“Fast” vs “Slow” fishing

[DinkDreams]

Hey all, 

I started fishing last year, and throughout the year I got more comfortable fishing T-Rigs, Ned rigs, and jigs. Since it’s winter and I can’t go out, I’ve been reading a lot of stuff online and fishing these “fast” vs “slow” depending on conditions. 
 

When I first started, “slow” in my mind was letting it hit the bottom, and sit there for 15-20 seconds, hop/drag, another 15-20. Even my “fast” fishing was probably a good 4-5 second rest.

 

As I’ve learned more, watched videos, and read articles it seems that “slow” is my “fast” hahaha. So what would you say the standard “slow” and standard “fast” would be?

 

Thanks!

[Teal]

Nah, sounds like you are on the page I'm on.  There is no standard.  The more you fish, you will get an idea of what works.  With that said, if you are not getting bit, you got mix it up until you figure it out.  Caveat to that is, making sure you are on the fish first... 

[scaleface]

[Bankc]

Let the fish tell you what they want.  Just keep experimenting with speed until you get bit.  Then, you'll have a idea of what kind of mood they're in.  It will change from season to season, day to day, hour to hour, and lake to lake.  

[J Francho]

There's a few components to this.  Moving fast, but fishing slow.  Using a fast bait (think punching), but dissecting the spot.  Burning a spinnerbait, but making basically the same cast to a spot.  

[Dens228]

For me.......

Dropshot, wacky is slow fishing

Jigs, t-rigs, jerkbaits, slop frogging, is moderate fishing

Spinnerbaits, swim jigs, chatters, cranks, is fast fishing.

[Catt]

@DinkDreams You're assessment is pretty dead on

 

I call it finding the "rhythm", some call it cadence, whatever.

 

With Texas Rigs & Jig-n-Craws, after the pause, I'll short stroke it 3 times fast & pause. That's the exact movement of a scared crawfish.

 

[김현진]

I think most slow action applied rig is free-rig(or furi-rig)

give it a try if you want very slow fishin'.

[WRB]

It’s very difficult to pre judge what mood or activity level the bass you are trying catch are in at the time you are making cast. You may see clues like feeding fish breaking the surface or nothing.

If you fish slow on the bottom all the time you do put odds in your favor that some bass are not active. However if the majority of bass are active fishing slow under them you miss out on a good bite.

Catt mentions fish the entire water column to determine what and where the catchable bass are doing.

The pace, cadence or speed you work the lure at various depths is a trail and error called fishing. 

My suggestion is try to keep a open mind and use different lures at different speeds and action to determine what is or isn’t working at that moment and don’t get locked into your favorite lure or presentation force feeding bass something they don’t want.

I have a tendency to saturate areas I have confidence fishing if bass are in that area. My favorite lure is a jig and prefer catching bass using it. Since I fish from a boat my 1st step is using my sonar to determine what depth the baitfish and bass are located. Depth tells me where to start and what lures should work. 

Speed changes throughout the day so keep changing until you solve it.

Tom

[DinkDreams]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

It’s very difficult to pre judge what mood or activity level the bass you are trying catch are in at the time you are making cast. You may see clues like feeding fish breaking the surface or nothing.

If you fish slow on the bottom all the time you do put odds in your favor that some bass are not active. However if the majority of bass are active fishing slow under them you miss out on a good bite.

Catt mentions fish the entire water column to determine what and where the catchable bass are doing.

The pace, cadence or speed you work the lure at various depths is a trail and error called fishing. 

My suggestion is try to keep a open mind and use different lures at different speeds and action to determine what is or isn’t working at that moment and don’t get locked into your favorite lure or presentation force feeding bass something they don’t want.

I have a tendency to saturate areas I have confidence fishing if bass are in that area. My favorite lure is a jig and prefer catching bass using it. Since I fish from a boat my 1st step is using my sonar to determine what depth the baitfish and bass are located. Depth tells me where to start and what lures should work. 

Speed changes throughout the day so keep changing until you solve it.

Tom

Thank you! Another question and thing I’ve had trouble with: how do I know when to keep trying with a specific lure/presentation and when to switch? I tend to throw 2-4 times one way/speed/method, then slow down/speed up, and then try another piece of cover/new spot/ new angle. Since I’m fishing from the bank, getting to new cover/spots can take a minute walking through the trees or bushes.

[Catt]

@DinkDreams I bank fish quite a lot ?

 

Some banks I fish are like a golf course with manicured lawns while others are dense trees & brush or waist deep weeds.

 

With bank fishing one has to make due with the available access. Fish the entire water column with multiple casts from each presentation & then move.

[TnRiver46]

I can’t recall ever catching a bass while reeling something in fast 

[WRB]

It may surprise you that bass can swim faster then you can retrieve a lure. Caught lots of bass when reeling fast to make another cast. When that happens the bass are telling you what they want....faster moving lures.

Tom

[soflabasser]

A good fisherman is able to adapt to the conditions and is comfortable fishing several different techniques. Sometimes the fish want a slow retrieve, other times a reaction bite, and sometimes they will hit anything you throw at them.

[MIbassyaker]

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I can’t recall ever catching a bass while reeling something in fast 

 

Even with your smallies on the river?

 

I'll very frequently have river smallmouth blow up on plastics as I'm reeling them in quickly to re-cast.

[Biglittle8]

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I can’t recall ever catching a bass while reeling something in fast 

Rattle-Trap is one of my favorite lures, I've caught a lot of bass ripping that through weed beds and along the banks. That lure moving fast, provokes some of the most vicious strikes I've ever had.

[TnRiver46]

7 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Even with your smallies on the river?

 

I'll very frequently have river smallmouth blow up on plastics as I'm reeling them in quickly to re-cast.

The only one that sticks out in my

mind was a big largemouth that hit a worm I was reeling into straighten out. I get them much more often with a slow steady retrieve or working the bottom 

[scaleface]

When bass are not biting the default reaction should not always be to slow down . Sometimes that is a good maneuver  but often speeding things up is   best   . Try both . Giving bass more time to examine an artificial bait can be detrimental  .I remember a club tournament I won back in the 70's . It was late in the day and I had zilch . I started burning a Bomber Long A Minnow next to stumps and in the final hour caught two bass that weighed almost fourteen lbs .   Those bass didnt have the time to mull it over or whatever their little bundle of nerve cells do  .  Like a light changing too yellow right at the critical  moment  . You cant think about it , you either stop abruptly or proceed.

[Catt]

13 hours ago, WRB said:

Caught lots of bass when reeling fast to make another cast. When that happens the bass are telling you what they want....faster moving lures.

Tom

 

Ya ever throw a jig out there, backlash, pick it out, reel up & have a bass on?

 

The bass are telling you something...slow down!

 

I love the way Gary Klein put it, every bass you catch will rat on the other bass, ya just gotta listen.

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Ya ever throw a jig out there, backlash, pick it out, reel up & have a bass on?

 

The bass are telling you something...slow down!

 

I love the way Gary Klein put it, every bass you catch will rat on the other bass, ya just gotta listen.

That happens very often to me, much more so than the opposite 

[Teal]

@TnRiver46 recently i told a story of how I got hooked on spinnerbaits...i was reeling fast.  Personally, that the trick for me a lot of the times, I use a small, compact but heavy spinner bait in the shallow mid depths, with a quick retrieve and alot of the times it triggers a bite.   Same thing with underspins, swim jigs, and plastic swimbaits.  Diesnt work all the time but if you can make a long cast or a very quiet entry its deadly.  Rick Clunn spoke at lengths about this years after I figured it out.  I was like "dang why didnt I hear this a decade ago, I had to figure it out the hard way" 

[scaleface]

When a person reels the bait in quickly to get to the next cast , the lure has already passed the targeted area .

[J Francho]

12 minutes ago, scaleface said:

When a person reels the bait in quickly to get to the next cast , the lure has already passed the targeted area .

I don't think 99% of my casts actually hit the target area, lol.

[MGF]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

Ya ever throw a jig out there, backlash, pick it out, reel up & have a bass on?

 

The bass are telling you something...slow down!

 

I love the way Gary Klein put it, every bass you catch will rat on the other bass, ya just gotta listen.

Could be but I've often thought they grabbed it on the initial fall and I was too busy with the backlash to notice.

 

The lesson that I've taken from this is to fish the cast and straighten out the line later...whenever possible.

[lo n slo]

threads like this remind me of just how hard headed i really am.