Limiting Lure Selection

[Fishhook12]

I have three basic confidence baits: senko, texes rigged worm, and spinnerbait.  these have worked for me countless times, but there are times whe the fishing is tuff and they dont work for me. i dont know how to use other baits and techneques effectively.  so i always feel at a loss when my go-to baits dont work. I know there is fish, im just unable to get them to bites. Do any of you ever feel this way? have any of you ever been here?

[Jigfishn10]

Absolutely. I have a few more baits and techniques I use than the ones you listed and still get skunked once in a while...Heck it happens, just rack it up to a bad fishing day and hit it again another day.

 

It's still fishing, you can't control a bite.

[Shane J]

We've all been there. The key to consistent success, is versatility. Even though I fish plastics and jigs 99% of the time, I still have enough tricks within those parameters to make something work. 

[Wayne P.]

Why don't you know how to use other presentation?

 

That is what successful fishing is all about--learning all presentations so you will have the knowledge to deal with all conditions.

[BassinLou]

I have three basic confidence baits: senko, texes rigged worm, and spinnerbait.  these have worked for me countless times, but there are times whe the fishing is tuff and they dont work for me. i dont know how to use other baits and techneques effectively.  so i always feel at a loss when my go-to baits dont work. I know there is fish, im just unable to get them to bites. Do any of you ever feel this way? have any of you ever been here?

 

Start expanding your technique toolbox. That will decrease those bad fishing days and it will increase your fishing confidence.

[BassAssassin726]

For me a spinnerbait, Yum Dinger, and jigs are my go to baits. But I have everything in my tackle bag. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater, all sorts of stuff. If Im not getting bit on my go to baits I figure I might as well throw something else. The only way youll get better at them is to use them. Plus you might give them what they want and avoid being skunked.

[Bankbeater]

I usually have four rigs when I go out.  Jig, weightless senko / fluke, spinnerbait, and a small plastic like a baby brush hog.  I can usually find them with one of those set ups.

[JunkYard814]

I think my 4 go to baits are probably a jerkbait, spinnerbait, texas rigged worm and a crankbait. They produce probably 80-90% of my fish. I have been trying to expand my techniques though, so usually I'll carry those four and maybe one or two that I'm not really confident in. After I find fish with one of my main baits, eventually I will tie on a bait I'm not too confident with and learn how to use it. Knowing that your on top of fish is a great way to experiment. That's how I worked the jerkbait into my top selection and I'm currently practicing with jigs.

[Marty]

We all have our confidence lures, but it's good to have an assortment of lure types to either match the conditions and give the fish a different look. I'd recommend that you try a couple of crankbaits and topwaters.

 

Don't make the mistake I've made too many times. When you have a lure you want to establish confidence in, don't wait until your confidence lures fail you before tying the new one on. After all, you've already established the fishing is lousy and your new one is less likely to work. Use the new one right off the bat in a spot that looks good. It takes only one fish (at least for me) to gain confidence in a lure.

[Fishhook12]

I guess I need to experiment more. I have plenty of different baits. just whenever I use them I feel like im not fishing it right and give up.

[mtaag3]

I'm new but what I did to prevent me from going wild and having too much was to buy a small tackle bag. Now it forces me to limit what I can carry. Now the issue is learning what to fish where.

[Comfortably Numb]

Like Marty said, when the bass are biting your confidence baits is when you want to throw something different to get confisence in that. 

[SENKOSAM]

All of the ideas above address different water conditions such as temperature and stain, seasons, time of day, weather conditions, weeds and other cover types and the type of bites you can encounter. Sometimes you can cover more water faster with on type of lure, but at other times need to slow down or go vertical or work a lure slowly along the bottom. The lures mentioned have a time and place but when the fish are active and shallow, pretty much most lures will work, but color, size, speed, depth and action are key 100% of the time!

 

It's easy to get fooled by the success of one lure and the lack of success of another, whether that be in one day of fishing or one year. Few lures always do well year after year but many lure types, like those you mentioned, may only work  60% of the time whereas others that take into account  color, size, speed, depth and action may fill in the gaps the other 40%.

 

The best illustration of the above would be the need for a slow finesse presentation (drop shot rig) versus using a crankbait or spinnerbait when fish aren't chasing or are in weeds pockets whereas active school bass may prefer crankbaits or spinnerbaits at a certain depth not covered by a drop shot rig.

[SirSnookalot]

I just decide what I want to use that day, I base it on what the water is like and the level fun I want to have.  I do not fish worms or jigs too often, I don't enjoy it.  I can fish for several hours with a topwater lure and enjoy it much more even though I'm catching less fish. 

[TNBassin']

I have three basic confidence baits: senko, texes rigged worm, and spinnerbait.  these have worked for me countless times, but there are times whe the fishing is tuff and they dont work for me. i dont know how to use other baits and techneques effectively.  so i always feel at a loss when my go-to baits dont work. I know there is fish, im just unable to get them to bites. Do any of you ever feel this way? have any of you ever been here?

Youtube is an outstanding tool for learning new rigs or techniques. Watch all of the videos you can, read every article you can, and then slowly apply what you've learned out on the water. There are way too many resources at our disposal these days to not know how to use everything in our tackle box, or to be intimidated by using new techniques or lures.

[BobP]

I think you need to acquire at least one other presentation:  a shaky head jig or a dropshot.  Both of these work when you need to downsize your presentation to get bit.  And if you can fish a T-rigged worm, they are mostly just a matter of buying a few pieces of terminal tackle.

[Marty]

I just decide what I want to use that day, I base it on what the water is like and the level fun I want to have.  I do not fish worms or jigs too often, I don't enjoy it.  I can fish for several hours with a topwater lure and enjoy it much more even though I'm catching less fish. 

 

I agree. I'm not fishing for a living (I'd starve) but for fun and I do things I enjoy, knowing that I could be costing myself fish. I'm not the world's most patient person and slowly working a soft plastic for hours on end doesn't do it for me, which is not to imply that I never use plastics.

[SissySticks]

I think you need to acquire at least one other presentation:  a shaky head jig or a dropshot.  Both of these work when you need to downsize your presentation to get bit.  And if you can fish a T-rigged worm, they are mostly just a matter of buying a few pieces of terminal tackle.

X2. If you can fish a 4" worm, you'll almost always be able to get bit. Since I learned to finesse fish 5 years ago, I haven't been skunked (now where is some wood for me to knock on?)