Perfect One Or Use Many

[EvoLI]

Hey everyone,

 

I've been fishing for years, on and off, both a mix of fresh and saltwater. I've finally got to the point where I have some extra time and need to spend some more time outdoors, both shooting my bow and fishing. 

Something I always struggled with when fishing freshwater was lure selection, I've read books, watched videos, etc but felt I could never get it right. I feel like I never got the hang of where to cast or what to use.

 

I've built a nice selection of lures but I'm not sure if I should learn to perfect one,  ie just use spinnerbaits until I feel comfortable and than try something else. I've always been a fan of spinnerbaits and they're really what I've had the most luck with but there really isn't any rhyme or reason to what one I use, just throw one on and fish it.

 

Being on Long Island, I really don't have much big lakes by me but what would you guys recommend in this situation.

 

The lake is a series of three fishable lakes/ponds that are all connected by little man-made tubes underground, with two being about 3-4 acres and the main one being about 20. No boats. It's max depth is only 4-5 ft and pretty clear. I'm probably going to go early this weekend and was curious how I should handle this. I'll attach a screenshot. just so you can see 

 

For reference the lake also contains: Brown Bullhead, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Carp Species, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout.

 

Thanks again & sorry if my thought are a little jumbled.

 

 

[Sea NaCl]

If you fish a topwater popper along that bridge between the two biggest lakes you should get bit. If all fails go to a weightless senko and fish it 15 yards off the bank,also try to find any structure and throw near that. I've never fished those lakes so please don't take my word for it. Good luck!

[largemouth01]

I would try some realistic swim baits.

[Big C]

Throw a trout swimbait, see what happens. 

[papajoe222]

Welcome. When getting back int fishing or just starting out, I always recommend finding a versatile bait that covers or can cover different depths and is productive throughout the open water season.  Two come to mind and a third isn't that far out of the running. A jig, Senko and a spinnerbait.  For the waters you describe and fishing from shore, I'd go with the stick bait and rig it Texas or wacky style without a weight. The water is shallow enough that it will sink to the bottom easily without any and it has the most action without one.  Being proficient with more than one bait/presentation lets you adjust to changing conditions. You can adjust your rigging and/or presentation on these baits for those changing conditions so multiple baits aren't necessary.

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/content/search?SearchText=spinnerbaits&BrowsePageLimit=30

 

 

 

[long island basser]

Out of the hundreds of lakes in our area this would be the last on my list to fish.

There is not much of anything in there.

If you want to stay close go just north to southards pond and use the lures mentioned above.

[EvoLI]

Thanks for the advice and I'll try a Senko and see how that works out.

 

I know it's not the best but I live about a 2 min walk so it's nice and easy, maybe I'll try Southards instead.

 

Thanks again.

[DocNsanE]

I agree with papajoe222 100%.

 

A stick bait is just a very versatile lure that can be fished under many varying conditions and at various depths in the water column, and with various retrieves. The possibilities are almost endless!!

 

As such, it's usually a bait that people can catch fish with rather "easily". I would spend some time to build confidence in this bait and to explore the numerous ways it can be fished.

 

Then, when you finally have that confidence, I would dedicate at least a third of every outing to learning a new lure. Spend even more time if you don't mind reducing the number of catches as you get accustomed to a new lure. Then if ever your patience is wearing thin you can switch back to your confidence bait and catch a couple to ease the tension. When learning a new lure, make sure you give it a real chance before you set it aside. Try different retrieves, longer or shorter pauses, different colors, fish different types of cover with it.

 

I have more lures than I have time to fish (the bait monkey is my overlord) and to me this is one of the parts of fishing I love so much. As it says in my profile, you can never stop learning. When I go with my fishing partner he is always keeping count and trying to beat me in number of catches which is fine, but it means he is fishing the same lures 90% of the time, the lures he has confidence in. Every time I go I spend a few hours on something I haven't caught a fish on yet. I know my numbers will be down, but if I do manage to get that ONE fish on that lure I've been struggling with, it feels more rewarding than catching 5 on a wacky rig (which I have the utmost confidence in).

[EvoLI]

Thank you.

 

The more and more I do anything I realize I don't know as much as I thought I did and that's when I really progress. I know I have a lot to learn and I want to enjoy the process.