“Fast” vs “Slow” fishing

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, lo n slo said:

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

I’ll keep burning in my spinnerbaits catching nothing while you catch big spots dragging Texas rigs 

[gim]

When I think "fast," I think moving, more aggressive power lures.  Topwaters, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits, etc come to mind.  When I think "slow", I think neds, wacky rigs, trigs, and other finesse presentations (usually with a soft plastic).  A jerk bait kind of falls in both categories because you can let is pause for a longer period but you can also move it along at a quicker pace too.

 

I almost always start with a faster moving lure.  I think its a more exciting way to fish.  But unfortunately its just not effective all the time.  I think slower presentations are usually associated with colder water whereas faster presentations are better in warmer water.  Fish are cold blooded so when the environment is warmer their metabolism speeds up and they must eat more often.

[Sphynx]

If your a bank guy, you will have to square with the fact that you won't get great access everywhere, some places it's a safety thing, other places it's flat out not possible to get to or fish from, still other times it's a matter of effort and what risks/time you consider worth considering to get to a different spot, the best you can do in places with limited access is to fish what you DO have available thoroughly, fast, slow, big medium and small baits in different colors on top, middle and bottom, even with all that your still going to take your fair share of L's, sometimes you simply can't get to where the active fish are feeding and there's not a thing to be done about it except tip your cap, try to utilize your time profitably while out in other ways, and get them next time.

[Catt]

@Sphynx

 

 

[WRB]

Fast = KVD, Slow = Gary Klein, both are excellent pro bass anglers and catch bass during the same tournament .

Cover lots of water fast to put a lure in front of more bass or slow down with higher precision presentation and put the lure in front fewer but catchable bass. 6 of 1 or 1/2 dozen of the other.

Most weekend bass anglers spend too much time where bass are not located thinking the right lure is key. Weekender’s keep changing and moving unable to figure out what the bass want and how they want it in lieu of locating the bass and depth.

I tend to move slowly rarely fast. The 1st time I watch a partner work a modified Pop R skittering it fast across the surface instead stop and go slower retrieve it surprised me how effective the fast spitting skittering panic retrieve worked. Same experience with dead sticking, why would anyone let a lure sit still several minutes, live bait yes, lures? Sometimes fast is the key sometimes not.

Tom

[bowhunter63]

Like they said about Guido Hibdon If he went down a bank it was a waste of time to fish behind him. He picked it all apart 

[Mobasser]

I used to fish fast years ago, but I've since started fishing slower, and I've caught more fish with a slower retrieve.

[geo g]

Majority of my trips in recent months have come down to slow methodical fishing.  Dragging plastics at the base of drop-offs and clear weed lines.  I often cast, let it settle on the bottom, and then just drag a bait 2 or 3 yards and letting it sit again.  This has saved many a tough day when other techniques were not working.

[Dens228]

On 1/26/2021 at 1:51 PM, TnRiver46 said:

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

One of my best bass was caught using a a t-rigged craw amongst the shoreline wood.  After I'd clear the wood I'd reel it back to me as fast I could for no other reason than to get the next cast in.   I was reeling so fast that I swear the craw was skimming along the surface when the bass hit....I doubt I could have reeled any faster than I was. 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

One of my best bass was caught using a a t-rigged craw amongst the shoreline wood.  After I'd clear the wood I'd reel it back to me as fast I could for no other reason than to get the next cast in.   I was reeling so fast that I swear the craw was skimming along the surface when the bass hit....I doubt I could have reeled any faster than I was. 

I have to revise my statement, that happened to me once also trying to bring in a worm to straighten it out. Only once though, caught a few thousand dragging bottom 

[WRB]

I learned to bass in the mid 50’s before electric trolling motors we known to me. Walking the bank and casting obviously slows your progress down but still can retrieve fast or slow. My 1st lure was a weedless Hawaiian Wiggler #3 and retrieve speed was moderate to keep skittering or swimming on top of weed beds, then slow down in open pockets of water. Good learning lure.

I learned to “back troll” putting the 3 1/2 to 5 hp wooden rental boats reverse, stand in the back operating the engine direction with 1 foot, similar to trolling motor today. The square stern slowed the boat to a crawl so casting along weed beds was a lot easier then walking the bank. This helped me years later the importance good boat control. This also affected how I bass fished over a lifetime, saturating good areas in lieu of covering water quickly. Old school.

Tom

[txchaser]

On 1/26/2021 at 11:11 AM, 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

 

Tom do you find the bigger fish are also in that same depth zone, or often a little bit deeper?

 

[WRB]

Where I fish the bass spawn anywhere from 3’ to 8’ deep,  the bigger bass usually 5’-8’.

Prespwn when water temps are about 55 degrees the bass tend to be at about 8’ +/- a few feet below the high water line during the fall period when crawdads burrow into  clay banks at that depth. 

Our lakes usually rise during winter rainy season so factor the new high water line into the depth. For example the raises 10’ during the winter before pre spawn, I start looking at 18’, 10’ + 8’ = 18’ as a Target zone I exspect bass ro be hunting crawdads within a few feet.

The search areas are limited to staging areas like major or secondary points with clay and rock close to spawning areas during prey spawn to spawn cycle.

After that it’s a deeper search zone to thermocline depths outside the staging areas. 

Tom