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I’ve been fortunate to sample many of the best domestic and international largemouth fisheries, and while I’ve seen every place from the California Delta to Lake Okeechobee under favorable conditions, I also know that even the best fisheries can get T-O-U-G-H. Whether it’s a cold front, heavy fishing pressure, or changes in vegetation, you can never count on the bite being easy.

It actually makes me glad that some of the fisheries near home can be stingy (including one lake that lots of us refer to as “The Dead Sea”) because those experiences teach an angler to grind out bites when things get tricky, rather than forcing the same square peg into a newly round hole. It has also taught me that even when I’m packing for an epic trip to waters allegedly filled with Florida-strain giants, I need to prepare to overcome an epic meltdown.

Lots of pros keep a “Panic Box” in their boats filled will diminutive baits they break out in case of emergency – when they need a single keeper to avoid a skunk or need a fifth to fill out their limit. You should listen to them, because not only to they pay their bills with a rod and reel, but also because most of them spend hours upon hours tweaking their baits and refining their toolboxes. But you should listen to me as well. Why? Well, because most of those guys are talented enough to catch fish with a cigarette butt and a hook. For an outdoor writer to make sure he’s fully prepared the tool has to be a little bit more foolproof.

Whether I’m headed to fish a tournament as a co-angler, or in the back of a friend’s boat, or even on a fabled trophy factory like El Salto, I always have some version of these staples. I recommend them, although you should develop a “panic box” of your own confidence baits.

Wacky Rigged Senko

I don’t know why it took me so long to adopt the Senko in the late 90s, or how much better I would have done in local tournaments if I’d done so sooner, but when I finally integrated it into my arsenal it was a life-changing moment. I’d venture to guess that since adding it to my tackle I’ve caught nearly as many fish on the little “Bic Pen” as I have on everything else combined. And while the copycats are ok, when I say “senko” I mean “Capital-S-Senko-the-original.” Get a few packs in some variation/s green pumpkin or watermelon, some Gamakatsu Splitshot/Dropshot hooks and throw them around cover, in open water, and under things. You can add a nail weight if it’s windy or you’re fishing deep, but whenever possible I prefer to let the “naked” Senko do its own thing. It’ll catch fish 12 months a year – as far south as Mexico and Okeechobee, and I’ve used them effectively as far north as Escanaba (which is as far north as I’ve fished in recent years). You can skip them on a spinning rod or pitch them on a baitcaster, so you don’t even need special tackle. Don’t ask why, just never leave home without them.

Small Frame Spinnerbait

I know that spinnerbaits don’t get the airplay that they used to command now that vibrating jigs, swim jigs and swimbaits are all in the mix, but when it comes to versatility it’s still tough to beat the blade. I use a number of brands in a wide range of sizes, but in the small limit-getter situation I’ve relied on War Eagles since about 1997. I like their ¼ ounce Tandem Indiana in clear water with a little chop, the 5/16 ounce Finesse model when it’s calmer or fish are spooky; and the ½ ounce Screamin’ Eagle when there’s wind or I need to cast especially long distances. I almost always use a trailer hook but almost never use a soft plastic trailer because the War Eagle’s skirt has a number of longer strands that act as a de facto trailer. In any clear to lightly-stained water situation, I like their natural shad colors like Smoke/Mouse or Firecracker. In tidal water or dirtier water, I prefer chartreuse and white, often with a red kicker blade. One word of warning: The War Eagles are remarkably resilient and will keep running true even after a number of fish, but the wire will eventually break, so be sure to put on a new one for important occasions.

Charlie Brewer Slider Head

I’m not a shakey head guy, but I feel that I have a surrogate that’s every bit as good for my purposes – the old school Charlie Brewer Slider Head. In my early years of tournament fishing in the mid-90s I had it on the deck of my boat nearly every day (remember, that was pre-Senko). It’s good on bare banks, light enough to fish in grass and skips like a sonofagun under docks. The hooks are light wire so you need to fish them on spinning gear (and buy them by the 20 pack) but even though they’re not a staple anymore I still pull them out when times are tough. My go-to soft plastics for these distinctive jigs are a junebug finesse worm in tannic or tidal water and a watermelon centipede in clearer water. They catch limits, but they also produce big’uns, including the biggest fish I’ve caught in the state of Virginia – an 8 pound Lake Gaston pre-spawn brute – that ate my ‘pede.

Additional Notes

You’ll note that the three options listed above function best in shallow water. I chose them because when things are tough and I need a single fish to get on track my inclination is to gravitate to obvious cover in shallow water. Depending on the time of year, other choices for this kit might include a little Rico, a ¼ ounce buzzbait, a ¼ ounce lipless crankbait and a 1.0 or 1.5 square bill. If forced to fish deeper, I’d suggest that my “panic” choice would be a dropshot with a 4- or 6-inch straight tail worm in hologram shad or Aaron’s Magic. Again, I was a late adopter of the technique but I know how deadly it can be in all climates, at all times of year, anywhere that bass swim.