How many casts to one target?

[Big Hands]

1 minute ago, Choporoz said:

There's a reason that 'good spots' are 'good spots'.  Pulling a fish off a laydown just opens up a vacancy.

 

But, I guess the OP was more about whether that first fish is in there and willing to bite.  As we can see from the replies, often she's there but won't be bothered until you hit her on the head three or four times.

I read Roland Martin's 101 Secrets book back in the 80's and always remember that he feels that you can make fish angry (not just bedding fish) enough to bite. He tells a story of making several dozen casts to a spot before a huge bass finally annihilated his bait. That has always stuck with me. I'm not a run-n-gun fisherman, and don't care to fish with people that are. . . . IN MOST, BUT NOT ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. I don't mind moving slowly down a bank, but tire quickly of barely getting a bait to the bottom before having to reel in and make another cast. If I think, or know, there are fish there, I am happy to work an area thoroughly before moving on.

[813basstard]

If that spot works within a pattern that has been established, a lot. If it looks and feels like everything else, not many or none. 

[J Francho]

I caught a 6-0 and 6-8 on almost back to back casts into the same laydown.  I made at least a dozen casts previously, and three other guys in kayaks already hit that laydown before me.  If you think it was thoroughly worked, it probably wasn't.

[Columbia Craw]

It would depend on how quickly I can pick the backlashes out.

[Big Hands]

9 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I guess I would define one target different than some people would. To me, one target is a stump, laydown, boulder, etc. I would define grass, pads, coontail, etc. as an area. By my definition, I may throw at a single stump 200 times or more I would guess. I have never counted casts, but I have spent 30 min or more on one stump. Now an area, I will spend hours in an area not more than 100 yards long if I know it holds fish.

Definitely different in my neck of the woods. Most of the 'targets' we're throwing at cannot be seen.

 

Imagine a lake with 98% treeless banks (mostly dirt or rock), and when you're 50 feet from shore it is usually at least 25 feet deep. There are some coves that have brush near the backs, and some grass (almost like you would mow in a field) here and there. Oh, and the water level can drop (or rise) a foot in a day. . . for several days in a row at times.

[WRB]

Emotion is something a bass dosen't have. Territory response they have.

I leave shoreline targets to those who like to pound them. Soil transition with cover is a high percent target on or off shore. 

Lure path angle is important, repeating the same casting angle isn't productive a high % of the time.

Knowing when to hold them or fold them is the difference between a good day and not so good.

Tom

[soflabasser]

The number of cast I do depends on where I am fishing, what I am fishing for, what I am fishing with, and other factors. I might cast 1-2 times on a spot or spend the whole day casting in a small area if I feel I have a good chance at catching a big bass there.

[Manifestgtr]

I do a version of what your friend does...

 

Shore fishing and boat fishing are two completely different animals for me. From the boat, I always hit a spot for a bit, move on...hit a spot for a bit, move on.

 

From shore, I go into rambo mode...complete with war paint and mouth foam. There are certain 100 yard creek stretches that I will work for 3 hours STRAIGHT. Some version of this pattern always shows up if it’s a good day:

 

-A couple fish at “upstream spot a” will smack a frog...sometimes I get em, sometimes I don’t. The cover is super thick.

-break in the action for a half hour while I try a few things at a few different spots

-a fish tucked WAY BACK in 6 inches of water near the downstream log just hammered a fluke

-break for coffee or an energy drink

-senko madness as the sun starts to set 

The results vary pretty widely but the point is this. Within this little 3 hour stretch, I’ve thrown hundreds and hundreds of casts to maybe 20 spots. Sometimes, no joke, a 4 pounder will come lunging out of a spot that was completely dead all day for “no reason” and hammer a toad. They’re in there...you just have to have some patience sometimes.

[Dens228]

Today was going to be a slow day, minor cold front moved in last night, no clouds or wind this morning so I knew I'd have to work for any bass.   I caught one pretty quick on a frog but once the sun got higher I moved to some blow downs and worked around them with a frog.  Had a non-committed strike on the frog near some wood and cast a few more times around it without a take, so I switched to a T-rigged Black/blue flake Sweat Beaver  and cast to the same area,  second cast I got another light strike but no hook up.  Now I know there's a bass there.  I worked that blow down, front to back, side to side for probably 15 minutes until I finally got a real strike and landed the bass.  I knew that bass was there and also knew it was going to be tough sledding so I wasn't leaving a spot I knew had a bass until I landed it!  

[geo g]

It all depends on how much history I have with a given area or piece of structure.  If I'm new to an area I will give a target 4 or 5 casts varying the presentation.  I might throw a U-Vibes past the target and burn it along the surface.  Then I might throw it out and dead stick it.  Then throw past and slow roll it steady but very slow.  Then throw the same bait and hop and let it fall and keep repeating.  If nothing happens I will throw out right to the target and dead stick for minutes, then a small vibrate and sit again.  If nothing works I move to another target.  To me changing the presentation means a lot more then changing baits or colors.  A bass is not sitting there thinking if it were 4 inches instead of 6 inches I might eat it.  Or if it were just watermelon instead of junebug I might eat it.  Just not that much thinking going on down there.

[Todd2]

I made it out last night for my first night fishing of the year. Was going down a channel swing bank and got to 4 large laydowns in one little area at the other end of the lake from the OP.  I worked it thoroughly like I did before switching from the worm (that had been working before dark) back to the jig. Nothing. This went on for a while. I took off the worm and put a dark craw on the T-Rig and caught 2 keepers and a dink in about 5 mins after I had pounded it with the worm and jig. So multiple casts with multiple lures really seems to be a winner. I'm not covering as much water but my #s are up so far. Anyway, thought I'd come back and share.

[BassNJake]

Just some food for thought in all these cases where you are making multiple casts could it really be a timing issue?

 

I was fishing some brush in about 10 feet of water---> got hung up---> retrieved lure ---> chewed about 20 feet of someone elses braided line in my trolling motor---> so I sat there hung on the bush for about 30 minutes working on removing braid from trolling motor and eating a sandwich

 

Even while making a racket I saw multiple small groups of baitfish 1 to 2 inches long swim in/out and all around this bush and my boat. A couple of times I would see bass in the 12-15 inch range cruise by and later I saw 2 large bass and one about 15-17 inches grouped together. They went right to the base of the bush and then moved off under the boat. They paused for a few moments in the last part of shade from my boat. Then I spooked them when I skipped my wacky rig in front of them.

 

Always another variable to consider in this sport

[J Francho]

9 minutes ago, BassNJake said:

Just some food for thought in all these cases where you are making multiple casts could it really be a timing issue?

Yes, I think it is, but only sometimes.  Other times, it could be the previous cast, or several casts may have had some triggering effect, igniting the bite.  Maybe you stirred up some critters, that attracted some bait, and now you have a totally different situation than when you made your first cast.

[Todd2]

29 minutes ago, BassNJake said:

Just some food for thought in all these cases where you are making multiple casts could it really be a timing issue?

I think @J Francho nailed it. In this case in took me less than 30 secs to pop off the worm and stick on a craw and I think the first keeper came on the first cast..maybe second after switching. Hard to figure these pea sized brain creatures out.

[Team9nine]

"Something to think about: If you fish the wrong fly long and hard enough, it will sooner or later become the right fly.”

 

- John Gierach

 

I’ve always liked John’s quote above. There is no ‘right’ or universal answer to the question, IMO. You either look like a genius when you finally pull a nice fish out after 50 casts to the same spot, or an idiot when you don’t. The trick is in finding the proper balance between the two outcomes on any given day ?

[WRB]

The one thing live bait fishing for bass taught me is anchoring down in 1 spot for hours and making the same cast eventually the bass will either move into the area, become active or nothing happens. I also learned it took more patience then I have and always looking for greener pastures.

Tom