When to throw a do nothing bait versus a bait with alot of action

[FritzLikesToFish]

Say I have a bait like a reaction innovations sweet beaver and a bait like the strike king structure bug. Now these baits look fairly similar but one has appendages that basically do nothing (just kind of move up and down) and the other has appendages that kick and twist and do all sorts of wacky movements. Besides water clarity, what would make me choose the sweet beaver instead of the structure bug? I have noticed that there are days when I throw one and it doesn't get a bite and then throw the other and I start getting bit. Haven't been able to understand why this is and how to recognize which one I should initially throw.

[Catt]

Ya gonna get replies like; clear skies, over cast, pre-frontal, post frontal, stained water, gin clear water, cold water temperatures & so forth.

 

I tend to believe it's the bass's mood!

 

Just like rate of fall, sometimes they like fast, sometimes they like slow!

[Oregon Native]

Good question...around here it's a rare day when a brushhog doesn't work....also could say the same for a beaver style bait but then I'm starting to be a big fan of the Rage Bugs....great action.  I go with the idea that I start with my favorite and if need be "change".

Tight Lines

[Mike L]

Hello and Welcome

That's why they call it fishin and not catchin...Noone knows what they're gonna want or how they're gonna want it on any given day, or in any given spot.

 

The only way to know for sure is to look in and around the water, and make the best decision you can based on what you see, and go from there. 

Guess right, Great!

Guess wrong, that's ok too...

 

Watch, Look and Listen to what they're telling you. There's a lesson to be learned everytime you get bit 

 

Good Luck

 

 

 

Mike 

 

 

[IndianaFinesse]

A lot of people are going to disagree with this, but I don't think they care that much.  Can choosing the right "action" for the day help? Sure, but I don't think it is as important as some people make it out to be.  I think how it influences the rate of fall is what's most important.

[CTBassin860]

I bought a bag of those RI Beavers to see what all the fuss was about. I'm still waiting to see what all the fuss is about. The fish up shallow love the Rage Bug though. I do believe the difference in action between those particular baits make a difference. Same thing with a T-rigged worm vs wacky worm. I catch a lot more fish on a wacky rig than traditional Texas rig. My thought is it's the movement of the bait. It also a confidence thing. 

[ww2farmer]

I'm with catt

 

It all depends on the fish's mood. 

 

Some days they will crush a bait with all kinds of flappy action, and appendages. Some days they want a straight 5" worm that you CAN  NOT move or else you won't get bit. Most days, it's somewhere in between. You just have to go fishing and find out what kind of day it is.

 

I always start with reaction baits (frogs, cranks, chatterbaits, swim jigs etc)....I'll know soon enough if they don't want that. Then I'll move to higher action, but slower presentations (like your rage craws, brush hogs, etc...) and if that's a no go...out come the senkos, flick shake worms, robo worms, and beavers.

 

Conditions mean little to me...yes often a blue bird slick day means a finesse bite, but I have also had some of my best days going against conventional wisdom on that. Vise Versa too...I have often had to slow way way down in overcast, windy conditions to get bit. Bass don't know, or care about the "rules of thumb" humans have put on how they should behave.

[Raul]

 

Does "nothing", catches fish like nothing you've seen or tried almost anywhere and in almost any condition. My only beef is that it's a friggin dink magnet.

 

[deep]

8 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

 I think how it influences the rate of fall is what's most important.

 

Yep. Like that Perry guy said, depth and speed. Speed (or lack thereof) can be vertical or horizontal.

 

[Boomstick]

I agree with Catt. If one bait isn't working, try another one. Sometimes baits you think should be good in cloudy water kill it in clear water and vice versa.

 

The summer daytime bite is often lazy, so a slow falling bait is the way to go to wave it in their faces. In the fall, faster moving baits are usually the way to go.

[papajoe222]

I would do just what you've been doing, try them both and see which one the fish prefer on a given day. Just like worms, sometimes they want a ribbon tail and sometimes a paddle tail.

I determine which one to start with by the cover I'm fishing.  If I'm punching or working into the weeds, I'll start with the least action. If it's rock, timber, or anything else, an action bait is my starter.

[Montanaro]

For example last saturday....i started with chatterbaits and cranks.  Fishing high percentage targets yielded no bites or followers.  I switched to soft jerkbaits and finesse paddletails and got follows and bites from small fish but couldn't hook up.

 

Then i switched to jigs and neko rigs and caught half a dozen or so including a couple 2 pounders. 

 

See the progression?

[FritzLikesToFish]

Alot of good insight. Thanks. Going out tomorrow and will take what you guys have told me into consideration. I think it's gonna be a wacky, flappy, fast moving kind of day but we shall see. 

[smalljaw67]

As Catt mentioned it is the mood of the fish that dictates it and the only way to know is trial and error. There are times when you can make a good educated guess, like having optimum water temps for the fish to be active but again that doesn't always tell the story. I will start with one type or another based on water temperature first, like warmer water in the upper 60s to mid 70s I will use something with a lot of action first, if the water is cold, 30s to upper 50s I'll use a bait with very little action first. That is as far as educated guesses go but sometimes even that isn't foolproof so you just use trail and error and let the mood of the fish dictate your lure action.

[Catt]

Here's another prime example 

 

One of the deadliest lure down here in cold water is Lipless Cranks.

 

You'll have to admit that's a lot of action for cold water temperature.

 

Our cold water period is also early pre-spawn!

 

So is it water temperatures or the bass's mood?

[the reel ess]

25 minutes ago, Catt said:

Here's another prime example 

 

One of the deadliest lure down here in cold water is Lipless Cranks.

 

You'll have to admit that's a lot of action for cold water temperature.

 

Our cold water period is also early pre-spawn!

 

So is it water temperatures or the bass's mood?

Same here. I could take one rod between Dec-March.