Weather to Lure

[BubbaBassin’]

Hi BR community. I was wondering, how do I determine what lure to throw based on weather, water temp, and conditions? Is there a set table or just certain things work better?

[Ratherbfishing]

Some people like to go by various tables (lunar, etc) but personally, it's much more about conditions (water, barometric, time of year, cover and structure, etc) than what can be predicted by any table.   For instance, this past April we had fluctuating temps and snow three weekend in a row.  If you went strictly by (most) tables, you'd be largely disappointed. 

 

HOWEVER, the emphasis should be on location and conditions more than on lure choice.  Certain lures MAY be more appropriate/useful for certain times than others but within a given set of conditions, a fairly wide range of lures might work.  Learn to know WHERE the fish are likely to be and THEN narrow it down to the lure you might want to use given those conditions and location.  DON'T get caught up in the hype a person (usually a newbie) might push regarding a SPECIFIC bait ("ya gotta have....")  Baits are TOOLS.  There are differences in quality, and action, etc. but a Craftsman will generally work as well as a Snap-on, etc, etc).

 

Time on the water and research are the best teachers for understanding where, when, and what to use.

[Choporoz]

Before it gets all complicated in here, I'll toss out one of my very few (only?) weather/lure tips:

-If there's a ripple on the surface, I'll have a spinnerbait close by

[Wurming67]

 Pobably not the answer you want to hear right now but as time goes on and you spend more time on water during different weather conditions trying different baits the fish will tell and just remember when those conditions occur again and you should cash in.

[Bassun]

A buddy of mine and I were talking about lure selection the other day.  We were debating when throw top water in spring and then he dropped this nugget:

 

"If its daylight, all you need to throw is a senko;
if it's not, throw one anyway..."

 

[J Francho]

That's a VERY general question.  Cover, structure, and fish location determine what baits will work, not weather.  There's a ton of videos and articles up here about seasonal patterns - too much to get into in a post.  Start there, and once you're a little more familiar with seasonal patterns and where fish move to during certain times of year, you'll be able to ask a bit more pointed question.

[Troy85]

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

Cover and structure determine what baits will work, not weather.

Not always.  Its hard to fish a weightless fluke in 20 knot winds. While I think cover and structure are the major deciding factors in lure choice, weather conditions(mainly wind) can affect what lures can be fished effectively enough to make them productive. 

[J Francho]

1 minute ago, Troy1985s said:

Its hard to fish a weightless fluke in 20 knot winds.

That's true.  Not many people would fish in 20 kt. winds, but if you add a pinch on weight a foot or so up the line, it will negate the effect of the wind, and you still get that weightless action of the fluke.  The split shot rig was invented just for this issue.

[Troy85]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

That's true.  Not many people would fish in 20 kt. winds, but if you add a pinch on weight a foot or so up the line, it will negate the effect of the wind, and you still get that weightless action of the fluke.  The split shot rig was invented just for this issue.

I wish I didn't have to fish in 20kt winds, but March and April down here are almost always very windy 15-20kt(at least on weekends, always seems to lay down during the week).  I can't bring myself to sit at home and not fish for 2 months to wait for the winds to lay down. haha. 

[J Francho]

It's like that here, too.  And this year there was snow into May, lol.

[scaleface]

Lure selection gets easier with experience . There are usually several lures that will  work in the conditions encountered . Try to select   lures that will work through the cover or structure you are facing . Probably the most common form of cover we fish is wood . Texas rigs , jigs , spinnerbaits and buzzbaits excel at wood . They come through with a minimum of snags . Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits can actually jump logs . Rip rap ,different vegetation ...  have  there own sets of lures that fish well . Just have to try to make good decisions , make good cast and fish long enough to stumble onto something that is working .

[BubbaBassin’]

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Lure selection gets easier with experience . There are usually several lures that will  work in the conditions encountered . Try to select   lures that will work through the cover or structure you are facing . Probably the most common form of cover we fish is wood . Texas rigs , jigs , spinnerbaits and buzzbaits excel at wood . They come through with a minimum of snags . Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits can actually jump logs . Rip rap ,different vegetation ...  have  there own sets of lures that fish well . Just have to try to make good decisions , make good cast and fish long enough to stumble onto something that is working .

So what would work for working the outside of vegetation? I’m stuck in a bank, and the only area with fish are two little weed beds. 

[scaleface]

Weightless  Senko or other stick worms   work well and cast well without weight . Frogs , weedless spoons ...    A lot depends on the type of vegetation . Anything you can cast into it and work it out would be a good option to try .

[Beetlebz]

I can't help but notice that folks have their own favorites that wind up often way outside the accepted norms so such a table or chart would be really heavily biased by the person who wrote it in most cases. This time of year with hot sun and warm water I go to flipping jigs in the wood and when the mats come in, flipping t-rigs into and around the mats. PB&J for clear water B&B for stained or muddy. That #1 go to will be different for alot of people. When I head up to the river we have huge crazy thick mats and big stretches of rock bank. Everything goes out the window and all new stuff gets tied on.

 

I love being up at the reservoir in 95 degree weather and having people give me crazy looks for tying on a lipless crank. It's a dumb idea until it ain't. Experimenting and trying to figure them out is half the fun. Likewise i know guys that will go out and fish an ice edge with a spinnerbaits. Often our desire to get bit on our favorite baits outweighs the common wisdom.