Advice on a good follow up...

[MichaelCopeland]

Since I've been trying some faster presentations to cover more water,  here lately, I've tried spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, buzzbaits, hollow body/poppin' frogs and chatter baits. Ive had tons more success with the chatter baits so that's my confidence go to fast action bait. What I'm looking for, here, is some advice on a good follow up presentation to the chatter bait. One for slowing things down and more thoroughly working an area. I mostly fish the ponds by my house because it's less hassle for everyone for me to do it that way. Both ponds have a maximum depth of about 5' give or take a little. What do you fine folks on here suggest? 

[tcbass]

I like Zoom Super Flukes and Senkos for that.

[Mike L]

I've had more success following up a missed hit on slower presentations than on moving baits for some reason. 

If I miss one on a spinnerbait, crankbait, on top etc, I just throw right back, but when useing a bottom contact plastic or jig more times than not throwing a follow-up will get bit. 

 

Moving baits are reaction hit's, slow bottom presentations are studyed and thought about more..

 

If a fish was interested enough to try to get it and misses, somthing else just a little different coming right back down will more times than not get hit. 

Not so much with a reaction bait, at least for me anyway.

 

 

 

Mike

[Montanaro]

I only follow up topwaters.  I cant count the number of bass ive caught tossing a soft jerkbait or tube at a spot a bass just hit my topwater.

 

A lot of times bass will just ram a topwater with nose to stun it resulting in a "missed" fish.  Reality is they are just waiting for it to flutter under the water to them.

[Bluebasser86]

I use a T rigged Senko to follow up misses on bladed jigs, with a very high success ratio too. Key is to get it back quickly.

[MichaelCopeland]

6 hours ago, Mike L said:

I've had more success following up a missed hit on slower presentations than on moving baits for some reason. 

If I miss one on a spinnerbait, crankbait, on top etc, I just throw right back, but when useing a bottom contact plastic or jig more times than not throwing a follow-up will get bit. 

 

Moving baits are reaction hit's, slow bottom presentations are studyed and thought about more..

 

If a fish was interested enough to try to get it and misses, somthing else just a little different coming right back down will more times than not get hit. 

Not so much with a reaction bait, at least for me anyway.

 

 

 

Mike

What if throwing right back out there doesn't work for your moving baits? I ask because I was throwing my chatter bait this morning and I felt that all familiar bump letting me know it's time to cross its eyes. So I swung for the fences and thought I had a good hook set because drag immediately came off, not very much, but I felt the weight and it pulled a little more drag and I pulled on it and then suddenly the line went slack. I threw right back out there as quick as I could and nothing. I know it wasn't a snag because coming back through the same area didn't result in anything close to that. This was the second time that had happened in this same spot. The first time I tried to follow up with a jig. Nothing, not even a snag. So there's a pretty good size bass out there that I'm gonna eventually figure out how to catch. 

[Russ E]

I have had success with a wacky rigged senko on a 1/32oz. Wacky jig.

I throw it out in the general area of the missed strike and just let it fall.

Something about that flutter on the way down will elicit a follow up strike

[MichaelCopeland]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I use a T rigged Senko to follow up misses on bladed jigs, with a very high success ratio too. Key is to get it back quickly.

I've got some Senko style baits, Yum Dingers, Shim E Sticks and Trick Sticks. Also have various other worms that work well Texas rigged. Since the maximum depth is roughly 5' give or take, should I try them rigged weightless or weighted?

[scaleface]

My favorite follow up bait for a missed strike on a topwater is a weightless lizard with a big heavy hook to add casting weight . Keep in mind that I discovered this a long time ago when there wasnt such a thing as Senkos , flukes .... It works so well that I just havent changed . Just throw it where the strike happened and let it sink . 

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, MichaelCopeland said:

What if throwing right back out there doesn't work for your moving baits? I ask because I was throwing my chatter bait this morning and I felt that all familiar bump letting me know it's time to cross its eyes. So I swung for the fences and thought I had a good hook set because drag immediately came off, not very much, but I felt the weight and it pulled a little more drag and I pulled on it and then suddenly the line went slack. I threw right back out there as quick as I could and nothing. I know it wasn't a snag because coming back through the same area didn't result in anything close to that. This was the second time that had happened in this same spot. The first time I tried to follow up with a jig. Nothing, not even a snag. So there's a pretty good size bass out there that I'm gonna eventually figure out how to catch. 

I just throw it right back a few times useing the same speed and trying to keep it at the same depth, Then change it up a bit. 

 

Like I said, for some reason I rarely have success throwing a follow-up on a moving bait. 

It's been that way a long time and I still don't know why. .

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Bluebasser86]

56 minutes ago, MichaelCopeland said:

I've got some Senko style baits, Yum Dingers, Shim E Sticks and Trick Sticks. Also have various other worms that work well Texas rigged. Since the maximum depth is roughly 5' give or take, should I try them rigged weightless or weighted?

I always throw them weightless for a follow-up 

[tcbass]

17 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I always throw them weightless for a follow-up 

 

 

Same. Weightless Wacky Rigged Senko or Fluke. 

[bigbill]

Example, I toss my Carolina rigged senko with a 1/8oz bullet brass weight  with a brass clicker and a 24" leader with a 249w eagle claw weedless hook. On my first cast, I use the senko right out of the package, no added scent. If I get a strike, and I miss the hookup. The weedless spring guard comes up open. It eliminates guessing. I add one shot of bass attractant/ scent on my second cast it's a definite hook up. The bass will hang on long enough for a good hook set. I use a light weight from shore on my c rigs.

 

If your wearing polarized glasses which I never leave home without them. I watch behind my shallow baits as I reel them in. You'd be surprised on how many bass make short runs at your baits than veer off. They won't strike it. This tells me to use a scent and slow up my line speed on my next cast.

 

One more thing that has happened to me. The bass bite is on. After catching so many bass all of a sudden the bite shuts down. At dusk this can happen and I change from a # 3 inline spinner, silver blade, black bucktail, to a Joesfly firetiger Apache 1/4 oz bass size inline spinner. This will land a few more bass before it gets completely dark. This is as the light changes to dark.

 

Free tip, Once the place settles down in the dark did you know the bass turn on again around 10pm? 

 

Now were fishing at 12pm noon. The bass bite is on again. The dinks, the 2lbers, to 3lbers are chasing your baits. The hookups are great your landing every bass. Again it just shuts down. We're fishing from shore and what adjustment can we do? We were looking like a pro and it stood dead like we know nothing about bass fishing. Leaving isn't an option but a happy meal or dollar menu burger does sound good. Not, change colors first. No action yet? Up size your bait. Example go from a #3 inline spinner to a #4 or #5 inline spinner in the same colors. I notice the larger bass will come in to see what the smaller bass are hitting but they won't hit the smaller sized bait. The smaller bass turn off as the larger bass move near. The action will return with the larger bass. This has happened to me many times.

 

Dont limit yourself to trying something different from shore. From shore depending on the depth, the bottom structure, the water conditions try to match your bait sizes to the depths, and colors(water conditions). I notice we can have different water conditions horizontally as we go deeper in the water column. When it's slow my challenge increases. I know the bass are there. There not biting. Then it's what am I doing wrong. One day I'm pulling out 2lb to 3lbers back to back on a split shot rigged worm today nothing. I threw everything in my tackle box twice changing up my presentations and sizes. Then I thought about what if the water column has different water conditions? I put on a firetiger crankbait and the bass bite was on. That was it I learned what I did wrong and found out that firetiger or chartruece can be our friend on a tough day. I was hung up on colors that have worked in the past.

 

With follow ups. I fish the same smaller places like you do. Over the years I learned that the bass do learn our baits and will avoid them after a while. I made up a list of baits that has worked in the past. I toss a ritual of different baits till I get action. Once I get the bait, the color and presentation correct.

 

dont forget to what I call "skip" fan casting. Don't put each cast next to each other. I cast to the far left, then to the far right, then in the middle. I place the next cast away from my last cast. If I see topwater action I don't cast into the action. I cast past it and to one side of it. If it's inbthe pads I cast parallel to them in the open water not to spook the fish. I cast past them. I work my topwater bait slowly past them. I try to avoid a follow up cast when I can.

 

on a follow up cast if using a 1-2-3 twitch lengthen your pause using the same bait, instead of staying with the same presentation go with a slow reel( slower line speed).

[MichaelCopeland]

3 hours ago, bigbill said:

Example, I toss my Carolina rigged senko with a 1/8oz bullet brass weight  with a brass clicker and a 24" leader with a 249w eagle claw weedless hook. On my first cast, I use the senko right out of the package, no added scent. If I get a strike, and I miss the hookup. The weedless spring guard comes up open. It eliminates guessing. I add one shot of bass attractant/ scent on my second cast it's a definite hook up. The bass will hang on long enough for a good hook set. I use a light weight from shore on my c rigs.

 

If your wearing polarized glasses which I never leave home without them. I watch behind my shallow baits as I reel them in. You'd be surprised on how many bass make short runs at your baits than veer off. They won't strike it. This tells me to use a scent and slow up my line speed on my next cast.

 

One more thing that has happened to me. The bass bite is on. After catching so many bass all of a sudden the bite shuts down. At dusk this can happen and I change from a # 3 inline spinner, silver blade, black bucktail, to a Joesfly firetiger Apache 1/4 oz bass size inline spinner. This will land a few more bass before it gets completely dark. This is as the light changes to dark.

 

Free tip, Once the place settles down in the dark did you know the bass turn on again around 10pm? 

 

Now were fishing at 12pm noon. The bass bite is on again. The dinks, the 2lbers, to 3lbers are chasing your baits. The hookups are great your landing every bass. Again it just shuts down. We're fishing from shore and what adjustment can we do? We were looking like a pro and it stood dead like we know nothing about bass fishing. Leaving isn't an option but a happy meal or dollar menu burger does sound good. Not, change colors first. No action yet? Up size your bait. Example go from a #3 inline spinner to a #4 or #5 inline spinner in the same colors. I notice the larger bass will come in to see what the smaller bass are hitting but they won't hit the smaller sized bait. The smaller bass turn off as the larger bass move near. The action will return with the larger bass. This has happened to me many times.

 

Dont limit yourself to trying something different from shore. From shore depending on the depth, the bottom structure, the water conditions try to match your bait sizes to the depths, and colors(water conditions). I notice we can have different water conditions horizontally as we go deeper in the water column. When it's slow my challenge increases. I know the bass are there. There not biting. Then it's what am I doing wrong. One day I'm pulling out 2lb to 3lbers back to back on a split shot rigged worm today nothing. I threw everything in my tackle box twice changing up my presentations and sizes. Then I thought about what if the water column has different water conditions? I put on a firetiger crankbait and the bass bite was on. That was it I learned what I did wrong and found out that firetiger or chartruece can be our friend on a tough day. I was hung up on colors that have worked in the past.

 

With follow ups. I fish the same smaller places like you do. Over the years I learned that the bass do learn our baits and will avoid them after a while. I made up a list of baits that has worked in the past. I toss a ritual of different baits till I get action. Once I get the bait, the color and presentation correct.

 

dont forget to what I call "skip" fan casting. Don't put each cast next to each other. I cast to the far left, then to the far right, then in the middle. I place the next cast away from my last cast. If I see topwater action I don't cast into the action. I cast past it and to one side of it. If it's inbthe pads I cast parallel to them in the open water not to spook the fish. I cast past them. I work my topwater bait slowly past them. I try to avoid a follow up cast when I can.

 

on a follow up cast if using a 1-2-3 twitch lengthen your pause using the same bait, instead of staying with the same presentation go with a slow reel( slower line speed).

When it comes to crankbaits, most all of mine are lipless and mostly Rat-L-Traps because I work there. I do have a couple SK Red Eye Shads too and 2 diving crankbaits. 1 is a deep diving(8-12 ft.), not sure the brand and I think it's 1/4oz maybe 3/8oz. The other one is smaller and dives less than 8 ft. Haven't really tried either of the diving cranks or the Red Eye Shads yet. Which one would you throw out there? Is it possible to make the deep diving crank dive less than the 8 ft. minimum depth it is rated for? If so, do I reel slower or faster to make it dive less deep?

[TOXIC]

A Senko works well as a follow up because it fools the fish into thinking it has successfully killed/injured the bait (spinnerbait/chatterbait/topwater) and it's an easy meal slowly sinking.  That's why the follow up has to be very fast.  

[Catt]

Zoom's Ultra Vibe Speed Worm & Spike-It Dip-N-Glo Garlic Chartreuse. ?

[SWVABass]

I use senko's as well, but lately I've got to throwing a tube, internal jig head 1/8th oz as a follow up bait. Not positive but that spiral it has on the drop seems to draw them back around. Been using a smoke color with silver and black flake.

[MichaelCopeland]

13 hours ago, Catt said:

Zoom's Ultra Vibe Speed Worm & Spike-It Dip-N-Glo Garlic Chartreuse. ?

I have some Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worms in green pumpkin. I also have some JJ's Magic clear garlic liquid and some Spike-It crawfish scent spray. I'll have to look for that Dip-N-Glo garlic chartreuse or do you think what I already have will do the job?

[SWVABass]

Get some Jj's magic chartreuse stuff is awesome. I bought some spike markers they seem to work and less mess

[MichaelCopeland]

14 hours ago, Swbass15 said:

Get some Jj's magic chartreuse stuff is awesome. I bought some spike markers they seem to work and less mess

Almost got some of those Spike-It markers back when I bought the clear Garlic JJ's Magic, they were out of chartreuse. Was cheaper to get  JJ's Magic than the markers, but I'll have to try those one of these days. 

[SWVABass]

Good luck man!

[rosshilk]

I like to switch to a swim jig. You can slow it down like a regular jig or swim it like the chatterbait. It has potential to get hit since it is a much more quiet bait. I never use rattles its more of a stealth approach to me. The chatterbait will be the loud starter and the swim jig will be the silent clean up bait.

[MichaelCopeland]

7 hours ago, rosshilk said:

I like to switch to a swim jig. You can slow it down like a regular jig or swim it like the chatterbait. It has potential to get hit since it is a much more quiet bait. I never use rattles its more of a stealth approach to me. The chatterbait will be the loud starter and the swim jig will be the silent clean up bait.

I need to get me some more swim jigs. I have 1 it's only 1/4oz. I want some in 3/8oz and 1/2oz. The heavier weight is easier for me to cast with my baitcaster than the lighter weight stuff. I really need to get me another baitcaster to add to my arsenal. Can't afford that right now. Hopefully soon though.