I discovered three soft plastic creations that catch fish of ALL species

[SenkoSam]

I made the above by adding spike tails from a lure added to a grub body.



    

All species attacked them. I used a 1/24 oz jig wacky rigged.
(Press thumbnail photos to enlarge them)

[wiperhunter2]

I made the above by adding spike tails from a lure added to a grub body.

All species attacked them. I used a 1/24 oz jig wacky rigged.

I wonder what the fish think those are or is it just the wiggle they give off that they can't resist

[SenkoSam]

Most definitely the wiggle!!! same for this design I wacky rig:



Fact: I feed around 2 doz. sunfish in my pond pinches of bread on a daily basis. They go crazy for it, bumping into one another at the surface as the tiny bread balls create small splashes. They're eating something they have no clue what it is but know they like it.

Lures on the other hand IMO: no fish has been conditioned to connect-the-dots to something they've never seen much eaten.

I have 22 categories of lures based on the unique actions of each that have caught many fish - some better than others.  Lure action I believe affects the super-sensitive senses that animals have in common for their survival. Those senses detect moving objects, classify their movements, and get and hold their attention. What they do after that is anyone's guess, but strikes happen for whatever reason due to lure action.

Here are some lure descriptions based on shape and action:
Kut Tail Worm/ 1/16 oz jighead
finesse worm/ Slider Worm
claw attached to a grub body
bulb-shaped tail attached to a grub body
French Fry stick segment attached to different tail types
spike tail - single or duel like in the above photos
thin flat straight tail
Joker tail added to a grub body
swimbait paddle tail added to a grub body
taper tail sticks or tails added to a grub body
cone shaped tail
Crappie Magnet tail added to a grub body
crankbait - surface and diving

They all catch many different species of fish in all sizes from 3" - 7 lbs.  Once I discover something that sets them off, I make more after it proves it consistently catches fish.

[SenkoSam]

Someone from another forum pm'd me that he uses few lure types but does great fishing from a float. I replied that lure variety is in the eye of the beholder - fish or angler and that if he is satisfied with what he catches and how he catches fish, by all means don't look any further. 
Lure crafters such as myself can't help themselves when it comes to discovering what lure shapes and actions catch most fish species. Add color choices and the mystery is far from over, not so much as to why certain lures do well but that do consistently and under different circumstances.
I have to congratulate all those lure designers that for over many decades opened the door to the humongous variety we can choose from to get fish to attack. The fact that many of those original lures are still sold and bought is a testament to their creator's ability and imagination.

I never sell lures, but invite anyone to try them to see if they do as well as they did for me. I can imagine the pleasant expressions of surprise of, 'well I'll be d'd! '  when fish are caught. Sure as H gave me a thrill!

[wiperhunter2]

Someone from another forum pm'd me that he uses few lure types but does great fishing from a float. I replied that lure variety is in the eye of the beholder - fish or angler and that if he is satisfied with what he catches and how he catches fish, by all means don't look any further. 
Lure crafters such as myself can't help themselves when it comes to discovering what lure shapes and actions catch most fish species. Add color choices and the mystery is far from over, not so much as to why certain lures do well but that do consistently and under different circumstances.
I have to congratulate all those lure designers that for over many decades opened the door to the humongous variety we can choose from to get fish to attack. The fact that many of those original lures are still sold and bought is a testament to their creator's ability and imagination.

I never sell lures, but invite anyone to try them to see if they do as well as they did for me. I can imagine the pleasant expressions of surprise of, 'well I'll be d'd! '  when fish are caught. Sure as H gave me a thrill!

You are so correct, always a good idea to try different things because you never know if you will find the new thing that just might change the way you fish. I think a lot of it has to do with your style of fishing and whether or not you can work something new into the way you fish. Myself, most of the open water season, I'm trolling but because of the nature of fishing, that is something you can't do all year round, especially when ice fishing or very early and late in the season, like Spring and Fall. Recently we started vertical jigging in the open water and found what you are saying to be so true, color can be all the difference. Using the exact same lure but a different color, one jig would get bites what the other one rarely got noticed. Such is the nature of fishing, so being prepared with different options can be all the difference between success and failure.

[SenkoSam]

always a good idea to try different things because you never know if you will find the new thing that just might change the way you fish. I think a lot of it has to do with your style of fishing and whether or not you can work something new into the way you fish.

I'm past trying the many new and old lures that don't do well with my current style of fishing. Guess you could say I'm retired from all of that - but for a reason. 

I fish structure and pay close attention to the sonar. Structure is a vague term but comes in handy when a set of bottom and vegetation factors present themselves that allow finding & catching fish consistently for a few days or even a season while ignoring areas that aren't productive. Many soft plastics allow that even on a single outing.

My superstion is having favorite colors for certain lure shapes and actions knowing full well that if I gave you colors that I don't use for the same lure, you could easily do as well once semi-active fish are located. My reasoning for using those colors that do well is, as always, speculative and an imaginative pat on the back, having nothing to do with the use of the scientific method-of-proof beyond any doubt. It's always nice to have a select few confidence-colors for specific lures, reducing the guesswork that is fishing. Over a thousand photos taken over 12 years is proof enough for me.