I’m in the process of weeding out a bunch of plastics from my boat. They add a bunch of unnecessary weight and let’s be honest—many of them look just alike. It’s hard to reinvent soft plastics. So if I haven’t fished ‘em in a while, they go straight into my bulk storage bins.

One bait that will never leave my boat is the Gene Larew Hoodaddy. I’ve fished this bait for years and it’s one of my favorite flipping and pitching baits. I know that regardless of where I’m fishing, this thing will catch ‘em. Period.

Here’s why it’s such an important part of my lineup.