featuring a few favorites soon. Could be you.