Universal baits

It’s holiday time again, and time to sort out the tackle for whichever fishing destination you may be heading out to.
I know one of the best parts of the preparation is shopping at your local tackle store.  However, even though this is the season to be merry, it is also the season to spend lots of money, and for many, there is not a lot of money to spend on non-essential items, which is usually what those family members who are less fishing-inclined think of our very essential shopping list.
All is not lost though.  If you already have a reasonable bass tackle collection, you should be able to go to several different locations around the country and north of the border, and successfully fish for most species of predatory fish with whatever you have in your tackle box.
Please note; for toothy critters, such as tigerfish and barracuda, you will need to attach wire/cable trace to the line, in front of your lure.

Spinnerbaits
I have caught all sorts of different species on the trusty spinnerbait.  If you are fishing north of our borders you should be able to catch tigerfish, nembwe, catfish, and several tilapia species on this bait.  Reds, oranges, browns and chartreuse are all good colours to use.
I have not fished much in coastal or estuarine waters but I am convinced this bait should attract many of the smaller juvenile predatory fish that take shelter in these protected waters.

In-Line Spinners
Use the largest spinner in your tacklebox to target toothy fish like the feisty tiger.  If a spinner can catch a tiger, why would it not work on its saltwater cousins too?  Replace the treble hook with a good quality single hook to increase your hookset ratio.
Spinners are great tilapia and catfish baits too.

Crankbaits
One of my most memorable fishing trips north of our border was when we caught an amazing amount of really good nembwe, close to Kasane in Botswana, with regular bass crankbaits. 
Fish for predatory tilapia species the same way you would fish for bass; look for cover, structure, and current breaks.

Jigs
On a follow-up trip, this time fishing the Zambezi north of Kasane, we discovered that nembwe absolutely love bass jigs.  We experienced the most success by casting upstream towards the cover, and then allowing the current to wash the jigs downstream, always keeping contact between the rod, line and lure. 
The most productive colours were anything with black/red/brown and orange skirt combinations and grub trailers.
I think most South African anglers know all about ‘dropshot’ fishing by know?  In bass terms ‘dropshot’ fishing is something totally different from the saltwater equivalent.
If you are a bass angler you would be more familiar with the term ‘shaky head’ fishing.  A ‘shaky head’ or ‘dropshot’ lure is basically just a bare lead jighead, dressed with a soft plastic lure. 
For bass fishing we use worms, creature-, and fish-style baits.  For saltwater fishing, most anglers use fish-style baits to imitate baitfish.  These baits can be used successfully to target many tilapia species and catfish, and evidently with great success in salt water.
As a general rule of thumb, it seems that natural forage and food colours work best in fresh water (browns, greens, oranges, reds), whilst natural baitfish colours work best in salt water.
I really hope this short guide helps you save some essential cash this festive season.  Be smart, be safe, and be blessed.