If I could only have one artificial bait for fresh and saltwater, I'd have to pick a Zoom Trick Worm.
It comes in a ton of colors to match any water condition or natural forage. It's slender profile suggests an easy meal to even the wariest of fish.
But to me, what makes it such a versatile lure, is that it can be rigged so many ways, top(it floats) to bottom.. TX. rig, Carolina rig, split-shot, drop shot, weightless TX rig, weightless wacky, on a jighead, shakeyhead or with a spinner and a few more ways that I'm sure I forgot.
Not to mention that it can be trimmed and sliced to present different profiles. It's this ability to be manipulated and presented in so many forms that makes the trick worm my choice.